Ms Hudson stepped out of her car and immediately entered the car of the private investigator. She clutched her purse with anticipation as she sat in the passenger seat and narrowed her eyes before she warned him.
"You better have something worth my money or you won't get your payment in full."
"You won't be disappointed. Here," he said, handing her an envelope.
When she opened it and saw several
pictures Olivia and Pete at the apartment, she narrowed her left eye as well as that side of her mouth in disgust. "That good for nothing!"
The private investigator added fuel to the fire when he mentioned that all the pictures were taken in the last few days and she concluded that Olivia and Pete met up when they knew Ethan wouldn't catch them since he was out of town.
Once she finalized her payment with the private investigator and was now heading back home, she still checked through the pictures, especially the one where Olivia had her hand on Pete's chest. She dialed Ethan's number and when he picked up, he mentioned that he couldn't talk for long because he would have important back-to-back meetings. She instead told him to go to her home once he was done because she had something to show him.
Once the call ended, she glared at Olivia on the pictures as she declared that her luxury days were over and her son would see her for what she truly was, unaware of what type of rage she would awaken in her son.
~
Natalie had her friends over at her house and all they talked about was the upcoming wedding with Ethan. They looked forward to seeing a grand wedding fit for billionaires because that was how she made it seem and set the bar high.
She had told them that the vacation she returned from was filled with lots of jewelry and shoes which Ethan bought for her and when they demanded to see it all, she sighed as she told them none of her stuff had arrived yet.
As they expressed their playful disappointment of not seeing all he had bought for her, her maids walked in with several luxury brand bags and it caught everyone's attention, especially when one of the maids mentioned that it was all from Ethan.
Natalie's friends all expressed their envy and screamed as they stomped their feet since they found it all so romantic.
One of the maids then handed Natalie a bag which had a note from Ethan and she took it out with a smile but it faded the moment she read it.
This is my favorite car and I'm tired of seeing your bags in the backseat!
Upon reading it, her friends teased her about the romantic words Ethan must have written to her and she played along, making them believe she was so lucky to get married to a billionaire who spent endlessly on her.
To not ruin the mood she had set, she put the note aside and sat with them and they all rummaged through her new stuff and countless times, her friends expressed how much they wished to be her. Every time she heard that, she grinned but they never took notice of how the sides of her lips slightly quivered.
~
After all the back-to-back meetings, which lasted almost the whole day, Ethan linked up with Pete to catch up over a few drinks despite his mother having informed him that he needed to go to her house.
He briefly explained to Pete some of what was discussed in the meetings, only for Pete to soon roll his eyes and mention that he wanted to talk about anything but work.
"Like what?" asked Ethan.
"You should know what I'm hinting at. I'm talking about going with Natalie on that trip. Thanks to her, you had more than just meetings, hmm?"
"Shut up."
"Come on, I'm still waiting for the details. How was it, balancing meetings and some alone time with her?"
"Enough with that nonsense."
Pete chuckled but soon noticed Ethan's poker face. "What are you thinking about?"
Ethan sighed. "What do you know about mood swings?"
"I have no idea why you would ask me that."
"It's because of Olivia."
"Right, sometimes I forget she's carrying your baby."
"I dropped off Angela yesterday at the apartment so she could take care of Olivia and s-"
"Hold it right there! You gave up Angela?"
"I had no choice. Olivia specifically asked for her."
"And you agreed to it?"
"I'll do anything to make sure Olivia's comfortable. It wasn't easy but it was what she wanted."
"It sounds like you would move mountains for Olivia."
"Don't get the wrong idea. I'll do anything for her for the sake of the baby. That's it."
"Right," Pete scoffed, then poked his cheek
"Anyway, at first, it was like she wanted me there, then suddenly told me to leave but soon enough, said she needed me and finally..."
"She told you to leave?"
Ethan nodded rapidly as if to appreciate his best friend's understanding of what he wanted to say. He then went on a rant about Olivia and how he would have to get used to the mood swings but didn't like the thought of having to adjust every time her mood would switch.
Ethan spoke about Olivia so much that Pete clenched his fist. "Have you ever noticed you speak more about Olivia than Natalie? Shouldn't it be the opposite since Natalie will soon be your wife?"
"Don't start with that. By the way," Ethan paused then stroked his chin with a smirk. "Olivia's looking good." He went on to further describe her beauty and was impressed by how she now made it a routine to not look so miserable.
To Pete, it sounded as if Ethan would soon find his way back to Olivia so out of curiosity, he mentioned it but Ethan scoffed, claiming it was ridiculous to even think that way. He just still found her attractive and that was it.
Pete chuckled with a nod, wanting to believe Ethan but a part of him thought otherwise.
~
Meanwhile, Olivia was seated in the same position and zoned out for such a long time that she couldn't hear Angela call her several times. Her slouch and gloomy expression were a reflection of how she felt.
It was only when Angela tapped her on the shoulder that she became alert and flinched as she blinked rapidly as if she had been paying attention all along.
"Is everything alright," asked Angela.
"I'm fine. Did you need something?"
"You might say you're fine but your face says otherwise."
"I'm really fine."
"I don't believe that."
"Just let it go," said Olivia then lowered her gaze.
"I'm here to take care of you and that's what I'll do. Do you need something? Does it hurt somewhere?"
