Chapter 208: MEETING OLIVIA
If this was karma for what she had done, she had paid dearly; Aubrey felt her life was falling apart. There was nothing left of her but misery.
The only thing that could keep her mind straight and prevent her from slipping into craziness was her son. Bryer occupied all of her time. He was a baby with colic, and it drained Aubrey’s energy to calm him down, but it was a good thing, since she needed this distraction.
She felt the world stop, and everything went by in a flurry of scenes. Bryer was the only life she knew.
Michael would come by now and then, but it was so rare for Aubrey to see Arlo. He would leave to do things she was unaware of, and she eventually stopped caring.
Jack kept her inside to care for the baby. He told her that she was lucky since she gave birth to a son for Arlo, which was why she was kept alive.
’You don’t need to worry about that. The baby will not remember. Once he is big enough for training, Arlo will spend more time with him. He is busy right now.’
That was what Jack said when Aubrey complained about Arlo’s lack of involvement in the baby’s life.
Jack was very cold. He treated her like a stranger, even though he had watched her grow up, and at some point in her life, they had become like a family.
However, what could she expect from a traitor?
Yet, Aubrey didn’t learn from her mistake and seek Deryl McKenna. He used to be her father’s most loyal right-hand man; at the very least, there was something he could do to help her situation.
"You need to be grateful; you are safe and sound here. Live quietly and don’t make a scene. Don’t ever mention the Lozen family anymore. You are a Barlowe now. You are living under their roof and protection."
Aubrey opened her mouth; she wanted to curse at him out loud, but she swallowed it all back and asked him a silly question instead.
"Doesn’t it bother your conscience to betray the Lozens?" Aubrey narrowed her eyes and took a step closer. "Can you sleep well at night knowing you have killed my mother?"
Aubrey cornered Deryl in the empty corridor after he visited Jack’s office. Although there was no one there, both of them were aware of the CCTV cameras everywhere.
There was a heavy silence between them, and just when Aubrey thought she might reach him, Deryl said something cold and harsh that made her heart lurch.
"Arthur must have spoiled you so much that you’re blind to how the real world works," Deryl said, looking at her with pity. "If I let myself lose sleep over it, I would have left my field a long time ago."
After saying that, Deryl left, and Aubrey was too stunned to speak; she didn’t even realize that she was alone now.
She was completely alone in the enemy’s den.
***
"You lost weight so fast," Olivia noted when she met Hazel for the first time after she gave birth and after her confinement.
Her father didn’t let her go, but she always had a way to escape that house. After all, she had lived there for almost all her life; she knew every nook and cranny of that building.
"I am always on the slim side." Hazel sat down on the seat opposite Olivia, while Nolu and Yara sat a few tables away from them, and her seven bodyguards were everywhere around this café.
Ranon wouldn’t let her go without them, and Hazel thought it was a waste of energy to argue with him on this matter.
"Whatever." Olivia rolled her eyes dramatically and then ordered some food. She didn’t choose a private room because she didn’t want to be surrounded by walls anymore.
By sitting next to the window, she could feel normalcy.
"Did the McKennas starve you?" Hazel raised her brows; Olivia ordered food for two portions.
"I have not yet eaten anything," she replied begrudgingly. "The food doesn’t taste good when your freedom is being compromised."
"Right, right; good for you to be able to escape your house. I hope your brother will not get into trouble because of you."
Olivia raised her brows when she heard this. "How do you know that Lyle helped me?"
It slipped from her lips, but there was no way she could take it back. River knew about that fact, but Hazel didn’t.
"Now, tell me, Hazel. What happened to River? Is she... dead?" She was still having a hard time believing this, but the evidence said otherwise; all of them believed River had died and her body had been cremated without anyone claiming it.
The Lozens had fallen; thus, no one would take care of her. Arlo didn’t step up because he was in denial, and when he came to his senses, it was already too late; River had turned into ashes.
"Yes." Hazel averted her gaze; she looked at the street, where people walked by and cars honked in traffic. These people didn’t even have the slightest idea that a woman named River had died.
Hazel envied their ignorance. She wished her life were as normal and boring as theirs.
"But they estimated the time of death to be four months ago. How could River have died four months ago when she has been in contact with you all this time?" Olivia raised a valid question that had been bothering Hazel’s mind. "Unless you lied to me, or someone lied to you by using River’s name."
The food arrived, and they paused their conversation until the waitress left. They got a strategic spot in the corner where they could see the entire café, but there were not many people around them to overhear their conversation.
"I don’t lie to you, and I can’t confirm the last one."
"When was the last time you met with River?"
Hazel agreed to this meeting because she wanted to gain some information from Olivia. She was part of the McKennas; therefore, she was close to them even when she refused to get involved with her family’s business. The information that even Rize couldn’t retain.
However, to get that, she needed to share information with her as well. Olivia wouldn’t agree to talk if she refused to answer most of her questions.
"Four months ago," Hazel said; it was the safest estimated time.
"But you have been in contact with her after that."
"Hm. She called me." Hazel was misleading Olivia with this information.
"Someone had been pretending to be River all this time?" She crossed her arms and was deep in thought. "But you are the first person who revealed that River was still alive after Aubrey’s attempt to kill her. So, had someone figured out her hideout and finished her off?" Olivia jumped to a wild conclusion, and Hazel let her.
"Don’t you think it’s the McKennas or the Barlowes?" Hazel was baiting her to reveal the situation between the two families.
"No. My father made a move on the Lozens because he thought River had died. He called the Lozens a blunt knife without her; the fact that Arthur was distracted didn’t help, either. He directed his attention to looking for his daughter. Therefore, my father said the Lozens had met their doom and changed his loyalty."
In other words, Deryl McKenna wouldn’t have betrayed the Lozens if River had still been alive, since there was still a chance for the family to make a comeback from the setback of her absence.
Yet, River was dead, and Arthur was gone. The family wasn’t as strong and fearsome as before.
"What about the Barlowes?"
"I don’t think so. Until the news was revealed, Arlo still thought River was still alive. Many people believed that. If Jack killed her, Arlo would have figured it out, and knowing him, he would have kicked up a row with his father."
Everything did make sense. Hazel thought the same thing, too. Then, Olivia told her a little bit more about what happened between the two families and some gossip she heard about Aubrey’s life.
"She is living a prisoner’s life," Olivia scoffed.
But Hazel was not interested in listening to her story. It was good information, though. Now she knew where Aubrey was and that she was still alive. Good. Because she should be the one who would end her.
It was a good thing she lived in the Barlowes; now that the most hateful people lived in the same place, it saved her energy.
"I have to leave," Hazel said after she had gathered all the information she needed from Olivia. She was about to pay the bill, but Olivia beat her to it.
"A payback because you saved my life."
"So, your life is only worth a cup of hot chocolate?" Hazel raised her brows. She only ordered a drink and didn’t eat anything else. Ranon told her he would take her somewhere, and he just texted her to ask whether she was done with her meeting with Olivia.
"I am not that cheap." Olivia pulled something out of her bag and handed it over to Hazel. "Don’t complain; I have been under house arrest for the last few weeks; this is the best gift I can find."
It was a small box wrapped in tacky pink paper.
"Okay. Bye, Olive." Hazel didn’t feel like opening the box. Who knew what ridiculous thing she put inside?
Olivia looked sour; River used to call her that.