12:30 am

Stef's Office, Stefan's Manor

S T E F A N

I tucked my baby gently into my private room inside my office. He was just so exhausted and stressed, and I just had to add to his worries. If I had asked for his opinion regarding the issue with his grandparents, then I wouldn't put an unnecessary burden on his shoulders.

I guess my bad habit of not relying on other people is holding me back, but Oliver is not 'other people'. He is my love, my heart, and my only. He is my loving partner and fiancé. I should've asked for his opinion on this matter before I decided one-sidedly.

I was on my way to the rabbit hole and spiraling staircase of anxiety when Oliver stirred in his sleep, mumbling something. "Silly...daddy," he murmured and reached for my pillow, inhaling its scent, then softly snored.

I can't stop the smile and the warm squeeze on my heart because, for the nth time, Oliver saved me. He saved me from being consumed by my anxiety and insecurities. And he always does it unexpectedly that I should have expected it. He always makes me feel better. I wouldn't be surprised if someone told me that Ollie's soul and mine are bonded, that's why my baby knows what I'm feeling at the moment.

I traced my fingers on his gorgeous face and kissed his forehead before leaving him to rest, but I left the door cracked open, so I can still hear him if ever he was disturbed from sleep. The security camera inside the room was also turned on, so I'm a bit relieved. With a heavy heart, I left Ollie in the room and joined Trevor and Devon as they try to make a solid plan, the ideas were already approved by Ollie.

When he wakes up, we will run the initial plan through him and his approval will decide how we should move forward. "Hey, guys. Sorry about this. Another night of planning and working," I apologized but both of them dismissed it.

"Oh, don't mind it, Stefan. After all, a month of all-expense vacation is in the line, right?" Trevor casually suggested, a silent pressure being sent through his questioning gaze.

I just chuckled and nodded. "No problem. I was planning to give both of you one, after this fiasco."

Trevor gave me a thumbs-up and grinned, and Devon nodded in appreciation. "How's Jesse? Is he comfortable in the guest room?" Since we will be working a few all-nighters to formulate a fool-proof plan, I suggested that Jesse stay in the mansion for now. Trevor would feel at ease and Oliver would have someone to talk to other than the three of us. He needs a change of environment, and maybe, someone his age will reduce his stress.

"He's comfortable. He just fell asleep. It's his last year and it's getting more hectic. I'm just glad he finds some time to rest," Trevor said with a sigh, and I gave him an understanding look.

Jesse is very smart and was able to finish his accountancy course in three years while studying interior design on the side. When it comes to his job opportunities, I already scouted him for my company. His accounting skills would be beneficial in helping me manage my hotel and restaurants, while his impeccable skills in interior design and event organizing will give a creative finish to any event and celebration my company will hold in the future. I have received Trevor's verbal approval in this matter.

"How bad is it?" Devon finally addressed the elephant in the room, and I can't help but brushed my hair back in frustration, both of them eagerly waiting for my response. I stared at both of them and shook my head.

"Worst. I just found out from Ollie that Elena made some threats about harming her adoptive parents if ever Oliver asked for their help. You know what happened to Izen and Mara. Oliver can't risk it. He is so miserable, I feel like dying," I confessed and my chest prickled in pain. I don't want to see Oliver hurt, because I feel it tenfold. When he is overcome with joy, my heart leaps in happiness a hundredfold. It's as if Oliver holds a remote to my emotions.

"Now I understand," Trevor mumbled, and when he noticed that we were staring at him, he elaborated. "Before Oliver had an episode of an anxiety attack, he was telling me to stop you from attempting to contact his grandparents." That did not clear the gloominess in my chest, but the pillow hitting my face did. I glared at them but Trevor just arched his brow while Devon was busy with his phone.

"Instead of moping, let's come up with a plan." Trevor set up the projector, in front of us is a mountain of evidence that we have printed out, from photos, contracts, and receipts down to even audio files.

