Olivia had been taking a stroll within the yard when she saw one of Ethan's cars approaching. She stood still and widened her eyes with anticipation to see him because she wasn't expecting him to show up and even thought he still hadn't yet returned.
Ethan was usually in the driver's seat as he preferred to drive himself around so once she could make out the driver, she sighed with disappointment with her eyes shut since it wasn't Ethan but soon, she widened her eyes again when she saw Ethan in the backseat.
Realizing she was being too obvious about how she felt when she saw Ethan, she composed herself and crossed her arms with a poker face.
Once Ethan stepped out of the car and approached her, he noticed how she still looked ravishing and had now stuck to it even if she didn't go out. She didn't seem to want to speak or make any movements so when he was right in front of her, he spoke first.
"Did you miss me?" he asked, playfully raising his eyebrows.
"You wish," she scoffed.
"Then what was that I saw just now?"
"I just thought it was your mother. That was why I became restless." She walked away from him and approached the car just to get away from him so he wouldn't see through her.
"Since when does my mother make you restless? Hard to believe."
"What are you even doing here?" She turned around to look at him again with narrowed eyes.
"I know I didn't come here for a few days and you obviously wondered where I was."
"I don't care."
"I was out of the country."
"I know."
"Who told you?"
Olivia was about to mention that Pete told her about it when he came to the apartment and had been bothering her for such a long time and she thought she could handle it but such was no longer the case and she hoped Ethan would do something about it.
However, right before she could mention it, she looked around to think about where she would start but noticed the bags in the backseat of his car and assumed he bought something for her.
"What's with the bags?" she asked, her face brightening up with hope that he would say they were for her, despite her not being too fond of excessive shopping from luxury brands.
"The bags have Natalie's new shoes and jewelry from the trip."
Hearing such words changed her mood instantly and she glared at him. "If that's Natalie's stuff, why would you bring it here? To show off to me?"
"Whoa! What's gotten into you?"
Olivia believed that he brought Natalie's stuff along to make her jealous and her disappointment only angered her even more. After going on a short rant about the bags, she pointed at the exit as she yelled at Ethan to leave.
She then approached the doorstep but he followed right behind her as he called out to her but once she was inside, she shut the door in his face and locked it. She heard him bang on the door as he demanded she open up but she slid down the wall and yelled for him to go away.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked from the other side.
"Just go away. I don't even know why you came here."
"Mood swings already? Unbelievable!"
She then heard his footsteps retreat, then the sound of the car and once there was silence, she sighed and buried her face in her hands. She constantly questioned her reaction the moment she heard that the bags were for Natalie.
~
From the moment Ethan had arrived back at his residence, not once did he stop thinking about Olivia's sudden change in mood. He assumed it was because she still did the chores herself or anything that required her to work. He went as far as thinking if she continued that way, it would affect the baby so he felt it was time to make arrangements for assistance.
He sat in the living room then called for Angela and when she was right in front of him, her eyes grew wide as she nervously ran her hands on her apron. She was in her late 40s and her black hair had a few strands of gray.
"Sir, you're back?"
"Obviously," he said.
"I... I didn't even have anything prepared for your meal because I was unaware your return was today."
"Pack your bags because starting tomorrow, you no longer work here."
"Sir, please," she said as she dropped to her knees and brought her hands together. "I admit that I should have been prepared for your arrival at any moment but I was just so b-"
"Angela-"
"I can think of countless times when I was very efficient and y-"
.
"Angela-"
"My grandson is soon going to college and I need the m-"
"Angela!"
"Yes, Sir?"
"I'm not firing you."
"Oh, then why am I packing my bags? Based on what I've heard from so many of my friends, when your boss instructs you to pack your bags because you no longer work for them, it m-"
"Angela!"
"Yes?"
"Stop talking."
"Of course."
"Starting tomorrow, you'll be working for Olivia."
She gasped. "Do you mean the beautiful Miss Olivia, your Ex-wife?"
"Yes."
"Are you still together?"
"No."
"Then how will I work for her?"
He sighed, finding Angela's endless questions annoying, as usual. He then explained to her about the pregnancy and how he didn't want Olivia to struggle so much, which was why he was sending her there.
She couldn't contain her excitement and mentioned that she would pack her bags as soon as possible so she could be with poor Miss Olivia, which captured Ethan's attention and when he asked what she meant by that, she explained to him that Miss Olivia had no one and had suffered internally since she lost her father.
Ethan tilted his head as he mentioned that he never saw that side of her and Angela chuckled, then said that Miss Olivia just never showed it in his presence. Instead she would cry in Angela's arms every time she felt alone.
By the time Angela was done explaining it all, Ethan had been staring at nothing as he imagined how strong Olivia usually seemed but would break down when he wasn't around. He realized there was more to her than he knew or saw.
~
The next day, Olivia had received a message from Ethan about Angela's arrival and when she finished reading it, she threw the phone on the bed with a grunt, then ruffled her hair and gritted her teeth as she remembered her reaction the previous day. Never did she imagine losing her composure thanks to another woman in the picture for a man who meant nothing to her.
