Chapter 3: BONDED BY A SITUATION-SHIP

Ivy's POV

My dad looked at me sternly. We rarely argued but this time, I had to speak up.

“You are not planning to ruin this dinner, are you?” he asked me carefully. His voice sounded mild but I knew he was angry. Olivia understood his mood and I watched as she touched his shoulder lightly to calm him.

“I don’t mean to be rude, dad, but this is all forced on me. I never said I wanted to venture into business,” I told him angrily.

“Calm down, Ivy!” Olivia shouted. “Now, sit down and let me work things out. This isn’t big enough to cause a conflict.”

“Well, it is,” I replied savagely. “It is about my fucking future.”

My dad didn’t say a word. I knew how much he loved and adored me but I also knew how disciplined he was. He was particularly stern when he needed to. His silent treatment was fearful for me. He had raised me to be more of a man than a woman. I would have never had my much desired baby girl treatment if it was all left to my dad.

“Sit down,” my dad said lightly. He was not loud but his words carried authority. I did as he requested and put my ass on the chair. Alex watched us with interest. I could see how much he was trying to hide his smile.

That sucks.

“I own a business. I raised you with one and I am not going to say much about this,” my dad told me. “You will go to business school and you’ll pass in flying colors. If you don’t, you will start all over again. I am your dad and I don’t care what you think about me. All I know is, I will make the decision on this issue. That’s all.”

After saying this, he dropped his cutlery and walked away from the dining room. Olivia did the same but after saying goodbye. Alex tried to start a little chit-chat but I didn’t want to hear what he had to say. I stood up, went to my room, and cried myself to sleep.

I wanted to be a fashion model like Olivia, not a fucking businesswoman.

I woke up in the morning without a realization of how much my life had changed. It took me five minutes to understand fully. Apart from having a stepmother and a step brother whom I have a past with, I also had to go to business school. Talk about how much a person’s life can change in one day.

I had a quick breakfast and Olivia literally made me do everything in a rush. Classes started by nine o’clock, she shouted in my ears every chance she got. My dad had to go to his office for work so I was left alone with Olivia. I eventually saw Alex when it was time to leave.

“Do you have a driver’s license?” Olivia asked me.

“No, I have no car,” I replied.

“Well…” she smiled. “Your brother, Alex, has a driver’s license. Since both of you are going to the same place, you should go together. He will drive you.”

“I don’t think…” I muttered.

“Don’t worry,” Olivia interrupted. “He is a cool guy and you will definitely grow to enjoy his company. Just trust me and let him drive you.”

I nodded. It wasn’t like I had another choice. Olivia and my dad wanted me to bond with Alex. I had to do their bidding.

However, I was still going to do as I like. I refused to get to the front seat with Alex and instead, I used the back seat. Alex didn’t complain until we were out of the mansion. He parked the car beside the road and turned towards me.

“I am not your driver, Ivy,” he told me firmly.

“But you are the one doing the driving,” I pointed out.

“That justifies nothing!” he exclaimed. “This is my car. You should be in the front seat and not at the back feeling like some kind of VIP.”

I heaved a sigh then acted like I didn’t hear what he said. I could see Alex’s angry look. Still, I didn’t care.

“Come here, please!” he shouted.

”Be a gentleman, will you?” I finally told him. “If your mum was here, I am sure you won’t be doing this. Don’t you see that as being double faced?”

“For real, huh!” he exclaimed.

“You can park here forever then,” I replied. I reclined to my seat and enjoyed my short nap. When I woke up, I was already at Empire business school. Alex had left already and I would have to find my way by myself.

I had to spend three hours of my life listening to the professor in charge as he made us understand the course outline. From there, I observed that Alex was really smart. I didn’t have much interest in business so I didn’t know much. However, Alex was the exact opposite. He answered questions from the professor easily. I couldn’t wait to get back home but it seemed like he didn’t want to go home.

After classes, I had to wait for another ninety minutes as he had so many people that wanted to talk to him. I would have ordered another ride but that would make Olivia sad. It was too early to make her unhappy.

Trust me, when I got home, I felt like cursing Alex. He seemed to enjoy making me wait so long. That was his payback for what I did in the morning. Olivia was there to welcome us.

“How was school?” she asked both of us.

“Superb!”

“Hectic!”

You must already know who said it was hectic.

Anyway, I had some time with Olivia alone. Alex had stuff to do by himself so we had no disturbance. She seemed to love Alex a lot and she told me so much about his life.

“He was kidnapped once…” Olivia told me.

“What!” I exclaimed out of unbelief.

“It was last year during his vacation in Spain,” Olivia told me innocently. “He called me the previous night and told me about this charming girl he just met. He was going to meet her for a date at a cafe in Madrid when he got kidnapped. I was to pay ransom to set him free. He spent three painful days in the hands of his kidnappers before they were apprehended.”

I took a deep breath.

So Alex never used and dumped me. He was kidnapped on that day.

This became the spark.