It had been three days since Olivia nearly wrecked Anita's face. That day, I was shocked—but also proud. Proud that she was finally standing up for herself, no longer taking Anita's constant bullying. Not that I hadn't known how Anita treated her all these years—I had. But I kept quiet, trapped in the stupidity of wanting to hurt Olivia. Not anymore. I won't stand by and let Anita belittle her. I was also proud that Olivia had stepped up, showing the no-nonsense fire I always knew she had. Googlᴇ search noveⅼfire.net
It was a freezing morning, and we were all seated for breakfast—Lennox, Louis, Olivia, and even Anita. Luckily, just as Olivia had predicted, the healer managed to fix Anita's face, leaving only a few tiny scratches that would soon disappear.
My eyes were locked on Olivia, who sat directly across from me, and damn, I couldn't look away. She looked breathtaking this morning.
Her long blond hair was pulled into a loose braid that draped over her shoulder, with some strands falling freely around her face like golden threads catching the morning light. Her skin looked soft and fresh, kissed by the cold, and those sea-blue eyes of hers…
Those eyes were unreal. They sparkled under the glow of the chandelier above us, like waves catching sunlight. I had seen those eyes dull with pain before, dimmed by sadness—but now they were sharp, focused, almost icy.
She didn't speak much, just silently cut her food and brought it to her lips with a kind of quiet grace that held my gaze and refused to let go.
"Eat your food," Lennox said beside me without looking up, as if he knew exactly where my mind had gone.
But I didn't listen. Instead, I voiced what had been running through my head for the past few minutes. "Olivia… you look beautiful this morning," I said.
An awkward silence fell over the table as every pair of eyes turned to me. Lennox looked at me like I'd said something blasphemous. Louis stared like I'd just confessed to murder. His fork hovered mid-air, his brow rising slowly in disbelief.
Anita choked on her drink. Actually choked. She grabbed her napkin and dabbed her lips aggressively, shooting me a glare like I'd spat in her coffee.
She didn't react like the others.
She lifted her eyes slowly and looked at me.
There was a slight tilt to her head, a soft arch of her brow. "Thanks," she said flatly, her tone unreadable. She didn't smile. Didn't blush. Didn't give me the satisfaction of knowing how she felt about the compliment.
Then she went back to cutting her food like nothing had happened.
My chest clenched at her reaction, but I didn't back down. "There's this movie that just came out," I continued. "I was wondering if you'd like to go watch it with me at the cinema."
She didn't even look up. It was like she didn't realize I was speaking to her.
"Olivia?" I called out again, my voice softer now.
She slowly lifted her eyes and locked them with mine, those glacial-blue irises colder than the weather outside. "Were you talking to me?" she asked, her tone laced with disbelief.
I swallowed hard. "Yeah… I asked if you'd like to see a movie with me. At the cinema."
Her gaze held mine for a long, uncomfortable second. Then she gave the tiniest shrug and said, "No."
No explanation. No emotion. No hesitation.
I blinked. "Wait… just no?"
She finally set her fork down and leaned slightly forward, her elbows on the table, voice calm but firm. "You don't get to ask me out like everything's fine, Levi. Like you didn't treat me like I didn't exist for years." She nodded toward Anita. "Anita is available; you can take her out."
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My tongue felt useless.
"If you have nothing else to say, I'd like to finish my breakfast in peace," she muttered, then picked up her fork again and continued eating.
Where I sat, I felt utterly miserable. But I wasn't going to give up. I knew getting Olivia back wouldn't be easy, but I wasn't going to be discouraged.
I glanced at Lennox, who glared at me and then looked away. I looked at Louis. He stared at me like I'd betrayed him, then dropped his gaze too. I didn't care… I didn't care what my brothers thought. All I knew was that I wanted Olivia back—and I wasn't ashamed of it.
After breakfast, Olivia turned to Lennox. "I heard you have the record of all the she-wolves. I'll need them for my next meeting."
Lennox opened his mouth to respond, but I cut in. "Yeah, sure… I'll give it to you. Follow me," I said and rose to my feet.
Olivia stared at me, one brow arching in clear disapproval. She didn't say a word, but the message in her eyes was loud enough: Don't speak for me.
Still, after a beat, she stood too. "Fine. Lead the way," she said coolly.
I could feel everyone's eyes on us—Anita practically burning holes in my back, Lennox scowling like he was ready to throttle me, and Louis… Louis looked disappointed. But I didn't care.
We walked down the hallway in silence. The tension between us was palpable—so thick I could barely breathe. I wanted to say something, anything, but the words were jammed in my throat.
When we reached the office, I pushed the door open for her. She walked past me without a glance. I followed her inside and walked to the file cabinet in the corner. My hands shook slightly as I opened it and pulled out the folder labeled She-Wolf Records.
I turned to hand it to her, but instead of just grabbing it, she stared at me. "Is this what you're doing now?" she asked softly.
My brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
She folded her arms. "Trying to get me back. Giving me files and compliments and movie invitations as if that'll erase everything."
"I'm not pretending," I said immediately. "I do want us back."
I stepped closer, carefully, like approaching a wounded animal. "I'm not asking for your forgiveness right now. I just want a chance… a real one. Let me prove to you that I'm sorry, Olivia."
Her eyes softened for a second—but then it was gone, replaced with that look of hatred.
She took the folder from my hands, her fingers brushing against mine for the briefest moment. Even that slight contact made my heart stutter.
"Thank you," she said curtly, then turned and walked out, leaving me standing there, breathless and full of regret.
The door opened again, and for a moment, I thought she'd come back.
But my heart dropped when Lennox and Louis walked in.