Billionaire's Hidden Desire

Chapter 2:

The screen didn’t even slow down to display “Message Sent.” Left with no other choice. Olivia tried calling Henry once more, but this time she was met with the unpleasant sound of a busy signal.

After over ten attempts, Olivia found herself still unable to send the message. She tried calling Henry again, but once more she was met with the busy signal.

Olivia grasped the situation and used her private number to call Henry.

The call connected easily.

As she suspected, even though Henry didn’t pick up the first call, he had added her number to the denial list.

Olivia’s eyes dimmed slightly. She was about to hang up and ask the butler to contact Henry when the call unexpectedly connected. Henry, as if expecting her number, answered impatiently, “Can’t you just leave me alone? Didn’t I already tell you not to bother me if there’s nothing urgent?”

“Grandpa called...” Olivia hurriedly cut to the chase, fearing Henry might hang up any second, “Grandpa said he arrived in Tomaso City this morning and wants us to have dinner at his place tonight.”

The other end of the line fell silent.

Olivia waited for a moment, sensing Henry’s lack of reaction, then continued, “Should I wait for you there, like last time?” The last time Grandpa had asked him to bring her over for dinner, he had refused to pick her up, leaving her to make her own way there and wait by the alley near Grandpa’s place.

She figured he wouldn’t want to pick her up this time, either. Olivia suppressed her disappointment, striving to keep her tone as casual as possible, and asked again, “So, what time should I wait for you tomorrow?”

Henry didn’t respond.

“Is it still in the afternoon…” Olivia began, but before she could finish, Henry’s bitter voice interrupted, “Do you ever tire of using Grandpa as an excuse to cling to me?”

Olivia gripped the phone tighter, her strength increasing as if someone were pressing on her throat. She pushed through the discomfort and said, “Six o’clock?” The three words felt stuck in her throat, each one harder to utter than the last.

Silence fell between them, a deafening quiet that lasted for a few seconds before Henry hung up.

Still holding the phone, Olivia stood there motionless for a long while before slowly coming to her senses. She carefully placed the receiver back on the phone, then lay back on the bed, pulling the blanket over herself, closing her eyes in a semblance of calm sleep.

But a glint of moisture lingered at the corner of her eye, and her hand holding the blanket trembled violently.

After that early morning call, Henry, and Olivia hadn’t agreed on a specific time to go to Grandpa Jake's place, and with Henry’s harsh words still echoing in her mind, Olivia couldn’t bring herself to call him again to ask.

Although Olivia didn’t know exactly what time Henry would go to Grandpa Jake's house, she knew he had finished work at five o’clock.

So, a little before five in the afternoon, Olivia was already waiting by the alley near Grandpa Jake's house.

Around five, she heard the piercing sound of a car horn from the intersection not far away. Olivia turned her head and saw Henry’s car parked by the roadside.

When she approached the car, she realized that Henry himself was driving, not his chauffeur. He was sitting in the car, smoking, with one hand resting on the window and the other on the steering wheel, looking very relaxed in a white shirt.

Olivia raised her hand and gently knocked on the car window twice to let Henry know she had arrived.

Hearing the sound, Henry glanced up at Olivia, then looked away, staring straight ahead as he slowly exhaled a ring of smoke. Olivia saw his breathtakingly handsome face, his lips pressed into a disapproving line.

Her mere presence seemed to darken his mood. Olivia awkwardly stood there for a few seconds before hesitantly opening the car door and getting in. Before she could settle into her seat, Henry slammed on the accelerator, sending the car speeding forward.

Unprepared, Olivia was thrown back, clutching the side handle to steady herself before buckling her seatbelt. She glanced at Henry’s profile, noting how his expression had grown even colder.

Realizing any attempt at conversation would be futile, Olivia remained silent, abandoning any thought of greeting him.

Henry found Olivia’s presence unbearable and wished she would disappear from his sight, so he certainly would not speak to her.

As he drove, he lit another cigarette. Apart from the sound of the lighter, the car was enveloped in silence.

This silence persisted until they arrived at the old Taylor family house.

Henry turned off the engine and stubbed out his cigarette, not once glancing at Olivia. He got out of the car first, waiting for her to follow.

He didn’t leave immediately, but watched Olivia get out of the car before walking to the door together.

As they approached the house, Henry seized Olivia’s hand. The abruptness of his action made Olivia tense up, and she instinctively tried to pull her hand away. Sensing her movement, Henry tightened his grip and used his other hand to ring the doorbell.

Unable to avoid Henry’s gesture, Olivia looked up at him, her heart pounding. His warm hand contrasted with his bitter expression and hateful eyes.

Before she could decipher his intentions, the door opened.

Susan, the housekeeper, greeted them warmly, offering slippers and announcing their arrival to Grandpa Jakes, “Sir, young master and young mistress have arrived.”

After changing into the slippers, Henry, and Olivia entered the living room, just as Grandpa Jakes was coming downstairs.

Henry leaned close to Olivia, his lips brushing her ear. To an outsider, it appeared he was whispering something affectionate, but Olivia knew he said nothing.

The proximity of his breath on her neck, warm and gentle, made her heart race, filling her with confusion and panic.

“Why are you zoning out?” Henry suddenly squeezed Olivia’s hand, snapping her back to reality. She instinctively turned to look at him, only to see his previous coldness replaced by a gentle, indifferent look. The hatred in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a calm demeanor. His voice was soothing as he said, “Say hello to Grandpa.”

Hearing the word “Grandpa,” Olivia understood.

Henry’s behavior was all an act of Grandpa’s benefit.