SCANDAL: UNEXPECTED

(Olivia's POV)

The cold room felt even colder as the minutes stretched on.

Olivia's wrists were raw, the ropes biting into her skin, but her mind was consumed with one thought: her daughter. Where was she? What were they doing to her?

She had to stay calm.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening once more.

Olivia's heart dropped.

Mellie.

She strode into the room with an unsettling calm, her eyes flicking over Olivia before settling on the bassinet. Her lips curled into a smile, though it wasn't one of warmth.

"Oh, look. It looks like someone is hungry," Mellie said, her voice laced with mock sweetness.

Olivia's stomach twisted. "Mellie, please."

"Oh, please?" Mellie mimicked, stepping closer to the bassinet. She reached for the bottle sitting on the small table beside it and picked it up with slow, deliberate fingers.

Olivia felt a surge of fury and helplessness wash over her. "What the hell are you doing, Mellie?"

Mellie didn't answer at first. She lifted the baby out of the bassinet with practiced hands, her cold, emotionless demeanor stark against the softness of the child. She adjusted the baby to her chest, bringing the bottle to her lips.

"She's so precious, isn't she?" Mellie cooed, but her voice carried a sharpness that made Olivia's blood boil. "You think you've won, Olivia? That this little girl will somehow redeem you in his eyes?"

Olivia's chest tightened as she struggled against the ropes. "Don't you dare touch her again." Her voice broke, but she didn't care. "You have no idea what you're doing."

Mellie simply glanced down at the baby, who was sucking eagerly on the bottle. "Oh, I know exactly what I'm doing. She's adorable, but she's yours, isn't she? The President's little heir. The one he'll probably love more than anything, but the one that will always be in the way." She paused, looking back at Olivia with a cruel smile. "It's cute, really. You think he'll choose you. You think he'll choose her. But you're nothing to him, Olivia. You always have been."

Olivia's heart shattered at her words, but she kept her focus on the baby, even as the venom stung. She had to keep it together—for her daughter. "You can say whatever you want about me, Mellie. But you will never take my daughter from me."

Mellie's smile remained, though it was colder now. "I'm not taking her from you. He is." She glanced down at the baby. "And you? You're just a pawn in his little game, Liv. You think you've won his heart? You think this child will change the fact that you're just a mistress?"

Olivia's fists clenched. She felt a surge of protectiveness flood her chest, and for a split second, she thought she could break through the ropes, fight back, somehow escape with her daughter. But that wasn't the way. She couldn't lose herself to this.

"You're wrong," Olivia said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You'll never understand. This isn't about a game. It's about love. He loves me. And he loves her. And I will get out of here. I will get back to them."

Mellie's gaze flicked up at her, and for the first time, Olivia saw something flicker behind her eyes. It was almost imperceptible, but it was there—fear.

But Mellie quickly masked it with another sharp laugh. "Oh, Olivia. You always were the delusional one."

She adjusted the baby in her arms, cooing at her like a doll, brushing her fingers across the infant's cheek. "She's cute. I'll give you that. But this little one won't save you, will she?"