"Don't let me drag you lazy a.s.s in here," Oliver seethed the second his call to Olivia connected.

"Well good morning to you too, Ollie."

"Oh. Good morning. So yeah, I don't want to be the bad guy, but I might have to ban you from seeing Finn if you will keep on ignoring Dad's invitation."

Olivia smiled. She could sense her brother rubbing the back of his head as he spoke, trying his best to make his threat sound as convincing as possible.

She checked her desk clock and saw it was a quarter past ten in the morning. It was Wednesday, three days since Henry Lin demanded for her presence at the Lin Headquarters. 

Everyday since that Monday, Olivia ignored the invitation from her father with the excuse of her tight schedule.

At first, Olivia thought Henry would let it go and let her be, but it seemed that there was a pressing matter that the loathsome man needed to address with his children, namely: her and Oliver.

If Oliver was sent to the front lines today, it went to show that Olivia's hunch was right. 

After all, Henry Lin wouldn't dare ask Ollie to play the role of a messenger just to force Olivia to meet her father.

How odd. Olivia thought how a shift in time reversed the role of father and daughter. 

Years ago it was Olivia who was begging for even as short as a glimpse from her father. Look at them now.

Tapping her fingertip on her t.h.i.g.h, Olivia took a sharp inhale. Slowly, a corner of her lips tipped in a smirk. "Ban me if you like, but we all know who Finn would pick if I show up unannounced on your doorstep."

"Livi! Jeez! Let's get this over with, will you?"

"If he wanted me to sign something, just send it over to my office. You know how swamped I am with my retirement. I have profiles to study, a new CEO to appoint, and the board was bitching about my early retirement too. Give this lady a break… will you?"

"All I need is an hour," Oliver begged. "And I will certainly owe you one."

Olivia's eyebrow raised at her brother's offer. Oliver never owed anybody. He made sure it would always be the other way around. 

Hearing him say those words elicited a tingling excitement in Olivia's nerves.

She definitely needed one favor, and it was something Maxen had never given her. She knew Oliver would do a double take after seeing her demand written in black and white.

"Ok. Hold on a sec."

Tap. Tap. Tap. 

Olivia's finger danced on the keyboard as she wrote her stipulation for meeting Henry Lin that morning. "Sent. You can check your email."

In the silence that ensued across the lines, Olivia could hear the hissing of the air-conditioning unit. The tiny strip of paper attached to it danced as cool air blew into her office.

Biting her bottom lip, Olivia did her best not to laugh but failed upon hearing Oliver curse.

"The f.u.c.k is this shit?"

"Words, Ollie."

"I can say the heck that I want. Now, is there anything more absurd than this? I can't let you in that property, Livi. It's not made for you."

"Ava and Emily could come in and out as they pleased. Why can't I?"

"Because Maxen would chop my head and put it in a stake. I'm not kidding."

Olivia huffed. This was her only chance to get a glimpse of the bar that the four friends owned without raising Maxen's suspicions. "Then you leave me with no choice but to decline your invitation."

"Livi…" Oliver trailed off. "Maxen hasn't been there since he met you. Do you think I would let him marry you if he did step foot in that place just for once? Absolutely not."

"Okay. So do your friend a favor and let him in together with his wife."

Hearing Oliver took a sharp breath, Olivia knew her brother was seriously contemplating her offer. All she needed to do was push an inch to make Oliver sign the doc.u.ment.

"Sign it in exchange for my attendance at father's meeting plus…"

"Plus what? I need it written."

"It doesn't need to be in writing. You have my word for it," Olivia teased, stifling a smile when she heard Oliver scoff on the other end of the line.

"I'm all ears."

"I'll take care of Finn for a week so you can have alone time with your wife."

Oliver's booming laughter infected Olivia, she too ended up laughing.

"How could you bait me with such a simple thing, Livi? For a second, I thought you would offer one of Maxen's cars which I'm ready to decline."

"Come on, Ollie. Sign the dotted line. We both know Ava won't let Finn out of her sight. Your team of nannies were lucky if they got to touch a strand of Finn's hair. Admit it. I'm the key for your me-time with your wife."

The siblings chuckled in unison over the verity of Olivia's statement. The only times Ava would leave her son was for a salon treatment or an afternoon of shopping. 

Sometimes they poke fun at her that Finn was sick of seeing his mom 24/7 that's why he would get clingy to others when familiar faces were around.

Suddenly, a ding in the monitor stole Olivia's attention. Scanning the doc.u.ment, she spoke, "I'll see you in twenty minutes, Ollie."

"No shit," Oliver scoffed. "And Livi? Don't tell me I didn't warn you about stepping foot in The Distillery."

"No shit," Olivia echoed her brother's words and ended the call.

She stood up from her seat and walked towards the clothing rack beside her office's bathroom. 

Checking which outfit she would wear for battle, she slid one hanger after the other but found nothing to her liking. 

It's not the clothes fault though, but she felt as if she didn't have to exert much effort in looking badass just because she would be facing her father.

Ditching her stand-by wardrobe selection, Olivia opted for strappy heels that would go to her silky white blouse and black leather pants.

She checked herself in the mirror, twisting left and right before stepping outside of her office.

...

Used to walking the streets of London, Olivia didn't break a sweat in the fifteen-minute walk she took from Oakwood Capital to Lin Headquarters.

As expected, a minion was waiting for her arrival in the lobby and assisted Olivia on the way up to Henry Lin's floor.

Reaching the topmost floor, Olivia discreetly did breathing techniques to calm her nerves. She didn't want to look nervous nor did she want Henry Lin to smell her fear.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Oliver welcomed her, and the Lin siblings took confident strides towards their father's office.

Olivia scrunched her nose when her mind wouldn't shut up, telling her to go run as far away as possible. However, she ignored the warning bells, and squared her shoulders as they walked closer to the door of their fate.

She won't lie. Whatever intent Henry had for insisting Olivia to be present in this meeting, it sure reeked the smell of a bad news.

True enough, it was not just bad news but a catastrophe welcomed Olivia upon opening the door leading to Henry Lin's private office.