Olivia’s POV:After obsessing crazily and turning my head inside out for a few hours, I finally managed a little sleep. Torn about the choice in front of me I never imagined I would ever have. And what he told me about Alice. It all makes sense now. The way she looks at him and all that conversation we had back in Eli’s farm. No wonder she showed up. I told him I understand. Crazy, right?More importantly, the fact that Brandon loves me. He is offering me something real.I think the world has ended, and hell has frozen over because I cannot seem to digest this at all. Never in a million years would have imagined him, of all people, offering me something that only a few months ago I had longed for. I would have done anything for a chance at claiming his heart, and now here I stand with precisely that, and it’s like it’s not even real. Detached from any sense of reality and floating like a numb blob of confusion in my head.My initial reaction to his confession of love was anger becau
Olivia’s POV:Ethan was jittery. He was all over the place. I managed to pull some strings so we can have a little privacy. My father and brother and not exactly soft spoken individuals and I am certain I’d hear harsh comments from them.“So, let me get this straight…your family tried to kill you and you put all of them in prison?” Maurice asked me for the nth time.“Yes, I have a pretty f*cked up family tree.”“Wow, Ethan.” She turned to my nephew who was playing with his favorite toy in the world. “Don’t be like them, okay? Auntie Olivia is nice.”I couldn’t help but smile. I have a f*cked up life, yes, but I have Ethan and Maurice and for now, that’s an achievement. I tried to give her an overview of the hatred the male members of my family would throw my way so she won’t be traumatized. Fortunately, she came from a tough family so it’s normal for her as well but she was not happy when she learned about the plot to kill me. Obviously, she found it horrendous.The envelope I had in
Olivia’s POV:A party was reserved several weeks ago at the hotel’s club and lounge. It’s one of the many additions I immediately worked on when the hotel fell into my lap. It became one of the best venues for high-end clients and the waiting time is long. As the CEO and owner, I make it a point to rub elbows with important clients, that way, I keep tabs on who’s hot and who’s not.My day was good, my father and brother had finally came around and I told them I might bring Brandon the next time I visit. They were thrilled to know that I’ve finally dipped my toe in the dating pool. If only they know how murky the pool is. After checking with the inhouse event coordinator and making sure that we are prepared for the slightest problem, I venture down to the club, wearing a simple back fitted shift dress over black three inch strappy heels and my hair up in a sleek ponytail. I went for understated glam today and simple with natural makeup, which is my usual forte. Also, it’s low key to m
Olivia’s POV:He grins at his deviousness, and all I can do is exhale heavily, glance heavenwards for strength and accept the inevitable. He was never easy to live with before, and now he will simply be the same unbearable man, except with his mind set on pushing me to spend time with him. I think I liked him more when he spent half his life being rude to me.“Okay! You’re not funny, you know, even if you think you are.” I snap it at him, frustrated that he knows how to corner me and harass me when I still feel all messy brained.“That’s a matter of opinion.”I don’t even dignify that with a response, just straight to my demands to regain a little control here.“Fine, on one condition.”“Name it.”“I’ll go to dinner with you tonight as long as it’s not a restaurant or anywhere where you brought Alice.” I raise a brow at him sarcastically, looking for a little bad mood to wound that cocky attitude and this time, it pulls a heavy exhale from him. He’s not amused. He looks slightly irrit
Olivia’s POV:I did not expect a date in the hill, overlooking the city was what he meant. But here we are. He told me a lot of things that I did not expect to hear from him. Brandon is unveiling his life story from me. I wonder how much of it was true.The fact that he lied about Alice still remains. A part of me cannot trust him fully. A piece of me is anchoring me down from falling wanton to his lap. I guess I prefer it that way, so if he hurts me again, I could say ‘I told you so’ to myself and not be mad.He may not see it, but Brandon still craves acceptance even now. Still trying to divert any kind of blame. A part of him still suffers from her lack of love towards him. I can see it all over him. Meredith tried to fill that gaping hole but he pushed her aside. Somehow, his parents made him believe that no woman would ever love him, and it colored how he treated me when I got close. No wonder he never trusted me. He was programmed to believe he was unlovable. Yet he never ran sh
Olivia’s POV:The conviction in his voice, the gentle way he strokes his thumb over mine and pulls me to his chest to lean his nose against my temple, stirs a belief in me deep down that this is a genuine apology for all of it. I genuinely believe him without doubt, question or niggles.We have hit a crossroad, and I need to choose a path. I have a longing to walk into the light, and maybe my master of darkness will be the one to lead me there. I can either dwell and continue to find fault and put hurdles in his way, or I can take his hand and see where this takes us. I’m so tired of living in the shadows and misery. “No point dwelling anymore. The past will only drag you backwards.”I deflect the tender moment and push him away gently to give myself breathing space. Hating the route of our conversation and stare at the fire instead. Hating myself for being so conflicted and hot and cold with him, even if I cannot help it. Not knowing how to feel or how to be with him from one minut
