Chapter 74

OLIVIA

NEEDLESS to say, it was fun starting up a company from the ground up. Sure, it was tiring and very time-consuming; a lot of times I found myself squeezing the creative juices of my brain. It was fulfilling to end the day knowing that all my tasks were done accordingly.

I rode a cab that would send me home. I could not help but smile as I looked at the side streets we passed by. It was comforting. The sun was already setting and any moment I would be able to see Chase again.

How funny that I have been having such roller coaster emotions for the past couple of days and here I was... I overcame everything in no time. I wasn't sure how I was able to handle those bad things that happened, but I was glad that I was still living the life I wanted, and I got to pursue the career that I could say I was working hard for.

After almost an hour, the cab turned to the familiar village. I paid the driver when the vehicle stopped in front of our house, and as soon as I got out, my attention was drawn by the big trucks that were lined up across the street.

"What's happening here?" My forehead creased as I noticed many men who were putting some familiar, expensive cars inside the trucks.

As I looked at it more, I realized those cars were the ones owned by my husband.

"W-Wait!" I went into an instant panic and ran towards those men.

One of them turned to me with a confused expression on his face.

"Those are my husband's cars! Where are you taking those? Did you trespass in our residence without our consent? What's going on?" I asked them as anxiety went through me instantly.

"Oh, these cars were sold to their new owners, Madame. We are here to pick them up," one of them answered me.

My eyes widened in disbelief. "Sold? What are you talking about? Why would we sell them?"

"I believe the only person who can provide a clear answer for you is Mr. Maxwell. I apologize, but we are only here because we were told to have them picked up," he said politely.

I shook my head in disagreement. There was no way Chase would have sold his expensive collections. These cars were limited edition and they loved them!

My hands were trembling, still trying to process this situation that was happening before my eyes. I immediately picked up my phone from my bag and dialed Chase's phone number. I heard a few rings, but after that, the call ended. He didn't pick it up.

I tried calling him once more, but to no avail.

"Damn it," I cursed under my breath and palmed my face.

I watched the men who picked up another car from the garage. Shaking my head, I decided to walk into the house. There I saw Mathias, who was bossing some of his men around.

I quickly walked towards him.

"Good evening, Madame," he said formally, slightly lowering his head.

"Can you tell me what the hell is going on here, Mathias? My husband isn't picking up my calls and these men are here, telling me that they were told to pick up some of our cars! I don't understand what's going on!" I said hysterically.

Mathias cleared his throat before he answered, "There is nothing to be worried about, Madame. I was the one who ordered them to pick up some of Mr. Maxwell's cars. These were sold earlier, and we need to transfer them to their new owners."

"Is this for real?" I asked him in disbelief.

"Yes, Madame. Mr. Maxwell has sold them already."

"Why would he do that?" I asked in panic.

Mathias only lowered his head and did not respond.

I huffed and ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. I glanced at those cars they were putting inside the trucks again, and looked away to proceed to go inside the house. I then texted Chase regarding this to know why he'd done such actions and why he didn't tell me about it beforehand.

My head was filled with so many thoughts and Chase's not answering my calls wasn't helping me. I settled in the kitchen and drank some cold water to calm myself a bit.

I couldn't help but wonder whether we were running out of money. Was it the reason why he sold those expensive cars? Was he lying when he mentioned that he had gotten a 10-million dollar deal from his business meeting in Singapore? Was he hiding something from me?

Those questions in my head made my chest tighten. I decided to rush into his office in our house and search for something that would give me answers. I locked the door as soon as I got in and quickened my pace to check every folder and envelope sitting on his desk.

I scanned them one by one and figured out they were the project proposals for his company. My eyes landed on the cabinets below his desk and opened them too.

I was down to the last cabinet and saw a black envelope inside. I took it and glanced at the door to ensure no one was approaching.

I knew I would be in trouble once Chase found out that I looked into his things, but I couldn't be at ease any longer.

Something was really off...

I checked the papers from the inside of the envelope and read them. I was taken aback when I realized that I was holding papers for filing bankruptcy, a financial summary of his company, and some papers drafted by his lawyer.

"Chase... why did you..." I was left speechless, thinking that he had lied to me and didn't tell me the real status of his company.

My heart raced violently and I could have sworn my mind went black, thinking that it was Reese and her parents who had brought Chase Maxwell's downfall upon himself.

My hands were quivering and the papers slipped down to the desk. I gasped and took several deep breaths, trying to gather my thoughts and calm my chest a little.

"He should have told me... Why did he hide it from me?" I said to myself as I swallowed hard.

Shock filled my entire head, to the extent that I just stood there, staring blankly at the documents.

I have to talk to him. As his wife, I should have known this situation beforehand, and the fact that he hid it from me made me a little disappointed.

I heard some footsteps from the outside. Panic went through me, thinking it was Chase, who had already arrived home. I instantly collected all the papers that I had taken and put them inside the envelope. My heart hitched when I saw that the doorknob moved.

