Chapter 36
Zoe clung tightly to Olivia’s dress, refusing to let go as she delivered another slap to her face, causing Olivia to fall into her father’s arms.
Reyes and Marcus quickly rushed to the scene, with Marcus holding his wife and Reyes standing in front of her, attempting to calm Zoe down.
“You shouldn’t attack her like that, remember she’s pregnant,” Reyes warned.
Zoe struggled against Marcus’s grip, “Let me go, she’s trying to ruin our son,” as she attempted to lunge at Olivia, who sought refuge behind her father.
Zoe couldn’t contain the anger and shock welling up inside her. She couldn’t believe that Carlo was on the verge of publicly shaming her in front of everyone, including the media. She had thought that his time in prison had taught him valuable lessons, and she had kept his incarceration a secret from the rest of the family, even his own father. Their agreement had been for Carlo to stay out of trouble, and his earnest promises had made it hard to believe Olivia’s accusations.
“If you doubt my honesty, why not ask your son directly,” Olivia stood firm behind her father, determined not to be belittled again.
Carlo was frozen in place, his thoughts stuck on Olivia’s revelation of her pregnancy. He struggled to grasp her intentions. While he understood her attempt to shield herself from Javier’s rejection, he wished she had discussed it with him first before making it public. Running his fingers through his hair, he pondered his next move and ultimately decided to support her, knowing she was carrying his child.
Zoe confronted Carlo with a piercing gaze, her voice slow and menacing, “Is what she said true?” Hoping against hope that Olivia was mistaken.
Carlo remained silent, bowing his head to avoid his mother’s eyes. Zoe reached out, lifting his chin to meet her gaze, and saw the truth reflected in his eyes. With a swift motion, she delivered a resounding slap to his cheek.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” Carlo whispered in shame, bowing his head to avoid another slap from his mother.
Zoe scoffed, “You’re sorry…” She was saying, but the constant camera flashing kept cutting her off. She turned to face the crowd, all of whom had their phones up recording everything.
“The party is over. Everyone should go home,” she yelled at the top of her voice, signaling security to clear the area. Her gaze accidentally landed on Helen, who was laughing uncontrollably and leaning on Javier for support. Zoe quickly looked away when Helen met her eyes.
After a struggle, with the help of Elvis and Reyes, the guests finally left, leaving behind a buzz of gossip. Social media was buzzing with news and videos circulating everywhere.
Pa Inder asked everyone to join him in his private sitting area to resolve the issue at hand peacefully. Everyone complied and began to move, except for Jesley, who stayed behind, claiming she was looking after her sister but really wanting to know what would happen to her.
After everyone had settled around the couch, Alverdo raised his hand, and Inder nodded, giving him permission to speak.
Clearing his throat, Alverdo stood up. “I want to have a few words with my daughter before we start this meeting,” he said. Without waiting for anyone’s permission, he took Olivia’s hand and led her upstairs.
They entered Olivia’s room, and she weakly slumped on the bed, touching her throbbing chin. “Daddy, my chin hurts,” she whined childishly.
“Are you sure Carlo is responsible for your pregnancy? Wasn’t it Javier?” Alverdo asked, ignoring her complaints.
Olivia suddenly burst into laughter, confusing her father, whose eyebrows furrowed as he wondered what was funny about his question.
“Javier has never slept in this room since I arrived, let alone touched me,” Olivia responded after managing to suppress her laughter.
Alverdo nodded in understanding. “Then Carlo is…”
“I’m not even pregnant!” Olivia interrupted her father.
Alverdo’s jaw dropped as soon as the words left her mouth. He quickly sat down beside Olivia, trying to process everything. “You mean…” he pointed at her stomach to complete his sentence.
“Yes, Dad, I’m not pregnant. It was just an act,” Olivia said happily, smoothing her stomach.
Alverdo stared at his daughter in disbelief, wondering where she got such an idea from.
“Daddy, I had to lie just to save my face and the face of our family,” Olivia said.
“What if you get caught?” Alverdo expressed his fear.
Olivia shrugged, “No one will find out if I play my cards right. I’ll use Carlo as my tool because he loves me. I’ll use him as my key,” she said confidently. “Don’t worry, father. I have everything under control,” she reassured him, holding his hands.
After considering it, he nodded in approval. “Let’s go downstairs; your in-laws are waiting,” he teased, and they both burst into laughter, quickly quieting down to avoid being heard by the people downstairs.
They descended the stairs, hand in hand, and Olivia sat down while Alverdo sat beside her, clearing his throat.
After a moment, Inder signaled Carlo to step forward and stand in the middle of the sitting area. Carlo stood with his head bowed, avoiding Javier’s gaze as he felt it on him.
Alverdo cleared his throat again before starting to speak. “Before I begin, I…”
Javier stood up and slowly approached Carlo, interrupting Alverdo. He stood in front of Carlo with an angry expression, waiting for him to raise his head.
Carlo realized he was in trouble, as the Javier he knew would never overlook this. He let out a heavy sigh, slowly lifting his head in anticipation of a slap from Javier. Instead, he felt a hard fist strike his nose.
“Damn it!” He cursed, touching his nose and seeing blood on his hand. His eyes widened as he turned to Javier, who was seething with anger, his chest heaving rapidly as he glared at Carlo with murderous intent.
Zoe stood up from her seat and rushed to Carlo, who was on the floor, holding his bleeding
nose. Tears streamed down his face from the pain.
“Javier, why did you hit your brother?” Zoe scolded Javier as she helped Carlo up from the ground.
“Aunt, please let me talk to my brother,” Javier said in a hoarse voice, his gaze fixed on Carlo the entire time.
“I won’t let you touch him again. Carlo didn’t do anything. This woman is trying to ruin him,” Zoe protested, protective of her son.
Marcus stood up and approached Zoe, standing in front of her and whispering in her ear, “Let Javier handle this.”
After hearing Marcus’s words, Zoe reluctantly released Carlo’s arms and followed Marcus back to his seat, leaving Carlo to face Javier.
“Mom!” Carlo whispered, reaching out to his mother, but Zoe pushed his hands away, tears streaming down her face. Carlo turned to Javier, feeling a cold chill run down his spine and swallowing hard.
“Carlo, kneel!” Javier’s voice boomed through the building, and Carlo looked up at him in disbelief. Javier nodded, “Since you want to act like a child, I’ll treat you like one now.” He smirked, confirming Carlo’s worst fears.