Chapter 24: Olivia Hears a Ghost

Olivia found Leah in the service corridor before the lunch rush ended. She came without security, which meant she either felt safe or wanted to look vulnerable on camera. With Olivia, both were usually true. "You are difficult to place," Olivia said. Leah kept stacking plates. "Most servers are." "No. Most servers have the decency to remain background." "I will work on becoming wallpaper." Olivia stepped closer. Her perfume was the same one Isabella had bought her for her sixteenth birthday. "Sebastian says you were at St. Mercy." "Mr. Costa notices staff more than he should." "He thinks Ethan Hunt is using you." "Men often mistake employment for ownership." Olivia's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?" The question had haunted Leah for two years. Today it did not hurt. "Someone who brings food to people who confuse appetite with power." Olivia slapped her. The corridor went silent. A line cook stared. Priya froze with a tray of glasses. Leah let the sting bloom across her cheek and did not lift a hand. Olivia realized the mistake instantly. Public cruelty did not suit the mask. "I am so sorry," she said, loud enough for witnesses. "You startled me." Leah looked at her with Isabella's old eyes for one deliberate second. Olivia's face emptied. There it was. Recognition's first crack. "Bella?" Olivia breathed. Leah tilted her head. "Who?" Olivia backed away, one hand at her throat. "No. No, you cannot be." Megan appeared at the corridor entrance. "Problem?" Olivia gathered herself. "Your coworker is unstable." "Then we have something in common," Megan said. Olivia left fast, but not fast enough to hide the tremor in her hands. Leah touched her cheek. The slap had been worth it. Her phone buzzed with a message from Ethan. Hunt Capital file confirms payment. Need Catherine ledger. Do not bring it to L'Etoile. Too late. Leah looked toward her locker, where Catherine's ledger sat inside her coat. The locker door was open. The coat was gone. On the floor lay a white rose and Olivia's pearl earring.