His for a year. - Chapter 49: Chapter 49
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My heart stopped for a second. The voice—sharp, wrathful, and commanding—was unmistakable. Mrs. Eloise.
The door shook again under her pounding fists.
“Come out here right now! I know you followed me! You little sneak, you followed me to my husband’s apartment, didn’t you?!”
My entire body tensed. I clutched my robe tightly, feet rooted to the floor. How on earth did she find out? My mind raced.
A second voice came from outside—calmer, but firm.
“Ma’am, please…” It was Ray.
He must’ve heard the commotion.
“Please calm down ma'am, this isn’t the place or time,” he said, trying to pacify her.
But Mrs. Eloise wasn’t having it. “You stay out of this! That girl has been nothing but trouble since she stepped into this house. And now she’s stalking me? Going behind my back to dig up what’s not hers to find?”
Then came Zade’s voice—low, sharp, and deadly.
“What is going on here?”
Even through the walls, I felt the shift in atmosphere. Zade’s presence was like thunder rolling in.
“She followed me to your father’s apartment!” Eloise snapped. “She’s prying, snooping—trying to dig where she doesn’t belong!”
There was a beat of silence.
Then Zade replied, “So? What exactly is the problem, Mother?”
I pressed my palm to my chest.
“She’s my wife, isn’t she? Isn’t she allowed to find answers to her questions?” Zade added coldly. “You’re blowing this out of proportion. Go get some rest. You look like you need it.”
Gasps followed. From someone else? The staff? Ray?
Mrs. Eloise growled out something unintelligible, then I heard her heels stomp away, growing fainter.
And then—a soft knock came, I stiffened again.
“Olive?”
Ray’s voice. Gentle, concerned.
“Are you okay?”
I didn’t respond. My mouth was dry. My throat tight. I just stood there, still and silent, like a prey hoping the predator would leave.
I was shaking.
Now… what would come of me? What have I done?
Beneath the fear, something deeper brewed—a sense of dread.
I heard a knock again, this time softer.
“Olive, please,” Ray said.
I leaned my back to the door and slid down. I didn’t know how to feel. Afraid? Ashamed? Angry? All of it?
I shut my eyes tight and whispered to myself—
“What have I done?”
I didn't even know that someone was watching me that day—let alone by Eloise. My knees buckled slightly, I pressed my forehead to the door, my palms damp against the wood.
I didn’t realize how loud she was breathing until a soft knock came again. It was gentle and cautious.
“Olive?” Ray's gentle voice pierced through the door.
I swallowed hard, wiping my damp palms on the sides of my dress. But I didn’t answer.
“Are you okay?” he asked quietly, like someone speaking to a wounded animal. “She’s gone now. You’re safe.”
Safe?
What even was safe anymore?
I backed away from the door slowly, my body stiff. “I’m fine,” I finally said, my voice brittle. “Just… need a minute.”
There was a pause. Then, “Alright. I’m just outside.”
I waited, listening to his footsteps fade gently down the corridor. Only then did I turn, dragging myself toward the bed like my bones had aged decades in seconds. I sat, then curled my knees to my chest, resting my head on them.
So much was happening. Too much.
I had thought the worst was behind me—David’s betrayal, Amanda’s confession, Anna’s manipulation, Zade’s mysterious silence. But now I was adding Eloise to the list?
How did she even find out?
Unless...
My head started hurting again.
What if Eloise had something to hide?
Or worse—what if my father did?
Suddenly, the door creaked open. But I didn't look up. I expected Ray—or maybe even Leo. Someone bringing tea or kindness.
Instead—
“Olive.” Zade's voice jerked me out of my thoughts.
He stepped in, shutting the door behind him gently. For a moment, his expression was unreadable, carved with something between exhaustion and disappointment.
“Is it true?” he asked, voice low but clear. “Did you really follow her to my father’s apartment?”
I turned slowly, arms folded across my chest. I lifted my chin, daring, I don't know why but it felt right. “Yes.”
