Chapter Twelve: Aiden’s pov

Back from the dead

I stared at the glass of liquor, swirling it near my face. My vacant eyes are fixed on the glass and the sloshing liquid inside it.

My mind is racing with thoughts about Olivia. It didn't make any sense, that night the cops confirmed that they found her body in the river.

They said it was a hit and run, and her body was dumped in the river.

We carried out a funeral, family, friends and everyone attended. I rubbed my temples with my fingers to relieve myself of the headache that I was feeling.

The rim of the glass connected with my lips as I took another cup of the drink. My face twisted as I tasted the hot drink. It made its way down my gut leaving a warm trail in its wake.

I didn't even know what emotion to feel, anger, happiness, surprise? What was even worse was that for some reason Olivia hated me.

From our interaction earlier I could tell that she didn't like me one single bit. I tried to recall if there was ever a time when she and I had an argument but nothing came to mind.

The night before the cops said they found her body after a concerned citizen reported the sighting, she'd not come home that night.

The police said they received reports that a woman claimed to have witnessed a crime. The woman said that Olivia was run over by a car and the driver threw her body into the river. The cops came to have spent days looking for her body in the river.

I tightened my grip on my now empty cup and then hurled it forward with a grunt. Like a projectile, it slipped through the air and then crashed against the wall, shattering into bits.

Never in my life had I felt this lost and confused. I exhaled sharply as I heard the sound of somebody approaching.

The door to my home office hissed open and Ava walked in, her eyes landed on the broken glass by the corner and then on me.

Her expression morphed into a worried one. "Aiden, what's wrong?"

I rotated on my chair, turning my back to face her. How was I even going to explain to her that her sister was still alive?

She walked past my desk and was now standing beside me. She leaned downwards, pulling me into a side hug. "Talk to me," she whispered.

A lump formed in the back of my throat, my lips parted to speak but then I held back.

"Was it about the occupants that refused to leave the building? Are they that stubborn? If they are you know you can just-"

"Olivia is still alive," I blurted out.

She froze, her eyes widening. "What did you just say?" She asked in disbelief.

A sigh escaped my throat. "Look I was just as confused as you when I found out," I began, running my fingers through my hair. "But Olivia is alive, I saw her today at the apartment building I'm supposed to demolish."

She grew weak in the knees, using my table as a support. A long silence lingered between the both of us.

"But how? We saw a body, we buried her."

"Ava I don't know, but I saw her in person live and direct, we even talked."

"Aiden, is this some kind of prank? Because if it is-"

"I'm not pulling your legs Ava, I'm serious. Look at my face, do I look like I'm joking around? She goes by the name Bianca Black now."

She looked even more shocked by this, "I need to sit down, this whole thing doesn't make any sense." She took a few steps backwards and plopped down on the chair opposite me.

"T- that great news, I guess…" She forced the words out of her mouth, trying her best to hide the shakiness in her voice.

"It's either she never died, or somehow she's back from the dead."

"Back from the dead…" Ava repeated, testing the words on her mouth.

Then she got up on her feet. "I need to - I need to go outside and get some fresh air, this room is hot."

I watched as she took irregular steps out. I grabbed my phone and called my assistant, "Hello Tiffany? I'm sorry for calling at this time past working hours but I need you to do something for me…"

****

The next day at work wasn't any better, sleeping over the matter didn't make it feel any less shocking, if anything it only gave me time to ponder upon it some more.

Tiffany walked in as the door clicked open. She had a lot of files in her hand. "Sir, the body has been exhumed and they're going to carry out forensic anthropology to see if the body matches Olivia's profile."

I leaned back against my chair, "And how long will that take?"

"The result should be ready within 24 hours."

I sighed. Tiffany excused herself and left. I was still staring at my laptop screen when my phone started ringing.

It was a call from my mother, I wasn't sure if I should pick this up, but I eventually answered.

"Hello Aiden? Can we talk, please?"

"What is it mom?"

"I don't like the way things ended between the both of us during your last visit."

I got up and began pacing around. "I wonder who's fault that was," I remarked.

"I'm sorry for what happened, but your father and I are getting older, very soon we'll die."

"Don't say something like that mom, you guys still have many years more to live."

She chuckled on the other side of the line. "Your father and I are old, we just want to see our grandkids."

"Look, Ava and I are trying…"

"For 6 years, have you two tried going to the hospital to see if there's something wrong?"

I paused, leaning against the wall. I still wasn't sure how I would bring myself to tell her that the problem was with me.

"We have, you don't need to worry about it, you'll get your grandkids soon."

Even though I couldn't see her, I could tell that she was pouting on the other side of the phone. "How long would it take for the right time to go?"

Completely ignoring her question I moved on to other topics. "How's dad?"

"Your father is fine," she replied softly. We remained on the call for a couple of minutes before rounding up, she urged me to come visit sometime and I simply told her I would think about it.

After the call, I opened my laptop and began to do some research. There wasn't so much about Bianca Black on the internet and it seemed like she didn't have a Wikipedia page despite being a big name in France.

But her husband Liam Black had one, he was a renowned lawyer. The Black family was a big name and as I continue to dig down the rabbit hole during my research, I found out more.

I don't know what happened to Olivia and why she went by the name Bianca nor did I know why she was married to Liam, but I knew that there was some complicated reason behind it all.

The sun had dipped below the horizon and from the window in my office which offered a great view of the city, I could tell that it was time to pack up and head home.

I was still arranging my things in my briefcase when Tiffany walked into the office. "Mr. Tan, the results are out."

I turned to face her, waiting for the rest of the details. "It's officially been confirmed that the body does not belong to Olivia Tan."

This wasn't exactly new information to me considering the fact that I saw Olivia with my own two eyes and we even had a conversation. But nonetheless, it still shook me to have official confirmation of this.

"Thank you," I said lightly, gesturing with my fingers that she may leave.

I was distracted the entire drive home, thinking about the fact that Olivia was alive. I had so many questions, questions that needed answers.

I could tell that Ava was as distraught as me because when I stepped into the house, she jumped on her feet and approached. "So, what was the result? Was it Olivia's body or not?"

"It wasn't Olivia's body."

"Well if the body that we buried isn't my sister's body, then whose body was that?"

"I don't know Ava, but it's official, she's alive."

Ava paced around. "Then I have to talk to her."

I raised my head to look at her. "She's changed now, her new name is Bianca and… she's different."

Before Ava could respond, the doorbell rang. Both of us turned our heads towards the direction of the sound as the maid opened the door.

My eyes grew wide, almost popping out of my sockets when I looked at who was standing there, Liam Black.