Olivia’s POV:He leans to the side a little, a head tilt that puts our noses side by side so he can get nearer my mouth and kisses me softly, needy. A gentle, chaste meeting of soft, warm skin that makes my heart erupt in a million little flutters. Pulling back, he slides his fingers under my hair, cradling my face on both sides and draws my eyes to his as he straightens back up. “If I could go back to that night when you said those words to me, I would change everything and undo all the mistakes I made. Those three words are my goal, but to deserve them this time and to never hurt you again. I would die for you, and I will do anything for you. I promise you I won’t let you go a second time; I know what I have to lose this time.”Brandon’s words pull tears from my eyes, and my throat constricts painfully. There’s no hint of deviousness in the raw way he’s saying those words or the penetrating gaze he has stuck me with. It’s like he wants to climb inside me and make me believe him so
Olivia’s POV:I yawn and stretch out lazily, stirring slowly like a kitten waking after a peaceful slumber. A massive sense of weightless contentment is waving over me like a warm blanket in the moments before I fully connect with consciousness. I jump when a large, hot hand gently grips my hip in reaction to my wriggling and scares me half to death. Rousing me fully as I’m not used to waking up beside someone. My heart skips a beat for a second and sends me into instant sweats and panic deep inside. It all comes back to me in a rush, and I blink at an unfamiliar ceiling and a rotating fan that’s too close for comfort. Blurry vision clearing to bring my surroundings to me.Hazy in my sudden awakening, my head aches with the after-effects of far too much alcohol and a night of walking myself to death. I have a hangover, head pounding me into oblivion as those first few seconds of happy waking ebb away into reality, and now I remember whose fault it is and who is lying beside me, breath
Olivia’s POV:I lift a little higher, pausing and looking away to his chest, letting his eyes scan all of me as he stands motionless, listening, watching, taking it in and analyzing me with that quick brain. I get nothing from him, even when he slides his gaze down over my naked breasts and curves and comes slowly back up to lock on mine with a serious look that penetrates my soul. The smile faded away, but he still has a joyous aura surrounding him. “I will never give up on you. If you want this, you will never get rid of me again. I swear. I’m in this for the long haul, Liv.” “Good. Now take your clothes off, get over here and make love to me. It’s about time we stopped fucking around and got down to the real business.” I smirk as I say it. Hardly a sweet romantic seduction, but one thing I have learned is that I need to find my backbone with him.I was made to deal with this arrogant man. I need to remember that when dealing with him. He then breaks into the most gorgeous ungua
Olivia’s POV:I like this apartment; it somehow seems like I have been here before even though I have never laid eyes on it. I love the open space and simple furnishings. Nothing overly showy or flashy, nothing fussy. Just enough to feel comfy and relaxed in a way that invites you to come in and lounge your cares away. It’s peaceful and feels like home, even though I’m a stranger within its walls.It’s no surprise I like it, though; one thing I found when making the club gorgeous was that Lexi and I have a similar taste in décor, and we gel well in terms of style. We can argue about most things, but we never argued over styling choices.I waste no time in sinking into the hot bath and letting my weary bones blend with the water, turning my limbs to fluid weightlessness. I exhale with relief at the comforting feel of hot liquid overtaking my skin as it submerges and slides over all the tiny marks and grazes, littering the surface, cleansing them of grime and blood. Stings and nips beco
Olivia’s POV: She smiles again, nothing but warmth in that wrinkled little face, and I wonder if she was an attempt at giving himself a stand-in mother. She has that maternal vibe, and I could see why he wouldn’t want the hassle of a live-in maid whom he has banged. He hates women trailing around after him when he’s done with them.He made himself what he lacked, and I can see why he never let me come here before. A cozy home he never lets on is his, a dog and a motherly maid. Like his small apartment, this place is somewhere he can be someone else, and it feeds a side of him that his mother never nurtured. “Of course.” I falter, covering my sheer lack of knowing what’s happening or even something as basic about him as not liking reheated food. It’s not something that ever came up, seeing as I don’t cook for him or have ever had to get food for him. A girlfriend should know these things, though. I want to know these things about him.After today I guess that’s a moot subject, and I
