Chapter 39: Birthday Surprises
Chapter 39: Birthday Surprises
(Olivia’s POV)
“Graham Storm! Are you deaf?” Bella’s shrill voice echoed through the hospital room as she hurled a plastic cup at Graham’s head.
He dodged it effortlessly, his expression silent as his strength sent the cup crashing against the wall in the opposite direction, leaving a puddle of water on the floor.
“I said get that bracelet from her!” Bella screamed, her face contorted with rage as she pointed a trembling finger at me.
Gloria hovered anxiously at her daughter’s bedside, her eyes darting between Bella’s monitors and her increasingly agitated state.
“Bella, please calm down,” she pleaded, attempting to restrain Bella’s flailing arms. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”
Bella wasn’t listening. With surprising strength for someone so ill, she yanked the IV from her arm, causing blood to trickle down her pale skin.
“If you love me, you’ll do this for me!” she shrieked at Graham, who stood motionless by the door.
The heart monitor beeped frantically as her pulse raced dangerously high. A nurse appeared in the doorway, alarmed by the commotion.
Graham finally turned to face Bella, his eyes cold and distant. “If you want the bracelet so badly, go grab it yourself. I have business to attend to.”
Without another word, he turned and walked out, leaving Bella gasping in shock.
The irony wasn’t lost on me. This was exactly how decisively he had left me for Bella at our mating ceremony. Now he was doing the same to her.
I followed him out, ignoring Gloria’s curses and Bella’s wails behind me. As we stepped into the hallway, the sound of chaos erupted from the room – Bella had begun coughing up blood, and medical staff rushed past us toward her room.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go back?” I asked calmly as we walked toward the elevator. “It might be the last time you see her alive.”
Graham’s shoulders slumped, the weight of his choices visibly heavy upon him. “Livvy, I’m sorry for everything.”
I offered him a serene smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes. “It’s okay, I don’t hate you anymore.”
And I meant it. The realization was liberating – hatred required energy I no longer wished to waste on him. We reached the elevator, and I pressed the down button, deliberately stepping away from him. “You’re not coming with me?” Graham asked, confusion evident in his voice.
I shook my head firmly. “We’ve severed our relationship. We’re already strangers, so there’s no need to travel
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Chapter 39: Birthday Surp….
together.”
I kept my posture deliberately casual, though the hurt still lingered beneath my composed exterior. The elevator doors opened, and Graham hesitated before stepping inside.
“Goodbye, Olivia,” he said softly as the doors closed between us.
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I waited for the next elevator, exhaling slowly as I finally stood alone. The weight of the moonstone bracelet against my wrist was comforting, a tangible connection to my mother that I had nearly lost forever.
In my car, I called my maternal grandmother, Eleanor Brooks. If anyone could give me clarity about my
mother’s past, it would be her.
“Grandma Elle?” I said when she answered. “I need to ask you something important about Mom.”
Her warm voice came through the speaker. “What is it, dear? You sound troubled.”
“Bella said some things about Mom being a home–wrecker,” I explained, my voice catching slightly. “That she stole Dad from Gloria while Gloria was pregnant.”
Eleanor’s sigh was heavy with old pain. “That girl has always been poisonous, just like her mother.”
“So it’s not true?” I asked hopefully.
“The truth is more complicated,” Eleanor replied. “Your father pursued your mother knowing full well he was
promised to Gloria’s family.”
My hands tightened on the steering wheel. “What do you mean?”
“Ambrose Oasis deliberately sought out your mother despite already having Gloria as his intended partner,”
Eleanor explained, her voice tinged with old anger. “Your mother had no idea he was promised to another
until it was too late – she was already carrying you and deeply in love with him.”
The revelation hit me like a physical blow. “So Dad was the one who deceived both of them?”
“Your father chose your mother knowing he was promised to another family,” Eleanor confirmed. “The Oasis
family has always been manipulative with their relationships.”
I pulled over to the side of the road, needing a moment to process this information. My mother hadn’t been
the villain in this story – she had been another victim of my father’s selfishness.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me this before?” I whispered.
“Your mother didn’t want you to grow up hating your father,” Eleanor said gently. “And after she died, well….
the Oasis family controlled the narrative.”
Tears pricked at my eyes as I thought about my mother’s suffering – manipulated, betrayed, and then vilified after her death. The pain of this realization was almost unbearable.
“Thank you for telling me the truth,”/I managed to say before ending the call.
