Page 85 of His Cruel Billionaire Scorecard

Chapter 34

Oliviaturnedthekeyin her front door, the click echoing through the quiet hallway. She stepped inside. It was night already; the moonlight provided a nice backdrop; maybe she’d get a chair and watch the moon tonight.

She hummed a tune, feeling unusually cheery; she’d just had a rejuvenating skating session. After the uneasy discussion with Avery, she needed to ease her tension, which worked better than she imagined.

The familiar scent of her apartment greeted her. As soon as she closed the door behind her, a soft knock echoed through the hallway. Olivia paused, her eyebrows furrowing in curiosity.

Who could be knocking by this time?

Curiosity piqued, she approached the door cautiously, her hand hesitating over the doorknob. Taking a deep breath, she slowly turned the knob and opened the door.

Standing with a look of indignation and as devastatingly handsome as she remembered, was Roman.

“What the hell, Olivia?”

She tried to shut the door in his face, but Roman forcefully wedged his foot in the door, preventing Olivia from shutting it in his face.

His eyes burned.

“What are you doing here, Roman?” she retorted as he swore, holding the door.

Olivia’s face twisted with anger. She tried to shove him away and slam the door shut, but Roman grabbed her hands, his grip on her hands tightened, refusing to let her go. “Let me go, Roman!” she exclaimed.

“Please, just listen to me,” Roman pleaded. “I messed up, Olivia. I let fear control me, but I can’t bear to see you give up on your passion because of me.”

“You don’t get it, do you? I don’t want to be a part of your mess anymore! I don’t want to be used and discarded like some pawn in your game.”

“I never meant to use you, Olivia. I care about you, more than you can imagine. I want to make things right, to find a way out of this mess and protect you from the chaos.”

Tears welled up in Olivia’s eyes as she fought against his grip.

“You can’t protect me, Roman. You’ve already hurt me enough.” She struggled again, and he pulled her close to him, their hearts beating fast; Olivia’s breath was ragged and shallow.

The silence hung heavily between them, the weight of their conflicting emotions filling the space. Roman’s grip softened, his grip loosening slightly as he reluctantly released her hands.

“I don’t like this. I don’t like what I’ve become because of you. I’m a mess, dammit!” Olivia’s voice broke, and her words choked with sobs as she crumbled to her knees. Roman instinctively knelt, pulling her close into an embrace.

He ran his fingers through his hair, a gesture of frustration. “I came here because I heard you’re quitting. You can’t just give up on your passion like that.”

Olivia’s bitter laughter filled the space between them. “Passion? You mean like you gave up on your passion for power and success for the sake of your precious ‘handbag’?” Her words dripped with disdain, referring to Scarlett.

Roman’s face tightened at her words, his anger momentarily shifting to guilt. “That’s not fair, Olivia,” he muttered.

“Oh, it’s not fair?” Olivia’s voice rose, her eyes narrowing with a bitter intensity. “Do you know what’s not fair? You use me, manipulate me, and then toss me aside like I’m nothing. And now you dare to lecture me about passion?”

Roman clenched his jaw. “I never wanted any of this to happen,” he confessed. “I didn’t plan for any of it, but I’m trying to fix it now.”

Olivia shook her head. “Fix it? Can you fix everything, Roman? Can you bring back the joy and passion I had before I met you?”

Roman’s shoulders sagged. “I don’t know, Olivia. But I don’t want to see you lose that spark. You deserve better than this mess. I’m so sorry, Olivia,” Roman whispered. He gently ran his fingers through her curly brown hair. “I never wanted to cause you this pain. I never wanted to see you like this.”

A tremor of a smile touched Roman’s lips as he attempted to lighten the heavy atmosphere. “Well, at least you’re a beautiful mess,” he said softly, his attempt at a little joke.

Olivia let out a mix of a laugh and a sob, her tears continuing to flow as she sniffled against him.

Some sort of apology was what she’d been waiting for. The weight of her chest seemed to lessen considerably. She hated that all the anger and hurt faded away just like that.

She looked up at him, her eyes red and swollen, her voice trembling as she asked, “What now, Roman? Where do we go from here? What exactly is your plan?”

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