Olivia was stretched out lazily on the large but soft bed with her famous satisfied smile playing on her red lips. She had been clad in the warmth of Adrian’s arms all throughout the night. It had been a comfort and also a reminder that she was exactly where she belonged, by his side. Olivia was assured that though Ria still held the nonsensical title of Mrs. Blake, she had already taken her place in reality.She sat upright with a big yawn and reached for her phone which was lying on the nightstand.She unlocked it and punched in a series of numbers. Then she dialed the number. The call had barely even rang twice before it was answered by a female."Is everything ready?" she asked her while keeping her voice low."Yes, ma’am," the lady responded on the other end. "I have made all the necessary arrangements for it to go smoothly."A smirk instantly spread slowly across Olivia’s face at her words of assurance. "That is good. I want you to make sure that there are no mistakes whatso
"I only just wanted to invite you to a picnic dear sister," Olivia said sweetly.Ria frowned and stared at her sister with brows that were raised high on her forehead in question. "A picnic?""Yes," Olivia said before clasping both of her hands together. Ria instantly thought that she was being really suspicious. "Why?""Well," she began. "I may have publicly bragged a little to my friends about how my dear sister is married to Adrian Blake.""And so?" "They did not believe me and so they dared me to bring you over." Olivia sighed, her expression pleading. Ria felt torn between decisions."I will just need you to come with me, just this one time. Please?"Ria’s eyes narrowed into slits. "And why should I?" She asked because she needed a solid reason to say yes. She could not get over all of the things that Olivia had done to her these past few days.Olivia pouted. "Oh, come on now Ria. This is so important to me. You do not have to be so difficult about it please," she snapped at
Well, about forty minutes later, Ria was standing in front of the full length looking glass in her bedroom and struggling to pin her long hair into a neat bun. She adjusted the strands time and time again in a bid to make it look presentable for the picnic outing when Olivia casually strolled into the room.Ria turned to look at her, taking in her outfit. Olivia seemed to have outdone herself in getting dressed. Her fashion sense was obviously far from Ria's.Olivia stood at the door, halting. She took one rather long look at Ria and proceeded to sigh dramatically. "Oh, Ria, you are really a fashion disaster, do you know that?" she asked her before she shook her head in disappointment.Ria, who was used to being chided by Olivia about that, simply asked, "What is wrong with my outfit this time?""You definitely can not go out with me looking like that," Olivia declared before grabbing her wrist. "Urm, why?" Ria frowned."You, Ria, are the star of the show. My friends are all waiti
The entire gathering was quiet.Olivia dropped the champagne in her hands onto the table and took a seat with her legs crossed over another. She stared at the three women.Her expression was calm on the outside even though deep inside, she was immensely satisfied. Why would she not be when everything was playing out exactly as she had planned. She had orchestrated this entire moment, and now, it was time for her to play her final move on Ria. It was fun.She turned sharply towards her so-called friends, the once that she had hired. She spoke to them with a voice that was laced with controlled anger. "I won’t tolerate this disrespect. How dare the three of you insult my sister like that," she snapped, her eyes flashing.The three women exchanged uncertain glances because this was not a part of the script that they had been asked to play."But Olivia—" the blonde started but Olivia cut her off."I do not want to hear any of this Clarissa, at all. The three of you should apologize ri
Ria sobbed silently as the weight of everything came crashing down on her. She has been a fool for trusting Olivia. Every time Olivia apologized, she found herself giving her another chance to change. Not because she loved Olivia, but because she felt indebted to her.All these chances and trust she had given to Olivia time and time again were just her way of trying to pay back what Olivia did for her, but it became obvious to her now that Olivia was a serpent— she could never change her deceptive nature.A wave of mixed emotions washed over Ria— she felt guilty for trusting Olivia again, but deep down she knew that if Olivia brought up the incident of how she saved her life, she would have no choice but to give her another chance.The guilt and pain of being indebted to the person who has her this much was killing her, and a splitting headache from all the thoughts was no exception.Damn it! Ria cursed within her. Damn it all to hell!"I was a fool... I should have known this was all
Adrian glared at Ria with disgust as she ate her breakfast silently. The tension in the room was palpable, and Adrian felt his stomach go sour.Damn it! He cursed within him. Why do I still feel guilty about yesterday's incident? I love Olivia, so I shouldn't feel bad for kissing her... Maybe it's just my moral upbringing.The uncomfortable silence continued until Adrian couldn't bottle his guilt anymore. "It was just a massage..." Adrian began. Ria raised an eyebrow, her expression a mixture of surprise and confusion. "What are you talking about?"Adrian sighed, his mind reeling back to the previous day.# The previous dayOlivia lay on Adrian's bed, placing her head on his legs. Adrian was still angry because of his forced marriage with Ria and not Olivia and was seething in anger."It's all my father's fault... If he had not coerced me into marrying that baby trapper, we would have been happily married by now." Adrian complained, anger tattooing his face red."Relax babe. It does
