OLIVIA
The morning started like any other - a knock at the door raising my hopes, only to be disappointed when it was just Kate peeking in.
“Good morning. Ready to start the day?” she asked with a thin smile.
“No,” I replied, closing my eyes. I heard the door click shut as Kate took a seat on the bed, waiting for me to open my eyes.
“We have to go soon. We need to check the restaurant for your birthday dinner,” she continued. I waved her off.
“I don’t care. Wherever you pick is fine,” I said, getting out of bed.
“It’s your birthday, you should be happier,” Kate said, watching as I wrapped a towel around my head.
“What’s the point? It’s just another day. I have to entertain a bunch of people I don’t even know just because their money keeps this lifestyle afloat,” I scoffed.
Kate sighed. “You have a meeting with Signor Dante too.”
I shook my head. “Even on my birthday, I’m working. And my husband? Where is he?”
Kate shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know.”
I chuckled bitterly. “That makes two of us.”
I replied, walking to the bathroom. “I just want to get the day over with. Tell the driver to get ready,” I added, shutting the door behind me.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror and listened as Kate left the room. When she closed the door, I turned on the tap and let the cold water run down my palms.
“Today is just another day,” I muttered, wondering if I was trying to convince myself not to take anything that happened today seriously—a way to ward off disappointment.
It made more sense to be apathetic about whatever the day might throw my way. My days haven’t been the best lately, and I’ve grown accustomed to preparing for the worst.
“My birthday,” I whispered as I stepped into the bathtub. My birthday hadn’t mattered much to anyone but Kate in a long time. The only thing that could make it different was if Cyril remembered and actually did something. But I knew that was too much to hope for.
But I knew that was too much to hope for, so I pushed the thought away and focused on taking my bath. A few minutes later, I headed to the front door, where Kate was waiting for me.
“Where are we heading first?” I asked as she reached for the door and pulled it open.
“The meeting with—” she started, but I groaned.
“Signor Dante. That insufferable man,” I interrupted, and she chuckled.
“Yes, that. And then we’re going to the restaurant to check on preparations before heading home to get ready for dinner,” she answered, and I sighed.
“Again, I’m not going to the restaurant with you. You handle what needs to be done. I’ll come home and lie in bed until it’s time to leave. If I had my way, I’d stay home all day,” I replied, walking past her.
“I’m not letting you stay in bed, doing nothing, on a day you’re supposed to be happy,” she said.
I rolled my eyes, and she clicked her tongue. A few seconds later, the driver pulled up to the entrance, got out, and held the door open for us. Throughout the drive, Kate rambled on about meetings and work-related matters, but I couldn’t be bothered to pay attention. I knew those problems could be fixed; what couldn’t be fixed was the pain I felt knowing Cyril hadn’t called to say happy birthday.
I reached into my bag and picked up my phone, hoping he had at least sent a message. I put the phone away when I saw that even the bare minimum was too much to ask. We arrived at the office, and I spent the next few hours in meetings while Kate left to make sure everything for dinner went according to plan. I was grateful the hours rolled by without a hitch and that it was finally time to go home.
*****
“We’ve got an hour to prepare for the dinner,” Kate called loudly as she walked into the bedroom.
My eyes fluttered open, and I glared at her.
“Weren’t you taught to knock?” I asked, and she shrugged.
“You have a habit of not answering the door when you don’t want to do something. I didn’t want a repeat of that,” she replied, placing a bag on the bed.
“What’s that?” I asked, getting out of bed.
“Your dress. You need to try it on. We’ve got an hour before—” she started, and I sighed.
“How many people are going to be at this… thing?” I interrupted, and she raised an eyebrow.
“This ‘thing,’” she answered, using air quotes, “is your birthday dinner. The guests include people from the office, business partners, and their plus-ones.”
“Everyone but the people I actually want to spend the day with. Peachy,” I replied dryly, walking to the bathroom.