Audio files? I furrowed my brows and was about to ask Devon about it when Trevor called our attention.

"Okay, here's what we know so far," Trevor started after he connected his laptop to the projector. "In less than two weeks, Oliver will celebrate his 21st birthday, and that's when he will officially be the heir of the Ainsworth-Pines empire. This is when we should commence the middle part of our plan."

The plan involves a series of press conferences, Oliver's appearance in public, and the news about his upcoming birthday and succession to the empire will be published. We will also let the public know what happened to Izen and Mara, which will plant a seed of doubt about Elena's credibility since she was known in the elite circle to be the spiteful sister.

Next, we will get people to talk about it, by hiring a publisher to print news about Elena plotting the accident of Oliver's parents. Her reputation will take a huge blow, and in an instant, all of her future investors will back out. We will make the birthday celebration an open event, and we will also send an invite to every member of his family.

Including Elena and Peterson. After all, they are the star of the show. We need them there. I am certain that they won't let an opportunity to harm Ollie slip, but no one will have the ability to hurt my baby anymore. That is if they treasure their life. That is just Step One.

Step Twoinvolves gathering all of the loyal investors of the Ainsworth-Pines along with their lawyers to conduct the succession a week before my baby's birthday; which will be in a few days from now. The celebration is just a formality. This is where Elena and Peterson will meet their doom. We found out that there's another will from Izen and Mara, hidden in a secret folder that Devon was able to find, decode, and extract. Even Oliver was surprised.

The will stated that Oliver can hold the succession even before his birthday, as long as 90% of the trusted business partners are present, including mom and dad. I have an inkling that they predicted this was going to happen, that Elena and his son will do everything to keep Oliver from becoming the official heir.

Step Threewill be the big reveal. With all of the big media and publication companies present, along with the huge investors and future ones invited to the celebration, the pieces of evidence will be out in the open, therefore ruining Elena's chances of trying to make it big in the industry, not that she will be able to, with how she handles business in a dirty manner.

I will leave everything else to Trevor and Devon after that. By that time, I bet Oliver will feel unstable and I need to be there to make him feel grounded and supported.

"By the way, it's been weighing on my mind for a while, and Ollie has mentioned this in passing, but what is in that audio file I saw earlier?" Both Trevor and Devon flinched, as they secretly looked at one another before Trevor decided to answer me.

Trevor cleared his throat and sighed, his amber eyes full of hesitance. I sat straight and impatiently tap my fingers on my lap, as I hold a very stern expression. I feel it in my gut that I won't like what he's about to tell me.

"Are you sure, Stefan? You won't like this. I think Oliver wouldn't want you to hear it," Trevor warned me, but I nodded.

"I need to know everything about Ollie. I want to understand all of him, so I can support him properly. Just tell me, Trevor. Enough with the suspense." Trevor sighed and he pulled out a thumb drive from his pocket and handed it to me.

"The audio is in there, and honestly, I--, both Devon and I- didn't dare to listen to it. We just assumed that whatever is in that file is bad, from the way Oliver reacted when he saw the recordings." I accepted and stared at the thumb drive. Despite its miniature size, why does it feel so heavy on my palm?

Devon exhaled audibly and got my attention. "Oliver froze and paled when we suggested listening to the file, and by then, we just knew not to press it further. So, I'm warning you, control yourself." He stood up and Trevor followed. "By the way, we will be in the guest room if you need someone to talk to. We will be contacting all the investors and make sure that your family and Ollie's grandparents will arrive safely."

I muttered a soft thanks and both of them left me to my own devices. I glanced again at the heavy device in my hand, as my heart slammed against my chest nervously, while I kept on looking at Oliver on my laptop monitor, who is peacefully resting.

I'm situated between a rock and a hard place. I don't want to make Oliver uncomfortable when he learned that I listened to something related to his past, but my curiosity is poking me so hard. I want to know before I lose my mind. Thus, I plugged the drive into my laptop and put on my wireless buds, and filled my lungs with air, before pressing play on the first audio. All I heard were static before a grunt broke the silence.