His eyes darkened, a muscle in his jaw twitching. “Why?”
“Because I needed answers,” my voice trembled slightly but not weakly. “I needed to know about my father. About what he knew. I couldn’t just sit here and keep pretending everything was fine while pieces of my life keep falling apart.”
Zade’s brows knitted. “You don’t know how dangerous that was, Olive. If anything had gone wrong, if you had been caught—”
“Then what?” I cut in. “It’d be pinned on me? Let it. I’m already the villain in this house anyway.”
“God, Olive—” he stepped closer, his voice rising now. “You should’ve told me. I could’ve helped. I would’ve helped. You can't keep being this reckless!”
“I didn’t need your help,” I snapped back. “I just needed to breathe. To act. To not feel like some helpless stray you dragged in and locked in your golden tower.”
His face hardened. “So that’s what you think this is? You think I brought you here to trap you?”
“I don’t know, Zade!” I shouted. “Because you’re not talking! You keep acting like I’m supposed to trust you while you keep every secret to yourself. Why won’t you just talk to me?! Why won’t you tell me what you really want from me?”
His eyes flashed, something deeper unraveling behind them. He took another step forward and suddenly his voice wasn’t loud—it was raw.
“I didn’t talk,” he said slowly, “because I didn’t know how.”
I blinked at his sudden composure. “What?”
“I followed you back then,” he admitted, his tone low and steady now. “Yes. I watched you. After classes. In the cafeteria. I even asked Anna to drive me so I wouldn’t mess it up.”
My heart stopped.
“I didn’t know how to approach you,” he continued, the words falling out like a confession he’d held in too long. “You were... different. You were quiet, but strong. Messy, but kind. And real. So real.”
I opened my mouth but nothing came out.
“I’ve never needed to approach girls before,” Zade said, eyes locked on mine. “Never wanted to. Not like this. Not in a way that made me nervous. But you...” His voice faltered just slightly. “You made me curious. You made me want something I wasn’t even sure I deserved.”
I stared at him, stunned.
“My family’s confused. Everyone is,” he said, chuckling dryly. “They don’t understand why I’m suddenly talking more, getting angry, laughing more, feeling more. They think I’m changing.”
He took a breath.
“They’re right. I am changing. You did that. You’re changing me, Olive. You make me want to fight for something outside of the company, outside of what my last name means.”
My heart raced, but in a good way. I didn't know what to say or do. I just stood, quiet and stunned.
“So yeah,” he said quietly, “I watched you. I know it sounds messed up. But I liked you. And I was scared that if I said anything, I’d ruin it. I didn’t mean to scare you. I didn’t mean for it to become something ugly. I just... didn’t know what to do with how you made me feel.”
Silence swallowed the room.
I stood there—my arms were falling loosely by my side now—staring at this man I thought I knew. My heartbeat was loud in my ears, but I couldn’t say a word.
He took a tentative step forward. “Can you forgive me for that?”
My lips trembled. My hands itched to do something—hold him or push him away, I wasn’t sure.
This wasn’t what I expected. Not even close.
I expected lies. Excuses. Cold silence. Yelling. Anything but this.
Not... vulnerability.
Not Zade, standing in front of me like a boy trying to apologize for eating a chocolate he was asked not to.
I knew that everything was changing—and I wasn’t sure if her heart could keep up.
The silence stretched again.
Zade’s eyes held mine, steady and soft, like he was baring the last part of himself.
I took a slow breath and looked away.
“I’d like to be alone for a second,” I whispered, almost too quietly.
He hesitated. The warmth in his expression dimmed just a little, but he nodded. Slowly.
“I understand,” he said. “You don’t have to say anything right now.”
I still didn’t look at him.
He took a single step back, the distance between us feeling heavier than it should have.
“I know it probably sounds insane,” he added, his voice lower now, calmer. “But I wasn’t trying to creep you out. I didn’t know how else to get close to you. And I guess that’s on me.”
I lifted my head slowly, just enough to see him watching me with that same quiet intensity that always made me uneasy—but also oddly safe.
