Stranger in my Ass-Chapter 259

Olivia’s POV

We stepped inside and I felt my eyes fill with tears.

A nursery. Already set up with a crib, changing table, rocking chair, and dresser. The walls were painted a soft sage green. The curtains were cream-colored with delicate embroidery. Stuffed animals sat on shelves. A mobile with stars and moons hung above the crib.

"How did he know?" I whispered.

"Your benefactor is very... attentive," Mrs. Hillary said diplomatically.

Kira squeezed my hand. "Rebel’s room," she said. "Look, Liv. Rebel already has a room."

We explored the rest of the second floor - a bathroom, a linen closet stocked with more towels than we could ever use - and then up to the third floor, which had been converted into a massive open space. Part home gym, part entertainment area, with a projection screen for movies and a whole wall of windows overlooking the neighborhood.

"This can’t be real," I said for the hundredth time.

"And there’s one more thing," Mrs. Chen said, leading us back downstairs. She pulled a set of keys from her apron pocket. "For the car. It’s registered in your name, Miss Hopton. Your benefactor thought you might need reliable transportation."

She held out the keys.

Kira and I looked at each other.

And screamed.

"A CAR!"

"A MERCEDES!"

"WE HAVE A MERCEDES!"

Mrs. Hillary laughed, pressing the keys into my hand. "I take it you’re pleased?"

"Pleased? Pleased?" Kira was jumping again. "This is insane! This is the most insane thing that’s ever happened! We went from a tiny apartment with a broken heater to a brownstone with a pool and a MERCEDES!"

"I’m glad it makes you happy." Mrs. Hillary’s smile was genuine. "Would you like me to prepare some tea? Or perhaps something to eat? You both look exhausted."

"We’re too excited to be tired," I said, but even as I said it, a yawn escaped.

"Food," Kira decided. "We should eat. Rebel needs nutrients."

Mrs. Hillary eyes went to my stomach, and her smile softened. "Congratulations. I’ll prepare something light. Why don’t you both sit and try to process all this?"

She bustled off to the kitchen, and Kira and I collapsed onto one of the sofas in the living room.

"Liv," Kira said, staring at the chandelier above us. "What just happened?"

"I have no idea."

"Your stranger bought you a house. A whole house. With a pool. And a car. And a housekeeper."

"I know."

"Who is this guy? What does he do? How rich is he?"

"I don’t know." I looked at the key still clutched in my hand. "But he’s one of four people. Maxwell, Damien, Gabriel, or Alex."

"My money’s on Maxwell," Kira said. "This level of obsessive attention to detail? This is definitely a Wellington move."

"Nah... can’t be Maxwell. He was extremely shocked and disappointed when I told him I was Oliver. Could be Damien. He’s just as wealthy and calculating."

"True. But would Damien buy you a house? He doesn’t even know you that well."

"Good point." I sighed. "I guess I’ll never know unless I ask them directly. And how do I do that? ’Hey, did any of you buy me a house? Also, are you the father of my baby?’"

"That’s one way to do it," Kira said with a grin.

Mrs. Hillary returned with a tray of tea and small sandwiches - perfectly cut, beautifully presented.

"I thought something light before bed," she said. "Tomorrow I can prepare a proper breakfast."

"You’re staying?" I asked.

"If you’d like me to. The benefactor has paid my salary for the year, but the choice is entirely yours whether to keep me on or not."

"Keep you," Kira and I said together.

Mrs. Hillary smiled. "Very well. I’ll be here at seven AM tomorrow, if that suits?"

"Perfect," I said.

After she left - apparently she did have her own place nearby - Kira and I sat in silence, nibbling sandwiches and sipping tea in our new house.

"Oh!" Kira suddenly sat up straight. "I just realized - I can drive you to work now! As godmother duties! Since you never learned to drive."

"You don’t have to..." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Are you kidding? I’m driving that Mercedes every chance I get. You’re getting a luxury chauffeur whether you like it or not."

I laughed. "Fine. You can drive me to work."

"And pick you up. And take you to doctor’s appointments. And anywhere else Rebel needs to go."

"You’re going to spoil this baby."

"Damn right I am." She raised her tea cup. "To Rebel. To landladies. To mysterious strangers with excellent taste in real estate."

I clinked my cup against hers. "To new beginnings."

We finished eating, then looked at each other.

"Should we go back to the apartment?" I asked.

"Are you insane? We’re sleeping here. In our house."

"But we don’t have pajamas..."

"The closets are stocked. Mrs. Hillary said everything we need is here. Let’s check the master bedroom."

Sure enough, the walk-in closet had clothes in my size. Pajamas, casual wear, even some professional outfits that would be perfect for work.

"Your stranger is thorough," Kira noted.

"Borderline creepy."

"Creepy rich. There’s a difference."

We changed into the softest pajamas I’d ever worn and stood in the master bedroom, looking at the massive bed.

"This is weird, right?" I said. "Sleeping in a house someone bought me without knowing who they are?"

"Super weird." Kira climbed onto the bed and bounced slightly. "Oh my God, this mattress. Liv, this is the most comfortable thing I’ve ever felt."

"We should sleep in our own rooms. Get used to the space."

"Or..."!Kira patted the bed beside her, "...we could have a sleepover like old times. Process this insanity together. Because I don’t know about you, but I’m going to have very vivid dreams tonight and I’d rather not be alone for them."

I climbed onto the bed beside her. She was right - the mattress was like sleeping on a cloud.

"Just for tonight," I said.

"Just for tonight," she agreed.

We lay there in the darkness, the unfamiliar sounds of our new house settling around us.

"Liv?" Kira’s voice was soft.

"Yeah?"

"I think your life is about to change in ways neither of us can predict."

"I know."

"But whatever happens, I’ve got you. Always."

"Always," I echoed.

I fell asleep in my new house, in my new bed, next to my best friend, thinking about the mysterious stranger who’d given me all this.

And wondering what he’d expect in return.

******

Morning came too quickly.

I was deep in a dream about swimming in a pool filled with baby clothes when someone shook my shoulder.

"Liv. Liv! Wake up!"

I groaned and buried my face in the pillow - the incredibly soft, probably thousand-thread-count pillow.

"Five more minutes."

"No minutes! It’s your first day of work!" Kira’s voice was far too cheerful for whatever ungodly hour it was. "You need to get up, shower, eat breakfast, and look absolutely amazing when you walk into Maxwell Wellington’s office as his official assistant."

That got my attention.

My eyes flew open. "What time is it?"

"Six-thirty. Which gives you ninety minutes to get ready. Mrs. Hillary is already downstairs making breakfast - I can smell coffee and something that might be French toast. Come on!"

She pulled me out of bed, and I stumbled toward the bathroom in a daze.

My first day of work.

As myself.

With Maxwell.

The reality of it hit me all at once, and I felt equal parts terror and excitement.

"I can do this," I told my reflection as I stepped into the shower. "I did it for months as Oliver. I can definitely do it as Olivia."

But as the hot water cascaded over me in the fanciest shower I’d ever experienced, one thought kept circling:

Everything was different now.

I wasn’t hiding anymore.

And that was either going to be the best decision I’d ever made.

Or the worst.