Chapter 325: Her Suggestion Olivia's POV I arrived back in my room, and thankfully, no one was there. The quiet was a relief. I went straight to the shower, letting the warm water run over me, trying to wash away the heaviness clinging to my chest.
Afterward, I dressed in something simple-a black denim skirt that stopped just above my knees and a fitted yellow off-shoulder top. I tied my hair into a neat ponytail, slipped on a pair of sandals, and stood for a moment in front of the mirror. But my mind wasn't on my reflection.
As I adjusted my top, the earlier confrontation with the triplets replayed in my mind. I couldn't understand why Levi and Louis thought I loved Lennox more than them. I'd never shown favoritism... at least, not intentionally. Yes, I loved them differently, but never more or less. Or... was I doing something wrong without realizing it? Was it my words? My actions? My reactions? The way Levi had spoken, it felt like he had been carrying that thought in his head for a long time. I inhaled deeply and spoke into the mirror as I stared at my reflection.
"What should I do?" I whispered to my wolf.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtShe was silent for a moment before finally speaking. "Maybe you should give Lennox less attention... and more to Louis and Levi." I frowned, my hands tightening around the edge of the dresser. "That's not fair," I whispered back. "I can't just..... ration my love like it's something I can measure. They're all mine. They're all part of me. I love them in my own way, differently, yes-but not more, not less." Still, the doubt lingered. My wolf's words had planted a seed I didn't like, but couldn't ignore. I thought of the way Levi's eyes had dimmed earlier... the way Louis had looked away instead of meeting my gaze. It was like they'd been holding that thought in for a long time, like this wasn't the first tthey'd wondered.
I sighed heavily and pressed my palms flat against the table, leaning closer to the mirror. "What am I supposed to do?" I muttered again.
No answer cthis time. Just the steady thud of my heartbeat and the quiet hum of my thoughts-thoughts I wished I could silence.
Suddenly, that voice rebounded in my head... that voice which wasn't that of my wolf.
"Just leave the three of them and be with Lord Frederick," she hissed.
My frown deepened as I glared right at the mirror in front of me, as if I could see her in it—not actually, but it was only my reflection.
"Over my dead body," I gritted my teeth.
She scoffed. "Then on your dead body it shall be," she spat, before vanishing as suddenly as she'd come.
Before I could dwell on what had just happened, a knock con my door, but the person didn't wait forto ask them in before they pushed the door open. When I looked at the door through the mirror, I realized it was Mother.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I turned around as I watched her approach where I stood. As I stared at her, I didn't know what to feel... this woman was my mother. Ever since I knew of her existence, I had wanted to meet with her... have a lot of deep conversations that only mothers and daughters have. But with her... it felt different. Cold. Strained. Like we were strangers forced to share the sblood.
She stopped just a step away from me, her eyes scanningas if trying to read what was in my mind. I didn't speak. I didn't trust my voice not to crack.
"You look troubled," she finally said, her tone soft but carrying that weight of authority she always wore like a crown.
gave a faint shrug. "I'm fine." Her gaze sharpened, and I knew she didn't believe me. "Fine doesn't look like that," she murmured, her hand lifting slightly as if to touch my cheek but pausing mid-air. She let it drop. "You didn't pass the night here." The words hung in the air, and my chest tightened. "Is there a problem with that?" I said, turning back toward the mirror. "I'm not a kid." She took a step closer, her reflection now beside mine. "Maybe not. But you are the daughter of the Beckhams... my daughter..." A bitter reply threatened to spill from my mouth, but I swallowed it.
Her eyes softened then, and for a moment I thought she might just leave... but instead, she spoke again. "I chere to apologize." That madeturn to her fully. "For what?" "For... what happened the last twe spoke," she said quietly, her gaze dropping to the floor. "But whatever I'm doing, it's for your own good, Olivia... your life is in danger if you don't marry Frederick. And besides, Lord Frederick is a good man..." "I don't fucking care," I spat in spite. "I don't love him, and I don't want to be with him. Why is that so hard for you all to understand!"
Mother's frown deepened, her lips pressing into a thin line. "This is about the triplets? I wonder what you see in them... those men are not worthy of you. Do you even know who you are, Olivia? The blood that runs in your veins? You are destined for more than this... petty entanglement." I glared at her through the mirror. "They're not an entanglement. They're my mates. And I love them."
She scoffed softly, givinga pitiful look. "Love... such a fragile, dangerous thing. It blinds you. And right now, it's going to get you killed.
Frederick can protect you in ways those three never could." "I don't care!" I snapped, spinning to face her fully. "I don't love him, I don't want him, and I will never marry him!" She studiedfor a long moment, her eyes calculating, then her tone shifted from harsh to a whisper. "Fine," she said slowly, "if you're so obsessed with those triplets, there's... another way." My brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Her lips curved into the faintest of smiles. "You marry Frederick. You give him the title of being your m husband, the appearance of a perfect union. And behind closed doors... you keep your little affair with the triplets. No one has to know. Frederick won't care-as long as you play the part of his wife in public." I stared at her, stunned. "You're saying... I could marry him... and still..." "Yes," she said without hesitation, stepping closer. "You get the safety, the power, the status. And you keep your lovers. You'd have it all, Olivia. What do you think?" Her words hung in the air, heavy and poisonous, wrapping around my mind like smoke.
I didn't answer. I just stood there, frozen... confused... wondering if she was insane.