Meanwhile, Ethan was driving Angela to Olivia and on the way, he gave her several instructions on how to take care of Olivia.
Angela had lost count of how many times she nodded to everything he said and every time she thought that was it, he only mentioned more ways to ensure Olivia was well taken care of.
She then assured him to not stress about it or go through all the trouble of what he wanted her to do because she knew how to take care of a pregnant woman.
He felt the need to give those instructions because she wasn't trained for that so he would soon hire a nurse for Olivia but for the time being, he would count on her to look after Olivia.
When they arrived at the apartment and opened the front door, he walked behind Angela as she looked around and the moment Olivia showed up, Angela dropped her bag and approached Olivia while softly mentioning her name, then wrapped her arms around Olivia.
"Oh Miss Olivia, how are you?"
Ethan noticed that it took Olivia a while to respond as she stood in place with her hands still beside her and then, her face brightened up with a chuckle as she hugged Angela back.
"I'm fine, thank you."
Ethan could hear the happiness in Olivia's tone and he wondered why she got that way over a simple hug and greeting.
Angela soon dropped her hands and took a few steps back from Olivia as she apologized and couldn't help but hug her because she missed her but would now know her boundaries and was there to work.
Olivia shook her head and assured Angela that there was no need to be so formal because she preferred her the way she was.
As Ethan watched the two of them speak to each other, he noticed how enthusiastic Olivia was and that reminded him of when Angela mentioned that Olivia had no one after her father died.
"Miss Olivia, actually, I'll stop calling you that," said Angela.
"Yes?" Olivia found Angela so amusing that her smile never faded.
"Now that I'm here," Angela paused, then rubbed her hands on her stomach with wide eyes. "I'll take care of everything because I've pushed out 5 babies from this body of mine!"
Olivia giggled and as Ethan watched her, he chuckled but soon switched to a poker face and hoped none of the two had noticed.
He then approached them and cleared his throat to grab Olivia's attention but once she looked at him, her bright expression turned blank and he wondered if she was still in the same mood from the previous day.
"I'm glad Angela's here. Is there anything else?" Olivia asked Ethan in a hostile tone as she placed a hand on her hip.
"Uh...." He furrowed his eyebrows, wondering why she asked in such a way. He looked over at Angela, who just stood there and minded her own business but seemed to watch both of them. "No, there's nothing else. I only brought Angela."
"Then I wonder why you're still standing there," said Olivia.
He scoffed. "Your mood swings are ridiculous."
"What mood swings?"
"The way you've been acting says it all."
"This has nothing to do with that."
"Then what is it?"
Despite being fully aware that her attitude towards Ethan was because she was jealous, she instead nodded and blamed her attitude on the mood swings, but still demanded that he should leave.
He sighed, then headed to the door but right before he opened it, Olivia called out to him.
"Wait!"
"What is it now?" he asked, annoyed.
"Don't leave just yet," she said.
"Are you being serious? You tell me to leave and then say the opposite?"
"It's just....I need you."
"Really?"
"Yes, I was waiting for you to return. Now that you're here. It's the perfect time to say it."
"To say that you need me?"
"Yes, I need you to check something in the bathroom of my bedroom."
For a few seconds, he tilted his head as he processed what he had just heard and felt it was ridiculous of him to assume she meant something else when she said she needed him.
He asked what the problem was and once she explained it and he understood, he left to check the bathroom.
When he was gone, Angela held onto Olivia's hands and spoke with wide eyes.
"I'm so glad I'm here with you! Now I get to serve you and not Miss Natalie."
"Natalie?"
"She ordered me around nonstop. You should've seen her parade herself in nothing but Mr Hudson's shirt!"
"What? His shirt?"
"Yes! She wore it the morning after she spent the night at the mansion!"
"Oh...."
"Ma'am, what's wrong with your forehead?"
"What about it?"
"These lines," she said, pointing at Olivia.
"What lines?"
Angela then furrowed her eyebrows as a way to demonstrate the lines on Olivia's forehead, who soon rubbed her fingers on her forehead and admitted that she hadn't even realized it.
Bothered by the news that Natalie wore Ethan's shirt after spending the night, she asked for more details about it and despite her curiosity, everything she heard from Angela pierced her heart. By the time Angela was done explaining it all, Olivia was infuriated and breathed hard.
Not long after, Ethan returned from the bathroom and sighed. "It should be fine now," he said.
"Good," she said. "Now you should go."
"It's that tone again," he said. "Weren't you being nice just a while ago?"
"I said......go." Olivia gritted her teeth with her eyes shut.
"You know what? Forget it. I'm out of here." Ethan stormed out and shut the door loudly.
Olivia flinched, then clenched her fists with a sigh as she thought about Ethan with Natalie. At that moment, she was unaware that her rage was nothing compared to what Ethan would soon display.