Chapter 408: The Bathroom
Olivia’s POV
I felt like the third wheel. The whole dinner, Frederick only looked at Selene. He asked her question after question. She smiled, she laughed, and she lied so easily—even about her family. I stabbed my fork into my food, my wolf pacing inside me. I couldn’t take it anymore. Was he doing this to humiliate me now? To make me jealous? "I need to use the bathroom," I said quickly, pushing back my chair.
I walked down the hall and into the bathroom. My hands gripped the sink as I stared into the mirror. My chest rose and fell fast. If he was doing all those things to make me jealous, then it was okay, but if he truly cared about Selene, then we were in trouble. I scowled and stared at my reflection in the mirror as a thought came through my mind. What if he wants me and still wants Selene? What do I do then? My frown deepened. I reminded myself I needed to go back to my original plan, which was finding the vessel and destroying it. I can’t believe Selene and her games...
Suddenly the door opened. Selene walked in, smirking.
"You don’t look well," she said sweetly. "Not able to stand it, I’ll bet."
I turned on her, my eyes sharp. "Why aren’t you doing what we planned? Why haven’t you made him drink your poisoned blood?"
Her lips curved. "Why the rush, Olivia? You seem more upset than I am."
My anger flared. "He’s falling for you," I hissed.
She tilted her head, mocking me. "So what? Or maybe... you’re just jealous."
I scoffed. My wolf snarled. "Jealous? Don’t flatter yourself. I’m not jealous, okay? I just don’t trust you because you’re nothing but a lying whore."
Her eyes reddened and a big frown spread across her cheek, and before I could process it, she slapped me.
Something snapped inside me. My hand grabbed her hair, yanking hard. Before she could fight back, I slammed her face into the wall. The sound echoed. She gasped, pain and shock flashing across her face. I let go of her. Selene touched her cheek, her lip bleeding slightly, her face showing a small visible bruise. She glared at me. "Get ready to pay," she spat before storming out of the restroom.
My wolf growled, pacing inside me, but I forced her down. This wasn’t the time to lose control. I shut my eyes and reached through the bond to the triplets.
"I don’t trust her," I said firmly, letting my anger carry through. "Selene is dangerous. She’s not following the plan. She’s playing her own game—and Frederick is falling for it."
Silence followed for a moment before Levi’s voice came, calm but heavy. "Olivia, stay calm. We knew she’d play it her way. As long as the poison gets into him, it doesn’t matter how she does it."
"No!" I snapped back. "You don’t understand. If she falls for him—or worse, if she decides to protect him—everything will be ruined. I can feel it. I can’t trust her."
Lennox’s voice cut in, hard and commanding. "Then keep your eyes open. Don’t let your guard down. If she turns, we’ll deal with her. Together."
Louis’ tone was softer, but it carried a warning edge. "Don’t let your emotions cloud you, Olivia. We can’t afford mistakes now."
I cut the link off, frustrated, my chest tight. They didn’t see it the way I did. They didn’t feel it. But I knew—I knew—Selene was a ticking bomb. Drawing in a sharp breath, I fixed my dress and headed back to the table.
But when I arrived, my stomach dropped. The table was empty. Frederick and Selene were gone. I walked outside, heels clicking fast against the floor, and found nothing. The sleek black car was gone too. My brow furrowed deep, my wolf bristling in alarm.
"Damn it," I hissed. Did Frederick just leave me here?
Closing my eyes, I teleported back to Frederick’s mansion. The air shifted around me as I landed inside the grand living room. I lowered myself onto the couch, clutching my silver purse tightly in my lap. I knew they hadn’t reached the mansion yet. They were still on their way here, which was almost a fifteen-minute drive from the restaurant. My fingers tapped restlessly against the purse. A knot twisted in my stomach.
Was Frederick really falling for her? Or was this a game—just to punish me? To make me jealous? Either way, I was done waiting to find out.
I waited for a few minutes, then I heard the sound of a car rolling into the mansion. They were back.
Frederick came in first, his face hard with anger, his eyes burning like rage. His chest rose and fell as if he had been holding his rage back the whole ride. But what froze me wasn’t him—it was Selene. She trailed in behind him, her gown a little rumpled, her lip bleeding again. Worse—her face was marked with fresh scratches. Long, red lines cut across her cheek.
My eyes widened. I hadn’t done that. I only left her with a bruise, a small cut. This—this was far more than I had given her. My wolf growled low. She staged this.
Frederick’s chest heaved as he glared down at me. His hand clenched into a fist at his side, so tight I could hear the leather of his gloves strain.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" His voice thundered, vibrating the walls. "Why are you acting like a jealous bitch, Olivia?" The words hit me like a slap. My throat tightened, but I lifted my chin.
He stepped closer, his eyes sharp with rage. "First, you act like you don’t want me. You reject me, spit in my face, and tell me you’d rather die than be mine. And now—now you see Selene, and suddenly you can’t stand it? Just one smile from Selene and you lose control like a jealous little girl? You feel threatened by her? Is that it?"
I scoffed but said nothing. Frederick’s voice shook the room. "You should apologize," he said, eyes burning.
I stood my ground and crossed my arms. "I won’t," I said loudly.
"You will apologize, Olivia. On your knees if you must. Or I swear, you’ll regret testing me tonight."
"Never!" I spat.
His expression hardened. He inhaled slowly. "Very well," he said. He looked at Selene. She looked back at me, her face still red and sore. Then Frederick said something that made my blood run cold.
"If you won’t apologize... then Selene will give back to you exactly what you gave her."
I blinked. "What?"
Frederick nodded once, his jaw tight. "I don’t care who you are. I am against injustice. If you don’t apologize to Selene, she will smash your face on the wall just like you did to hers."