I intended to treat it like just another function I had to attend, but nothing could have prepared me for what the evening had in store. Half an hour later, we walked into the restaurant where Kate had made the reservations. I glanced around and nodded in approval.
“I told you you’d do great with the plans,” I said, and she grinned.
“I knew you’d like it,” she replied, making her way to the front of the room to address everyone.
I scanned the faces at the tables, searching for someone familiar. To my utter surprise, there was one—the person I had hoped to speak with all day, my husband, Cyril Penhurst. My face lit up, and I started to walk toward the table. But then I realized he wasn’t alone, nor was he there for the party. He was having dinner with someone else—the red-haired woman I’d seen him with before.
My stomach turned as he picked up his fork and fed her pasta from his plate. It was one thing to be disrespected by a man who paraded around with other women while ignoring his wife at home. It was another to bring that disgraceful behavior to my birthday dinner.
“About time this nonsense stopped,” I muttered, walking toward their table.
OLIVIA“What’s going on here?” I asked as I approached the table where Cyril sat with the other woman. Kate’s voice faded away as Cyril turned to look at me, his expression shifting from relief to surprise to a mix of disgust and confusion.“Olivia... I didn’t know you’d be here,” he stammered, standing up.I looked past him and took a good look at the lady, who had lowered her gaze, trying desperately to make herself invisible. “Are you ashamed?” I said to her, and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.“Liv,” Cyril said and held my arm. “What are you doing?”I ignored him and kept looking at her. Her red hair glittered in the light as she kept her eyes on the ground. I leaned forward and looked at her dress. It seemed familiar, a replica of a teal piece I had at home.“I could ask you the same thing,” I said and stood properly.I pulled my arm away from him and glanced at the other guests. Kate was giving a speech that had them clapping and chuckling at what I hoped to be appropriat
OLIVIAI spent the next few days working late for a few reasons. First, I was trying to avoid my own thoughts. The audacity of Cyril disrespecting me at my birthday dinner still gnawed at my heart. It wasn’t his philandering that bothered me most - I had grown accustomed to that. It was the way he made it clear he didn’t care about me at all.I didn’t even know he was back in New York, and he didn’t think it was necessary to tell his wife. It made sense he didn’t remember my birthday - it was just another day to him. I had learned to brace myself for disappointment, but that didn’t make it any easier.Since that dinner, I developed a method to avoid Cyril altogether. If he couldn’t be bothered with me, I was tired of getting hurt every time he did something careless. I needed to train my mind to let go of him, even if I couldn’t leave the marriage immediately - the circumstances were too complicated. But there was something I could do: work, avoid interactions with him, and try to liv
OLIVIAI hesitated, disliking the idea of packing for a trip. Still, Kate was right - it could provide a welcome escape, and I hadn’t traveled in a while.“This nephew of Signor Dante’s... what do we know about him?” I asked.“Just that his name is Adrian, and he’s set to inherit everything his uncle has,” Kate replied.I chuckled. “That’s not very descriptive.”“I’m your assistant, not a detective. If you want details on the man, I can find some for you, but wouldn’t it be better to meet him in person? Get to know what he’s like…”As Kate continued speaking, I suddenly felt a ringing in my ears.I could see her lips moving, but the words were lost to me. My palms felt sweaty, and beads of perspiration formed on my forehead. I blinked, and tears rolled down my cheeks in quick succession. I tried to say something, but no words came out. By the time Kate realized something was wrong, the last thing I saw was the clock striking midnight. Then it was pitch black.I opened my eyes and glan
