Chapter 44
Chapter 44:
As Kailey stepped out of her room, she crossed paths with Olivia on the staircase. Olivia kept her gaze averted, acting unfazed, then called over her shoulder, “Ryan, are you coming p>
A moment later, Ryan’s tall figure appeared in the hallway.
Kailey braced herself instinctively. But instead of the expected lecture, Ryan simply looked at her with a puzzled expression and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me you were going out this morning p>
“I told Mom p>
Ryan paused, studied her for a moment with an unreadable look, then followed Olivia down the stairs.
His reaction caught Kailey off guard. After everything that had happened the night before, she had been certain he would scold her for slapping Olivia. Either Olivia had stayed quiet about it, or Ryan had chosen to let it go. Either way, she was relieved not to have to brace herself for another confrontation.
Feeling considerably lighter, Kailey went downstairs and found Shirley waiting on the couch. Shirley beckoned her over. “Come here, Kailey. Your mom and I picked out a necklace for you. I hope you like it p>
Moved by the gesture, Kailey said sincerely, “Thank you, Grandma. I love it p>
𝖱𝘰𝗆а𝘯𝗰𝖾 𝘯𝗼𝘷e𝗹𝗌 on ѕ.с𝗼𝗆
“Good!” Shirley tapped her hand with a playful look. “You’re not a child anymore. If you’re seeing someone, bring him home. We’ll all support you p>
“Alright.” Kailey smiled warmly at her grandmother.
That evening, after dinner had wrapped up, Olivia invited Kailey to go for a walk.
Every instinct told Kailey it was a bad idea. She reached quickly for an excuse. “I really need to look over a paper tonight. Maybe next time p>
Ryan glanced up from his phone, his brows drawing together. “Since when does a paper stop you from taking a walk p>
That left her without a response. Was she supposed to admit outright that she simply didn’t want to be alone with Olivia?
She almost said it anyway, but a quick glance around at the watching faces made her think better of it. Blurting out the truth now would only make everything awkward.
She drew a steady breath. “Alright. Let’s go p>
Outside the estate, the night was quiet and still, broken only by the occasional bark of a distant dog. Kailey wrapped her arms around herself and aimlessly kicked at the fallen leaves.
“Olivia, just say what you dragged me out here for, so I can go back and sleep p>
Olivia let out a short, mocking laugh. “You know, Kailey, if you weren’t so hung up on Ryan, I might actually like you p>
“Did that slap last night scramble your brain?” Kailey shot back without missing a beat.
Olivia went briefly still.
“If you’re doing this just to get a reaction, then congratulations—it’s working. But if you actually mean it, maybe I should start worrying about my own standards.” Kailey kept her tone flat. “I don’t know what your angle is, but let me be clear: I am completely over Ryan. If you care about him that much, you had better keep your mask on. The moment he sees who you really are—well, I doubt any man enjoys realizing he’s been made a fool p>