My eyes widened, and my next response to the situation was to hide myself under the desk. I could hear the loud beating of my heart while covering my mouth to ensure Chase wouldn't hear me.

"Have you contacted the buyers and alerted them that the cars will be delivered tonight?" I heard the familiar and deep voice of my husband.

He must be speaking with Mathias...

"Yes, Mr. Maxwell. All has been done according to your command," Mathias answered.

"Have you seen my wife?" Chase asked.

"Mrs. Maxwell already arrived home and was surprised to see the trucks outside. She panicked at the thought of you selling your expensive cars..."

Chase let out a sigh. I waited to see how he would respond to that, but he only replied, "That's fine. I appreciate you taking care of this for me, Mathias. A lot of things are happening in the company lately, and so I need a trusted man to do some things like this on my behalf."

"I am glad to be of assistance, Mr. Maxwell."

"Could you please help me encash some checks first thing tomorrow morning?"

"Sure thing, Mr. Maxwell."

"Hold on, let me write some checks here," Chase said.

My heart pounded even more when I heard him approaching his desk. Bullet sweats have formed on my forehead seeing Chase's legs in front of me. I swear I stopped even breathing as I was afraid that he would find me here...

I was praying they would come out of the office already so I could sneak out and go somewhere else. However, my entire body turned pale when the pen he'd been using for his checks accidentally dropped on the floor and rolled into my direction.

I cursed in my mind and covered my face as I knew he would crouch down and get it, but then his phone rang, which made him stop midway. I was clutching my chest and biting my lower lip when he answered the phone call.

"Yes, Dad. I already got it. Yes, it has been worked on..."

This was the moment when I wanted to thank his father for calling him! He walked away from his desk and continued to talk to his father over the phone.

'Please get out. Both of you...' I said in my mind.

"Mathias, I will just give you the check in the morning. I have to take this call," he said, then spoke with his father again.

"No problem, Mr. Maxwell."

After a few seconds, I heard some footsteps and then the door closing.

I let out a huge sigh of relief.

"F*ck, Olivia..." I cursed under my breath as I got out of where I was hiding.

My knees were trembling as I took several deep breaths. I wiped the sweat on my forehead and ran on my tiptoes towards the door.

I waited for another minute before I opened it and checked every corner to ensure no one would see me going out of Chase's office. When the area was cleared, I finally left the office and went upstairs.

I walked in front of our bedroom. From where I was standing, I could hear Chase's voice, who was still speaking to his father. I tried to eavesdrop but I wasn't able to understand a word of their conversation.

He answered another call after that, and I realized that he was talking to a hotel staff member and seemed to be trying to book us a luxury suite. It might be for our supposed celebration because he closed a 10-million dollar deal and I became the Creative Director of a new brand under Ellie Steward's project.

My hands clenched, thinking that he lied to me about that 10-million dollar deal when, in reality, he was clearly facing bankruptcy. I couldn't understand the reason for his course of actions, but one thing was for sure, I was completely disappointed.

He lied to me... and he wasn't even guilty of it.

I entered our bedroom with a neutral expression. Chase turned to me and offered me a sweet smile. He just ended the call he had with a hotel staff member, walked towards me, and kissed me on my lips.

My heart was aching for the lie he made that I couldn't get the willingness to respond to his kiss.

"Mathias said you arrived before I did. Where did you go?" he asked curiously.

"I went to the swimming pool area because Lara called," I said.

"I see." He nodded and then smiled widely. "Get dressed, baby. We will celebrate tonight in one of the expensive hotels. I just booked a VIP suite—"

"Can we cancel it for now?" I cut him off, thinking that he was still trying to spend some money on petty things when we were now facing bankruptcy.

"Why?" He asked, a little surprised.

"I"m so exhausted dealing with the project. I just want to rest for tonight and call it a day," I explained and walked past him.

I went to the walk-in closet and grabbed some pajamas. Chase followed me and hugged me from behind. He buried his face in my neck and traced circles on my belly button. I inhaled heavily and just removed the clothes from their hangers.

"Were you shocked to see my cars being picked up?" he asked softly.

I rolled my eyes. "Kind of. You never told me that you planned to sell your cars, and I don't know why you decided to sell them in the first place."

I didn't mean to sound so offended, but my voice came off that way. I swore I wouldn't want to see him be so stressed about me. However, the mere fact that he was lying in my face and continuously doing it made me feel less like his wife.

I guess he couldn't trust me.

"I am sorry if I didn't tell you about it. I am selling them before I no longer need them. One car is enough for me, and I need to liquidate them so I can fund the next big project in my winery business. I will buy some new cars once my favorite brands release new models," he explained.

I shook my head, trying to believe what he said, but was having a hard time doing so because of the bankruptcy papers that I saw on his office desk. I wondered if he ever considered telling me about it, or if he would keep me in the dark about his financial situation.

"Don't be mad at me. Those are just cars. We can have new ones later on," Chase said.

That wasn't even the issue...

The issue here was that he lied to me...

And he didn't seem to have the conscience to tell me that we were going into bankruptcy.