Chapter 2 - Golden Cage
Olivia woke up in a room that looked more like a five-star hotel suite than a hospital.
Silk sheets covered her body.
A soft drip of pain medication ran into her vein.
Her shoulder was heavily bandaged, but the sharp pain had dulled to a low ache.
The door opened silently.
Harrison walked in, carrying a tablet and a fresh cup of dark coffee.
He wore a crisp black shirt with the top button undone.
"You slept for fourteen hours," Harrison said, pulling up a leather chair.
"The doctor fixed your torn ligament."
"You will make a full recovery."
"Thank you," Olivia said, trying to sit up.
Harrison stood up immediately and pushed a button to adjust her bed.
"Don't move," he ordered, though his tone was surprisingly gentle.
"I had my legal team analyze your life background this morning," he said casually.
Olivia blinked in confusion.
"My background?"
Harrison tapped the tablet screen.
"You owe eighty thousand dollars in student loans."
"Your mother’s medical bills in Ohio are six months overdue."
"Your landlord in Brooklyn is threatening eviction by Friday."
Olivia felt a sudden surge of humiliation.
"You had no right to dig into my private life!" she snapped, her eyes flashing with anger.
Harrison did not flinch.
"I have the right to know everything about the woman who threw herself down a stone staircase for my child."
He placed a black heavy card on the bedside table.
"Your debts are paid."
"All of them."
Olivia’s heart stopped.
"What?"
"I paid your loans, your mother's hospital bills, and I bought your apartment building," Harrison stated calmly.
"You no longer owe anyone anything."
"I can't accept that," Olivia insisted, her voice shaking. "It’s too much."
"It is nothing compared to Ethan's life," Harrison countered cold-heartedly.
The door burst open before Olivia could argue further.
Victoria Vance walked in, wearing an expensive red coat and sunglasses.
She clicked across the hardwood floor in her designer heels.
"Harrison, darling, why are you spending your morning in a maid's hospital room?" Victoria asked, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness.
She didn't even look at Olivia.
"We have the press conference at noon to address Ethan's near accident."
Harrison’s eyes turned cold as steel.
"She is not a maid, Victoria."
"She is the reason Ethan is alive."
Victoria scoffed softly, lowering her sunglasses to glare at Olivia.
"She was doing her job."
"We can give her a check for fifty thousand dollars and send her on her way."
"She doesn't belong in our world."
Olivia clenched her good fist under the blanket.
Harrison stood up to his full six-foot-three height, casting a long shadow over Victoria.
"She belongs wherever I decide she belongs," Harrison said in a dangerous low register.
"And starting today, she is Ethan's personal chief guardian."
"She lives at the estate."
Victoria gasped in absolute horror.
Olivia looked at Harrison, completely stunned.
"I never agreed to that!" Olivia exclaimed.
Harrison turned his head slowly to look at her.
"You don't have a choice, Miss Brooks."
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"Someone pushed my son down those stairs."
"And you are the only person in that room I actually trust."
