Olivia’s POV
I held my breath, waiting. Something about the way he said that name - with so much pain and longing - made me realize just how much I needed to know who this mysterious Olivia was.
"Olivia was... she was my childhood best friend," he mumbled, his words slurring together. "We were inseparable. I trusted her with everything... loved her more than anyone in the world..."
My chest tightened with emotion. I’d never heard Maxwell speak with such vulnerability before. Even in his delirium, the raw pain in his voice was heartbreaking.
"But she betrayed me," he continued, his voice turning bitter even as a few tears dropped from his eyes. "She destroyed everything... broke my heart into pieces and left me with nothing. And I swear... I swear I’ll make sure she suffers for what she did."
I stilled completely, my blood turning to ice. The venom in his voice, even weakened by illness, was terrifying. This poor woman - whoever she was - must have really hurt him badly for him to harbor such a vengeful desire toward someone who shared my name.
"Where... where is this Olivia now?" I asked carefully, my voice barely a whisper.
He chuckled drowsily, a sound that held no humor whatsoever. "After years of looking for her... years of searching... I finally found her. And now I’m going to make her feel exactly the sort of hurt she made me feel. I’ve started already, but I’m going slow for now. I want to enjoy it for a long time."
My heart ached for both of them - Maxwell, clearly carrying this pain from his childhood, and this unknown woman who had no idea what was coming for her. Whatever had happened between them as children, Maxwell’s adult obsession with revenge seemed deeply unhealthy.
But then, how could he claim to love her, but still want to punish her? It was all so confusing.
"You said you love her," I pressed, desperate to understand. "How can you hurt someone you love?"
Maxwell’s fevered smile was chilling. "Oh, I have my ways. Love and hate... they’re not so different, you know. Two sides of the same coin. The deeper the love, the sweeter the revenge..."
That was the last coherent thing he said before his head lolled back and he lost consciousness completely. His breathing became even more labored, and no matter how much I shook him or called his name, he wouldn’t respond.
"Maxwell! Maxwell, stay with me!" I pleaded, panic rising in my throat.
Just then, the hospital came into view, and I practically jumped out of the moving car before it had fully stopped.
"Help!" I shouted, running toward the emergency entrance. "I need help! My boss collapsed with a high fever!"
Two nurses and a doctor immediately rushed out with a wheelchair, followed by security personnel. Within seconds, they had Maxwell out of the car and were wheeling him through the automatic doors.
"Sir, we need you to fill out some paperwork," one of the nurses called to me as they rushed Maxwell toward the treatment area.
"I don’t know his medical history," I said frantically, jogging alongside them. "He’s my boss, not family. I just found him like this in our hotel room."
"That’s okay, we’ll get what we can from you," the doctor said, examining Maxwell’s fevered face as they wheeled him down the hallway. "How long has he been like this?"
"I don’t know. I woke up this morning and he wouldn’t respond. His fever is extremely high."
They reached a treatment room, and suddenly I was shut out as medical personnel swarmed around Maxwell. Through the small window in the door, I could see them hooking him up to monitors, taking his temperature, drawing blood.
A nurse approached me with a clipboard. "We need whatever information you can give us. Full name, age if you know it, any medical conditions or medications..."
I provided what little I knew about Maxwell Wellington the boss, but realized I knew almost nothing about Maxwell Wellington the person. Did he have allergies? Chronic conditions? Family history of illness?
"Is there anyone we should call?" the nurse asked. "Family members? Emergency contacts?"
I thought for a moment - his aunt Cassandra was here in Chicago but I didn’t have her number, I also didn’t have Damien’s as well. The only contacts in my phone was Gabriel’s and Alex’s. And Alex was definitely my safest option.
"I can call his best friend, Alex. He might know more about Maxwell’s medical history."
The nurse nodded. "That would be helpful. Any information about allergies, previous illnesses, medications - anything could be important."
I pulled out my phone and scrolled through until I found Alex’s number. The phone rang several times before he finally answered.
"Oh, thank God." I said with relief, "Alex, this is Oliver."
"Oliver? What’s wrong? It’s pretty early for Maxwell to have you calling me."
"Alex, it’s an emergency," I said, my voice filled with worry. "Maxwell collapsed this morning with a high fever. We’re at the hospital in Chicago - he has pneumonia."
"What?" Alex’s voice immediately became serious. "Is he okay? How bad is it?"
"The doctors say he’s stable, but his fever hit 104 degrees. They need to know about any medical history, allergies, medications - anything you might know that I don’t."
There was a pause, then Alex’s voice came back. "Oliver, Maxwell doesn’t have any medical conditions. No allergies that I know of, no medications. The man’s annoyingly healthy - never gets sick, barely even gets colds. In all the years I’ve known him, I don’t think he’s ever been to a hospital for anything. Hell, he detest hospitals."
"Really? Nothing at all?"
"Nothing. His family doesn’t have a history of major illnesses either. This pneumonia thing... it’s really out of character for him. Are you sure that’s what it is?"
I relayed this information to the nurse, who looked surprised but noted it down. It seemed Maxwell’s sudden, severe illness was as much of a mystery to his best friend as it was to everyone else.
The nurse nodded sympathetically. "We’ll do our best with what we have. Why don’t you have a seat in the waiting area? The doctor will update you as soon as they know something."