Who was that man? Truth be told, Olivia Wynne didn't know herself. She had only seen him twice, and neither time had she asked his name.
She glanced back at William Wynne's shoulder and replied in a gentle voice, "I don't know."
"Stay away from him from now on." William Wynne's voice was impassive.
Even if William hadn't said anything, Olivia wouldn't have sought that man out on her own. It was obvious he wasn't someone to be trifled with, and she had always made it a point to steer clear of danger.
"I know."
After Olivia answered him, William said nothing more. The rest of the ride home was silent.
It was getting late, so once she was home, Olivia tidied up and went to bed.
...
Sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, spilling into the room and onto the face of the girl asleep in her pink, girlish bed. The light cast a soft glow on her fair complexion.
Olivia lazily rolled over, wanting to linger in bed a little longer. But her phone, apparently determined to wake its owner, began to ring frantically.
The melodic ringtone chimed incessantly. Annoyed, Olivia threw back her covers and reached for the phone on her nightstand.
"Hello?"
"Hello, is this Miss Wynne?"
"Speaking. Who is this?" Olivia rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Holding the phone in one hand, she reached for the clothes at the foot of her bed with the other.
"This is Liam Lanier. A private room at The Gilded Lotus has been booked. Sir will be waiting for you in Room 306 at eleven o'clock this morning."
Liam Lanier's voice was as respectful as ever.
Olivia's brow furrowed. Gripping her phone, she murmured, "Got it."
"Very well. I'll let you go, then—"
"Mr. Lanier..." Watching the sunlight reflect off her bed, Olivia cut in.
"What's your employer's name?"
'I've met him twice, but I still have no idea who he is. That just won't do. I'm having lunch with him today; it'll be so awkward if I don't even know his name.'
"My employer's name is Zachary Fairchild," Liam Lanier replied, enunciating clearly. He put a deliberate emphasis on the name as he said it.
"I see." Olivia hung up before Liam Lanier could reply.
After hanging up on Liam Lanier, Olivia got out of bed to wash up.
After putting on some light makeup, Olivia found a dress to wear and then left her room.
Passing through the living room, she saw William Wynne sitting on the sofa and stopped in her tracks.
"You didn't go out today, Uncle?"
'William had been back for three days, and he'd had business to attend to almost every day. She hadn't seen him at all yesterday morning when she woke up, so she'd assumed today would be the same. She was surprised to see he hadn't gone out.'
William must have been waiting for her. He responded to her question with a noncommittal grunt, then pointed to the opposite sofa. "Sit."
"Oh."
Olivia obediently sat down.
William crossed his legs, his sharp gaze fixed on Olivia. "When did you and Zachary Fairchild get together?"
His voice was calm, without a ripple of emotion, but his piercing eyes stared coldly at her as he spoke.
"Who's Zachary Fairchild? We're not together," Olivia replied immediately.
After answering William, Olivia began to search her memories. Judging from the original owner's recollections, she didn't know anyone named Zachary Fairchild, let alone had ever been in a relationship with him.