"Got it," Ophelia said, voice steady.
By the time Rome noticed she'd bailed on the art exhibition and left Westhill, she'd already be halfway to the mainland.
After leaving the exhibit, Ophelia started gathering her documents to head back to the mainland. That same day, the news exploded with headlines about Rome reigniting his flame with local celeb Amber Bishop. Their old relationship got dragged back into the spotlight, with airport candids plastered across every major paper.
Ophelia glanced at the photos of them side by side, then quietly burned the albums holding her memories with Rome. She also handed over Rome's medical records to the family shrink.
As she was leaving the Olson mansion, she unexpectedly ran into Amber Bishop, who was visiting Daxton Olson.
Ophelia froze.
The woman stood a few feet away, decked out in a custom Victorian-style dress, oozing grace and vitality. Her eyes flickered with brief surprise at seeing Ophelia.
"Who's this, Gran?" Amber asked.
"Mrs. Olson took Ophelia in as Rome's foster sister, hoping they'd be a good influence on each other. Ophelia's family was struggling, and folks see her as some kind of gold digger clinging to Rome for comfort, so Mrs. Olson decided to take her in," the housekeeper announced loudly, no filter whatsoever. "Now that you're back, Rome'll get better, and she won't matter..."
Ophelia was used to it. In all the years she'd been with Rome, she'd heard way worse from the staff.
She'd once mentioned it to Rome, but he just glanced at her and brushed it off, "Ophelia, behave. That's one of Amber's old pals."
Bringing it up again would've been petty.
Even though she was supposed to be the Olson family's foster daughter, the staff never saw her as anything but temporary.
Rome let the housekeeper's rudeness slide, so why would anyone else give a damn?
Amber listened, then turned to Ophelia with pity. "Miss Olson, I know Rome can be a handful. It must've been tough dealing with him all these years."
Just then, Rome walked in, wearing a coat that cost more than most people's cars and a wristwatch worth a fortune. The Olson family's money gave him an air of effortless elegance and exclusivity.
He spoke to Ophelia like it was nothing. "Sister, what brings you here? Shouldn't you be gearing up for the art show?"
The way he called her "sister" was so casual, like the whole incident in the loft last night had never happened.
Ophelia knew he wasn't happy she'd shown up at the Olson home.
Rome was a control freak like no other. He'd arranged for her to move out, setting her up in the West End. But she'd gone back to her own apartment, straight-up defying him.
Maybe he was irritated. And on top of that, he probably didn't want Amber to see her here.
Amber gave him a playful nudge. "Miss Olson is your foster sister—why wouldn't she be at her own house? Or are you scared she'll spill all your secrets from over the years?"
"Making a mountain out of a molehill," Rome muttered, draping a coat over Amber's shoulders, his tone light. "You've been overseas so long, you missed picking up any open-mindedness, but you sure kept your usual fussiness."
Despite his words, all Ophelia saw in his gaze was pure indulgence.
How did she feel?
Of course it hurt.
After all, one of the reasons Rome had chosen her was because she resembled Amber.
Driven by her mom's situation, she'd had no choice but to go along. What ate at her more than being treated like a plaything was the fact that everyone saw her as nothing but a stand-in.
Now that the real deal was back, all dazzling and bright, she felt smaller than ever.
Amber, seemingly oblivious, linked her arm with Ophelia's warmly. "Miss Olson, you're practically my sister too. In a few days, Rome's throwing a card game with some friends. It'll be boring with just them—come hang with us."
Ophelia wasn't into that kind of forced closeness, but Amber smiled and added, "In families like ours, if you start off rough, you gotta be in the know. You can't be an Olson daughter if you don't even know how to play cards."
It was a subtle challenge, and Ophelia met it with a smile. "Alright, I'll be there."
She had nothing to lose by playing along.
Amber nodded, her smile polite but with a sharp, icy glint in her eyes.
She'd just gotten back and had stuff to take care of, so Rome had his driver take Amber home first before dealing with Ophelia.
In the elegant courtyard, light and shadows danced, showcasing the city's signature architecture and gardens.
Rome stood with the light behind him, lifting Ophelia's chin. "My secretary told me you didn't move to the West End. You upset about something?"
His tone was calm, but the dominance was undeniable.
Ophelia instinctively stepped back and said softly, "No, the place I'm at now works better for my painting."
He toyed with a lighter, studying her like he was trying to read her mind.
After a beat, he tapped her jaw like you'd pet a favorite cat, his voice laced with something unreadable. "I thought maybe our Ophelia was getting a little jealous."
"Miss Bishop is lovely. She's perfect for you, brother," Ophelia said, and she meant it after meeting Amber.
Amber was vibrant, sharp, and radiated an unmistakable life force. Despite her background, she stood out like a beacon of strength and vitality.
Rome seemed to frown ever so slightly, then let her go, his expression going cold. "What she's like is none of your business. I don't give a damn where you live, but you check in with me every day."
Before Ophelia could answer, his secretary appeared. "Mr. Olson, your guests have arrived."
"Ophelia, don't go comparing yourself to Amber. You're in different lanes in my life," Rome said, touching her cheek, holding her gaze.
With Amber back, he had a lot on his plate. The family's old ties were coming back to life.
Moving Ophelia out had been his call, but he wasn't about to let her go.
He'd raised her up; she was supposed to stay close.
He turned and walked off to greet his guests, leaving Ophelia staring after him, more determined than ever to leave.
To everyone else, Rome seemed untouchable—a man who controlled half the city. But deep down, he was seriously messed up, with a need for control that bordered on obsession.
His thing for her wasn't love.
He never actually saw her as her own person.
She was at his beck and call, coming and going whenever he felt like it.
Thank God she'd never really loved him either.
To avoid any last-minute drama before leaving the city, Ophelia made sure to send Rome daily updates like clockwork.
She knew if Rome decided to clamp down, and the Olson family actually threw their weight around, getting back to the mainland would be impossible.
But she could grin and bear it for one more month.
While Rome got caught up with Amber, business deals, and hanging out with his childhood buddy Diego Nelson, Ophelia headed back to the Adams estate.
There, going through her mother's belongings, she noticed a few things were missing and suspected her family had swiped them.
She confronted Franco Adams about it.
Because of Rome's influence, Franco danced around the subject, claiming the stuff was old and lost, promising to have the housekeeper look for it.
Annoyed by the runaround, she pushed harder, which caught the attention of her half-sister, Eve Hudson, who casually dropped a hint.
"Sis, I heard Amber Bishop is back in Rome's world. Dad sent you there to lock Rome down and get the Adams family some pull. Don't screw it up."
"When the sun goes down in this city, most of the lights and billboards have the Olson name on them. If Rome threw us even a crumb of attention, we'd be living off leftovers for life."
That's when Ophelia realized the family was using those missing items to keep her on a leash.
Sure enough, the Adams family had bounced back a little, all thanks to her role as an Olson foster daughter.
But with the media going nuts over Amber, her family was panicking, pushing her to stay glued to Rome.
