Sometimes Lisa really detested the things she had to go through just to keep up this stupid farce of a friendship. Her oblivious 'friend' Olivia had gone all the way to drop her off right at her home which was the last place she needed to be. On top of that, Lisa had forced herself to wait for fifteen whole minutes to be certain that Olivia had left the area for sure before leaving her house again. As she slid into the backseat of the cab she had called, Lisa's thoughts went back to the young man she had seen just before they had left the restaurant earlier that morning. The resemblance between him and Noah was far too much to be dismissed. Not that Lisa needed any further confirmation beyond Olivia's reaction at the moment they had run into the young man. She knew that Olivia was normally a pleasant person even to strangers. But the woman had acted so coldly back then that it had to be Damian. That information was something that would surely be of interest to Noah. And that meant s
Olivia looked down at her wrist watch and sighed when she saw the short golden hand of the accessory resting pointedly on the sixth hour. Her left hand came up to rub her temple tiredly as she signed off on yet another document before adding it to the pile that was sitting on her desk to her left. She was supposed to have left her office two hours ago, and yet here she was working overtime for the umpteenth time this week. It was not as if she wanted to spend all her time here, but for Olivia, this was just a way for her to exist outside all the annoying troubles that just seemed to have come stumbling into her life lately. And all of it had started when that bastard, Noah Grant had decided to appear in her city. Her talk with Damian this morning, if it could even be called that, had definitely given her more insight on the current situation. Now that she knew what Noah was after, she was going to have to plan accordingly. Maybe she might even Lisa for help. Running into her friend
In an instant, the room was engulfed in a dead silence, quiet enough that a pin drop would probably sound like a falling piano. Michael froze completely, his mind halting to process the veritable bomb the woman in his arms had just dropped on him. But no matter how much he tried to comprehend it, the statement just never seemed to click, prompting him to ask for a repetition. Olivia sighed and moved to slide off his lap, shifting the cushions on the couch to sit beside him. Her breathing had softened also, with the moment sufficiently shattered by this point. Which meant both of them would be able to think clearly now. "I said that I think I might have to accept Noah's proposal." The disbelief on Michael's expression would have been funny, were it not for the rising confusion and indignation Olivia could very well see on the man's face. "What?! You really can't be serious Liv.... Tell me you're joking..." "I'm serious Michael," said Olivia. "I want— no, I need to do this." "W
The night sky was littered with bright stars, as if a celestial artist had turned it into his own luminescent canvas. Michael did not pay it any mind though, even though he used to enjoy star gazing with Olivia whenever their busy work schedules would allow them. But right now, thinking on such memories would only serve to worsen his mood. The frown on his face that had remained in place from the moment he had left Olivia's house, grew deeper as the man tightened his grip on the steering wheel. For the past ten minutes, Michael had been going over everything Olivia had said to him tonight, and he still could not figure out how the woman he loved could have decided to take such a risk. He knew Olivia was a smart and capable woman, otherwise she would never have been able to achieve all the things she had. But this was a different ballgame.Michael would not delude himself into thinking that his extreme distaste was based on purely altruistic reasons. There had been a very prominent se
The incessant droning sound of the air conditioning unit was barely indistinguishable from the useless drivel emanating from the mouths of the men and women who were seated around the large conference table, at least as far as Noah was concerned. The young man glanced down at his watch and resisted the urge to yawn as he realized that he had been sitting in this damn meeting for over an hour and a half. For a moment, Noah contemplated on just simply dismissing everyone here and leaving, but he was quick to toss that thought in the trash. This was after all his first official meeting as the new CEO of the Rock Enterprise with the company's management team. It would not do well for him to present a bad front as the new head of the company. The only thing was that Noah was already well versed in the intricate details required to run a company. Right from his youth, he had spent hours learning and managing businesses even bigger and more complicated than Rock Enterprise. So as far as he
Noah froze in a instant, every muscle in his body suddenly tensing up when Olivia said those words. At the back of his mind, a small feeling of gratitude crossed his thoughts at the fact that Olivia had chosen this restaurant of all places to meet. Nearly all of the lights in the main dining area had been turned off, leaving only the candles at the tables to serve as a low source of illumination. The intention behind this was probably to increase the romantic setting, but for now Noah was just glad that the minimal darkness prevented any of the immense shock he was feeling from being visible. On the surface though, the only noticeable sign that had slipped through his perpetually confident expression was a slight widening of his eyes and the pause that had followed Olivia's statement. Noah was acutely aware of the fact that the woman had been watching him the whole time and he was not about to let anything slip that night possibly give away his true intentions. "Well, this is ind