“I didn’t want to tell you like this,” he continued, “Not when everything else in your life is falling apart. I just... wanted to be honest.”
My throat tightened. Zade Avner liked me? Like, really liked me?
The guy who everyone else whispered about. Who walked with bodyguards and had an entire business empire waiting for him. Who could have literally anyone he wanted, but had apparently wanted me—all this time.
“I know you’re flustered,” he said softly, “And I probably didn’t help by throwing all this at you. But Olive, I didn’t know what to do.”
He turned to leave, then paused at the doorway.
“I’ll be in my room,” he said, glancing over his shoulder. “If you want to yell at me, or ignore me, or ask a hundred questions—I’m there.”
Then he left.
The moment the door clicked shut behind him, I finally exhaled.
My knees gave out, I sat on the edge of the bed slowly, as if gravity had suddenly gotten heavier.
Zade Avner liked me.
Not because of a contract. Not because of pity. Not because I begged him in front of half the school on the worst day of my life.
But because of me.
Really?
The weight of that truth pressed down on my chest—equal parts beautiful and terrifying.
My mind was spinning. I didn’t even know what to think, let alone how to feel.I kept staring at the door, as my heart thudded wildly in my ribcage.
I sat there, stunned. My mind moved in loops, trying to find a space to settle, but everything was spinning.
He said I changed him. That he watched me because he didn’t know how to approach me. That I was… different.
I rubbed my arms slowly, as if to calm the goosebumps rising. Zade Avner. The man with an empire. The man I thought barely noticed people like her. The man every girl –including my best friend wanted. The quiet, cold, powerful Zade Avner. And yet...
He had noticed me.
Every version of me.
The one who worked herself sore in aprons.
The one who studied with baggy eyes and an overwashed hoodie.
The one who danced in the kitchen with Aliyah like no one was watching.
And he had been watching.
I folded my arms tighter, torn between shivering and smiling. It was insane. But it wasn’t malicious. It was awkward. Kind of weird. But also… sincere?
What now?
The door shook again under her pounding fists.
“Come out here right now! I know you followed me! You little sneak, you followed me to my husband’s apartment, didn’t you?!”
My entire body tensed. I clutched my robe tightly, feet rooted to the floor. How on earth did she find out? My mind raced.
A second voice came from outside—calmer, but firm.
“Ma’am, please…” It was Ray.
He must’ve heard the commotion.
“Please calm down ma'am, this isn’t the place or time,” he said, trying to pacify her.
But Mrs. Eloise wasn’t having it. “You stay out of this! That girl has been nothing but trouble since she stepped into this house. And now she’s stalking me? Going behind my back to dig up what’s not hers to find?”
Then came Zade’s voice—low, sharp, and deadly.
“What is going on here?”
Even through the walls, I felt the shift in atmosphere. Zade’s presence was like thunder rolling in.
“She followed me to your father’s apartment!” Eloise snapped. “She’s prying, snooping—trying to dig where she doesn’t belong!”
There was a beat of silence.
Then Zade replied, “So? What exactly is the problem, Mother?”
I pressed my palm to my chest.
“She’s my wife, isn’t she? Isn’t she allowed to find answers to her questions?” Zade added coldly. “You’re blowing this out of proportion. Go get some rest. You look like you need it.”
Gasps followed. From someone else? The staff? Ray?
Mrs. Eloise growled out something unintelligible, then I heard her heels stomp away, growing fainter.
And then—a soft knock came, I stiffened again.
“Olive?”
Ray’s voice. Gentle, concerned.
“Are you okay?”
I didn’t respond. My mouth was dry. My throat tight. I just stood there, still and silent, like a prey hoping the predator would leave.
I was shaking.
Now… what would come of me? What have I done?
Beneath the fear, something deeper brewed—a sense of dread.
I heard a knock again, this time softer.
“Olive, please,” Ray said.
I leaned my back to the door and slid down. I didn’t know how to feel. Afraid? Ashamed? Angry? All of it?
