The CEO's Secret Obsession-Chapter 136: Iconic Wedding

[Reid Mansion — Olivia’s Suite]

The door slammed shut behind her.

The sound echoed through the room, sharp and final—and something in Olivia snapped with it.

She stood still for a second, chest heaving, listening to her own breath like it didn’t belong to her.

Then she turned and swept her arm across the vanity.

Glass shattered.

A crystal photo frame hit the wall and cracked down the middle, Benjamin’s face splitting cleanly in two.

"How dare she," Olivia hissed. "How dare she?"

Her hands trembled as she grabbed the edge of the dressing table, her nails digging into polished wood. Rage burned hot and humiliating in her throat—not loud, not dramatic, but choking.

Twenty years.

Twenty years of careful steps, soft smiles, quiet patience, knowing when to speak and when to stay silent, knowing how to keep Benjamin close without ever asking for more than he was willing to give.

She had survived here.

She had learned the house, the staff, the routines. Over the years she had become comfortable, necessary and untouchable.

Or so she thought.

And then Pauline walked back in like she had never left, like the house had been holding its breath all this time. She had stated everything belonged to her and her alone without raising her voice.

Olivia squeezed her eyes shut as the image replayed mercilessly—Benjamin pausing on the stairs, her hand still wrapped around his wrist and then that look.

Pauline hadn’t said a word, she hadn’t needed to.

That single glance had stripped Olivia bare, reduced her to exactly what she had always been.

Temporary.

"You followed her," Olivia whispered, her voice shaking with fury. "You didn’t even hesitate."

She let out a sharp laugh, brittle and ugly.

So this was it.

Over the years, the lust had faded, the charm had dulled and the patience she had mistaken for security had turned into distance.

There was no doubt that Benjamin had grown colder over the years, quieter and Olivia had adapted, telling herself that stability mattered more than passion.

But Pauline?

Pauline didn’t need to seduce him. She just had to exist and Benjamin would go running towards her whenever he was given an opportunity.

Olivia dragged her fingers through her hair, pacing now, heels clicking angrily against the floor.

"She left," Olivia muttered. "She walked away, she gave all of this up."

In Pauline’s absence, Olivia had taken care of the house like her own.

"She left," Olivia muttered. "She walked away, she gave all of this up."

And yet here she was—taking it back piece by piece, the master bedroom, the staff and the silence Benjamin reserved only for her.

And worse, she had Alexander—the golden son, the heir and the proof that Pauline had never truly lost.

Olivia stopped pacing abruptly.

Her reflection in the mirror startled her—eyes too sharp, lips pressed thin, something feral peeking through the cracks.

"No," she said quietly. "I didn’t survive all these years to be pushed aside now."

Her fingers curled slowly into fists.

Pauline might have returned but Olivia wasn’t finished, not yet.

And if Pauline thought reclaiming her place would be easy, she was gravely mistaken.

....

[Carter Mansion — Evelyn’s Room]

Evelyn sat cross-legged on her bed, folding clothes that had somehow already turned chaotic despite her best efforts.

Patricia lay sprawled across the rug, chin propped on her hands, scrolling on her phone.

"So," Patricia said casually, without looking up, "you have been weirdly quiet for ten whole minutes. That’s suspicious."

Evelyn huffed a soft laugh. "I have been thinking."

"That’s worse," Patricia muttered. "Talk. Before my imagination fills the gaps and ruins my sleep."

Evelyn paused, then said, "Pauline moved back to the Reid mansion."

Patricia’s phone slipped from her hand.

"She did WHAT?"

Evelyn winced. "Lower your voice."

Patricia scrambled to sit up. "No, absolutely not. Repeat that slowly so I can process."

"She went back," Evelyn said, calmer now. "She is staying there, Margaret too and Alexander moved in as well."

Patricia stared at her like she had just announced an alien invasion.

"Wait—wait—" she held up a finger. "You mean Pauline Pauline? The quiet, graceful, emotionally restrained woman who hasn’t stepped foot in that house for, what, twenty years?"

Evelyn nodded. "That one."

Patricia let out a slow, dramatic breath. "Oh. My. God."

Evelyn smiled faintly. "That was my reaction too."

"And Olivia?" Patricia demanded. "What about Olivia?"

Evelyn shrugged lightly, though her eyes were sharp. "Still there. But not quite the same position anymore."

Patricia’s lips slowly curved into a wicked grin. "I take back every single thing I ever said about Margaret being the scariest woman alive."

Evelyn laughed. "Patricia—"

"No, listen," Patricia interrupted, pointing emphatically. "Margaret is intimidating. Pauline is strategic. That woman waited twenty years and chose violence in the classiest way possible."

Evelyn shook her head, amused. "She didn’t do it to hurt anyone."

"Oh, she absolutely did," Patricia said cheerfully. "Just not loudly."

She flopped back onto the bed beside Evelyn. "I always thought Margaret was the final boss."

Evelyn glanced at her.

"But Pauline?" Patricia continued, eyes shining with admiration. "Pauline is the secret endgame boss you unlock only if you survive everything else."

Evelyn laughed properly this time. "Alexander said something similar. He said his mother looks different."

"Of course she does," Patricia said. "She is reclaiming her territory."

Evelyn grew thoughtful. "I think she is doing it for him too and for me."

Patricia softened, nudging Evelyn’s shoulder. "That means you are officially protected by two terrifying matriarchs and one dangerously handsome man."

Evelyn smiled, warmth spreading through her chest. "When you put it like that, it sounds unreal."

Patricia grinned. "Oh, it’s very real and honestly?"

She leaned closer, lowering her voice dramatically.

"I can’t wait to see Olivia’s face when she realizes the real madam of the house has returned."

Evelyn sighed, shaking her head, but she was smiling.

"This wedding," Patricia added brightly, "is going to be iconic."

Evelyn smiled and nodded. "Yes, it really is."

....