For the first time in a while, Olivia found herself drawn out of the realm of sleep by the incessant buzzing of her alarm clock. She blinked her eyes tiredly to push away the residual weakness that threatened to lull her back to sleep. With the way she was feeling right now, it almost seemed too appealing to simply lie in bed all morning and just hide away from the rest of the world. But hiding was not going to take care of her problems. There were a lot of things she still had to take care of, if she did not want her plans to blow up in her face. Taking a deep breath, Olivia drew herself up from her bed and went into the bathroom to get cleaned up. Then she checked her wardrobe to pick out something to wear, hoping that one of her numerous outfits would be just peppy enough to put more life into her today. A light ping from behind her caused Olivia to pause and she went over to her bedside table to check the device. The half smile that was already on her face when she picked up the
Michael never thought he would get to experience what it felt like to get so mad that one's vision would turn red. But right now, he was getting a first hand taste of that feeling, and there was no doubt in his mind that he was not a big fan of it. The day had started off terribly, courtesy of his deluded 'fiancee' Amelia who would not stop hounding him. He ended up being so done with her annoying prattling that he had chosen to leave his home for work way too early. But if he had thought that coming here would be a good way to distract himself from his problems, he had quickly realized that he had been very wrong. The moment he had set foot in the building, all he could think about were the precious moments he had shared with Olivia here right from the time they had met each other. That only sent his mood further down the drain, but this... this was the final straw. As he watched Noah Grant walk past him without a single glance thrown his way, Michael had no doubt that the other ma
Olivia made sure to inform Michael and Damian about Noah's intent to announce her pregnancy to his family. They were set to travel later that day, and she had already gotten her things packed. After learning of the plan, Damian had immediately gotten prepared and set off for home. To make sure that Noah didn't get suspicious of him and Olivia, he knew he still had to pretend to be the villain. It was crucial that they didn't get caught, especially when the final hearing was barely two weeks away. Two hours after his arrival, Noah and Olivia's car pulled into the driveway. Noah was the first to step out, a steady and warm smile spread across his face as he opened the door for Olivia. "Thank you." She whispered before locking arms with Noah. Just like the man beside her, Olivia was forced to put on a bright smile. She hated being here, she hated anything that had ties with the Grant family, and their family home was the epitome of everything she despised. Regardless, she kept her tru
The past week had been nothing short of hell for Olivia. The mere fact that she had to sleep and wake up beside the man who she knew for certain had killed her friend was already enough to ruin her entire day, now the police didn't seem to be taking Lisa's case seriously anymore. To them this was just a simple robbery gone wrong, and since they had no lead on who the culprit might be, there was little they could do. Olivia fought back the urge she had to scream out her lungs. She just couldn't believe what was happening, life was just unfair, and the evil ones always seemed to be winning. She was tired of it, but she knew that she couldn't let her rage get to her. The last thing she wanted was for her to tip Noah off especially now that she was so close to achieving her plan. Noah on the other hand couldn't care any less about Lisa's death. His wounds had healed considerably, and now that he didn't have to wear bandages anymore, he wanted to take things to the next level with Olivia
Noah immediately drove to see his doctor the moment he finished with Lisa. But before he left, he had instructed his men to make sure no evidence of him entering the apartment was found. They had cleaned Lisa's body well, making sure that Noah's DNA would not be found anywhere on her body, as well as cleared any security footage. Afterwards, his men had staged a robbery and had made sure that they were witnesses who would claim that Lisa had indeed died at the hands of a robber. As Noah drove back home, he prepared himself for the torrent of questions that he would definitely receive from Olivia. He would have to explain the bandages wrapped around his head, and he would also have to explain where he had been all this while. He knew for sure that she would have already received news of Lisa's death by now. And judging by the time, Noah already expected her to be home by now. After more than half an hour of driving, Noah finally arrived home. As he had expected, Olivia was home, her