"P-Please...Bryce. Stop this. You don't have to do this." A soft plea from a very familiar voice squeezed my heart so hard, and the next thing that happened crushed me.

"Shut your dirty mouth, you faggot. A punching bag, and a whore at that, should keep their dirty mouth shut. If you ever tattle, I'll make sure that the only thing that is not bruised and broken is your eye. Fag!"

I heard Oliver being slammed into something, creating a clattering sound. There was a muffled grunt and the faint footsteps of someone walking away. My chest tightened as I held my breath, and pressed pause. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to steady my heavy breathing, as I gripped the armrest of the couch so hard, digging my nails into the soft fabric until it ripped.

Tears burned my eyes and frustration started to build. I bit my lips to stop yelling profanities because the last thing I wanted is to add to Oliver's burdens. The recording just started, but I feel like dying every second. How much more for Izen and Mara? They were definitely heartbroken when they heard about Oliver's abuse. Oliver meant the world to them after all.

I continued the recording. Oliver hiccupped and I can hear his labored breathing and hisses of pain. He coughed a few times and tears slipped on my cheeks, feeling so helpless.

"It's okay, Ollie. Everything will be alright. You just need to treat the bruises and wounds secretly. Then maybe, come up with another excuse as to why you are wearing long sleeves and a sweater in the middle of summer? But a kick and punch on my stomach again? I think some of my internal organs ruptured."

Oliver to himself and I heard him trying to stand up and encouraging himself along the way, groans, and gasps slipping from his mouth. My throat clamped, my head throbbed, and my blood boiled with so much rage I didn't know I am capable of. Each sob that fell from his lips tore my heart slowly, wishing that I was there to protect him from the vile words and hard punches of Bryce Peterson.

"It's okay. Everything will be okay. I just need to rest and the pain will go away. I will be okay." His words seeped into my soul and touched my heart, a warm feeling budding in my chest. I know that he was talking to himself, but it feels as if he was telling me to be strong and to hold on. I pressed my palms against my eyes and wiped my tears, took a deep breath, and stared at about five more recordings.

I played the second one and I am not a masochist, but this one was a bit harsher, and I should've stopped but I didn't. I felt like I need to do this. It's my responsibility to see this through. This time, Oliver was ganged up by Bryce and his friends, leaving him battered and bruised, before throwing his paintings and burning the others. When Oliver resisted and tried to fight back, he was beaten black and blue.

"Hey, Peterson. Are you sure about that? Hitting him with a club when he's unconscious is going too far, don't you think?" I froze in my seat and my breath got stuck in my throat. A chill coursed through my veins and my heart came to a stop. The next thing that happened made me see red.

Bryce scoffed and swore. "Fuck off, coward. Relax, I won't kill him right away. I don't want to lose a quality punching bag," he laughed maniacally, the swing of a bat landing onto Oliver's body, creating a muffled sound, hitting Oliver in places I don't know. I heard a faint cough and groan, then the footsteps of people running away.

I put down the laptop in horror, as I gasped and tears overflowed, clutching my chest, the indescribable pain assaulting every cell in my body, as I slowly drop to the floor, pulling up my knees and hugging them, as I cried for my baby. If only I met him sooner, I won't let him experience such brutality.

My eyes stung and my body went cold. I wanted to scream so loud, but all of my energy got drained. It took all I have to listen through the recordings, and what I felt was not even close to what Oliver experienced. By the time I heard the last file, where Oliver was crying and questioning God for all the bad things that have happened to him, I went numb; so numb. I felt nothing but anger. The words from the last audio recording were ringing in my head endlessly, like a bad dream stuck in a loop.

"God, didn't you say that you love all of your children? Am I maybe... an exception?" His words and shaking voice made me gasp, as I shook my head furiously.

