However Oliver didn't say anything. He stood still, arms folded, eyes narrowed. Clinton leaned in slightly, lowering his voice even more.
"You don't have to keep pretending with ," Clinton continued. "I'm not here to judge you, bro. I know the relationship is fake. I've known from the very beginning. You're just helping her with sothing, right?"
Oliver's jaw tightened. His mind raced, but he stayed silent. Clinton smirked like soone who had already won the ga before the other person even learned the rules.
"Relax," Clinton added quickly, raising both hands as if to show he ca in peace. "I'm not going to tell anyone. Not Uncle. Not the family. In fact, I want to help you."
Oliver still didn't reply.
"I'm serious," Clinton said, nodding his head. "You can trust . I'll even make sure you get what you were promised for playing this role. Heck, I'll double it. You've been helping Cora, yeah? Maybe there was a deal? So money? A business angle? I'll make sure you walk away with more."
Oliver gave a dry chuckle under his breath. "Why would you do that?" he asked flatly.
Clinton stepped closer. "Because if Uncle finds out—if he finds out this whole thing was a lie—he won't just be disappointed. He'll be furious. At you. At Cora. He might cut ties. He might cut you off completely. Trust , the man doesn't forgive easily, and when he feels used? It's over."
Oliver's heart began to pound slowly in his chest. He knew Clinton wasn't bluffing. Cora's father had just started to trust him. There was warmth in the man's eyes that hadn't been there before. And the guilt Oliver felt for building that trust on a lie… it already weighed heavy.
"So let's avoid all that, yeah?" Clinton said smoothly. "Co clean with now just between us. I'll tell you how to get out of this while things are still early. I've got your back."
Oliver looked at him long and hard.
Clinton's voice dipped into a whisper again, "You need to co clean with , and I'm going to tell you what to do, how you're going to get away freely now that it is very, very early."
At that mont, Oliver still couldn't stop smiling. It wasn't just a casual smile anymore it was one of deep amusent, mixed with a touch of disbelief. This entire conversation was nothing short of a cody to him. He looked at Clinton, then slowly leaned forward and gently tapped his shoulder.
"You know what, Clinton?" he said with a calm tone, almost as if he was speaking to a child. "If more people in this world were like you, I swear, nobody would be suffering. We'd all be holding hands, singing peace songs, and probably sharing a pot of stew in one big happy village. People wouldn't be pushing each other for money, love, or power. They'd just live in harmony. You're truly one of a kind."
Imdiately Clinton raised his eyebrows slightly at Oliver's words. At first, it sounded like a complint, but the undertone of sarcasm wasn't lost on him. Still, he forced a grin.
"Well," Clinton began, feigning humility, "since you already admitted that everything was kind of obvious, I figured it was better to just talk to you directly. Man to man. You know, clear the air. I'm really glad you're a reasonable guy, Oliver. At least you're soone who knows when he's made a mistake. It takes a genuine person to admit that."
Oliver let out a short laugh under his breath and slowly shook his head. He wasn't even mad just amused at how confidently Clinton was misreading the situation.
"You think this is admitting to sothing?" Oliver said, looking at Clinton with calm eyes. "Let guess you want to open my mouth now and say a bunch of things that'll make your day. You want to sit here and tell you that everything you've imagined is true, right?"
Clinton's smile tightened a bit.
"What do you want to hear?" Oliver asked, spreading his arms. "That Cora and I are acting? That we're faking everything? That this is so kind of sche just to get your family's approval or so hidden benefit?"
He lowered his arms and stepped a little closer to Clinton.
"Well, hate to disappoint you, but what I have with Cora is real. Very real. We're not playing gas. We're in a serious relationship, and any mont from now, we're probably going to get married. So again… what else do you want to hear from ? Or should I cook up sothing that sounds juicy just to satisfy you? Should I tell you what you want to hear, so you can feel smart about being suspicious?"
He was about to continue, maybe even drop a few more sharp lines, but before he could say another word, Clinton suddenly cut him off with a sharp chuckle and muttered under his breath.
"You crazy bastard."
Imdiately, Oliver smiled again calm, confident, and completely unbothered. His arms were still folded as he tilted his head slightly to the side, the way soone would when they've had enough of an unnecessary conversation.
"Wow," he said with a soft chuckle. "So, this is it? This is the big talk?"
He took a step back, his voice still calm, but layered with sothing deeper clarity, amusent, and just a hint of mockery. "Clinton, I actually thought you had sothing important to say. I thought maybe you were going to surprise with so real concern or so deep family wisdom... but this?"
He paused and tapped his own chest lightly. "You ca all the way here to accuse , then tried to bribe , then tried to guilt-trip , all in one breath. And now I see it clearly it's not even about . It's about control. About you not understanding how Cora can actually love soone without your approval."
Clinton's jaw clenched a little. He said nothing, just stared.
Oliver smiled again, this ti warr, even genuine.
"Well," he said, "since it seems you don't have anything new or useful to say... I'll take my leave now."
He turned slightly, but looked over his shoulder with a smirk.
"So let go take care of my girlfriend. We'll catch up so other ti... if you actually have sothing important to say."
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