Olivia felt her blood run cold the moment the police officer announced to her that Lisa was dead. At first she thought it was all some sort of prank, but the sound of ambulances in the background was enough to convince her that this might not be a joke. "W..what are you talking about? What are you saying?!" Olivia stammered as she forced her body to stop trembling. How on earth did this happen? Why? How?"I understand that you're in shock, but I'll need you to calm down ma'am. Right now we don't have the full details of the story, and we'll need your help if we're going to get to the bottom of it." The officer on the other side calmed Olivia. They had gone through Lisa's phone, and from the data collected from her device, they had enough material that suggested Olivia was her closest friend. So far it looked like a murder, and some witnesses had reported seeing a hooded man enter her apartment minutes before they heard a gunshot. The shattered glass and scattered living room suggest
Noah had thought that after his warning, Lisa would finally learn her place and stop interfering in his plans. But after receiving a call from his henchmen, informing him that Damian had recently gone to visit Lisa, Noah had finally come to the conclusion that he could no longer let Lisa stay around any longer. He had warned her more than enough times, but she had simply refused to listen to his words. Slipping a pistol and a silencer into his pocket, Noah made his way towards his car. He needed to pay Lisa a visit, and this visit was necessary in order to shut her up for good. Lisa had made it clear that she wouldn't stop being a burden to his plans, and Noah was simply sick and tired of tolerating her acts of insolence and defiance. Noah's mind wandered as he drove towards Lisa's apartment. He wondered how Olivia was going to react to the news of hearing that Lisa was dead, and if it was going to affect her pregnancy in any way. The last thing he wanted was to jeopardize her heal
Damian made it to Olivia's office after thirty minutes of being on the road. Lisa's words had given him a little bit of hope, now all that was left was for him to confirm things with Olivia. If they happened to be true, he would do all that he could to help her out. Lisa was right, he was the one gaining the most from all of this, and because of that he needed to show efforts in taking Noah down. Getting down from his car, he rushed into the main building, hoping and praying that Olivia had come to work today. He had barely finished with the receptionist when he was approached by a figure he wasn't quite familiar with. However, Michael knew exactly who Damian was, and he had recognized him the moment he laid eyes on him. "Is there something you want, Damian Grant?" Michael asked with raised brows and mild hostility. He didn't want to judge Damian because of Noah, but it had become impossible to think about the Grants without immediately assuming that they were up to something bad.
Damian could feel his anxiety growing as the days passed. His final court hearing with Noah was approaching soon, and so far he was on the losing end of the game. There was barely a month left before they got down to the final stages of the succession crisis. He had run out of ideas on what to do, and it seemed like Olivia wasn't making much progress with her plans.He got down from his bed, confused and feeling miserable. There wasn't much he could do anymore, and he hated that more than anything. If he lost, Noah was going to take everything and leave him with nothing, and he simply just couldn't sit still and let that happen. He needed to speak with Olivia, to know exactly where she was headed to with this plan of hers. Getting down from the bed, Damian entered the bathroom and immediately freshened up. He had been in town ever since Noah and Olivia got attacked, but hadn't made his presence known to anybody. He had been watching Noah and Olivia from the shadows, and the things he
Noah was the last person Olivia had expected to come to her office, and quite frankly she didn't know how she didn't see it coming. She should have expected it, Noah was never going to let her go without trying to know everything that she was up to. She was grateful for her secretary, if it weren't for her, Noah would have caught her in Michael's office, being intimate with the man."There was no need for you to come here, Noah." Olivia argued as she lifted her head up from the system that she was barely using. "I was worried, pregnant women shouldn't be in the office, Liv. You should be at home, resting—""I am fine, Noah! How many times do I need to tell you that?!" Olivia interjected sharply, annoyed and angry that Noah wouldn't just let her live her life in peace. What was up with him anyway?! "You should go back home, you're distracting me from work, and there isn't really anything for you to do here." Noah sat still, contemplating on whether or not he should confront Olivia ab
Although Noah had a feeling that Olivia was not going to work, he hadn't expected that she would be heading for Lisa's home. He had paid some of his henchmen to keep an eye on Lisa ever since the day she told him that she was pregnant. And today, they had called to tell him that Olivia just pulled up to Lisa's apartment, and had spent more than half an hour inside with Lisa as well. He had immediately prepared himself and had driven straight to Lisa's. Olivia was already gone by the time he arrived, but that didn't stop him from entering the complex, and heading straight for Lisa's home. He wanted to know what they had discussed, and he needed to know why Olivia had come here. Without knocking, he stormed in and entered the room to find Lisa on the couch, holding a half glass of champagne and watching television."You son of a bitch—" Lisa's words were drowned out by the shock of seeing Noah in her living room. Her surprise soon turned to rage, and she hurled the glass in her hand