Page 97 of Oliver
"No. You're supposed to understand that I had a lot of time to think in that hospital room," Davidson said quietly. "About how I facilitated the destruction of too many lives."
Suddenly, my mother's threats about approaching Davidson made sense. They weren't afraid of what I might discover; they were afraid of what Davidson might confess.
“Why haven’t you come forward then?” I challenged. “You speak so highly of yourself, of your epiphanies, but you’ve donenothingto make things right.”
“You’re right.” Again, no pushback, no excuses. Just acceptance of his role. “I should have spoken up sooner, used my voice.”
“Why now?”
“Because your mere presence in Norman puts you in danger, and I can’t stand by and let them destroy you a second time.”
I pondered his words, torn between accepting them to calling him out, proving he was still working with my parents, that this was another power move to manipulate me.
It was exhausting.
"I'll testify about the records I falsified," Davidson offered. "About how your parents orchestrated everything. It won't undo the damage, but it might help you reclaim what's rightfully yours."
“I don't know," I said, shaking my head. "I don't know if I can do this anymore."
"There's something else you should take into consideration." Davidson's expression darkened. "The LLC isn’t fully owned by the church. The church is actually the minority shareholder.”
I frowned. "How did the church officials agree to that?"
Davidson let out a bitter laugh. “Oliver,weare the church officials.”
“So, you stole from meandfrom the church?” I snorted, unable to muster up any other reaction. “Some fucking holy mission, Davidson.”
"Greed never finds its fill, Oliver." Davidson watched me carefully. "And your parents have strong allies in the church helping them."
"For a cut, I presume." I started to roll my eyes, but then a realization struck. "Ryan's in charge of the church legal department now."
Davidson sipped his tea without answering, his silence confirmation enough.
"And Zahra's aunt, she's been in on it since day one."
"She’s one of your mother’s closest allies," Davidson confirmed. “Both are on the board with strong leadership positions.”
The implication hit me like a physical blow. This wasn't a coincidence; this was a coordinated attack. From the moment Zahra and I stepped off the plane in Norman, we were being watched, played, manipulated.
Ambushed.
Suddenly, Zahra's behavior made sense—her professional distance, her insistence on ending things. She was protecting me, just as I had been trying to protect her. But my gut told me there was more to it. The way she looked at me, like she wasn’t sure she really knew me…
My gut twisted with the sudden urge to run to her, to show her I was the man she saw when we made love this afternoon, to fix things before it was too late.
"They would have shown her something," I said, thinking aloud. "Something to convince her I was using her.”
"Your mother is thorough. Always has been."
I leaned back in my chair, mind racing. My parents threatening my career, Ryan threatening Zahra, everyone manipulating everyone else...
"They'll know I was here," I groaned, head dropping back and hand running over my face. "And they'll punish me even if I promise not to go after the estate. They'll ruin everyone I care about."
"Yes," Davidson agreed, setting down his mug with finality. "Or..."
Something in his tone made me look up sharply. The defeated old man was gone, replaced by a spark of the shrewd attorney I remembered from my youth.
"Or?" I echoed.