I shut my eyes tight and whispered to myself—
“What have I done?”
I didn't even know that someone was watching me that day—let alone by Eloise. My knees buckled slightly, I pressed my forehead to the door, my palms damp against the wood.
I didn’t realize how loud she was breathing until a soft knock came again. It was gentle and cautious.
“Olive?” Ray's gentle voice pierced through the door.
I swallowed hard, wiping my damp palms on the sides of my dress. But I didn’t answer.
“Are you okay?” he asked quietly, like someone speaking to a wounded animal. “She’s gone now. You’re safe.”
Safe?
What even was safe anymore?
I backed away from the door slowly, my body stiff. “I’m fine,” I finally said, my voice brittle. “Just… need a minute.”
There was a pause. Then, “Alright. I’m just outside.”
I waited, listening to his footsteps fade gently down the corridor. Only then did I turn, dragging myself toward the bed like my bones had aged decades in seconds. I sat, then curled my knees to my chest, resting my head on them.
So much was happening. Too much.
I had thought the worst was behind me—David’s betrayal, Amanda’s confession, Anna’s manipulation, Zade’s mysterious silence. But now I was adding Eloise to the list?
How did she even find out?
Unless...
My head started hurting again.
What if Eloise had something to hide?
Or worse—what if my father did?
Suddenly, the door creaked open. But I didn't look up. I expected Ray—or maybe even Leo. Someone bringing tea or kindness.
Instead—
“Olive.” Zade's voice jerked me out of my thoughts.
He stepped in, shutting the door behind him gently. For a moment, his expression was unreadable, carved with something between exhaustion and disappointment.
“Is it true?” he asked, voice low but clear. “Did you really follow her to my father’s apartment?”
I turned slowly, arms folded across my chest. I lifted my chin, daring, I don't know why but it felt right. “Yes.”
His eyes darkened, a muscle in his jaw twitching. “Why?”
“Because I needed answers,” my voice trembled slightly but not weakly. “I needed to know about my father. About what he knew. I couldn’t just sit here and keep pretending everything was fine while pieces of my life keep falling apart.”
Zade’s brows knitted. “You don’t know how dangerous that was, Olive. If anything had gone wrong, if you had been caught—”
“Then what?” I cut in. “It’d be pinned on me? Let it. I’m already the villain in this house anyway.”
“God, Olive—” he stepped closer, his voice rising now. “You should’ve told me. I could’ve helped. I would’ve helped. You can't keep being this reckless!”
“I didn’t need your help,” I snapped back. “I just needed to breathe. To act. To not feel like some helpless stray you dragged in and locked in your golden tower.”
His face hardened. “So that’s what you think this is? You think I brought you here to trap you?”
“I don’t know, Zade!” I shouted. “Because you’re not talking! You keep acting like I’m supposed to trust you while you keep every secret to yourself. Why won’t you just talk to me?! Why won’t you tell me what you really want from me?”
His eyes flashed, something deeper unraveling behind them. He took another step forward and suddenly his voice wasn’t loud—it was raw.
“I didn’t talk,” he said slowly, “because I didn’t know how.”
I blinked at his sudden composure. “What?”
“I followed you back then,” he admitted, his tone low and steady now. “Yes. I watched you. After classes. In the cafeteria. I even asked Anna to drive me so I wouldn’t mess it up.”
My heart stopped.
“I didn’t know how to approach you,” he continued, the words falling out like a confession he’d held in too long. “You were... different. You were quiet, but strong. Messy, but kind. And real. So real.”
I opened my mouth but nothing came out.
“I’ve never needed to approach girls before,” Zade said, eyes locked on mine. “Never wanted to. Not like this. Not in a way that made me nervous. But you...” His voice faltered just slightly. “You made me curious. You made me want something I wasn’t even sure I deserved.”
I stared at him, stunned.
“My family’s confused. Everyone is,” he said, chuckling dryly. “They don’t understand why I’m suddenly talking more, getting angry, laughing more, feeling more. They think I’m changing.”