"That's all that happened," Adrian said, finishing his explanation.Ria sighed. "I knew." She muttered Adrian raised an eyebrow, his expression a mixture of relief and confusion. "You did?""Well... I didn't know in detail, but I knew it was all Olivia's doing." Ria replied. "You might not believe me, but she's really manipulative, and always wants to have things go her way. I'm sure you might have noticed it. She would throw tantrums and often refer to things she helped you with in the past— blackmail."Adrian raised an eyebrow. He only wanted to settle things out with Ria and not listen to gibberish talk about the woman he loved."Alright, that's enough talk. Remember what I told you. Don't think we are friends just because I apologized to you. I still hate you, I just wanted you to know I'm not a monster." Adrian said, abruptly ending their discussion.But deep down, Ria's words lingered within him. On one or two occasions, he had seen Olivia act just exactly like Ria said, but it
"What the hell is she doing here father?" Adrian yelled angrily. "I thought this was a family discussion?"Charles sighed. "That's correct. It is a family discussion, and Ria is here because she is family. Your wife—to be precise. So you shouldn't stand there questioning her validity when it's all your fault she is here in the first place." Charles said, a satisfied smirk finding its way on his face.Adrian seethed in anger. "What exactly is my crime father? Tell me what I have done to you that makes you hate me so much... Is it the numbers in the company? Is it the investors? Just tell me so I can make amends because torturing me with this baby trapper is too much for me to handle!" Adrian yelled, his voice laced with a mixture of anger and sadness.Charles expression became stern. "Is this how you view Ria? As a burden? A punishment for your imagined faults? Is that what you think of her?" Charles bombarded Adrian with questions, not giving him a room to answer anyone."If you think
Olivia and Betty arrived at the Carter's residence.“Wow, what a nice place you have here,” Betty complimented as they came out of the car, taking a quick glance around.“Don't flatter me Betty, we both know this can't be compared to Adrian's residence, not to talk of Blake's mansion.” Olivia replied.“I'm serious, it's really nice. I like the modest and simple look,” Betty said, her voice sincere.Olivia huffed, linking her arms in Betty's. "I've heard you, let's go in. I'm sure my mom will be happy to see you,”“Really? You told her about me?” Betty's eyes widened in delight.“Of course,” Olivia answered laughing.She pushed the door open and stepped inside, with Betty following closely behind.They walked in to find Mrs. Carter sitting on the couch, sipping coffee and flipping through a fashion magazine, her legs were crossed gracefully.“Wow, your mum is beautiful,” Betty whispered to Olivia.Olivia smiled, feeling proud. “Indeed she is, people say I look a lot like her,”Without
"Father," Adrian called, drawing Charles' attention from Olivia, back to Ria.“The car is ready,” Adrian quickly leaned down and picked up Ria. To his greatest surprise, he realized despite being pregnant, she was so lean and felt so light in his arms. He carefully and hurriedly carried her to the car with Charles trailing behind.The ride to the hospital was silent but Adrian could feel Charles' burning gaze hovering on his skin.Adrian had already informed the hospital they were coming as this was the Blake's private hospital so there were nurses and a stretcher waiting outside as soon as they arrived.Ria was immediately transferred onto the stretcher and was taken into the emergency ward. He and Charles followed closely as she was rushed into the emergency ward, but they were stopped few meters away from the door by the nurses.Charles and Adrian stood outside. Adrian paced the corridor restlessly as he was waiting for the doctor's report, while Charles threw death stares his way
Chapter 62There was a soft, gentle knock on Adrian's study door.“Come in,” Adrian said without looking up. His voice was low and his eyes were fixed on the folder in front of him.Olivia slowly opened the door and walked in, her steps were soft and graceful like always. The scent of her peppermint perfume drifted through the air making Adrian who recognized that scent look up as she approached.He was surprised to see her, his expression softened a little."I'm sorry about my father's behavior earlier," he said, his voice, soothingly calm.Olivia gave him a soft, small smile. "You don’t have to apologize, I’m not upset.”She paused for a moment before continuing, “Uhm…I hope I’m not disturbing you?” she sweetly asked, smiling.“No. It’s fine,” Adrian replied, closing the folder. “Is something wrong?”Olivia shook her head gently, walking closer to his desk. “No, no, not at all. I just wanted to let you know I’ll be going to get my things from home now.”Adrian gave her a slight nod,
