The Billionaire Who Saved Me - Chapter 23: Chapter 23

It was Jennifer's voice. What was she doing at the company? I hadn't planned on eavesdropping, but her next words stopped me cold.
"I don't care. The baby is yours, and you're gonna take responsibility for it," Jennifer said loudly.
What? The baby in Jennifer's womb wasn't Oliver's? I was stunned and pressed my ear against the door to listen more carefully.
Then I heard Xander's pleading voice. "Come on, sweetheart, keep your voice down. If someone hears this, we're screwed."
Jennifer sneered, "Why? Scared your jealous wife might find out? Let her. Then you can divorce her and marry me."
Xander replied, "This isn't something we can rush, baby. Be patient. Come here and give me a kiss."
"Piss off," Jennifer snapped. "Don't give me that shit. I let you screw me all these years for nothing, and then you tossed me to that bastard Oliver when you were done with me.
"If he was still doing okay, fine, I'd settle and marry him. But now that jerk's in jail. What the hell am I supposed to do?"
I couldn't believe it. Jennifer, who always acted so innocent and delicate, was now spewing curse after curse like she was some mob boss.
Xander shot back, "Oliver made plenty of money working under me these past few years. Didn't all that end up in your pocket?"
Jennifer snorted, "Like hell it did. That old hag locked it all down tight. I barely got a few hundred thousand dollars. What the hell is that even good for?"
"Oliver's house is worth a pretty penny now. Housing prices have skyrocketed over the last few years. It's gotta be worth at least seven hundred thousand dollars."
"I don't care if it's worth seven million. I won't see a damn dime of it. The deed's in his and that dead wife's name."
"Are you stupid? His wife's already dead. And Oliver's never getting out of prison. Once that old hag croaks too, the house will be yours—and our kid's."
"Oh, you old bastard. So now you want me to live like a damn widow for the rest of my life?"
I wanted to keep listening, but then I heard a door creak open from the restroom. I quickly ducked behind the corner, slipped down the emergency stairs, and then came back up again through the elevator.
I adjusted my expression, trying to look a little anxious while still pretending to stay calm. "Evan, what are you doing out here? Is Mr. Anderson in? I need to speak to him about something urgent."
Xander's assistant, Evan Campbell, said, "Good morning, Ms. Gordon. Unfortunately, Mr. Anderson just stepped out. Is there something I can pass along for you?"
"Of course. Let him know that the guards from the detention center just came by. Oliver's escaped," I replied.
Evan's expression changed instantly. "What? He managed to escape from detention? Unbelievable. The cops are freaking useless."
I smiled, "Oh, and here's the document. Clause 11 on page three is kind of blurry. Ask Mr. Anderson about it when he gets back.
"I'll head back to my office. Everyone should stay alert over the next few days. Who knows, Oliver might come back looking for trouble. A guy with nothing to lose can be dangerous."
Evan muttered, "If he's looking for trouble, it's gonna be with you—"
He caught himself mid-sentence when he realized I was still there and quickly apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, Ms. Gordon. That was out of line."
I replied, "It's fine. You're not wrong. But I'm not the only one he has a grudge against in this company. Just make sure everyone's careful." I didn't lower my voice at all—I was sure the two hiding in the office could hear me clearly.
"You're right, of course. Take care, Ms. Gordon," Evan remarked, politely walking me out.
When I got back to my office, I locked the door and collapsed onto the couch. My head was spinning. There was just too much to take in today—I needed time to process it all.
What the hell was going on? Finding out Jennifer was pregnant with Xander's child was even more shocking than Oliver's escape.
But once the initial shock passed, all I felt was a deep sense of sorrow for myself.
Back then, I had tried so hard to be a good wife to Oliver, only to be treated like a free maid by him and Amelia.
And now Jennifer, pregnant with another man's child, could so easily take my place and move in like she owned the place. Saying she "beat me" was putting it nicely—she didn't beat me, she killed me.
I pulled myself together and kept reminding myself that Madeline was gone. I was Katherine now.
I splashed cold water on my face, then picked up the phone and called Mason. "Hey, come pick me up. It's time for phase two of our deal," I said.
When we signed that contract, we agreed on one thing—phase one was getting my revenge. Once that was done, we'd talk about what came next.
"Oh really? But I heard your business isn't quite over yet. Word is, Oliver escaped," Mason spoke on the other end, his voice just as smooth and pleasant as always.
I knew there was no keeping anything from him. I answered honestly, "Yeah, he did escape, but the cops will catch him again."
Even though I'd just warned Evan to stay alert, that was really just to scare them. I didn't actually take it seriously.
Mason gave a soft chuckle. Then he paused and asked, "Do you wanna leave because you're scared?"
I replied, "Of course not. If I were scared, I wouldn't have come back in the first place. I just think, I'm alive, and Oliver's already in this mess. I've gotten my revenge. It's over now."
Mason offered, "Let's have lunch. We can talk about it then."
"Sure. Where? Wait, didn't you leave?" I was just about to ask for the restaurant's address when I realized something. When did he come back?
"Valen Prime. We'll talk when you get here," Mason said before hanging up.
I finally made it to twelve o'clock. I was the first to leave the office and headed straight to Valen Prime to meet Mason.
The waiter led me to the same spot as last time. Mason was already there, leisurely flipping through a business magazine. When he saw me, Mason handed the magazine back to the waiter and said, "Serve the food."
"Yes, sir," the waiter replied and went off.
Soon, a variety of beautifully plated dishes were brought to the table. In front of Mason were seared foie gras with scallops, cream of mushroom soup, seafood pizza, and a salad.
However, in front of me sat a glass of kale smoothie and a small plate of dark chocolate almonds.
Mason said calmly, "Everything I ordered for you is good for your brain."
I shot back, "What's that supposed to mean? I want a real explanation." I didn't exactly hate the food he ordered for me, but it was obvious Mason was trying to make a point.
Mason took a bite before answering slowly, "With the way your brain's been functioning, if we jump into phase two now, you're probably gonna end up dead."
He wore that look like he was doing all this for my own good, and I was just too ungrateful to see it.
I was so annoyed. "Then tell me what I did wrong. Just say it and I'll fix it. Why beat around the bush just to insult me?"
He sneered, "Say it? You make mistakes and expect others to correct you? Why should they?"
Fuming, I took a sip of the kale smoothie and immediately spat. It was disgusting.
I knew exactly what Mason was referring to. Letting Oliver off the hook must've convinced Mason I had something wrong with my head.
But I didn't think I was wrong. There was a limit to revenge. Oliver was already a public enemy—everyone wanted a piece of him. I didn't need to be the one to deliver the final blow.
Besides, I didn't even know where Oliver was hiding. Even if I wanted to kick him when he was down, I wouldn't know where to aim.
"Where's your bodyguard?" Mason suddenly asked.
He changed the topic so fast I didn't even catch on at first. "What?" I said.