At that mont his eyes looked up, but they were distant fixed on nothing. "I stepped in when nobody else would. I shielded her. I swallowed my pride to make sure she didn’t fall. And what did she do?"
He scoffed lightly, the sound empty and dry. "She hands over sothing this important this delicate to a man she barely knows. And I... I’m just here. Like I don’t exist."
He let out a shaky breath, his fingers lacing together, knuckles white. "I thought... maybe this friendship this bond we were building sothing real. Sothing solid. But if she couldn’t even confide in about sothing as serious as this... then maybe I was wrong all along."
He lowered his head slowly.
"She couldn’t even confide in ... Just imagine that. And I actually valued this friendship. And I actually am here fighting through the darkness to make sure that she actually is safe. And the person that I am doing it for doesn’t even regard as sobody that she can actually rest her head upon, or sobody that she can actually be safe with."
At that mont, without being told, Lisa could tell that Oliver was in a very deep thought. His entire deanor had changed the mont he heard the na Robert. He hadn’t uttered a word, but the way his eyes stared at the floor and look around, the way his fingers went still against the edge of the envelope, and how his breathing had subtly slowed it was clear. Sothing in him had folded inward, retreating to a place only he knew.
And she knows that when Oliver is like this, it is best that nobody disturbs him, because he is in thought and definitely is going to get over it, which was sothing that she actually has co to realize for the past so ti now.
This wasn’t the first ti she had seen Oliver like this. And from experience, she understood that it was not her job to fill the silence with words or questions. Oliver was the type of person who fought his own battles inside his mind before he moved a finger. He didn’t like being interrupted when his heart was struggling to understand the people he trusted especially Cora.
So without wasting any more ti, she then stood there.
She shifted her weight gently, her arms folded as she leaned against the wall a few steps away, keeping her gaze low in case he glanced up. Lisa wasn’t just being respectful she was worried too. Because if Oliver, of all people, felt this kind of hurt, then whatever truth was unfolding must have cut deeper than anyone imagined.
Then after so ti, Oliver then raise up his head and take a deep breath...
And the sigh that ca with it wasn’t just a release of air. It was years of loyalty, trust, and belief in soone he thought he understood all dissolving in that single breath. His lips parted slowly, and his voice was much quieter than Lisa expected, but every word carried weight.
And then he said to himself once more, "Well, even if she doesn’t appreciate it now, then definitely I hope that she actually appreciates my presence one day."
At that mont, Oliver then face Lisa. His voice was low, calm, but it carried weight a quiet seriousness that made Lisa straighten her posture.
"I want you to do sothing for ," Oliver said slowly, as if he had been rehearsing the words in his mind for a while.
Lisa’s brows furrowed slightly. "What is it that you want?" she asked, genuinely concerned. "Anything at all. Just say it."
Deep down, Lisa felt a rush of emotions, most of them tied to disappointnt disappointnt not in Oliver, but in Cora. She wasn’t happy at all that Cora had allowed things to get to this point. If only Cora knew what Oliver had been doing behind the scenes for her, how he had risked things, made sacrifices, and stayed up countless nights trying to clean up her ss without even seeking praise. If only she could see the battles he had fought with nothing but her peace of mind in his heart. But no. Cora had no idea. And Lisa couldn’t bring herself to bla Cora completely either, because Oliver had never said a word to her about any of it. He had kept it all buried, tucked beneath his silence like a soldier hiding his wounds.
So yes, Cora was taking Oliver for granted but unknowingly. And now, Lisa had nothing left to say. She didn’t want to spark more disappointnt in Oliver’s eyes. So instead, she waited for him to speak again, her eyes steady on his face.
Then Oliver finally said it.
"It’s about Victoria Jackson," he began, his gaze hardening. "I want everything that has to do with her. Every detail who she talks to, where she goes, what she’s working on, what companies she’s tied to. I want to know who she really is."
Lisa blinked. She had expected sothing else but not this.
But Oliver wasn’t done.
"And not just her," he added, his voice tightening further. "I want everything that has to do with her brother Robert. Every deal he’s closed, every person he’s spoken with in the last six months. I want to know how long he’s known Victoria, and how far their connection goes. I want docunts. Emails. Contracts. Surveillance. Anything you can find."
His tone wasn’t angry it was focused. Ice-cold focus. He wasn’t acting out of emotion anymore. He had crossed that line. Now, he was calculating. Strategic. Deadly.
Lisa’s breath caught in her throat for a mont, then she slowly nodded. "Understood," she said quietly. "I’ll get to work imdiately."
At that mont, Oliver added calmly, but with an undertone of cold resolve, that also that Abigail of a lady yes, she was definitely going to be the last obstacle he would personally remove. There was no shaking or second-guessing in his voice. It was firm. It was decisive. He had already made up his mind. Once he dealt with Robert and exposed whatever shadows the man was hiding, Abigail would be the next, and last, na to be crossed off his list.
"But for now," Oliver continued, his eyes not leaving the ground as he rubbed his temples slowly, "I want to start with Robert. I need to know what exactly is going on behind closed doors."
His tone wasn’t loud. It wasn’t forced. But there was sothing heavy and dangerous in the way he said it as if those words were not just coming from his lips, but from every inch of pain and betrayal he had buried for far too long.
"And when I know," he added slowly, lifting his head just enough to look straight at Lisa, "only then will I decide if the Jacksons deserve to be spared... or crushed completely."
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