He took a breath.
“They’re right. I am changing. You did that. You’re changing me, Olive. You make me want to fight for something outside of the company, outside of what my last name means.”
My heart raced, but in a good way. I didn't know what to say or do. I just stood, quiet and stunned.
“So yeah,” he said quietly, “I watched you. I know it sounds messed up. But I liked you. And I was scared that if I said anything, I’d ruin it. I didn’t mean to scare you. I didn’t mean for it to become something ugly. I just... didn’t know what to do with how you made me feel.”
Silence swallowed the room.
I stood there—my arms were falling loosely by my side now—staring at this man I thought I knew. My heartbeat was loud in my ears, but I couldn’t say a word.
He took a tentative step forward. “Can you forgive me for that?”
My lips trembled. My hands itched to do something—hold him or push him away, I wasn’t sure.
This wasn’t what I expected. Not even close.
I expected lies. Excuses. Cold silence. Yelling. Anything but this.
Not... vulnerability.
Not Zade, standing in front of me like a boy trying to apologize for eating a chocolate he was asked not to.
I knew that everything was changing—and I wasn’t sure if her heart could keep up.
The silence stretched again.
Zade’s eyes held mine, steady and soft, like he was baring the last part of himself.
I took a slow breath and looked away.
“I’d like to be alone for a second,” I whispered, almost too quietly.
He hesitated. The warmth in his expression dimmed just a little, but he nodded. Slowly.
“I understand,” he said. “You don’t have to say anything right now.”
I still didn’t look at him.
He took a single step back, the distance between us feeling heavier than it should have.
“I know it probably sounds insane,” he added, his voice lower now, calmer. “But I wasn’t trying to creep you out. I didn’t know how else to get close to you. And I guess that’s on me.”
I lifted my head slowly, just enough to see him watching me with that same quiet intensity that always made me uneasy—but also oddly safe.
“I didn’t want to tell you like this,” he continued, “Not when everything else in your life is falling apart. I just... wanted to be honest.”
My throat tightened. Zade Avner liked me? Like, really liked me?
The guy who everyone else whispered about. Who walked with bodyguards and had an entire business empire waiting for him. Who could have literally anyone he wanted, but had apparently wanted me—all this time.
“I know you’re flustered,” he said softly, “And I probably didn’t help by throwing all this at you. But Olive, I didn’t know what to do.”
He turned to leave, then paused at the doorway.
“I’ll be in my room,” he said, glancing over his shoulder. “If you want to yell at me, or ignore me, or ask a hundred questions—I’m there.”
Then he left.
The moment the door clicked shut behind him, I finally exhaled.
My knees gave out, I sat on the edge of the bed slowly, as if gravity had suddenly gotten heavier.
Zade Avner liked me.
Not because of a contract. Not because of pity. Not because I begged him in front of half the school on the worst day of my life.
But because of me.
Really?
The weight of that truth pressed down on my chest—equal parts beautiful and terrifying.
My mind was spinning. I didn’t even know what to think, let alone how to feel.I kept staring at the door, as my heart thudded wildly in my ribcage.
I sat there, stunned. My mind moved in loops, trying to find a space to settle, but everything was spinning.
He said I changed him. That he watched me because he didn’t know how to approach me. That I was… different.
I rubbed my arms slowly, as if to calm the goosebumps rising. Zade Avner. The man with an empire. The man I thought barely noticed people like her. The man every girl –including my best friend wanted. The quiet, cold, powerful Zade Avner. And yet...
He had noticed me.
Every version of me.
The one who worked herself sore in aprons.
The one who studied with baggy eyes and an overwashed hoodie.
The one who danced in the kitchen with Aliyah like no one was watching.
And he had been watching.
I folded my arms tighter, torn between shivering and smiling. It was insane. But it wasn’t malicious. It was awkward. Kind of weird. But also… sincere?
What now?
End of His for a year. Chapter 49. Continue reading Chapter 50 or return to His for a year. book page.