Adrian, where's my room? You know I need the best room with the best view. Betty spoke up happily as she finished eating her breakfast, her voice laced with excitement."Ria will take you to your room," Adrian replied, still focused on his meal without looking up.Betty's happy mood died down immediately. Her face twisted in displeasure."I don't need her help finding my way in my brother's house. She should focus on clearing the dishes.""She's your brother's wife and not a slave Betty," Charles' voice rang out, firm and disapproving.Betty's eyes flared in defiance. "I already said I won't accept her but since she desperately wants to be here, then she needs to make herself useful."Without waiting for another word, she turned to Adrian with narrowed eyes. "What about Olivia?"Adrian raised his head and looked at Olivia, then back at Betty. "What about her?""She will be staying in your room right?"Ria choked on the food she was eating. Coughing uncontrollably till tears welled in
The ride to Adrian's house was loud as well as annoying to Charles as every word that came out of Olivia's mouth made Charles angrier than the last.They soon arrived at Adrian's house and Charles asked Adrian to wait behind in the car, he had something to discuss with him. He told Olivia and Betty to go ahead and they would join them soon.Betty who was still filled with joy, linked her arms with Olivia's and practically dragged her out of the car. Olivia barely had the chance to glance at Adrian before the door was shut. She felt uneasy and wondered what Charles wanted to tell Adrian. She hoped he wasn't about to change Adrian's mind before she even got the chance to carry out her plans.Betty tugged her forward, drawing her out of her thoughts. Olivia plastered a smile on her face. Whatever card Charles had to play, at least she still had Betty on her side. Now she needs to make sure Betty keeps seeing her as her lifesaver and keeps feeling she's indebted to her.Olivia momentarily
Ria, who had only meant to rest for a short while, was jolted awake by the sudden buzz from her phone. She hadn’t planned to sleep for long, but somehow, the tiredness had taken over her body.Still half-asleep, she yawned and stretched, then slowly reached out to grab her phone from the bedside. Taking a peek at her phone she was shocked to discover that her sweet little nap had turned into a long one as it was already past seven in the morning."Oh dear Lord" she sighed as she clicked open the notification that had appeared on her screen.Her eyes widened a little when she saw the message on the screen. It was from Adrian.“I’m on my way home with some familiar guests. Prepare breakfast and a nice bowl of healthy soup… Do not disappoint me,”Ria blinked, staring long at the message. A bowl of healthy soup? Is Adrian sick? Or is he coming home with a sick person?A sudden wave of panic rushed through her as she realized Adrian hadn’t returned home last night, and she hadn’t even not
“What did you just say?” Charles asked in shock, staring at Gerald like he hadn’t heard him right.Gerald held the phone carefully in his hand. “The person on the call… she’s the one who helped your daughter when she collapsed,” he repeated.Charles blinked, trying to wrap his head around what he had just heard.. His eyes shifted from Gerald to the glass door of the hospital room where Betty was lying on the bed, smiling and chatting with Olivia.He raised a brow. “Are you sure about what you're saying?” he asked, still not wanting to get his hopes high.“Yes, sir. She was there with her until the ambulance arrived. She told me she wanted to follow up, but she had some things to take care of. She just called now,” Gerald explained.Charles didn’t say another word. He stretched out his hand for the phone. “Give me the phone.”Gerald quickly took the call off hold and brought it to his ear. “Hello, ma’am. I’m handing you over to her father now,” he said and passed the phone to Charles.
Betty's eyes widened as she stared at both Adrian and Olivia curled up in each other's arms."If she's… your Cinderella—then, who's… your wife?” Betty dragged the question as she was still confused.“Ahem, ahem,” Charles cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to redirect her attention “Betty, you need to rest.”“No Dad, I'm perfectly fine.” She said, shaking her head. “I need to understand what's going on.”She turned to Adrian, her eyes searching his face. “Brother why aren't you saying anything? Why are you not married to your Cinderella?”“Betty—”“No,” Betty said, cutting him off sharply. “If you're going to tell me to rest just like Father, then just don't.”Adrian sighed deeply.“Betty, please listen to your father and brother, they mean well.” Olivia said gently. “And they are right, you just recovered, there's still time for you to know everything that transpired.”Betty wanted to insist that she was fine but she bit her lips instead, holding back the words. She could be stubbor
Ria looked at the table again. Everything was ready. The food was set neatly. She had cooked Adrian’s favorite dishes. The smell still filled the room, but the warmth was slowly fading. She had even used the special plates Adrian bought, saying they are his sister's favorite. Ria wanted tonight to turn out well.She had cooked different dishes—rice, soup, meat, vegetables. Everything looked perfect. She rubbed her sore fingers, still bandaged, but she didn’t mind.She glanced at the clock. It was almost 8 p.m.Her heart began to beat faster. She walked to the window and looked outside, hoping to see Adrian’s car, but the street was quiet. There was no sign of anyone coming.Her mind drifted back to the moment Adrian left. That sudden call he picked before storming out of the house. He didn’t say where he was going. He didn’t even say when he’d be back. She had thought maybe he went to get something, maybe it was urgent. But now, she doesn't know anymore.She looked at the clock again.