He pulled the financials of the doctor that had signed Olivia’s death certificate all those years ago. He dug and eventually found records from the year of the accident. In August of that year, he noticed a transfer of over one million dollars into the doctor’s account from an off-shore bank.

Whoever wanted to help cover up Olivia’s death, or lack thereof, had big pockets. He reviewed his family’s financials at that time and it couldn’t have been his father or mother. They didn’t have that kind of money just yet. His father’s success didn’t come until a few years after that. The only person Alexander could think of who would have had access to that amount of money was Olivia’s mother.

Alexander looked at a copy of the trust Olivia’s mom had set up several years before her death. Just a few days before the accident, the trust was liquidated and all the money was placed into several bank accounts in the name of Charles Wright. A few days after the accident, a beneficiary was named to the account - Sarah Olivia Adler. Alexander wondered if there was more to the cover-up than just protecting Olivia.

Charles Wright had made periodic withdrawals from Olivia’s substantial bank accounts to pay for her private school and other various living expenses. She attended Charleston Preparatory School for Ladies throughout elementary and high school and was involved in a wide variety of extracurricular activities ranging from lacrosse and field hockey to orchestra and drama club.

Olivia moved to Boston ten years ago and started at Boston College that September. She graduated five years later with a degree in exercise physiology and a minor in finance. She was named to the dean’s list every semester and was the recipient of a wide variety of awards. Even though on her eighteenth birthday, Charles’ name was taken off the bank accounts and she had millions at her disposal, she still worked. Throughout her time in Boston, she was employed at a bar called Scotch. Alexander knew the exact bar and had probably seen her there on a few occasions. That thought consumed him.

She graduated five years ago, the month Alexander’s own father died. The man Olivia knew as her uncle. After that, Olivia seemed to have gone off the grid. She quit her job and never renewed the lease on her apartment in Boston. Bank records indicated that she bounced around from city to city all over the country. One month she was in Atlanta and the next in New Orleans. She even spent some time in Alaska. Olivia was clearly running from her past.

A year ago, there was a record of a sale of property to Olivia – the house on Commonwealth Avenue. A few months later, there was a transfer of money to a startup she was financing, which turned out to be the wellness center where she currently worked.

Simpson had done a rather thorough job of outlining Olivia’s life from the beginning to that week. It was the early lack of medical records that caught his eye. And lack of any records, really. Something suspicious happened and Alexander wanted to know what kind of agreement his father had made. But digging any more may uncover information that could put Olivia in danger. He just didn’t know if he was willing to do that. She had been safe those past twenty-one years and he wanted to keep it that way.

Closing the file, he knew he needed to speak with Olivia. He didn’t know whether he would tell her everything or just some half truth. Regardless, he knew he needed her back in his life and would stop at nothing to win her back, even if it meant telling her who she was. He knew he would only get one chance to persuade her to forgive him. He wanted to make sure he did it right.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

SELF-PRESERVATION

“HE can spend as much fucking money as he wants to, but it means nothing without a mother fucking I’m sorry!” Olivia shouted at Kiera Friday evening as she picked Olivia up to head to MacFadden’s.

“Oh, come on, Libs. Look at these earrings!” she said, holding up a pair of beautiful pink pearl tear-drop earrings. “They’re gorgeous. If this doesn’t say I’m sorry, I don’t know what does!”

“Kiera, he has more money than he knows what to do with. All these gifts barely put a dent in his bank account. I want an explanation and an apology, and then, and only maybe, will I reconsider my position on Alexander.”

Kiera giggled. “Ooh, Libby. Kinky.”

Olivia couldn’t help but laugh. “He is a little. Kind of dominating, but in a good way.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, her eyebrows raised.

“Well, he has this way of just telling you what to do, and you can’t help but obey. It’s weird. And I kind of like it.” Olivia blushed.

“Okay,” Kiera said. “You need to get laid and Alexander needs to be the one doing it.”

“Don’t worry about me, Kiera. You need some ass just as much as I do.”

The two girls laughed as they left Olivia’s house and hopped in Kiera’s car.

It was a busy night at MacFadden’s. Word had apparently gotten out that Olivia was a regular with Mo’s band. She was slated to do a few numbers with the guys in the second set that evening. The band had just started their first set as Olivia, Kiera, Melanie and Bridget sat by the bar on the second floor, ordering some drinks.

“So, whatcha got planned for tonight?” Melanie asked, excited to hear what her co-worker would be performing that evening.

“A few new ones and a few old ones,” Olivia replied dryly.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you?” Bridget asked. “You haven’t been yourself this week. And then you blew off work today. Linda had to fill in and teach your classes. Don’t tell her I said anything, but I think our clients prefer you leading the classes.”

“Thanks, Bridget. I know. I’ve just been dealing with some personal shit, that’s all. And I don’t really want to talk about it right now.” Olivia took a long drink of her beer. She secretly wanted to get her set over so she could continue to numb the pain the only way she knew how. With alcohol.

“It’s boy problems,” Kiera interrupted.

Olivia shot daggers in her direction.

“What kind of boy problems?” Melanie asked, her interest piqued. “With that hottie from the penthouse that came to visit you last week? Because OH. MY. GOD. I think I came just looking at him.”

Olivia slapped Melanie playfully, not wanting to talk about her personal life with people she worked with. But she was barely ever at the office. Maybe their perspective would be helpful. So Olivia told them the whole story. How Alexander had been incredibly sweet the entire week before. How on the weekend things changed and he was seen with another woman. And how he shrugged off Olivia at the bar Saturday night.