"No, it doesn't." She thought about Ethan and Natalie then looked up at Angela. "Actually, it hurts."
"Where?"
Thinking it would be stupid to express how she felt to Angela, she sighed and got up as she told her to forget it but it was easier said than done because Angela's curiosity only intensified. She followed Olivia around the house while asking her where it hurt and Olivia gave the same response. She only managed to get away once she entered her room and shut the door.
Getting away from Angela felt like a huge mission accomplished and as she sighed with relief, she slid down the door and curled up. She couldn't stop picturing Natalie in nothing but Ethan's shirt in the morning and the type of night they must have had together. The more she thought about the two of them, the more it hurt but she just couldn't help it.
She then realized that thinking about them only brought her pain and to put a stop to it, she needed a distraction so she opened the door for Angela and instructed her to make her something to eat but before Angela could leave to the kitchen, she got closer and placed her hands together.
"Ma'am, I think I overstepped my boundaries once again when I pestered you about the same thing. As of this moment, I'll know my place."
"No," she chuckled. "I'm glad you care so much that you pester me. It feels great to finally have some company here and know that someone cares about me."
"That's exactly what I said to Mr Hudson!"
She went on to explain how she couldn't hide her excitement when she heard she would be working for Olivia, which Olivia found amusing and it got her mind off of Ethan and Natalie.
They then headed to the kitchen together and engaged in random conversations until Angela brought up Ethan again. "I'll miss running Mr Hudson's house and arranging all his books in the study in order."
"Since when did he leave a mess in the study? As far as I'm concerned, Ethan isn't one to engage in reading a lot."
"He usually reads one book in particular with a light blue cover and green border lines on all sides.
"It must be a book about business management," Olivia assumed.
"Yes, but I'm not sure because I've never seen the title. It's a book he keeps with him at all times. You want to know something else, ma'am? It also doesn't make sense to me that the light blue book is about business because if it was, he would pay just as much attention to the other books since they're all about the same topic! Don't you agree?"
Not finding much interest in Ethan reading a book, Olivia spoke about what she wanted to eat and how Angela should prepare it. She also made sure to not bring up Ethan and warned her about it.
~
When the sun set and Ethan returned home, he found his mother waiting in the living room and impatiently tapping her foot. He apologized and lost track of time since he was with Pete and forgot he had to meet with her.
She placed her wrist over her nose when she asked if he had been drinking and he chuckled as he assured her he wasn't drunk at all. He noticed how serious and restless she was so he asked what the problem was. She told him that she had something to say but in the presence of Olivia, which was unusual for Ethan to hear because he knew how his mother felt about his ex-wife.
"Why do you even want to see Olivia?" he asked.
"You'll find out when we get there."
"Can't it wait? Right when I walked in, I received a call and was told my suit had arrived. Remember the one I burnt because of that beggar?"
"Just take me to Olivia, immediately!"
"Whoa! Calm down. I'll take you to her," he said, then wondered what she had to say but despite how many times he asked, she said nothing about it.
~
Olivia had enjoyed Angela's cooking so much that she had another bowl with her and was about to have a seat when the doorbell rang. She instantly thought it was Pete and it took her a while to respond but to her surprise, someone barged in and she furrowed her eyebrows when she saw Ms Hudson.
"I didn't say you could come in," said Olivia.
With heavy breathing, Ms Hudson approached Olivia and snatched the bowl from her and dropped it to the ground, the shattering glass making Olivia flinch and step back as she covered her mouth.
"Mom! What's wrong with you?" asked Ethan as he rushed to Olivia. "Are you alright?"
Olivia nodded, then looked at Ms Hudson once she began to lash out.
"You've been enjoying yourself, huh? Ms Hudson scoffed at Olivia. "Just look at all the spacious rooms, privacy and meals you could never afford on your own!" Just then, Angela came rushing downstairs while asking what was wrong since she heard something break but the moment she saw Ms Hudson, she froze. "My son even gave you Angela? How special do you think you are?"
"Why are you doing this? Don't forget she's pregnant," he said.
"So what? That's no concern of mine and it shouldn't be yours either, especially with what I discovered. That child isn't yours!"
"Don't be ridiculous!" Olivia yelled.
"You have the nerve to talk back when you know you've been sleeping with another man and it's been going on for such a long time?"
"Mom, what's gotten into you?"
"Oh my innocent son, you were so quick to believe that she's pregnant for you but the truth is she's just taking advantage of all we have. Did you know that she's been sleeping with Pete behind your back?"
"What?" asked Ethan then looked at Olivia, who just stood there with her mouth open but couldn't say a word.
"Pete's even been coming here and they've continued sleeping with each other," said Ms Hudson. "When this good for nothing got pregnant, she obviously knew Pete was the father but it was best to pin it on you!"
"That's enough!" yelled Olivia then looked at Ethan, who just stared at her with a creased forehead. "Ethan, this isn't true. You have to believe me." Before she could explain further, a rustling envelope from Ms Hudson's handbag caught her attention.
"You're not getting out of this by deceiving my son. Try explaining these pictures!" Ms Hudson yelled as she scattered them on the table.
Rage was about to take over, especially when the picture that Ethan's eyes landed on first, was that of Olivia standing by the door with her hand on Pete's chest.