At the end of thirty minutes, it was time to head back home. A knock was heard on the door of Olivia's residence, and Noah entered the room, carrying his jacket and briefcase in his left hand and his phone and keys in his right hand. His shirt and tie were too loose, and his hair was messy. He appeared depleted.
"Hi," he said as he welcomed her and flashed her a brief smile. After his behavior earlier, he was at a loss about how to approach her; if he wanted his plans to be successful, he would need to exercise patience. He was forced to acknowledge that Livvy Williams would not be able to provide him with the truth immediately. Thankfully, his actions did not jeopardize his plans, and Livvy Williams remained.
She said, "Hello," without glancing at him as she welcomed him. While working on her laptop, she expressed, "I'm almost finished with this."
While walking towards her workstation, Noah reminded her that it was time for her to return home.
"I know, just a few minutes," she clenched her teeth and continued typing as if he did not even realize she was there.
She let out a sigh and walked around her desk. When he closed her laptop, he said, "This can wait."
In an effort to maintain her composure, she gazed at the closed laptop when she experienced a surge of anger. Her mood had darkened since their return from the restaurant, and she couldn't figure out why.
It would have been preferable if her therapist had been present; in that case, she would not have had to struggle to overcome her anxiety. She was on the verge of having a breakdown, and Noah Jones was not helping the problem; her therapist would have referred to this as a trigger during their conversation. Noah was a trigger for her episodes, and to maintain composure, it was necessary to avoid the environment that triggered the episodes. However, how would she perform that task inside his building?
"I need to know why you did it, she asked in the most composed manner possible. She clenched her teeth and said, "After all the work I put in." Her face turned scarlet on account of her fury.
Without remorse, Noah stated, "It is not such a big deal; you can work on it this weekend, and you are still going to recover that document, as it has been automatically saved." He commanded, "Meet me downstairs in five; the staff is hosting a welcome party for you." He then exited her office after he had finished his sentence.
In an unladylike manner, Olivia slammed her fist down on the desk and hissed simultaneously. While doing so, she closed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair, undoing the tie and holding her hair back. It took her some time to process what Noah had said, and then, as if under the influence of an unnatural power, she snatched her handbag and all of her belongings out of it before storming out of the office when she had finished. A few seconds later, she found herself in the ladies' room, attempting to recover her breath while resting against the wall.
It felt as though she was suffocating inside a balloon that was devoid of air, and she was unable to breathe. As each second passed, she felt the walls increasingly closing in on her. Sweat poured down her cheeks in torrents, making it difficult for her to see clearly. It was difficult for her to determine if she was getting hot or chilly because she was experiencing shivers all over her body. Her body was balanced against the basin as she peered at herself in the mirror, and she did not recognize the person she was staring at. She lurched towards the basins and maintained her equilibrium against them.
The person staring back at her was not her. Although they shared the same hair, eyes, nose, and lips and were dressed in the same clothes, she was not identical to the person staring back at her. It turned out that the girl staring back at her was not Olivia Miller; rather, she was a young girl who had profound secrets and worries. It seemed as though she was in a different location for a short period of time.
For a brief instant, she found herself back in the streets of London, attempting to navigate through a crowd of people.
She briefly returned to the orphanage, sitting alone in the corner while the other children laughed at her. Have some peace, Olivia. Put some effort into gathering yourself together. May reprimanded her, and Olivia wished it were as simple as it seemed.
Olivia had agoraphobia. She chose to be alone rather than in tight quarters with people chatting loudly as if it were windy while they stood beside each other.
It was a chore for her to interact with new people and socialize. In her opinion, most people were dishonest and just did things because they were required to. She was sure that if she joined Noah and his employees downstairs, everyone would try to discuss with her whenever she was present. Today, Noah skillfully exacted revenge on her for her actions. It is safe to say that this was the most heinous of all the atrocities he had done to her.
After taking a few deep breaths, Olivia opened her eyes and continued to look in her mirror for a while longer. May was quite correct; she needed to gather herself together. Following the cold-water rinse to her face, she wiped her face with a paper towel.
Her hands shook as she attempted to adjust her hair, and she applied pink lipstick.
After a cursory examination of her luggage, she removed a bottle of pills and only gazed at it with a dubious expression. Because she hardly required them, she had not taken these for a considerable amount of time; they were anxiety pills that her therapist had prescribed for her a few months earlier, and they assisted her in maintaining stability. With a sigh, she opened the container. She then took two pills, popped them into her mouth, and swallowed them. After that, she started drinking water with her palm.
After another glance at herself, she concluded that she did not appear nearly as ugly as anticipated. She suffered a complete and utter breakdown, yet no one would ever believe it. Before exiting the restroom and boarding the elevator down to the first floor, she took a few deep breaths and gave herself a slight nod. As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she was greeted with a resounding round of applause, and for a brief minute, she became rigid. The elevator came to a complete and total stop, and the doors opened. Calm down. Maintaining your composure would be beneficial, and you must prevent him from understanding the emotional damage he has caused. May's reassuring voice reverberated in her thoughts, and Olivia took a trembling breath before standing up straight and holding her head high.
All the Jones Enterprises employees got together in the room. Several people greeted her, with some hugging her and others shaking her hand. It was a moment of gratitude for Olivia as the final person greeted her and left. Despite their introductions, Olivia struggled to remember a single name. Zara, Elowen, and Chloe were also present, and she could not shake the impression that Zara was observing her. However, she disregarded this sensation and instead perched on a bar stool in front of the reception desk while sipping from a bottle of water she had brought from the kitchen.
The room was filled with chitchat and laughter, and faint music played in the background. Olivia was experiencing a strong urge to flee the room; this was not the situation she would typically be in, and with each passing second, she was more and more tempted to go. At this moment, all she desired was to get home and get some rest. Despite her intention to rest throughout the day on Saturday, she managed to stay up late.
The fact that Noah was maintaining his distance was something that Olivia was relieved to see, but her happiness did not last for very long. "Do you have the Friday blues?" Noah questioned her as he sat down next to her.
Without glancing at him, Olivia said, "If that is your new name, then you should change it to Friday Blues." When he heard that, he changed his name. While he was sipping his coffee, Noah let out a chuckle. Is that coffee? While he was at a party, he was drinking coffee. Olivia was curious, but she refrained from expressing her thoughts aloud.
Olivia battled the desire to snort as he continued to speak.
This wouldn't be such a big deal. In response to May's observation, Olivia silenced her. Olivia then responded to both May and Noah, "Dream on."
Noah sincerely expressed, "Thank you for today; I had a great time." However, Olivia couldn't genuinely believe him; he took great pleasure in turning her day into a nightmare.