The Beginning Of All Sins

Olivia froze when she heard the footsteps downstairs. Could it be Tyler? Had he come home?

She clung to the door, a bit surprised that her fear had lessened a bit. Slowly, she left the dimly lit,

unfamiliar room.

As Olivia emerged from the room, Tyler walked into the living room, where he was greeted by the housemaid. They started talking when he spotted Olivia, who had just left the room.

He paused and locked eyes with her from downstairs. Olivia gazed back at him.

Tyler slowly ascended the stairs, approaching her until he stood before her. “If you need anything, just let me know,” he said, referring to anything she might require in the house.

Hearing that, Olivia felt uneasy.

Tyler continued, “You can set any conditions you’d like, as long as I can meet them.”

After a moment of contemplation, Olivia replied, “Tyler, Naomi is my sister. I don’t need any conditions or compensation from you. Also, I hope that you won’t… be mad at her.”

Although she knew she shouldn’t meddle in their affairs, Olivia didn’t want their relationship to deteriorate because of her.

Tyler, however, seemed reluctant to discuss Naomi further. He gave a brief response and said, “It’s late, go get some rest.”

That was all he had to say. He turned and entered a nearby room, leaving Olivia standing there.

Soon after, the housemaid approached Olivia and offered to show her to her room. “Ms. Olivia, let me

take you to your room.”

Olivia had no idea if she had said something wrong. She shuddered before answering the maid, ” Okay.”

The housemaid led her to a room and explained, “This is your room. Mr. Tyler’s room is next door. If you need anything, feel free to call for me.”

No longer feeling alone, Olivia felt a sense of relief. “Okay.”

The housemaid added, “Mr. Tyler asked me to bring you a glass of milk later tonight.”

Olivia hadn’t expected that level of consideration from Tyler, but she gave a short response, “Thank you.”

The next morning, Olivia descended the grand staircase after getting out of bed. The house, with its vastness, seemed to amplify the sound of her light footsteps.

When she reached the dining area, she saw Tyler having breakfast. He was dressed casually in home attire, but his expression remained serious.

Engrossed in reading a newspaper, he looked up as Olivia approached. “Did you sleep well?”

Olivia gazed down at her feet. “It was okay.”

He closed the newspaper and continued, “I wasn’t sure what you might like, so I had the maid prepare a little of everything.”

Olivia glanced at the assortment of dishes set out just for the two of them, and it felt somewhat overwhelming. Not wanting to trouble him, she replied, “You don’t need to go through so much trouble for me, Tyler. I can eat whatever is available.”

Tyler said flatly, “Sit down.”

They began eating in silence, the room filled with an unspoken tension.

After a while, Tyler spoke up, “I usually have work to attend to and social commitments, so I won’t be home most of the time. Is that okay with you?”

Olivia pondered for a moment and considered herself fortunate to be staying there. “I–It’s alright, I have school anyway.”