The Rose He Killed novel Chapter 267

Chapter 236: Olivier Shifts

Bella POV

I was sitting in the living room of our house, watching Tom play with his toy trains on the rug.

The evening sun cast long shadows across the floor, and the house was finally quiet after a busy day.

My phone vibrated on the coffee table beside me. I picked it up, expecting a work sss from my assistant or a message from Caleb. Instead, an unknown number lit up the screen.

I tapped the notification and opened the text message.

Unknown Number: It’s Olivier: I stole your private number from Enzo’s phone because I really needed to talk to you. I know after our last encounter you must have barred me from your business line. Can we talk? Just us. No agenda this time.

I stared at the short message for a full minute. Tom laughed as one of his toy trains fell over, but my focus stayed entirely on the screen.

Olivier only had my office line before, and he had used that to walk into my room and start a bitter corporate interrogation.

He was right-I had instructed my assistant to block him from routing any more surprise meetings through my professional staff.

But seeing his name attach itself to this raw, desperate text message on my private phone changed things. No agenda. He had never spoken to me like that before.

I took a slow breath and decided to answer him.

Let’s meet tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. There is a quiet café two blocks from my office. We can talk there.

He replied almost instantly with a single word.

Fine.

The next afternoon, I left my office building a few minutes early. The walk was short, and the warm air felt nice after hours of sitting at my desk.

I chose this specific café because it was neutral ground-the kind of small, quiet place where nobody important ever went, which made it perfect for a private conversation.

As I pushed the glass door open, a small bell chimed above my head. I stood at the entrance for a second and looked around the room.

I spotted Olivier immediately.

He was already there, sitting at a small corner table with two porcelain cups of coffee waiting between the empty seats.

Even in a casual setting, his posture was incredibly stiff, like his spine had been trained from a young age never to relax in public. He wore a dark suit, looking completely out of place among the regular

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Chapter 236 vier Shifts

neighborhood customers.

As I walked closer to the table, his eyes met mine. He stood up straight when he saw me. The small gesture surprised me. I did not know if it was just an old habit of politeness, or if it was a new sign of

respect.

“Thank you for coming,” he said, waiting for me to step forward.

“You said no agenda.” I sat down across from him, studying his face. “I’m holding you to that.”

Claim

“I meant it.” He wrapped both hands around his cup but didn’t drink. “I want to talk about something that isn’t business.”

I waited. I could tell he needed the silence. Sometimes I needed that same kind of quiet before saying something difficult.

“I came here to apologize, Bella,” he said finally. The words seemed to weigh heavily in his mouth. “For my behavior in your office the last time. And for what happened after.”

I leaned back, my eyes narrowing slightly. “Are you apologizing for yourself, Olivier, or are you apologizing for Camille?”

His jaw tightened, a flash of genuine embarrassment crossing his features. He looked down at his coffee cup. “Both. I did not know she had leaked those stories to the media. I did not know she was trying to paint you as a fraud to protect my position. When my father found out, it was… very difficult. But I should have controlled my circle. It was completely unacceptable.”

“Camille called me,” I said, my voice flat and even. “She tried to play it off as a misunderstanding. She told me tensions were high regarding the family estate. I told her to keep my name out of her mouth, and I will tell you the same thing. I have my own business, Hart Worldwide. I built it from nothing, all by myself, while working double shifts and raising my son. I do not want your family money, Olivier.”

“I know that now,” he murmured.

“I didn’t reach out to Sebastien for a paycheck,” I continued, the old anger flaring up before I forced it down. “I wanted to know my own family. I wanted to know where I came from. I spent years being the daughter nobody wanted to look at, tossed away in the rain by the Harts. I didn’t show up to rearrange your life or steal your crown.”

Olivier exhaled, something loosening slightly in his shoulders. “Our mother died months ago,” he said, changing his tone. “You know this.”

“I know,” I said quietly. “And as I told you before, I am truly sorry for your loss.”

“You might not know what happened after our mother died,” Olivier said, turning his cup. “Our father changed. He was always busy with work, but after she died, he became completely empty. He would sit in his study for hours and do nothing. I had never seen him like that.”

I said nothing. I could easily picture Sebastien sitting alone in a dark room.

“Then you showed up,” Olivier said, his voice softer. “It was like a light turned back on. He started flying places, working again, and smiling. He even cried, Bella. I have never seen him cry in my whole life, not even at her funeral. But he met you once and broke down.”

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