Page 112 of The Professor's Possession (Crystal River Billionaire Brothers)

“Yeah, I need to go somewhere. I need to take today off.”

“Oh, you’resobad, Olivia.”

I finish packing my bag. I’m going to leave immediately. I order a rideshare on my phone.

As I walk toward the front door, Ava stops me. She faces away from the mirror and toward me.

“So, where exactly are you going?” she asks.

“To figure something out,” I reply, unemotional.

“Do you need any help? I’m here if you need me.”

“I’m okay,” I say.

Despite throwing my defenses up, she can see that I’m upset. She wraps her arms around me in a tight hug.

“Whatever it is, I want you to know that I’m always here, Olivia. Just call me if you need me.”

I nod. “Thank you, but I’m okay. I just need to sort out something.”

“I hope, whatever it is, that you do sort it out,” Ava replies. “Even if you don’t want to tell me what it is exactly.”

And then I go.

It’s only when I’m in the rideshare that my walls break down and I start to cry. I don’t know what I’m doing. Spencer’s betrayal has cut me deeper than I ever thought it would.

But there’s one person I can always talk to when I’m like this.

And so, I decide to call her.

“Mom?”

“Olivia?”

The voice is a hell of a lot lower – and less frantic – than Mom’s. It’s Dad that answers the house phone.

“Hey, Dad. Where’s Mom?”

“She’s at the hairdresser.”

“Oh.”

I really want to talk to someone. Someone not connected to CRU or Professor Penmayne or Ava or anyone else I know in Crystal River.

“What’s wrong, Olivia?” he asks me.

I take in a deep breath.

Dad has never been the one for these kinds of conversations, but hearing his voice just breaks me.

And so, I tell him everything. About my professor. About us sneaking around. About the non-disclosure agreement. About Spencer’s past.Everything.

And Dad listens. He doesn’t say a word until I’ve finished blabbering on. Tears are flowing down my face as I go on and on for forever about the crazy stuff that's been happening these past few weeks while I'm sitting in the rideshare. I sound like a complete moron as I lay out all the dumb moves I've made – every single little screw-up – but Dad's not giving me any judgment at all. No interruptions.

And then I finish.

“You’re so brave, Olivia,” he remarks.

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