Unveiled

‘I’ve figured that,’ I retort shortly.

‘Miller Hart is a very dangerous man.’

That soon snaps my cocky mouth shut. My mouth opens and closes repeatedly as my brain tries to form words and load them to speak. Nothing. I’ve seen Miller’s temper. It’s probably one of the ugliest things I’ve ever witnessed. And Charlie? Well, he filled me with dread. He exuded nastiness. He carries it around on full display, intimidating anyone he encounters. Miller doesn’t. He hides the violence lurking deeply within. Fights it.

‘Olivia, a powerful man who is aware of his power is a lethal thing. I know what he’s capable of, and so does he, yet he buries that deep down. Unearthing it could be catastrophic.’ A million questions burn my brain as I stand like a statue before William, absorbing every little scrap of information. ‘Unearthing it will be catastrophic.’

‘What do you mean?’ I question, though I think I already know.

‘There’s only one way to free himself.’

I struggle to think it, let alone say it, my throat closing off in an attempt to stop me from uttering such an absurd statement. ‘You mean Miller has the capability to kill.’ I feel sick.

‘He’s more than capable, Olivia.’

I gulp. I can’t add murderer to Miller’s ever-growing fucked-up résumé. And now I’m weighing up the merits of a conversation about my mother – anything to try and make me forget what my mind has just been subjected to.

‘Olivia, she desperately wants to see you.’

The change of conversation catches me off guard. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ I blurt, my fear transforming into anger. ‘Why did you lie to me? You had me alone on more than one occasion and instead of doing the decent thing, telling me my mother wasn’t dead, that she was back in London, you centred all of your efforts on breaking me and Miller. Why? Because that selfish bitch told you to?’

‘Hart insisted you shouldn’t know.’

‘Oh!’ I laugh. ‘Yes, so you managed to tell Miller she’s back but didn’t think that perhaps I ought to know? And since when have you listened to him?’ I shout, incensed. My anger is running away with me. I know damn well why Miller held him back, but I’ll cling to anything to validate my loathing for William and his reason for sticking around.

‘Since he’s had your best interests at heart. I might not like it, but he’s more than proven how much you mean to him, Olivia. Taking Charlie on spells it out loud and clear. He’s making every decision with you at the forefront of his mind.’

I have no counter for that, leaving silence for William to fill.

‘Everything your mother did was for a reason, too.’

‘But it was you who sent her away,’ I remind him, realising the moment the words slip past my lips that I’m wrong. ‘Oh my God! You lied, didn’t you?’

His pained expression spells a thousand words, and he remains silent, only substantiating my claim.

‘You didn’t send her away. She left! She left you and me!’

‘Olivia, it’s not—’

‘I’m going to the toilet.’ My fast response is indicative of my deduction. Speaking of her won’t help at all. I speed off, leaving behind a man in clear emotional turmoil. I don’t care.

‘You can’t run away from your mother forever!’ he calls, making my angry feet skid to a shocked halt. Run away?

I swing around violently. ‘Yes!’ I scream. ‘Yes, I can! She ran away from me! She chose her life! She can go to hell if she thinks she can step back into mine when I’m finally over it!’ I stagger back, my fury making me unstable on my feet, while William regards me carefully, warily. I can see his torment, but I have no compassion for him. Now he’s trying to fix things with Gracie Taylor – though I have no idea why he would want that selfish bitch back in his life. ‘I have everything I need,’ I finish more calmly. ‘Why is she here now? After all this time?’

William’s lips press together, his eyes hardening. ‘She had no choice.’

‘Don’t you start!’ I yell, disgusted. ‘You had no choice; she had no choice! Everyone has a choice!’ I remember what Gracie said at the Society – I’ll be damned if he’s going to strut into her life and toss every painful moment I’ve endured all these years to shit! – and suddenly everything comes together. The obviousness of it is almost stupid. ‘She only came back because of Miller, didn’t she? She’s using you! She came back to take away the one true piece of happiness I’ve found since she abandoned me. But she’s got you to do her dirty work!’ I almost laugh. ‘Does she hate me that much?’

‘Don’t talk stupid!’

It’s not stupid at all. She couldn’t have her forever with William, so I shouldn’t have mine with Miller? ‘She’s jealous. She’s blinded by jealousy that I have Miller, that he will do anything so we can be together.’

‘Olivia, that’s—’

‘Perfect sense,’ I whisper, turning slowly away from my whore of a mother’s ex-pimp. ‘Tell her she can go back to where she came from. She’s not wanted here.’ My calmness shocks me, and William’s inhale of hurt breath tells me he’s just as stunned by my hard-heartedness. It’s a shame neither of them considered the hurt and damage I would endure all those years ago.

I drag myself across the club, not looking back to assess the hurt I’ve caused. I plan on curling up on Miller’s office couch and shutting out the world.