Claim Me Captain! I'm Addicted to You!-Chapter 421: No More Distance (6)

Oliver’s POV

"Why did you do that?" I asked Benjamin, my voice raw. I wasn’t even sure what emotion was winning inside me: confusion, anger, guilt, or the crushing shame of knowing he’d known everything long before I confessed.

"Because my children chose you," Benjamin replied without hesitation. "So who am I to hinder that?" His gaze softened. "If you wanted to punish me through them, then so be it. But I trust my children—I know their hearts. One way or another, they were bound to win you over. Just like you and Nick. You became best friends, didn’t you?"

Nick cleared his throat, and when I turned, he had the audacity to look smug. "Just to be clear—I already knew what your intention was back then. So it’s not just Dad. I was in on it, too."

My jaw dropped. "You—what?"

He shrugged. Like it was nothing.

I whipped back to Benjamin. "Haven’t you ever considered the possibility that they wouldn’t win me over? That I’d end up turning into someone like Jay or Dante Gambino?"

Benjamin laughed.

A genuine laugh.

My jaw dropped harder. Everyone else sniffled through tears—but that laugh somehow broke the heaviness.

"If you turned into a Gambino," Benjamin said, wiping his eyes, "Vicky would’ve cut off your head by now. Have you met that woman? Vicious."

Laughter rippled through the room—everyone except Vicky, who glared at her father with crossed arms like she was ready to commit murder on the spot. God, I loved that side of her.

"I... I don’t know what to say," I whispered, staring at my hands because I couldn’t hold anyone’s gaze.

Benjamin stood, walked toward me, and placed a warm, affirming hand on my shoulder. "Say sorry to yourself," he said. "Forgive yourself. Dante is gone—the last of the Gambinos. This is a new beginning for all of us. No more holding on to the past. Move forward. Live a happy life."

His voice cracked. "You are a son to me, Oliver. And you always will be."

That shattered me. Absolutely shattered me.

Benjamin leaned closer, lowering his voice so only Nick and I could hear. "And between you and me... I’d consider myself lucky if you became one of my kids—at least legally."

Nick snorted a laugh. My heart felt like it was being squeezed and pieced back together at the same time.

Benjamin winked, straightened up, and clapped his hands. "Alright. We’ll eat outside and bring lunch back for these two. They clearly have... things to settle. We barged in like fools."

Everyone shuffled out, still sniffling and murmuring. Vicky and I stayed frozen, watching them leave one by one.

And suddenly, it was quiet.

Just her.

Just me.

And everything I’d been terrified of losing.

Then... Vicky and I glanced at each other—just a flicker—before we both looked away like the cowards we were.

"I’m sorry..." I breathed.

"I’m sorry!" she blurted at the exact same time.

We stared for a split second and let out small, tired laughs—like two people who’d been holding their breath for years.

"Can we not fight anymore?" I asked quietly.

Vicky exhaled, then walked toward me with that soft, determined look she always saved for moments that genuinely mattered. "Okay," she murmured. "I’ll let you off the hook because you literally just survived a shoot-out. But just so you know... I also knew about our families. I overheard Dad and Nick once. I kept waiting for you to tell me yourself. You never did."

Her voice trembled, just a little. "I used to wonder if that was why you didn’t want to be with me. But then you stayed close to Nick. You even accepted Dad’s offer to invest in your firm. So I started thinking maybe it wasn’t the reason. Maybe you just didn’t want me. Plain and simple." Her eyes glistened. "But when you got shot... I thought I was going to lose you. And the idea of living without you was unbearable."

My chest tightened. I reached for her hand and held it like it was the only steady thing in my life. "Is that why you never got mad at me? Even when I broke up with you?"

She shrugged weakly. "Maybe... I don’t know. I was just following my heart."

"Come here," I whispered, pulling her into my arms.

But before I could say another word, she slapped her palm over my mouth. "Don’t you dare say I don’t deserve you. Not after everything my father exposed today. If you still think that, then you’d better make it up to me. All of it."

I couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my lips. God—there she was. My feisty, stubborn, painfully soft-hearted Vicky.

"Alright," I murmured. "Let me make it up to you. When I get out of here, we restart our lives. No more running. No more hiding. No more burying everything under old wounds and stupid fears. From now on... I’ll live honestly. For myself. For the people I love. And for the people who loved me enough to sacrifice everything. Deal?"

She smiled and nodded. "Deal. And for the record, I’m starving. I’m craving fried chicken. I saw flyers at the nurse’s station. Let me grab some before we continue our talk. Dad’s revelation was exhausting. I don’t have the energy to get angry anymore."

She turned and strode toward the door with more confidence than she had before. But the moment she opened it, she froze.

Benjamin, Nick, and Liam almost fell on the floor as soon as Vicky opened the door.

"Unbelievable! You’re all still here?!"

Benjamin scratched his head while everyone else failed to hide their laughter.

"We were just... hoping you two would make up once we stepped out," Benjamin said sheepishly. "So we could all finally eat lunch."

Vicky crossed her arms, completely exasperated—but even she couldn’t stop the small smile forming at the corner of her lips.

I shook my head at how ridiculous they looked, but smiled despite it all. Perhaps this was really the beginning of a happy ending, not just for me but for everyone.