𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬¹ ✓

Twelve

Apology {noun} - a regretful acknowledgment of an offense or failure.

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𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓾𝓼 and Peter sat silently in Peter's office as he went through emails he had stolen from Olivia's inbox.

"She let me hold her." Marcus blurted out making Peter freeze. "Stop lying. She hasn't even accepted my millions of apologies, let alone let her stupid husband hold her." He scoffed but Marcus kept the smug look on his face.

"Looks like she likes me better," Marcus says, Peter looks at him with narrowed eyes, not wanting to believe that his sister relinquished that title. "That woman hates you almost as much as she hates our father." Peter insulted making Marcus flinch. "Stop saying nonsense just to get on my nerves. I still haven't forgotten when you told me Olivia was dating one of her neighbors two years ago." Peter laughed.

"It was funny. You were so ready to go out there and kill the guy." Marcus rolled his eyes. "You're cynical, you know that?" Peter shrugged, "Yeah, well, my sister is worse and you still love her." Marcus stayed quiet knowing that his friend was completely right.

"Okay but seriously, what did you guys talk about yesterday." Peter was anxious. Olivia still wasn't willing to talk to him, hell, she was avoiding him completely.

Even going as far as leaving a room once she noticed he was there.

"She's going to let me meet Ares and Apollo." Peter almost falls out of his chair from how quickly he stands up. All the work he was planning on doing was completely forgotten. "How the fuck did you manage that?!" In his mind, meeting the boys was the last thing Olivia was going to let Marcus do.

Those kids were his sister's entire will to live. She loved them more than she ever loved herself.

"I asked her if I could see them and she tried arguing with me about it but I told her we couldn't fix our relationship if she didn't let me. They're my kids Peter, I have just enough right to see them as she does." He argued but Peter let out a deep, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You, Marcus Bianchi, are a stupid man." He said, letting himself fall into his office chair, "what the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Marcus answered, now sitting up straight but he knew he was about to start a losing battle by Peter's sudden change in demeanor and the slight fire in his eyes.

"It means, you didn't raise them, man. Olivia raised those kids on her own after she left France. I tried helping as much as I could while they were still here but even I wasn't allowed to see them the last time I went to see her. You left, and even if it was because of your father, you were still gone. So no, Marcus, you don't have the same rights as she does to those boys." Peter could feel the irritation build up as he spoke.

Marcus was a dear friend but god was he stupid sometimes. Just because he helped create them doesn't give him an automatic right, he's nothing but a sperm donor if he didn't raise them.

He's lucky my sister is a fucking saint.

Marcus kept his mouth shut as he processed what Peter had just said. Every word he spoke was nothing but the truth and he knew it.

"Olivia could've killed you as soon as she saw you so count yourself lucky that she still even tolerates you, let alone love you." Peter finished before leaving his office to beg for his sister's forgiveness again.

At this point, it has become routine.

***

Peter sat outside Olivia's office, waiting for the chance to apologize. He hated her being mad at him but he knew he fucked up.

He knew he shouldn't have brought Marcus back or at least given her a heads-up that he was coming.

It was almost two in the morning and Olivia hadn't stopped working since eight am. The only times she would stop were to eat or go to the bathroom.

Sadly, their father would be proud to see how deep she had dug herself.

He knocked lightly from where he was sitting on the floor. "Go to sleep Peter." Her voice came muffled from the other side of the door. The sternness in her voice almost reminded him of their father back from a time they still craved his presence.

"I'm not the one that needs sleep. It's almost three in the morning and you haven't slept. This isn't healthy." He argued even though he never won arguments against Olivia.

"It doesn't matter whether it's healthy or not. Maybe if father was good at his fucking job I'd be sleeping right now." Her voice slowly filled with irritation.

Peter sighed deeply before standing up and walking into her office.

She looked up at him and the first thing he noticed was the dark bags under her eyes, her makeup doing nothing to cover them.

"Turn off the computer and get some sleep." He demanded but on the inside, he was scared shitless.

He knew Olivia wouldn't hurt him on purpose but the woman was so tired and only running on adrenaline so he didn't know what she was capable of.

"I have a million emails to go through, I can't." She says, going back to the giant packet on her desk. "Then give me some of the work! I'm not just your little brother, Olivia! I'm also your co-leader! You can't keep throwing all the work on yourself as some form of self-punishment!"

Peter was beyond worried now.

"Don't raise your voice at me." Olivia's voice held an edge, sending chills down his spine. He took a deep breath. "Burying yourself in work isn't going to get you anywhere. You can't keep running away from your issues and running to your work. So, for the love of fucking god, get out of this goddamn office and get some sleep." He said, not breaking eye contact.

She stayed silent. The siblings were held in a staring contest, waiting for the other to finally give in but Olivia knew Peter wouldn't let her be unless she listened.

And, as always, Peter was right. She was exhausted and being tired was going to affect her work.

Olivia broke eye contact first, letting out a deep sigh before rubbing her eyes slightly.

"Fine, I'll get some sleep but don't think this means I forgive you." Peter nodded, knowing this was as good as it was going to get for now.

"I didn't tell you because I care Olivia. Telling you would've been disastrous." He says, making her freeze at the door to turn back slightly to ace him.

"I haven't seen him in four very long years. A little heads up would've been great to mentally prepare me." She didn't let him continue, walking out of the office and into her room to shower and get some well-deserved sleep.

She had never missed her bed more than at that moment.