Chapter 4 Unexpected Memories

Olivia steadied herself after stumbling forward from the force of the push, looking up in confusion.

Without warning, she found dozens of eyes staring directly at her.

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence.

"Ms. Harper's entrance is certainly unique," said Louis Turner, whose presentation had been interrupted by Olivia's sudden appearance.

"I'm terribly sorry," Olivia said with a slight bow of her head. "I've had a few drinks and walked into the wrong room. I hope I haven't disturbed anyone."

Her gaze casually swept across the room, landing on Alexander seated at the head of the table. She immediately recognized him as Mr. Blake, the man who had rescued her yesterday.

Louis looked at Olivia with contempt. "Is Ms. Harper truly intoxicated, or is she deliberately appearing here?"

As Titan Enterprises' Vice President and Alexander's longtime friend, Louis was well aware of Olivia's previous cruelty toward Alexander.

In his eyes, her behavior now suggested she wanted to greedily hold onto the useless James while not giving up the captivating Alexander.

He was certain she was fabricating another flimsy excuse to approach Alexander.

"I believe I've had too much to drink tonight," Olivia said, pretending to be unwell as she shook her head, completely ignoring Louis's inexplicable hostility.

James was looking for her, and she didn't want to create additional enemies.

Hearing footsteps approaching the door, Olivia felt a wave of panic. If she left now, she'd certainly be caught.

After quickly weighing her options, Olivia chose the shameless route of staying.

Having made her decision, she looked directly at Alexander.

"Mr. Blake," she said in a soft, pleading voice, "I've had too much to drink. My friend is on the way and should be here soon. Could I rest here for a moment?"

"I promise to stay quiet and not disturb your meeting," she added, her eyes slightly reddened, emphasizing her sincere gaze and making her appear vulnerable yet charming.

Alexander looked into Olivia's imploring eyes, paused briefly before simply saying.

"Find a seat."

Hearing his consent, Olivia's face lit up with a brilliant smile, and she immediately chose a corner seat near the wall.

However, the more reasonable this seemed, the more surprised everyone else became.

Around the table, several people silently exchanged glances, clearly unable to understand what Olivia was trying to accomplish.

Louis glanced at Alexander, then could only shake his head and sigh silently.

A knock came from outside, followed by the door being pushed open.

Seeing who entered, Olivia's body tensed sharply, and she instinctively slouched lower.

Still, she couldn't escape the gaze of James and Stephen, who spotted her in the corner immediately upon entering.

James was about to question her when he suddenly noticed Alexander's presence at the head of the table.

His demeanor instantly reverted to his usual public persona of gentle humility.

"Uncle Alexander!" He shrugged slightly, his tone nearly fawning. "It's me, James. It's been a while."

"Good evening, Mr. Blake." Stephen quickly introduced himself as well, eager to make an impression on these important figures.

Alexander nodded slightly, his expression impassive.

"Olivia had too much to drink earlier and said she was going to the restroom," James explained with a smile. "When she didn't return for so long, I knew she must have gotten lost. I never expected her to end up here, Uncle Alexander. I hope she hasn't disturbed you."

He simultaneously gave Olivia a look indicating she should leave with them.

In truth, he very much wanted to curry favor with his influential uncle, but now was clearly not the time.

Receiving his signal, Olivia knew she couldn't escape. Seeing Alexander's expressionless face, she obediently stood up.

However, she made a bold decision. Instead of walking toward James, she headed directly toward Alexander.

Perhaps due to the alcohol, Olivia suddenly felt dizzy. Her foot slipped, and she fell straight into his arms, landing on his lap in front of everyone!

Olivia frantically tried to stand up. But as she turned her head, her nose brushed against Alexander's handsome, firm profile, and her sealed memories seemed to crack open. Blurry memory fragments flashed through her mind like pages in a flip book.

Olivia's head began to ache again.

"What's wrong?" Alexander instinctively voiced his concern upon seeing Olivia's pained expression.

Olivia opened her eyes to find his handsome face inches from hers, vaguely overlapping with the fleeting image from her recovered memory.

Whether from embarrassment or intoxication, her face suddenly flushed crimson.

"N-nothing," she stammered.

Witnessing this blatant flirtation, Louis became convinced Olivia's nature hadn't changed. He quickly stepped forward to help her up.

Alexander, having lost interest in continuing the meeting after multiple interruptions, prepared to leave.

Olivia glanced around quickly, then immediately followed him.

The flash in her mind had been a memory from her past, triggered by physical contact with Alexander.

Could staying near him help her recover her memory?

She followed him, squeezing into the elevator, completely disregarding Louis's murderous glare.

As the elevator doors began to close, a hand reached through the narrow gap, grabbing Olivia's wrist.

Startled, Olivia spun around to find James.

"Darling, you've escorted Mr. Blake far enough," he said as he stepped into the elevator. His arm snaked around her shoulders, gently pulling her toward himself. His tone was doting, his smile almost suffocatingly tender. "Everyone's waiting for you to return."

His fingers curved slightly, lightly caressing the side of her face. "Still feeling dizzy? Let me carry you back."

With those words, he actually bent down as if to lift her.

Olivia immediately felt nauseated. James moved too quickly, leaving her no chance to refuse.

Louis gave them a cold look and, to avoid further subjecting Alexander to the sweet couple, quickly made a decision to push Alexander out of the elevator.