OLIVIA“Why isn’t he picking up?” I said angrily, frustration mounting. Kate sighed.“That’s the first time he’s answered since I tried reaching him. Maybe you should try again?” she replied.I blinked back tears, the corners of my eyes stinging. “If I haven’t been home for days, you’d think my own husband would care enough to find me.”The truth was, I wasn’t surprised by Cyril’s indifference. His track record of obliviousness was well-established. But this went beyond just him - the entire company would know I’d been hospitalized. If Cyril couldn’t even maintain the facade of a dutiful husband, it would only fuel the rumors.“This idiot is going to cost us our deals. Why is this my reality?” I muttered, dialing his number again.When he answered, his tone was impatient. “What?”“What do you mean, ‘what’? Did you get my messages, Kate’s voicemails? Do you even know where I am, your own wife?” I responded sharply.“You’re probably at some work event or holed up reading. What does it m
OLIVIA “Oh look who the cat dragged in,” I said and walked towards him with mixed feelings. I wasn’t sure if he had come to see me or if my mind was playing tricks on me. I caught a glimpse of the blue hospital walls and white floors, inhaled the smell of disinfectant, and felt the lingering sense of loss that seemed to fill the hallways. I realized that despite my initial annoyance that he didn’t care to make an appearance, I was happy to see him. Hope flickered within me, but I restrained it, I knew better than to let one unusual appearance make such a huge difference. He stopped talking and turned around with a surprised expression. “Liv?” He said and looked around like he was in the wrong place. “What are you doing here?” He asked as his eyes rested on the bag I was clutching under my arm. “What am I doing here? What does it look like? What would anyone be doing in a hospital Cyril? At least you had the common sense to turn up,” I replied in an irritated tone and exhaled slowl
CYRIL“Does it matter? I thought you wanted me around. I'm here now, let's go home,” I held Olivia by the arm. I dodged her question, knowing that I wasn't there for her.I was aware of her calls but decided not to pick her up because I was having the best time of my life with Rene at the party. If she wasn't involved in a ghastly accident, I wouldn't have encountered Olivia. Seeing Olivia ruined my plan. I just hope she doesn't get to find out about Rene pretty soon.“No, I'm not leaving this place until you explain your reason for showing up. The last time I checked, you weren't picking up my calls, which made it difficult to know my whereabouts,” Olivia interrogated me as though she were a detective. She didn't allow me to have breathing space to process my response before tossing another question at me. She put me in a difficult situation that seemed impossible for me to come out of. My heart was beating faster like the drums of war. My feet trembled in fear. I wanted the gro
OLIVIA At that moment, my heart stopped pumping blood. I became ill. I was inclined to head back to the hospital and receive another medication. Cyril has destabilized my system. “I can explain.Please forgive me. It's not what you think,” Cyril apologized. He was edging closer to me. I quickly edged backward. I was harnessing evil thoughts in my head that may send me to jail if executed.“Give this phone to him and take me out of here. I need to go on vacation in Singapore,” I urged Kate while handing Cyril's phone to her. “Vacation?” Cyril echoed. “Why are you going on a vacation? What about the business? Are you just going to abandon everything like that?” Cyril protested. I just realized how selfish Cyril was. He only cared about himself. I noticed this awkward trait, yet I agreed to marry him because I thought he would change. I just realized that a leopard never changes its spot.I nodded my head disdainfully. Getting into an argument with Cyril would only become a wast
OLIVIA We finally arrived home after the terrific experience with Cyril at the hospital. I don't wish to experience such trauma ever again. I was adamant about getting out of the car. Kate had already stepped out of the car while I was drowning in my pool of wretchedness. She was about to go inside the house when she noticed I wasn't anywhere to be seen. She made a U-turn, heading back to the car. “What's wrong? Why aren't you out?”“Don't worry, I'm fine.” I lied. My facial expression could tell that something was eating me up. How do I explain to Kate that I was still obsessed with Cyril? The incident that occurred at the hospital was still playing in my head like a movie. No matter how hard I try to ignore it, I still find myself dwelling in the past. “And you expect me to believe that? Come on, is it about Cyril?” Kate asked me. She has worked with me to the extent that she now predicts my next move. Getting her to believe me won't be easy.“Yes, it's Cyril,” I nodded my h
