Micheal remained stunned for a good minute, unsure if he was actually staring at the sweet Amelia he used to know. He hadn't seen this part of her, and it had genuinely scared him. "I..I'll drive you home." He managed to squeeze out after a minute of awkward silence between them."No, that's no fun at all. Show me around town, let me get to know your new life." Amelia suggested, a clever scheme to find out the lady who Michael had tried to replace her with. If Michael succumbed to her request, then chances were that she would meet this lady that Michael had fallen in love with. Michael on the hand was quick to catch on to Amelia's plans, and immediately dismissed that idea. "You're exhausted, you should get some rest. We'll save the tour for another day—""I insist! It's my body, I know what's best for me." Amelia interjected sharply. Michael clenched the steering wheel, unsure how to deal with Amelia's stubbornness. He knew what she was up to, and she wasn't doing much to cover he
Olivia paused for a moment, her gaze shifting from Amelia to Michael. She arched a curious brow at him, still unsure if she had heard correctly, or if all this was some sort of prank. Nevertheless, she took Amelia's outstretched hand, a practiced smile playing on her lips as they shook hands. "It's nice to meet you, Amelia. I hope you enjoy your stay here." Olivia said before turning to Michael a second time. She expected something from him, a sign perhaps, or even a shift in his nervousness. However, Michael stood still, his gaze focused on the ground instead of her eyes. She didn't push further, she merely turned towards Amelia who had a snarky smile on her face. "Enjoy your tour." She concluded before walking away from the two of them. She had completely forgotten why she needed Michael in the first place, all she could feel right now was anger and betrayal, but she didn't act on those feelings. She wouldn't act on them until she had heard what Michael had to say. "She's g
Olivia found herself staring blankly at the computer screen, the way she had for nearly the past fifteen minutes. With a shake of her head, she drew herself out of her thoughts and tried to focus on getting some work done. But no matter how she tried, the events that had happened downstairs continued to play out in her mind repeatedly. That other woman, Amelia... The way she had acted with Michael spoke of a very long term relationship. She had introduced herself as his fiance, and the hesitation she had seen on Michael's face had been nearly enough to break her heart. Michael had been something she had never thought she would meet after what she had endured with Noah. Noah had done terrible things to Olivia's mental and physical state. All the times he had treated her like she was worthless, and she had been unable to realize all the signals. But once she had, it had almost been too late. She had lost her child but she had been fortunate to come out with her life. In the years aft
Olivia's eyelids drew back just seconds before the alarm clock beside her bed released a particularly aggravating ring that was guaranteed to wake the dead. Her pale blue eyes flickered around the room for a few moments before the ringing became too much to bear. Placing a firm hand on the device, she turned off the alarm and moved the soft blankets off her body. "Sometimes I wonder why I even still keep that thing around," the woman monologued, her gaze momentarily fixated on the annoying machine. Olivia had always been a light sleeper and an early riser, which meant she did not really need the clock. But she still left the small shoebox sized object sit on the bedside table everyday. Just in case. Olivia went down the stairs and straight to her laptop where she wasted no time in pulling up her emails. There was a notification there for a new one and she pulled it up quickly. It was a message from Damian expressing his personal thanks for the invitation to the city and an affirmat
Olivia inhaled sharply as she stepped through the heavy double glass doors of the restaurant. The cool air of the street felt soothing on her skin, although it did nothing to alleviate the sting of emotion that had coursed through her body just moments earlier. Even though Olivia had come here with her own mind full of suspicions, to actually hear them being confirmed was something else though.No, not confirmed. Damian himself had sounded uncertain when he had told her what he had. But still, it was too much of a coincidence that both of them just happened to have thought of the same possibility. And considering the situation and the man involved, that possibility was already most likely the truth. Olivia took hurried steps towards her car, doing her best not to let her emotions show on her face. In all honestly, she should have known better than to have thought that an irredeemable piece of trash like Noah could possibly have any positive intentions for her. That man was devious an
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
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