Chapter 58
Immediately, Oliver turned slightly toward her, his brows drawn together, and said with clear frustration in his voice, "But again, why didn’t you slap him, Cora? Like, seriously. What were you waiting for? The disrespect was too much."
He gripped the steering wheel tighter, his jaw visibly clenched. "The way he was trying to force that jacket on you... I don’t know, it didn’t look normal. He was doing it like he had something else in mind. And I might not be able to prove it yet, but... I swear, something in me is telling me that Samuel is up to something. And I don’t like it."
Then Cora turned to look at him, a small smile forming on her lips. Her voice was calm, almost teasing. "Oliver, you really do worry too much. You’re still acting like we’re kids, like I need someone to always protect me."
She gave a soft laugh, more thoughtful than amused, and then continued, "I saw what he was trying to do. And honestly, I wanted to hit him too, or at least push him away. But I stopped myself. Not because I was scared or because I couldn’t defend myself... but because it just didn’t feel right."
Then Oliver narrowed his eyes slightly but didn’t interrupt.
Cora went on, "Everything about that moment felt... weird. Like it was being staged. It was too forced. What if someone was nearby, recording or snapping pictures? What if I did push him or slap him, and all they caught was that one moment where my hand touched his face? What do you think the headlines would say then?"
She looked at Oliver, her voice now more serious.
"Samuel has fans. A lot of them. People who don’t even care about the full story, just the shock of a headline. It wouldn’t take long for it to be twisted into something like ’Cora, the boss, bullying her staff.’ And we both know how that kind of stuff spreads like wildfire."
Oliver exhaled slowly. He didn’t like it, but he couldn’t argue. She was right. The world was quick to judge, and public opinion had no pause button.
He looked over at her again, then turned back to the road. "You’re right," he muttered. "I hate it, but you’re right. Still... if he tries anything like that again, I’m not going to be this calm."