OLIVIA"Stay calm, ma'am. You're not helping matters," Officer Julian called me to order.I ignored him, saying, "Don't you dare tell me to stay calm. Didn't you hear what he said? He accused me of something I know nothing about. Now that's insane.""You were the target. We were paid by someone to kill you," the criminal finally confessed.His confession sent tiny shivers down my spine. I lost some brain cells and stood up from where I was.I now know what it feels like to be agitated."Who sent you? Start talking now," I moved a step closer to the criminal.Seeing how close I was, Adrian rushed to pull me back. "Don't do this. Let him speak. I understand how you feel right now, but this isn't the way out."I stood back. I forced myself to stay calm, but deep inside, I was a burning furnace.I was being consumed by the desire to kill the criminal even before he was done with the confession."Some lady called Rene. She gave us your photo and asked us to kill you," the criminal confesse
OLIVIAAfter a failed attempt to kill me, the gunmen abandoned one of their members who had no gun in his possession.As he tried to escape, Adrian pounced on him and struck a powerful punch that tossed the masked man to the ground.As though that weren't enough, Adrian continued to punch the masked man until the police arrived at the scene and arrested him.After the arrest, we all rushed to meet Uncle Dante, who was in a pool of blood, struggling to stay alive.His eyes were slowly shutting down as we got to him."Don't leave me, Uncle. Please stay back," Adrian cried as he rested Uncle Dante's head on his lap.That was my first time seeing Adrian cry. As I tried to console him, I fought back my tears."Please take care of Olivia. She's got a heart of gold. Don't let her slip away from your palms." Those were Uncle Dante's last words before he passed away.All efforts to revive him proved abortive. He must have suffered severe internal bleeding as a result of the injury sustained f
OLIVIA“Damn! This party is the bomb. See what we've been missing all along,” Kate told me at the party. She seemed to be having fun.She wasn't far from the truth.I can't recall the last time she attended a party of such magnitude.Cyril is such a joy killer.The son of a bitch is deprived of a life like this due to his insecurity.“I am glad you're having fun. But don't get too drunk. We still got work for tomorrow,” I reminded Kate.Adrian joined us some minutes later, shortly after I saw him with Uncle Dante.“I hope you're having fun already?” he teased Kate.“More than fun, Adrian. You've got no idea what this means to me. If Olivia doesn't get married to you, I will,” Kate joked as she continued sipping her vodka.Then she stormed out to allow Adrian and me to have some moments of privacy alone.“My uncle wants to see us. He asked me to bring you to his table,” Adrian said.“Shall we?” He stretched his hand forward to hold mine.“Of course.Why not?” I held his hand.As we wal
OLIVIA Anxiety spread from my face and traveled down to my lungs' region as I stood at the prosecuting area, waiting for the judge to pass the final verdict regarding the allegations against me of being responsible for Cyril's condition.I lost count of how many times the case has been adjourned. I've lost all hopes of getting a favorable ruling. Currently, the only thing left inside of me is emptiness and fright. I might as well confess to the crimes I never committed just to be free from this dungeon of calamity and frustration.I looked behind me and saw Kate resting on the chest of Adrian. Poor girl! She's been through a lot this period. And she isn't even the one accused falsely.I drifted my attention back to the judge to avoid missing out on what she had a say.“So here's my verdict,” the judge said before she took a deep pause to put on his glasses. I was yearning for her to be done talking. Her silent treatment keeps raising my blood pressure. From the look of things, I
