Olivia Sparks

"You have serious trust issues, Livi," Oliver commented on their way down the fire exit that would lead to her decoy apartment. He was so deep in thought, processing a portion of the mystery that was his sister, when he collided on Olivia's back, hitting his chin on the back of her head when she suddenly halted her steps. 

Rubbing his chin, his brows furrowed when Olivia glanced up to him and he didn't like what he was seeing—her undecipherable hazel eyes, the same ones their father had.

"Don't we all have trust issues, Ollie?" She smiled. A small, rueful smile that sent daggers to Oliver's heart. 

It was the same smile she showed him every time but after seeing how her eyes crinkled and disappeared around with Maxen, he realized that what he thought was a smile was in fact a mask to hide her innermost thoughts.

Olivia beeped her keycard to open the door. She gestured for Ollie to go in first, to which she followed after. Down the hall, they saw Shadow standing guard by her decoy apartment's door.

Soon enough, the siblings found their way inside her study. Sitting on her throne, her elbows propped on the glass desk, she asked, "Anything else that you wanted to get off your c.h.e.s.t, Ollie?"

Sitting down on the leather couch across her desk, Oliver spread his arms in a wingspan, crossing his legs. "First of all, let me lay out the facts for you. I am your brother, blood and flesh, we're one and the same. If there's one person whom you should put your trust in, it should be me… not Maxen. Not Ava. Not Tristan. Although I like that you're getting along with Ava, but still. I'm the guy."

"Ollie...It's not that I don't trust you. Do you know what my answer is? It's simple. I don't know where your loyalty lies and I don't want you to sabotage my plan all because we both know that you're a negotiator. Negotiators wanted a win-win situation. And that's not who I am."

"Then who are you, Olivia?" Oliver cracked his neck to release his pent up tension. He regarded the enigma he called Olivia, and the longer he did, the greyer and overcast she appeared in his eyes.

"Who am I? I'm not someone to be trifled with." A small, wicked grin painted Olivia's face. Oliver could feel his intestines abnormally grind in his stomach.

"Well f*ck me. I already got the memo yesterday when you turned the tables on our father." He frisked his suit coat and was a few seconds away from lighting a cigar. "Wait, can I smoke here? Maxen doesn't like smoking or the smell."

Olivia tipped her seat at a safe angle, crossing her arms over her c.h.e.s.t. "Look at you. You're more concerned for Maxen inhaling second-hand smoke than your sister's surprise engagement." 

"Hey," Oliver's warning voice piqued Olivia's curiosity. He put his cigarette case back inside his pocket, and spoke, "Forget about it. You won't understand it anyway. Hurry up and show me the video."

Oliver stood and walked closer to Olivia's desk. He didn't want to talk about smoke or fire. That shit was haunting him and his three friends until now.

Sitting on the other side of the table, he listened as Olivia's fingers danced on the keyboard, tapping the keys lightly. 

"You have Sir James? Is that how you and Maxen met?" Oliver c.o.c.ked an eyebrow at Olivia who hummed her reply. He chuckled, "Ahh, look at that. Even in death Xandra knows how to mess things up."

"Xandra?" Olivia glanced at the painting, tracing her sight back to her brother. "I remember Tristan mentioning that name."

"Yeah, she's quite popular." Standing up, Oliver examined the frame, running his hands to the sides. "Has Emily seen this? We're collecting Xandra's works. All of it."

"Would you mind telling me why? And yes, she checked that last time. I have one more from the same artist."

"Did Maxen bid against that one too? If not, then that's not what we're looking for."

"I don't like where this conversation is going, Ollie. Just. Spill. The. Tea."

"Not gonna happen, Livi." Oliver shrugged. He didn't want to tell her, because she didn't need to know.

Just as Oliver warmed up his seat, Olivia rotated her laptop, showing him a footage of him storming out of Amelia's cabin. 

"Okay? That's me, after I had a small talk with Fa—" He didn't get to finish his sentence. 

"What the f*ck is this shit, Livi? This isn't altered or anything?"

"It's the real deal, Ollie. Unfortunately."

"Where is she? Where are you hiding our mother?" Oliver closed the laptop, pushing it back to Olivia.

"We have to wait. Henry will notice it if we go to that place together."

Giving his sister a once over, Oliver wondered, "How did you get a footage of the estate? Isn't that illegal?"

"It's not illegal. It's a perk from my side job."

"Side job? Are they still hiring?" Oliver inquired. Trying to fish the details from Olivia's mouth.

"They only hire people with high IQ. Unfortunately, you're not one of us, Ollie. But… wait. Listen to me. You made a handsome and intelligent boy, so just focus on procreation."

"Procreation," Oliver huffed, propping his leg on the seat in front of him. "Wait for Ava's announcement. I saw her hiding a positive pregnancy test in the bathroom the other night." He c.o.c.ked an eyebrow looking smug.

Across the table, Olivia swiveled her seat, her gaze landed at the blue tower in the distance. "I don't want you to put your hopes up, Ollie. I don't think that's Ava's."

"Then whose test is it and why is it in our bathroom?"

That moment, it was Olivia's turn to shrug.