Olivia's POV:Walking in the door, ushered by Orlie, we are all in complete silence. I don’t even take the time to acknowledge him. I have no words anyway. I'm disheveled, filthy, and broken inside as I’m led into a massive open plan penthouse apartment that I would never think of putting him in. A building in Upper Manhattan’s most luxurious area.“He owns this.” Orlie stated as if reading my mind.It’s warmer and homelier than the other one he took me to. There are substantial soft corner couches, side tables, and furniture for lounging and laying cups by your side, in front of vast windows spanning entire walls and showing New York at its finest in sweeping views. I feel like we are on top of the world as we are so high up in a vast modern yet comfy home. My eyes scan the roaring glass fire in the natural brick pillar standing imposingly in the middle of the room, giving no natural heat, so it’s a digital screen. It serves as a divider to the metal railed stairway behind it at the
Olivia’s POV:Oh, God no.He twists my wrist painfully, causing me to release the shoe finally and its clatters to the ground with an anticlimactic little noise as it slides from his gaping wound. My only hope of fighting a man this size. He overpowers me cruelly, and all I can do is grasp at his legs to stop myself crying out with the pain he’s inflicting. He is going for a broken bone.And then, she’s there. Alice.“Well, look at you. Not so pretty in a disheveled state are you?”“Boss, we can play with her, right?” The other man insisted.“Not yet. I’m waiting for Harvey. He’s on his way here, say, fifteen minutes with the documents because Olivia here will transfer all her money to me. Did you know, it was our original plan, me and Brandon? Unfortunately, he fell in love with you----so the money comes first and then, I’ll take him back. And we live happily ever after because you are dead.”“You’re lying.”“Oh, wait until Harvey shows up. I sent him the photos and the record and hop
Brandon’s POV:I stopped just when Harvey was about to ride with us. An idea dawned on me. I know Alice. I know how she thinks. “Harvey, go back to your office. Alice will call you. She will want Olivia’s money in exchange for her life. I’m sure. Don’t let her know that you already know. I’ll open my GPS, you know what to do.”Harvey nodded. I thought he was going to be difficult. “Okay, be safe. Take care of her. I’ll take of things on my end.”I hope I know how Alice mind works. Or else.Olivia’s POV:The noise in the alley comes back down towards me, echoing eerily, and I completely freeze, pushing my attention fully on Brandon to zone out the fear. He is quiet, but I can hear noises on his end as I clutch it to my ear. I think he is checking his screen for my location and leaving the call open, but he isn’t listening. I can hear voices in the background, Orlie and the other men as he tells them which turn to take. I can hear so much of where he is and the fact they are on the mov
Olivia’s POV:These are not from the hotel’s security. They might be the men Brandon warned me about, I just gave them all of me, with my stupidity. God knows how long they have been hanging at a distance watching the comings and goings in case they got a chance at picking me off. It’s horrifying to imagine they may have been out here this whole time, waiting for a time like this.I glance at him moving in, and the man from the car is now behind me, blocking my path. Eyes doing a quick scan of every avenue around me. I am aware of both, and my senses tell me how far away from actually touching them. I am more aware of the one behind me as it instils a higher fear factor, but my brain calms, and the part that works well in a crisis moves in to formulate an exit strategy. Adrenaline kicks in, and I do what I do best. I lift my feet and run like a bat out of hell crazy woman with no desire to die, to my right, down the alley.I used to be an athlete so I’m pretty swift in my departure. T
Brandon’s POV:“Where are you, Olivia? I told you to stay. Damn, how stubborn can she be?” I asked myself out loud, pacing her office for the nth time.“Relax, for all we know, she’s here and there’s nothing to worry about, sir.” Orlie tried to calm me but I can’t help myself.I’ve given her strict orders not to go anywhere alone. My guts tell me that Alice was just biding her time and she’s not really walking away even if I bribed her with money. She’s better than that, cunning and dangerous all rolled into one. My phone is in my hand and I’ve dialed her number so many times and sent her text messages that went from pleading to threatening if she didn’t show up any moment from now.The door knob to her office moved and I braced myself. But it wasn’t her. It was Harvey and the moment the lawyer laid his eyes on me----he was instantly enraged. He scanned the office before returning his gaze on me.“You…” he seethed. “Where is Olivia?”I shrugged. “That makes the two of us. I can’t find
Olivia’s POV:I wander a little further onto the cracked concrete pavement and walk in small circles for a while, hidden from view by the tall half-standing wall that used to be some sort of barrier. It’s high enough to act as a shade for me. I pace absentmindedly to try to calm my erratic swishing insides and breathless angst until the air penetrates my clothes and cools me down to a mild shiver. One eye on the group of men for no real reason and satisfied they haven’t acknowledged me over here at all.It’s not overly freezing today, and my dress is made of wool, so it’s warm enough not to go in for a jacket. I keep moving until I’m around fifteen feet from them, gazing out into the street and the traffic coming and going at the far end of the long lane ahead. The hotel nestles in a side alley not far from the main road, so the immediate area in front of me is car-free even though it's noisy out here. It can be peaceful if you walk far enough from milling security groups.I stare up