OLIVIAMy legs quivered as I stepped outside with Adrian. They suddenly felt too heavy to move, as if some unseen force was dragging me back.The moment Kate saw me approaching the car, she rushed forward and embraced me. I fought back my tears.She thought the kidnapping had broken me. She had no idea it was something else entirely.Adrian looked equally disturbed. Just like me, he wasn’t happy. Sadness was written all over his face.That was when Kate sensed something was wrong. She pulled away from my arms and turned to Adrian. “Can you please explain what's going on? I know this isn’t about the kidnapping, so don’t lie to me.”After Adrian narrated everything to her, Kate lost her composure and fumed. “What the fuck? That ain’t true! Olivia had nothing to do with what happened to Cyril. They barely even spoke because I was there to kick him out!”As much as I appreciated her defending me, I wished she had done it back in Lily’s office—to prove my innocence where it mattered.“Now
OLIVIA“What did you just say? Rene did what?” I lost my cool and jumped from my seat.It took the joint efforts of Adrian and the detective to calm me down.“Don't tell me to calm down! Didn't you hear what she said?” I blasted Adrian.I expected him to take my side—or at the very least, caution Lily about the false accusations thrown at me.“Ranting won't solve anything. We need to take this case lightly,” Adrian said to me.His words somehow calmed my nerves. But deep down, I was burning with curiosity. Why would Rene point fingers at me when I hadn’t even been in New York at the time of the incident?“Over to you, Detective. Why would Rene file a report against Olivia? Olivia hasn’t been to New York in recent times,” Adrian questioned Lily.For the first time in a long while, I was genuinely proud of him. That was the move I had hoped for.“Just a moment, please,” Lily said, shuffling through the files on her desk.“Oh, yes. I found this one.” She handed the file over to us and as
OLIVIAI still can't wrap my head around what happened in the last couple of hours.It still seems like a dream to me. I never, for once, imagined that I was going to survive the assassination attempt.I had already accepted my fate—that I was going to be shot dead in the head with reckless abandon. Suddenly, Kate and Adrian showed up when I least expected it.“Hey, Olivia,” I heard a voice calling my name. I disregarded the voice since I couldn't recognize it.I drifted back into my thinking mode until I saw a hand wave across my face.Looking next to me, I discovered that it was Adrian. Apparently, he'd been trying to get my attention, but I seemed not to be bothered.I wasn't even conscious of my surroundings anymore.“What's running through your mind this time? Do you want to see the Detective?” Adrian asked me while we stood next to the car.“Nah! That won't be necessary. I'd rather wait for her to summon me to the interrogation room. Want to take this one step at a time,” I told
ADRIANDetective Lily finally led us to the wood where Olivia was tied up around a tree like a sacrificial lamb.Lily wasn't wrong when she told us that she had been to the woods before to apprehend some criminals.Olivia wasn't alone in the woods. She's got two hefty men standing right in front of her. From a distance, I could tell that they were cold-blooded murderers.Right in front of her was a man pointing a gun to her head while she cried her eyes out.“Did you see that?He's trying to shoot her.We have got to save her now.We can't let that son of a bitch accomplish his mission,” I called the attention of Lily.At that point, I was tempted to snatch the gun from her and shoot the assassins from close range.“I saw them!I'm just waiting for the perfect time to strike, so I suggest you shut the fuck up,” Lily whispered, yet it still managed to get on my thick skin.I drifted my gaze at Kate, hoping that she was going to take sides with me. I was wrong.From the look on her face
ADRIAN"Stop the damn car right away! I know what I heard. Would I be joking about something like this when I know what's at stake?" Kate screamed at me.That was the moment I knew it wasn’t a joke, just like I had thought.I stayed calm to observe the situation. Suddenly, I heard Olivia screaming. "Please don’t kill me! I don’t want to die. Somebody save me! I don’t deserve any of this. I am ready to give up an outrageous fee for my freedom!"At that moment, I felt like punching myself in the face for doubting Kate when she initially revealed what she had heard."Do you believe me now? Why don't you apologize for doubting me?" Kate demanded.I snapped. "Get down. We need to go inform the cops about our discovery."As Kate and I stepped outside the vehicle, we saw a female cop approaching our direction. It was obvious that she had something important to say to us."I was about to meet you. What's your name again?" the female cop asked.I glanced at Kate, waiting for her to respond, bu