Olivia ~•~I opened the front door and asked him to leave, but he refused and closed it back. “I’m not going anywhere, Olivia.” He said firmly as he hovered around me. My heart began racing. “Alexander, please leave.” I tried to sound firm but my voice was barely above a whisper. Ethan was right, I couldn’t resist Alexander. I didn’t know how I got there. I was really mad at him earlier in the day but now he was making me weak in my knees. He lifted my chin and looked me into my eyes. “I’ve missed you, Olivia.” He said, his hot breath fanning my face. “You should relax, your heart is beating fast.” He cupped my cheeks and rubbed his over my skin, sending shivers down my spine. I tried to pull away but it was as though my legs were glued to the spot. “Alexander, please,” I whispered again, my voice trembling. “I know I messed up but I can’t lose you again.” He added, his eyes burning with intensity. “I’ll fight for you, Olivia.” He leaned closer, his lips brushing against mine.
Olivia~•~After Ethan hung up the call, I tried calling him several times but he wouldn’t respond. Just as I was about to drop my phone, I got a text from Amanda. [ Have you seen the news???] I narrowed my eyes in confusion. What was on the news and how was it my business? The next text that came was a link. I took a deep breath as I clicked on the link. My eyes widened in disbelief as I saw the content of the social media post. It was a picture of Alexander letting himself into my house. And the surprising fact was that it was a blog from New York who posted it. It wasn’t even in California. How did it even happen? Who took the picture? Why was my business everywhere? In a city that I didn’t even live in. It was so messed up. Ethan didn’t focus on social media, so I couldn’t help but wonder how he knew about it. Maybe someone showed it to him. But who could it be? My hands trembled as I tried to dial Alexander’s number. I wondered if he had seen the posts. I watched the phone
Olivia ~•~I was stunned! What the fuck was Ethan doing? The last time I checked, he was mad at me and needed space. He said he couldn’t do it anymore but now he was proposing to me. Ethan knelt on one knee and pulled out a small black box from his back pocket. “Olivia Keating, will you marry me?” He asked, giving me an anticipatory look. I was confused and didn’t know the right words to say. Ethan remained in the same position. I never thought of getting remarried. Plus, this definitely wasn’t the time to get married. I didn’t know what to do, so I just turned around and ran back to my office. Some of our coworkers who were present tried to stop me but I kept on running. Even if I had ever thought about getting married to Ethan, I couldn’t say yes to him after the encounter with Alexander the other day. The thought of spending the rest of my life with Ethan made me realize that I was still stuck on Alexander. I couldn’t lose him forever. When I got to my office, I slammed th
Ethan ~•~My eyes widened in disbelief when I got a text from an unknown number. [ You need to see this.] I sat upright on the bed as I saw a link the person sent. It was a blog post about Olivia and Alexander. I didn’t want to jump to conclusions because Alexander could have been at her house for the kids instead of her. But she promised me that she was going to stay away from him. I was still confused about why someone would send it to me. I was also curious to know who the person was. After some research, it turned out the unknown person was Sandra. Olivia’s former best friend. It looked like we had a common goal. To let Alexander and Olivia completely move on from each other. I didn’t like the fact that I had to compete with the father of her children. I knew I said I needed some space from her but I couldn’t let Alexander win. The thought of the both of them together made my stomach churn. I was certain Olivia still had a soft spot for Alexander but I wasn’t going to give
Ethan ~•~I should’ve expected that she would react that way. Proposing to her was a stupid idea. I didn’t even think it through. I just let my emotions control me. I forced a fake smile and turned to the workers who helped plan the proposal. “Thank you for helping.” I expressed my gratitude. After placing the ring back in my pocket, I walked out of the rooftop and to Olivia’s office. Her door was closed but I knew she was inside. “Please open up, Olivia.” I pleaded as I knocked multiple times with a reply. The desperation and frustration in my voice was evident. I heard muffled voices from inside the room, I could tell she was talking to someone inside. She was probably telling them about how crazy I was because I proposed out of the blues. For someone who had just been publicly embarrassed, I should’ve left the office for the day. But I didn’t. I kept on knocking on Olivia’s door. After a while, I heard her walking towards the door. But she still hesitated to open the door. “
Olivia ~•~“You’re fired, effective immediately!” Ethan said firmly, his eyes flashing with anger. Before I could say anything, he just walked out of the door and slammed it loudly. I stood there as uncontrollable tears streamed down my face. I shouldn’t have told him about Alexander and me. I had ruined everything. My indecisive nature cost me my job and my relationship. I didn’t blame Ethan. I would’ve acted the same way too. I messed up the first time and he gave me another chance. But I still blew it up again. I wanted to go after him but I didn’t want the other workers to see me in tears. I also didn’t want to cause a scene in the office. I walked back to my chair and collapsed into it. I even cried harder when I realized I was leaving the office. I had worked there for over five years and now I was being fired. I deserved it. After wiping off my tears with the back of my hand, I grabbed a box and started packing my stuff. My heart ached as I remembered all the memories I
Olivia ~•~I never imagined I’d be in this situation, but life clearly had other plans. After five months of struggling to get back on my feet in California, I realized there was nothing left there for me anymore.I tried my best to get my life on track. I tried to find a new job but Ethan made it his life mission to sabotage everything for me. Even when Alexander offered to help, I declined his offer. I didn’t want to be indebted to him. Things were so bad that I started taking shifts as a waitress at a restaurant close to my house just to make ends meet. But when Alexander found out about my waitress job, he occasionally sent money to my account against my will. He claimed he couldn’t watch the mother of the kids stress herself when he had a lot of money lying around. At first, I tried to return the money because I didn’t want anything from him. But when I saw how it helped, I just let him do what he wanted to do. Whenever I spoke to Amanda, she always advised me to leave Calif
Olivia ~•~"Olivia Keating Spotted at Airport with Kids - Is She Back to Claim Her Throne from Sandra?" I rolled my eyes and tossed my phone onto the bed, annoyed by the news headline.I had only been in New York for about twenty-four hours and they were already talking about me on the blogs. I couldn’t help but wonder what other rumors and dramas awaited me. I was about to rest my head and drift off to sleep when my phone started ringing. I groaned inwardly and stretched my hand to retrieve it from the other side of the bed. Alexander’s name was flashing on the screen. “What do you want?” I demanded with a slightly groggy voice as I answered the phone. “Did I wake you up?” Alexander’s tone was apologetic. “I just called to tell you that the apartment is ready and you can move in tomorrow.” When we first arrived, Alexander wanted us to stay at his house. But I was strongly against it. I didn’t want to stay under the same roof with him. I had enough money to rent an apartment. Ho
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