Olivia ~•~“Let’s go back inside and make arrangements for Dad’s funeral. That’s what we are here for.” I realized I needed to take control of the situation. I didn’t want to let my emotions get to me anymore. Amanda nodded in agreement and we both made our way back to the front door. As we walked into the house, Sandra was coming outside. She avoided eye contact as she walked past us but I couldn’t miss the opportunity to call her out for what she did in person. I grabbed her by the hand and stopped her from walking further. “How could you even stoop so low?” I asked, my voice dripping with disdain. Amanda wanted to stop me but I ignored her and focused on Sandra. Sandra was at a loss for words. “After getting pregnant by him, you still dared to show your face here,” I asked with a humorless chuckle. “Don’t you even have a little bit of self-respect?” “The both of you were divorced and you moved out to God knows where. So don’t blame me for going for what made me happy.” There
Olivia ~•~“What?” I exclaimed, my eyes widening in shock. Even if I was curious, I never asked how everything happened because I felt it was just going to hurt me more. “Yes, I wouldn’t hurt you like that on purpose.” He assured me. “I had a shitty night that day, so I decided to go to the bar. I met Sandra there and I got wasted. She offered to accompany me to the house because I was really drunk and when I woke up the morning, I saw her on my bed with our clothes scattered on the floor.” Even if it had already happened, I still gave Sandra the benefit of the doubt. “So how are you so sure you didn’t consent to it? How are you so sure she took advantage of you?” Alexander sighed. “Even if the whole night was a blur, I knew I wouldn’t do something like that with Sandra.” He continued. “When I asked her about the night, she said I looked like I needed it. She claimed I needed someone else to get over you.” Sandra knew he wasn’t in the right state of mind, and she still went ahea
Olivia ~•~“So which of them is going to get a second chance at your love?” Maya asked and I laughed. I spent the whole afternoon with Maya, explaining what was going on in my life to her. Ethan was pissed at me because I was finally on good terms with Alexander. He felt like I was going to get back with Alexander even if I assured him that nothing would happen. Alexander and I have been talking a lot because he always wanted to speak with the kids. They were so happy when I introduced him to them during the holiday. According to Rowan, he could finally talk about his father to his friends in school. Riley wasn’t as excited as Rowan was. They spent a lot of time with Alexander in New York. I took them there during the holiday just like I promised. When it was time to return to California, they didn’t even want to leave. During the time we spent there, I ran into Sandra several times, she couldn’t look me in the face because she realized I knew the whole truth. I also met Jason.
Olivia ~•~I switched off my phone the following day because I didn’t want to speak to Alexander. I had no idea what he was doing in California and I wasn’t ready to see him just yet. He must’ve left me a lot of calls and messages because he opted to send me emails. I still didn’t respond to the emails which were popping up on my computer screen at work. “What is he doing here?” Ethan asked angrily as he stormed into my office. Was he out of his mind? What was who doing here? My face twisted in disgust. “What are you talking about?” I asked, oblivious of what he was talking about. He looked so pissed and I couldn’t help but wonder what was happening. “Your ex-husband, Alexander.” I chuckled in disbelief. I wasn’t expecting him to show up at my workplace. How did he even know I was at work? “Where is he?” I stood up from my chair, walking in the direction of the door. Just as I was about to step out, Ethan held my hand and dragged me back. “I’ll just tell him to leave. You don’
Olivia ~•~“I’m just called to inform you that I’m having lunch with the kids, Alexander, and his parents tomorrow,” I said to Ethan as he answered the phone. “Hello to you too,” Ethan responded in a sarcastic tone. “I’m sorry.” I apologized, taking a deep breath. “Hey, how are you doing?” I asked. I was stressed out, so I just went straight to the point initially. Plus, I wanted to inform Ethan about the lunch before he would find out by himself. “I’m good, babe. How are you?” Ethan replied and I sighed heavily. “I’m good. I just had a long day.” I had to take the kids to the park as a reward for good behavior. And unlike the last time we went, nobody interrupted us, so we spent a lot of hours there. “Sorry about that, love.” He said sympathetically. “What time are you leaving for lunch? I could pick you up and drop you there.” That was a kind gesture but I couldn’t accept it. I was trying my best to keep Ethan and Alexander apart from each other. Without hesitation, I shoo
Alexander ~•~“Please, I know how you feel about the situation but just be nice to her.” I reminded my parents again even though I had said it several times. “Sure, Alexander. We will be nice to the lady who kept your children away from you all these years.” My mother offered a fake smile as she placed the last set of cutlery on the table. Since it was her first time meeting her grandchildren, she insisted on cooking lunch herself. Even when Caroline and the chef offered to help, she declined their help. “Please, just pretend to be nice.” I pleaded again and my mother nodded in agreement. If she had her way, she would have asked Olivia to drop off the kids and pick them up after lunch. Things were finally starting to get good with Olivia again and I didn’t want to ruin it. “She just texted to let me know she’s on her way,” I announced when my mother was done setting the table. “Are you nervous?” Caroline raised a brow at me when she saw how restless I had become. “Don’t tell me
