The Contract Bride of Mr. Reid-Chapter 155: Olivia’s confession

Bella stepped into the café, her eyes scanning the room for any sign of Olivia. The café was moderately busy, with the hum of conversation filling the air, but there was no trace of the woman who had summoned her.

A sense of unease crept in as she failed to find her. ’Didn’t she want to meet with me? Why is she not here yet?’ she wondered, a hint of irritation coloring her thoughts. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Playing out various scenarios in her mind, she decided to grant Olivia ten more minutes before leaving. Settling into an empty table, she ordered a coffee.

She drummed her fingers lightly on the table as she waited, her mind racing with thoughts of what Olivia could possibly want. The steaming cup was placed in front of her, and Bella nodded in thanks to the barista before taking a tentative sip.

The coffee was served soon. Thanking the barista, she sipped the hot coffee tentatively. Her gaze drifted towards the entrance just as a woman walked in, her face partially hidden by a scarf and large sunglasses.

Bella narrowed her eyes at the woman. Despite the disguise, she recognized her. It was Olivia. But why the elaborate concealment? The Olivia she knew was brash and confrontational; this woman exuded a timid aura.

Olivia’s original hostile demeanor was missing. A frown etched itself on Bella’s face as Olivia approached her table and took the seat opposite. Her mind raced.

Olivia had always been a thorn in her side, a constant source of trouble. To believe she had undergone a sudden change of heart was naïve. Cautiously, Bella activated the voice recorder on her phone. She didn’t have an ounce of faith in her. What if it was her plan to trap her and sabotage her?

"What is it, Olivia?" Bella asked. "What kind of trick is this?"

Olivia removed her sunglasses, her eyes meeting Bella’s directly. "I know who leaked the designs," she said, her tone surprisingly firm.

Bella’s curiosity piqued, but her guard remained high. The woman before her was a chameleon, capable of morphing into any character to suit her purpose. How could she trust someone who had consistently tried to sabotage her career?

Bella leaned back slightly in her chair, crossing her arms. "And why should I believe anything you say? What if this is just another one of your schemes to create discord among the team?"

Olivia shook her head. "I’m not playing any tricks, Bella. I’m serious. I need to tell you the truth before it’s too late."

Bella studied her, trying to gauge her sincerity. The Olivia sitting in front of her was different—less confident, more vulnerable. But was it an act, or had something changed? The uncertainty gnawed at Bella, but her curiosity was piqued. She needed to know what Olivia had to say.

Olivia’s hands trembled slightly as she clasped them together on the table. "I know you don’t trust me, and you have every reason not to. But I swear I’m telling the truth. I know exactly who is behind the leak." The words spilled out of her mouth in a frantic rush

Bella smiled bitterly. "If that’s true, then why didn’t you come forward sooner? We might have been able to stop the designs from being stolen. Why are you only speaking up now?"

The questions hit Olivia like a slap, and she flinched, guilt twisting her features. She had been the one who snuck into Bella’s desk, snapped photos of the drafts, and handed them over to Ivy.

She had naively believed that Ivy would reward her, maybe even promote her. But instead, Ivy had coldly discarded her. The realization of how foolish she had been gnawed at her, filling her with a toxic mix of guilt and anger.

"I’ve learned my lesson," Olivia admitted. Shame colored her cheeks as she looked down, unable to meet Bella’s piercing gaze. "I made a terrible mistake. I never should have followed her orders."

Bella’s senses went on high alert, her pulse quickening. "What are you talking about?" she fretted, realizing who she was referring to. "It’s you – you stole the designs!"

Olivia’s head hung even lower. She nodded slowly, the admission dragging her deeper into a pit of remorse.

"Yes," she whispered. "I was blinded by jealousy and anger towards you. "In just a few months, you became Amy’s favorite. You had the boss’s attention, something I’d been trying to get for two years. I thought I deserved that recognition, not you. But instead, you were the one he cared about. I let that envy consume me, and I made a terrible choice."

Her voice broke slightly as she continued, "I was mad, Bella. Mad and foolish. And now, I’m paying the price."

Bella listened, her emotions a whirlwind of anger, disbelief, and a grudging sense of pity. Olivia’s confession didn’t erase the damage done.

Olivia guiltily peeked at Bella and then lowered her head again, unable to meet her eyes. "I started hating you, Bella. I was so consumed by jealousy that I began spreading lies to Miss Hill, telling her that you were trying to get close to the boss. She believed me without question, and that’s when she turned against you. Since then, she has been plotting your downfall, and I’ve been right there, helping her."

She paused, taking a shuddering breath, and forced herself to meet Bella’s eyes, her expression raw with regret. "Ivy wants to destroy you. She wants to humiliate you, make you look incompetent, and ultimately push you out of the office and Mr. Hudson’s life. She told me to steal the final drafts so that everyone would suspect you, and Willow would have no choice but to remove you from the project."

The revelation left Bella reeling from shock. The full weight of Olivia’s confession hit her like a punch to the gut. Everything made sense now—the careful framing, the way suspicions had been directed at her from the start.

Ivy’s plan had been meticulously crafted to cast Bella as the mole, knowing that she had been working on the catalog. It would make her the prime suspect. Thanks to Willow, she had not lost her faith in her.

Bella’s fists clenched under the table, a mix of anger and disbelief coursing through her. "Why are you telling me this now? Aren’t you supposed to be on her side?"