I sat in my car for several minutes, processing this painful revelation about my family history. My mother had been deceived just as thoroughly as Gloria had been, both women pawns in my father’s selfish games.
The weekend stretched before me, but I couldn’t relax. My thoughts kept returning to Cassius Shadowcrest- his unexpected phone call, our brief time together at Shadowcrest Estate, the way he had bid on my mother’s
bracelet.
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There was something undeniably magnetic about him, a pull I couldn’t explain. Since meeting him, positive changes had begun appearing in my life the bracelet returned, Graham finally letting go, my business stabilizing.
Yet I remained wary. His intentions weren’t clear, and the social gap between us was vast.
“Someone from the Shadowcrest family and a disgraced woman from the Oasis bloodline,” I murmured to myself as I drove home. “Fate must have a strange sense of humor.”
Sunday morning arrived with a stack of work I couldn’t ignore. Despite it being the weekend, the responsibilities of running Moonlight Designs and managing my share of the Storm Trading Company weighed heavily on me.
I drove to the company headquarters, nodding at Dominic Reeves as I passed the security desk. His protective stance reminded me of the politics still swirling around my business dealings.
“Good morning, Ms. Oasis,” he said respectfully. “Working on a Sunday?”
“The work doesn’t stop just because it’s the weekend,” I replied with a small smile.
In my office, I faced the mountain of management challenges that had accumulated. My friends had invested
significant amounts in my company, trusting me to turn things around after Graham’s betrayal had threatened my position.
The pressure to succeed was immense. One wrong decision could not only ruin me financially but also damage the investments of those who had stood by me when the Oasis family had abandoned me.
By evening, my eyes were burning from staring at spreadsheets. When my phone rang, I was grateful for the
interruption.
“Livvy!” Lily’s cheerful voice came through the speaker. “What are you doing tonight?”
“Working myself into an early grave,” I replied dryly. “Why?”
“We’re having a little get–together at the Imperial Moon Restaurant,” she said. “You should join us.”
The thought of socializing was exhausting, but I needed a distraction from my troubles. “What time?”
“Eight o’clock,” Lily replied. “And wear something nice.”
There was something in her tone that suggested this wasn’t just a casual dinner. “Is there something special
happening?”
“You could say that,” she said mysteriously. “And take a separate car. I think you’ll want your own
transportation tonight.”
My curiosity was piqued. “Alright, I’ll be there.”
I arrived at the Imperial Moon Restaurant precisely at eight, wearing a simple but elegant navy blue dress.
Harold Greene, the restaurant manager, personally escorted me to the back of the establishment.
“Your friends are waiting in the private dining room, Ms. Oasis,” he said with a respectful nod.
I was surprised to find not just Lily but a large group gathered in the luxurious space. Sophia Clarke waved enthusiastically from her seat, while Shannon Hayes and Camila Foster beckoned me over to join them.
These women, along with several others present, had supported me financially and emotionally after Graham’s betrayal. They had invested in my company when others had written me off as a failed mate with
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The room was alive with music and laughter, creating an atmosphere of acceptance that I had sorely missed. As I joined them, the conversation immediately shifted to the topic that had apparently been on everyone’s
mind.
“So,” Shannon leaned forward conspiratorially, “tell us about Cassius Shadowcrest.”
I nearly choked on my water. “What about him?”
“Don’t play coy,” Sophia chimed in. “The entire Northern Territory is talking about how he bid 300 million dollars for your mother’s bracelet at the Crescent Moon Auction House. The video went viral!”
Camila nodded eagerly. “A man doesn’t spend that kind of money without serious intentions.”
I felt heat rising to my cheeks. “It’s not what you think. I borrowed the money from him to prevent Graham from buying the bracelet for Bella.”
My friends exchanged knowing glances, clearly unconvinced by my explanation.
“So you’re telling us,” Lily said skeptically, “that one of the most eligible and powerful Alphas in the territory just happened to lend you 300 million dollars out of the goodness of his heart?”
Put that way, it did sound implausible. “It was a business arrangement,” I insisted.
“Right,” Shannon drawled. “And I’m sure his interest in you is purely professional too.”
Before I could formulate a response, Lily’s phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen, her eyes widening
slightly.
“Our special guest has arrived,” she announced with a meaningful smile. “Someone who has helped our Livvy significantly.”
My heart skipped a beat as I wondered who this mysterious guest could be.
Lily stood, her expression both excited and mischievous. “Someone who has helped our Livvy significantly.”
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