Noah waited for Oliver's response. When he was confessing about his relationship with Aria, only he knew how nervous and anxious he had been. Now that he had told him everything, he waited in anticipation and tried to read Oliver's expressions. However, Oliver had a blank look on his face making it highly difficult for Noah to read what he was thinking.
Noah had to wait for a long time before Oliver made a move. He held Noah's hand in his while his eyes were fixed on him. Noah could feel his hands tremble and he had a bad feeling in his gut. 'Was he going to reject his relationship? Will he not allow me to be with Aria?'
"Noah, look, I know you are a good person and I also know what kind of a background you have, other than the fact that you are a Carter. You have been linked to the Underworld and your mentor has told me some things about it." And Noah's hopes exploded as though they had been sitting on a time bomb. His face fell, yet he tried to remain strong. His heart was enveloped with a blanket of sadness and his mind had short-circuited. However, he remained poker-faced. He did not reveal any of his feelings.
If Oliver rejected their relationship, that did not mean he could not continue being with Aria. She had the final say in it and he would not force her. However, he knew the chances of the relationship going strong was next to nil. Once the truth came out, Aria would definitely leave him. Any which way, he was bound to lose.
"I was skeptical at first when I learned about what you did. It was nothing but torturing people and also killing them. But your mentor explained it to me clearly. It was my mistake to have judged what you did as a crime. Everybody in this world wants to keep their families and themselves safe. If I was in your position, maybe I would kill people too to save my family."
Oliver's words brought a glimmer of hope in Noah's heart. If he was willing to accept him, then he could somehow persuade Aria. He could make it up to her at all costs. The sadness vanished and his face blossomed like a sunflower. Oliver could notice the changes in him and he stifled a smile. 'This boy is pure and sensitive, completely different from what he shows to the world.'
"If your feelings for my daughter is honest and genuine, I have no problems with it. You have my blessings." Noah's face bloomed at once. He was sincerely gratified towards Oliver for his understanding. "Silly boy, did you think I would reject you?" Noah scratched his head awkwardly. "I don't think my daughter would find anybody more capable and better than you. I will have no objections with you two being together. In return, I want a promise from you. I want you to keep my daughter safe and I trust you can do it."
"Yes, Mr. West. I will keep your daughter safe and happy. I'll protect her with my life."
"That will not do." Oliver interrupted him. "You need to keep yourself safe too. I don't want my daughter to lose you. You should live long and give me loads of grandkids."
Noah smiled hearing Oliver's words. He was happy that he had got such a sensible and awesome father-in-law. Now that he had got blessings from Oliver, he had one less thing to worry about. But he couldn't stop wondering why people were expecting Aria and him to produce kids as soon as possible. He had not even had sex with her in the first place, for god's sake. Though he was dying to make love to her, he was restricting himself. It was not the right time yet.
"Okay, my previous question is still being unanswered. How did you find the pen drives?"
"I have some things I want to tell you."
"Yes?"
"Your daughters do not know that you are with us."
"That I noticed." Oliver had sensed it long back. Otherwise, his family would have come to meet after he had woken up.
"Also, I have not told them that I know about you and that you are with us." Oliver looked at him silently, waiting for him to continue. "So, they are searching for you. Ivy asked one of my friends for help and you know who he is. He had come with us the last time I was here."
Oliver nodded in realization. "What's his name?"
"Joshua, Joshua Martin."
"He is a Martin?"
"Yes."
"That explains why he was here. He was trained by Theo too, right?"
"Yes. When Ivy came to him, you were still unconscious. So, we had to lie to her about it, about you. However, my friend offered to help her and we came across the pen drives in your house."
"That explains it."
"I have something I want to ask. What do you want to do now Mr. West? You do realize that your daughters do not know about your whereabouts, right? Do you want to meet them right away or will you wait until we find the culprits?" Noah stressed out what he had in mind. He wished that Oliver would stay hidden until everything returned to normal. Else, not only would there be a danger to his life, even his daughters would be at risk.
"How bad is it out there?"
"Mr. West, your daughter, Ivy has following the same case as you. She is trying to uncover all the hospitals that are involved in these kinds of activities."
"What?" Oliver was perplexed. He remembered telling Ivy about this issue when he was working on it. He had no idea that she would take this up after his disappearance. Now that he thought about it, he could not help but admire his daughter all the more.
"Yes, Ivy is on the case and the issue which had been buried for all these years has been dug up and brought out open. It will not be long before people will start noticing her. However, if you come out and show yourself, this might only lead to more problems. Right now Ivy is safe and sound. But that might not be the case later."
"You are right. I need to stay hidden for some time. But if what you are saying is true, then my daughter's life would be in danger, right?" Oliver asked, his voice quivering at the end.
"Don't worry Mr. West. I will protect your daughters. Moreover, Ivy is not a pushover. She has some tricks up her sleeves. She will not get caught that easily." Noah spoke these words with pride. he had full trust in her abilities and also, he would be there to keep her safe. Oliver was assured with Noah's words. He knew he could trust him. Under Noah's watch, nobody would dare try to touch his daughters.