FORTY TWO

Olivia glanced at the caller ID and saw Detective Harris's name flashing on the screen. She took a deep breath. “It's Harris,” she said softly.

Lucas' expression hardened, “Answer it. Put it on speaker.”

Olivia nodded, as she answered the call and put it on speakerphone.

“Olivia Carter,” Harris’s voice came through, smooth and calculated, “I hope you’re now ready to play your parts, I have my own evidences don't forget that.”

Olivia's eyes met Lucas’s and she saw the fire igniting in his gaze, she swallowed hard , trying to keep her voice steady. “You have to give me more time.”

“You always say this ,Olivia. Time is something we don't have,you have to dig deeper.” Harris replied, his tone menacing. “Find out what Lucas is hiding.”

Lucas' expression was unreadable, and his hand grouped Olivia's arm protectively, “I will….What else, Harris?” Olivia asked, trying to keep the conversation going to gather more information.”

“Marco has been meeting known criminals in the city,” Harris continued, “I Think he’s planning something big . And I need you to find out what it is, you owe me that much.”

Olivia glanced at Lucas who gave her a subtle nod, “I’ll see what I can do.” She said, her voice steadying.

“Good.” Harris replied, “Don't let me down.”

The call ended and Olivia lowered the phone, her heart pounding in her chest. Lucas’s grip on her hand loosened, and he pulled her closer, his eyes blazing with determination.

Lucas scoffed, “He’s trying to use you against me.” Lucas said, his voice low and intense. “But he clearly has failed to understand what I'm capable of doing to him.”

Olivia nodded, feeling a surge of resolve, “I want to help , Lucas . I can use my skills to find out more about Harris's activities.”

Lucas looked at her, a mix of admiration and concern in his eyes, “You're brave ,pretty doll. But it's dangerous.”

“I know,” Olivia replied, her voice firm. “But I am not afraid.”

Lucas nodded, his expression softening slightly, “Alright, but you're not leaving this mansion. It's too dangerous out there.”

Olivia smiled, her heart warming at his protective nature. “I understand, I’ll do everything from here.”

Lucas leaned in and kissed her forehead, a gesture filled with both love and resolve.

As they sat back, Olivia's phone buzzed again, it was a text from Harris, reminding her of his threats . Lucas read it over her shoulder and his eyes darkened with anger.

“I'll handle Harris.” Lucas said, his voice low and menacing, “He won't be a problem for long.”

Olivia quickly placed a hand on his chest, her eyes pleading, “Lucas, no, your definition of handling him is to get rid of him completely. Let me use my skills. I can expose him, bring him down legally. It's safer and it won't draw more attention to us.”

Lucas scoffed, “Who cares about that?” Lucas looked at her, his expression hard but wavering, “I just can't risk him getting to you.”

“And I can't risk you committing murder ,at least not when I'm involved.” She said to Lucas, “Please trust me, let me do this.”

There was a long pause as Lucas weighed her words. Finally, he sighed, his shoulders easing slightly, “Alright, But if he gets too close, I won't hesitate to end him.”

Olivia nodded, relieved. “Thank you, Lucas, we'll do this together. I’ll start digging into his records, and hack his emails, phone calls and messages.”

Lucas tightened his hold on her, his eyes filled with a mix of love and determination. “Just be careful Olivia, I can't lose you.”

“Let's start with the investigation now Lucas,” Oliviia said. Lucas nodded and they both strodr out of Lucas' room and headed to Lucas' study.

In Lucas' study, Vincent had already cleaned up and disposed of the body of Mateo and Giovanni, one would never know murder just happened in the study.

“Sit,” Lucas gestured to her, and she nodded and took a seat. Lucas dropped Olivia's laptop on the desk. Immediately, she opened her laptop ready to dive deep into detective Harris' shady deals.

Lucas leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching her with a mixture of admiration and concern, “Are you sure, you are up for this?” he asked, his voice low and serious.

Olivia looked up determination blazing in her eyes. “I have to be, Harris is a threat , and I have the skills to bring him down.”

Lucas nodded, his expression softening, “Just be careful.Harrus is more dangerous than you might realize.”

Olivia smiled slightly, the corners of her mouth lifting, “I know, but so I am.”

She turned her attention back to the laptop, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she accessed encrypted databases and secure communication networks. With Lucas's connection she has access to resources that most journalists could only dream of .

She began by tracing Harris's financial transactions, looking for any irregularities.

“Lucas,” she called softly, not taking her eyes off the screen, “Did you know that Harris has offshore accounts? Multiple ones?”

Lucas stepped closer, looking over shoulder at the data on the screen. “No, but it doesn't surprise me. Can you trace the funds?”

Olivia nodded, her fingers moving rapidly, “Give me a minute.”

She worked in silence, her concentration intense. The room seemed to hold its breath as she navigated through complex financial webs, uncovering layers of corruption and deceit. Each click of the mouse brought her closer to exposing Harris' dark underbelly.

“There,” she said finally, pointing at the screen. “He’s been receiving large amounts of money, from an anonymous source. It's too frequent and too substantial to be legitimate.”

Lucas's eyes narrowed as he read the details, “This could be his payoff for looking the other way on certain crimes.”

Olivia nodded, her mind racing, “I need more, transactions alone, won't be enough to bring him down. I need something concrete, something irrefutable.”

Lucas watched her, his mind working on parallel tracks, “what about his communications? Emails, phone records?

Olivia's eyes lit up, “That's exactly what I was thinking.”

She began hacking into Harris’s email accounts, her fingers dancing over the keyboard with practiced ease. It took several minutes, but eventually , she was in.

Her eyes scanned through countless emails, looking for anything that could link Harris into illegal activities.

“Here,” she said, clicking on an email thread. “He’s been working with known criminals, setting up meetings and exchanges.”

Lucas leaned in closer, reading the emails. “That's good , but we need more, we need something that directly ties him to his corrupt action.”

Olivia nodded, her mind l, “I need access to his phone records. That will give us a clearer picture.”

Lucas stood up, “I can get those for you, give me a few hours.”

As Lucas left the room, Olivia continued her work, sifting through the mountain of data that she had already uncovered. As she leaned back in the plush chair, contemplating her next move, the door to the study cracked open.

Olivia turned her head expecting Lucas, but instead, Mia stood in the doorway, her eyes wide with surprise and perhaps a hint of defiance.