Cora stood silently, her phone pressed to her ear, listening calmly as Malisa vented her confusion and assumptions. But her lips curved into a faint smile, almost sad, almost amused. She had expected this reaction. Malisa was sharp, persistent, and rarely wrong but this ti, she was off the mark.
Then, softly, yet with a clarity that left no room for doubt, Cora said, "Sorry to disappoint you, Malisa. He's not the one."
There was a short silence on the other end.
"My uncle and his son… if things had gone the way I wanted, they would both be in jail by now," she added, her tone now laced with cold firmness. "But Mr. B? He's soone else entirely."
Malisa let out a confused breath, the tension rising in her voice. "Then who is he? Cora, this isn't funny. If you know sothing, then tell —"
But Cora cut her off.
"I said it already. Mr. B's identity is not sothing you need to worry about anymore. This conversation... it's over for now."
There was a finality in her voice. Calm but absolute.
And just like that, without waiting for another word, without offering another explanation, she pulled the phone from her ear and ended the call.
At that mont, Oliver leaned back a little, his brows gently furrowed as his eyes locked on Cora. His voice was calm, but there was a quiet curiosity in it.
"So… let get this straight. You were seriously doing your own digging about Mr. B? Trying to find out who he really was? And this Lovi guy who exactly is he?"
Cora blinked. For a mont, she didn't respond. She wasn't smiling either. Instead, she let out a soft sigh and looked away, almost like she was embarrassed.
"Well…" she began slowly, her fingers nervously playing with the hem of her shirt. "You didn't tell anything, Oliver. You just kept in the dark. I kept asking, and you kept avoiding it. So yeah… I started digging."
She paused, then glanced up at him with a half-smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"And Lovi… he's just this guy. The one I reached out to when I needed help with background checks, digging through records, all of that. He was the one helping with everything that had to do with Mr. B."
She shrugged, folding her arms. "That's all it was. Nothing more. But now that I know what I know… I don't need his help anymore."
Oliver was quiet for a beat. He seed to be carefully processing her words before he leaned forward and asked gently, "Cora… are you sure this won't cause trouble? I an… does he know you're sick? Have you shared anything personal with him? Anything at all that he might be able to use against you later?"
Cora paused again, this ti longer. She actually closed her eyes, trying to really think. Her mory drifted through every conversation, every ssage, every late-night call where she'd discussed Mr. B and any other stuff with Lovi. Did she say too much?
After a mont, she slowly opened her eyes and said, "No… no, I don't think so. There's nothing I can rember. We didn't really talk that much, Oliver. Not about my personal life, at least. It was just… work, you know? Maybe a little bit of friendly banter, but nothing deep. Nothing serious."
Oliver's gaze softened, and he gave a small nod, relieved. "Alright. That's good then. Just wanted to be sure. Because with the kind of people we're dealing with, even the smallest detail can turn into a weapon."
Cora nodded too, quietly agreeing with him. And for a brief mont, the air between them felt calm again.
"Thanks," she said, her voice low. "For asking."
"No problem," Oliver replied, his tone gentle. "Just looking out for you. Always."
At that mont, hearing Oliver's words—"Whatever you want, I will do" Cora couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, the kind that cos from being both touched and amused. She turned to look at him, her eyes still holding traces of emotion from earlier, but now lit with sothing softer, sothing playful.
She nodded gently, but there was a mischievous glint in her eye. "Good," she said. "Because what I want right now is not just anything. I want the real thing, Oliver. Not this halfway, vague, let's-see-where-this-goes nonsense."
Oliver raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious and a little nervous. "The real thing?" he repeated.
Cora folded her arms across her chest and gave him a look the kind of look that held both warmth and quiet challenge. "Yes. The real thing. A proper date. A proper proposal. You can't just... say you want to start sothing fresh and expect to go along with it like it's nothing. You have to do it right. Make it count. Make it morable."
Oliver's lips curved into a smile, full of admiration. "You an like dinner, flowers, candles, and getting down on one knee?" he asked, half-teasing.
She tilted her head. "Exactly. And not the knee part just yet… not until you're ready," she said, then leaned in and whispered with a grin, "But flowers and dinner would be a nice start."
Oliver nodded, his expression serious now. "Cora, I ant what I said earlier. I really want to start sothing new with you, sothing different from what we've both known. And if doing it right ans planning the perfect date, saying the right words, and showing you how serious I am, then I'll do it all."
Cora smiled, her chest rising with a soft breath. "I'll never take for granted what you've done for , Oliver. That's a promise," she said. "But don't think I'm going to make it too easy on you."
He raised his hand again like a man pledging allegiance. "I don't want easy. I want you."
That made her laugh, and she shook her head slightly, pretending to act unimpressed. "You're such a smooth talker, Oliver."
"And you like it," he replied, grinning.
Their eyes locked again, and for a mont, nothing else mattered. Not Mr. B, not the tangled ss of secrets and threats they were stepping away from. Right here, right now, all that mattered was them standing at the edge of sothing new, sothing real.
Cora leaned back and glanced at the ti. "So? What are we supposed to be doing now?" she asked playfully. "Because if I rember correctly, we're supposed to be on a date. And since I haven't officially accepted your proposal because you didn't properly ask it ans we're still in the talking stage, Mr. Oliver."
Oliver looked at her, wide-eyed in mock shock. "Talking stage?" he echoed, laughing. "You're unbelievable."
She pointed at him. "Don't test ."
He step closer dramatically and bowed slightly, one hand on his chest. "Whatever you want, I will do."
Cora tried not to laugh, but the corners of her mouth betrayed her. "You better an it."
"I do," Oliver said with all the sincerity in the world. "And I'll show you."
***
Malisa was still with her phone, as he had decided to break the new to Lovi.
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