Olivia ~•~I was surprised by how Alexander’s parents reacted to my apology. I wasn’t expecting them to forgive me so easily. I was just being nervous for nothing. After talking for a while, I excused myself from the table because I needed some fresh air. As I walked outside, I noticed someone was walking behind me. I didn’t need anyone to tell me that it was Alexander walking behind me. When we got to the foyer, I stopped and turned to him. “I wasn’t expecting them to be so nice,” I confessed, my voice laced with disbelief. Alexander smiled and took my hands in his. “Yeah, everyone is ready to move forward. I’m ready to move forward with you too. Have you thought about what we discussed in New York?” He asked, staring directly into my eyes. I hesitated for a while. I wanted to tell him about Ethan and me but he looked so excited, so I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. “I want you back, Olivia. I made a mistake years ago and I want to make everything right.” He added and I was
Olivia ~•~When I wanted to go back to Alexander’s house to pick up the kids, he offered to bring them home himself. I declined the offer because I didn’t want him to know where I was living. Alexander, however, didn’t take no for an answer. He insisted he would drop them off himself. Even if I didn’t let him come to my apartment, he was going to find out where I lived one way or another. After much back and forth, I finally decided to let him bring the kids. He was just going to drop them off and leave immediately after, so I had nothing to worry about. I wasn’t going to let him inside. While waiting for the kids to arrive, I decided to call my sister. It had been a while since we last spoke. I grabbed my phone from the side drawer and dialed Amanda’s number. “Hello, stranger.” She teased as she answered the call on the first ring. I couldn’t help but laugh. “How is it going?”“Good, I guess. I just wanted to check up on you, it’s been a while.” I rubbed a thumb across my brow.
Mason Craig~•~A few moments later, I heard a loud bang on my door, followed by my mother’s angry voice. “Mason Craig! Why did you choose to betray our family?” I had no idea how long I had been asleep for but I jerked back to reality after I heard those words come out from my mother’s mouth. I stood up from my bed immediately and walked to the door. My mother had a disappointed look on her face as the door swung open. “What are you talking about?” I asked, my brows etched in confusion. “So you decided to tell your little girlfriend about what we did? You decided to snitch and betray your family?” She questioned, her voice laced with disdain. My eyes were still thick with sleep and it took me a minute to process what she was talking about. “What do you mean? What girlfriend? I didn’t say anything to anybody.” I responded, my tone defensive. “Oh please!” She waved her hands violently in the air. “Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Follow me downstairs, your fa
Riley Burke ~•~After I was done talking to Mason, I went to meet Rowan because he asked me to meet him after my class. We were meant to go back home together. He was waiting for me in the driveway. I settled down in the front seat of the car and fastened my seatbelt. As we drove back to the house, I contemplated telling Rowan about the situation with Mason. But I wasn’t sure if I should say anything. Rowan would be so upset and probably tell my parents about it. I didn’t know if I wanted anybody to know what I knew Mason personally. It was best if I kept it away from them for a while. After an exhausting drive, we arrived at the house. “Is Belle still pissed at you?” I asked Rowan as we both stepped out of the car.He shook his head. “Yes, I messed up big time and I’m not sure she’ll forgive me easily,” Rowan admitted, running his hands through his hair. My lips parted and I blinked. “What? How did you mess up?” My curiosity got the best of me and I couldn’t resist asking him
Mason Craig~•~After Riley left, I remained in the office for a few more minutes. I needed some time to think and clear my head. I was certain that Riley didn’t believe anything I said and I had no idea how to make her see that I was being completely honest with her. Even if she eventually comes around, things will still be weird between us because of my parent’s behavior. After meeting so many shallow people, I finally found someone worth starting something with again. But it was already crumbling before it could even start. I didn’t have any other classes, so I decided to head back home. I locked the office and made my way back to my car. My uncle was a professor at the university, so he gave me a spare key. He asked me to go there whenever I needed a break from the crowd. He was one of the reasons why my father allowed me to attend Columbia University. He wanted me to go to a different country for college, but I didn’t want to go far away. Most times, I do regret my choice. I