"No, baby boy. You are special. You are loved. I will make sure you feel that every single second," I answered as if I was talking to the past Oliver who is losing hope and faith; responding to him as if he can hear me.

"Is it because I'm gay? That I need to suffer all of this pain? I want to be perfect. I tried to be perfect, but people around me kept on reminding me how useless and worthless I am. My heart, my body, and my soul are bruised, battered, and broken. Will someone love a broken person?" Me. I'm here. I will love you endlessly and faithfully. Just have some faith.

He sniffed and let out a hollow laugh. "I just hope that things will get better from now on. Please let my future love know that I may be a handful, troublesome, clingy, and broken... but I will love him with all of the remaining parts of me that are still intact. And if he can settle with that, then I am good. Maybe, he will be worth the wait."

****

My ears pounded and my skin prickled with anger. My throat dried up and adrenaline rushed through my veins. I am so livid, that I wouldn't hesitate to kill those people who were involved in Oliver's abuse, especially Peterson. How dare he lay his hands on my baby? I know that Trevor and Devon won't mind a small change in plans.

Not only did Peterson physically and verbally abuse Oliver, but right after his parents died, Peterson did not stop and continued harassing and terrorizing Oliver. Being beaten to a pulp is a light punishment. Oh, the things that I could do to him won't even come close to his worst nightmare.

I closed my laptop and removed the buds, then stared off into space, my chest unsteady and my fingers trembling in anger. Unpleasant knots settled in my stomach and so many mixed emotions rushed through me. Oliver has been so brave. A broken, yet gentle soul. I couldn't help but blame Izen and Mara for not noticing sooner... for not providing him a bodyguard in the first place.

But Oliver hid it so well. Every single night, he cried and cried because of the pain from his bruises and wounds, but most importantly, how he wanted to tell his parents about his sexuality.

He is an only child, and he doesn't want to disappoint his mom and dad. He wants to be perfect and ideal, someone they can be proud of. Bryce took advantage of that innocent resolve by blackmailing Oliver; using Oliver's weakness so he can manipulate and hurt my baby, and that's what made me furious.

Peterson used Oliver's weakness against him to inflict pain and torture; to break him and make Oliver jaded and scared. I promise to pay Peterson back a hundredfold. He will witness the kind of monster he unleashed when he experiences my rage.

I picked up my phone and sent a red alert to Trevor and Devon, and in less than a minute, they were back at my office. Devon elbowed Trevor's side softly and gulped. "This is bad, Trev. I never saw Stefan that angry." I heard him whisper, but Trevor elbowed him back and shushed him.

"Change of plans. I want Bryce Peterson in my basement in less than twenty-four hours. You can do anything you want with him to capture him, but I need him alive. Got it?" I ordered in my coldest voice, dripping with malice and danger.

Trevor and Devon nodded, and rushed outside, while I grit my teeth and my nails dug the skin on my palm, causing it to break and bleed. I need something to vent out this rage. I am boiling with anger, and I need to let it out fast.

I leaned against the couch and closed my eyes tight, my lips pressed into a thin line, as I balled my fist so hard, not minding the sharp pain from the wound. My eyes shot open when I felt soft lips on my scrunched forehead, a very worried Oliver staring down at me.

"Why are you angry? Did you perhaps... listened to it?" He asked, eyeing the thumb drive still plugged in my laptop. He shook his head and smiled a little.

"Silly daddy," he mumbled in a wobbly voice, as he kneeled and opened his arms, his eyes springing tears as his lips trembled.

My vision turned misty as I pulled Ollie against me, burying my face in the crook of his neck, my fingers digging into his sides, as I poured out my pent-up emotions, while Oliver remained still, his hands rubbing my back to provide some comfort, but his muffled sobs betrayed him.

I don't know why but I kept apologizing to Oliver, while he just sobbed and whimpered, his fingers digging into my back. This smaller body hugging my larger frame has been through so much, yet the way he holds me makes me feel safe and warm.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and we will come back even stronger after this. I promise you that, Ollie.