Riley Burke ~•~I was already pissed when I saw Mason walking into the class. But his stupid text only fueled my irritation more. He still had the guts to ask if he did something wrong. Whenever I was upset and couldn’t do anything about it, my legs automatically started shaking. Liam noticed and tried his best to calm me down.I hated the fact that I was about to crash out in public. At first, I didn’t want to respond to his text. But out of annoyance, I responded to him and then blocked his number afterward.I didn’t want him to contact me anymore.After what felt like an eternity, the class was finally over. At one point, I even wanted to walk out of the class, but Liam persuaded me to stay. As everyone left the class, I wanted to rush out before Mason could get the chance to speak to me, but he was faster than me. I knew I wanted to have a conversation with him to demand answers but I wasn’t interested anymore. My daddy was going to take care of everything. “What do you want
Mason Craig ~•~After thinking about what to do for a while, I decided to tell Riley about it. I could imagine how devastated she would be if she found out about it from someone else. I didn’t want her to think I was part of it in any way. I knew telling her was me betraying my parents, but I didn’t care. The truth was going to come out eventually. I didn’t want it to look like I was enabling their behavior. At first, I wanted to call Riley and talk to her about it over the phone, but since we had a class together later in the day, I decided to leave it. I would have a conversation with her after our class. A few hours later, it was time for me to leave for school. I was already running late, so I grabbed my keys and bag before rushing down to the car. While I was on my way to school, I couldn’t stop thinking about the damage my parents had caused. They were so hungry for power and success, it wasn’t healthy. Even if they were giving me the silent treatment, I was still determ
Riley Burke ~•~As I got to school, I contemplated going back to my dorm room or going to class. I wasn’t sure I was in the right head space to see Mason. My mind was spinning with different thoughts and I was laced with anger. I couldn’t believe someone would betray me like that. I felt so stupid and used. I didn’t even know what to say to him. As I stepped out of the car, I decided to call Harper first to ask if she was in the room. I didn’t want to go to meet in an empty room, it would just fuel my frustration more. Harper didn’t answer her phone. I was guessing that was in class and couldn’t take the call. Letting out a frustrated sigh, I decided to call Amelia instead. I let out a relieved sigh when Amelia answered on the first ring. “Hey, what’s up? Are you in class?” I asked with a hint of urgency in my voice. “No, I’m in the dorm room.” She replied. “What’s going on?”I didn’t want to talk on the phone. “You’ll see me soon.” I ended the call and made my way to the dorm
Riley Burke ~•~It was finally time for me to leave for school.The driver was already waiting for me downstairs. I took one last look at my reflection in the mirror. I was satisfied with my look and my outfit for the day. I wore a pink sweatshirt and a short leather skirt with boots. I grabbed my coat and bag and then arranged my hair before heading downstairs. I only had one class, so I was kind of thrilled about it. Plus, I’ll also get to see my friends and Mason. As I walked down the stairs, I ran into my mother and Caroline discussing seriously in the living room. They were so engrossed in the conversation that they didn’t hear me walk down the stairs. “What’s going on?” My voice diverted both of their attention to me: I was able to hear some of what they were saying, so they didn’t see the need to keep it away from me. Plus, I deserved to know. I asked my father to keep me in the loop and he agreed to do so. “They finally found the people responsible for tarnishing the com
Mason Craig ~•~I could barely get any sleep the previous night because I couldn’t stop thinking about what Tristain had told me. He confirmed my fears about my parents being the ones responsible for Burke’s company’s rumors. I was highly disappointed. A part of me was also scared. Why did it have to be them? How would Riley feel if she eventually found out that my parents were the ones who were responsible? My mind was spiraling with different thoughts. I contemplated confronting my parents but they were already not speaking to me. I wondered if I should call Riley and tell her about it, but that wouldn’t be a smart move. It would be as though I was betraying my family. I hated that I was in such a position. I couldn’t even think properly. I didn’t know the right step to take. I didn’t even want my parents to know that I was friends with someone from the Burke family. I had no idea how they would react to it. Even if I wanted to keep the truth away from Riley, nothing stays h
Riley Burke ~•~“Stop asking because I’m not coming with you.” “Riley, please.” “Rowan, no. I don’t have any class until noon and I’m not ready to wait in the dormitory. I’ll just go with one of the drivers later.” “I’ll do anything you want, please.” Rowan had classes in the morning but I didn’t have any class until noon. Normally, Rowan would be pleased to go to school without me, but this time he had his girlfriend over and they got into a big fight. They were meant to drive back to school together but he wanted me to accompany them because he didn’t want the drive to be awkward. I always asked that he should stop putting me in the middle of their problems, but he never listened to me. It was always like this with them. They’ll have a big fight, ignore each other for a while, then make up again. Even when I mistakenly suggested that they part ways, he made it seem like I was just being a hater. I liked Belle, even if we weren’t exactly friends. I liked her as my brother’s g