Olivia ~•~My brows crippled in disbelief as I saw the news. It didn’t even take up to twenty-four hours before Sandra started spreading the news on the internet.I had woken up to several calls from Amanda and when I didn’t, she sent me a text which contained a link to a blog post. Before I even clicked on it, I knew it had something to do with me. But I was even more shocked when I saw the headline of the post. It had Sandra’s fingerprints all over it. The title made my stomach twist: "Trouble Looming? Olivia, the Returned Heir, is Pregnant with Kidnapper's Child. Will Alexander Finally See Sandra as the Perfect Match?"I let out a dry chuckle even if nothing was funny. I had warned Alexander to talk to her but I guess he didn’t listen to me. Ever since I left his house the other day, we hadn’t spoken to each other. He didn’t reach out to me and I didn’t care to contact him either. But after seeing the news, I couldn’t help but call him to confront him about it. I dialed his nu
Olivia ~•~After dropping the kids at school, I went to the mall to do some grocery shopping. I needed anything that would distract me from my reality. I also wanted to use it as a way to pass the time until Maya would call me back for our planned spa date. It was her last day in New York, so she suggested that we go to the spa for a relaxing day. With everything that had been going on, I needed the treatment more than any other person did. I didn’t hesitate to agree to the plan when she first mentioned it. A part of me was sad that she was leaving. She was the only genuine friend I had in my life. I always hoped she wouldn’t turn out to betray me. When I was done shopping, I pushed the trolley to the counter. Throughout my time at the mall, I noticed how people looked at me with judgmental eyes and whispered to themselves. I chose to ignore them but this time I couldn’t hold myself back when one of them started saying mean stuff and was loud enough for me to hear. “What is you
Chapter 87Olivia ~•~As I lay on the couch, my phone buzzed with a text. I looked at it to see it was from Maya. [ I hope you’re ready, I’m picking you up in five minutes.] I smiled as I read her text. The spa was the perfect distraction I needed from everything that was going on. I stood up from the couch and made my way to my room. I indulged in a quick shower and changed into a more comfortable outfit. I made sure to complement it with a hoodie because I didn’t want random people to start examining my body since the news about my pregnancy was all over the internet. My hands hovered around my stomach. I noticed some slight changes. It felt like my stomach was finally protruding. I was bringing another life into the world and it felt so surreal. I never expected it because I wasn’t planning on having another baby. But now, I had no choice but to accept my fate. Deep down, I promised to give my baby the best life, no matter what was going on around me. With a renewed determi
Olivia ~•~There was a brief silence on the other end before a familiar voice cut through the line, sending a cold chill down my spine.“Olivia.” I clutched the phone tighter, my heart racing. I had been dreading this call ever since Ethan was arrested. Hearing his voice brought back memories I was trying so hard to suppress. “Ethan,” I replied, trying to steady my voice. “What do you want?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. I didn’t want to draw the kid's attention to me. Ethan laughed, a burst of humorless laughter. “Are you seriously asking me?” He muttered, a hint of amusement in his voice. I remained silent. “Why didn’t you tell me about our baby?” He added and I scoffed. “What baby?” I asked, pretending I had no idea what he was talking about. Ethan hesitated for a while, then he cleared his throat and continued. “Have you forgotten that it is everywhere on the internet? Just because you let Alexander put me in prison doesn’t mean I don’t know what is going on.”
Olivia ~•~It had been three weeks since I last spoke to Alexander. I didn’t reach out to him and he didn’t care to contact me either. Whenever the kids asked me about their father, I always came up with one excuse or another. But even if Alexander wasn’t speaking to me, he still delivered the office keys to me. At first, I didn’t want to accept it anymore but when I talked to my sister about it, she convinced me to take the keys. However, I still didn’t start setting up the company because of all the numerous hospital check ups I had. I planned on finally setting up the office with the help of Amanda. It was the weekend and I planned on dropping the kids off with my mother and then going to the new place with Amanda. “Are you guys ready to spend your day with grandma?” I asked the twins as we made our way to the car. They both nodded in unison and we settled down in the backseat. The ride to my mother’s house was a brief one. I also didn’t spend a lot of time there before goin
Alexander ~•~My hands hovered around my keyboard as I contemplated dialing Olivia’s number. It was my usual routine ever since I found out about her pregnancy. I mean, ever since I said some hurtful things to her when I found out about it. I was so upset that I let my emotions cloud my judgment. I regretted my actions and wanted to make it up to her but I was scared of her reaction. She didn’t care to reach out to me and I felt she didn’t want anything to do with me again. I had asked the building manager to call me whenever Olivia finally began the office setup, but ever since I delivered the keys to her, she hadn’t visited the building. I hated myself because I felt she didn’t want to set up the office again. After all, she was upset about my behavior. I had fucked up and I needed to fix it instead of running away from my problems. Three weeks had passed and I hadn’t seen the twins because I was feeling too guilty and couldn’t look Olivia in the eyes. She was going through
Olivia ~•~“I got you something to show you how sorry I am,” Alexander added. “Follow me.” He gestured towards the door. I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I should follow him or not. But my curiosity got the best of me, I dropped my package on the counter and trailed behind him as he led me outside.My jaw dropped and I was taken aback by the sight in front of me. Alexander was apologizing to me with an expensive car with a sign saying: “I’m sorry, Olivia.” I felt a mixture of different emotions and I didn’t know how to react. “Olivia.” Alexander turned around and reached for my hands. “I’m really sorry. I’m sorry about everything that happened. I’m sorry that I let my emotions get the best of me.” I opened my mouth to speak but I was at a loss for words. I liked that he apologized to me but I just couldn’t forget about everything that happened just because of an overdue apology. “I was angry at Ethan and I took it out on you,” Alexander added, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.
Olivia ~•~ Amanda and I headed back upstairs to meet Alexander. As we entered the room, she grabbed her bag from the chair. “Well, I think this is my cue to leave,” Amanda said with a playful wink, a hint of mischief in her eyes. With a sly smile, she turned and sashayed out the door, leaving Alexander and me alone. “Do you know Ethan did this to me purposely?” I asked as I turned to Alexander. “He called me from prison and said he purposely impregnated me so I would be trapped with him.” Alexander’s eyes grew wide in shock. “Are you serious?” I nodded. “Yeah. Everything is actually your fault. You made him feel insecure and he punished me for it.” “I always knew that man wasn’t good for you.” “Yeah, right.”“But I’m here for you now. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask me.” Alexander said, his eyes locked into mine. “I care about you a lot and the baby doesn’t change anything.” I smiled, feeling grateful to hear those words from Alexander. “Thank you, it means a lot
Chapter 269Riley Burke ~•~I wanted everything to be perfect! For the past two weeks, I’ve been looking forward to this day. Mason and I were finally going on our date. I had no idea why I was nervous. It wasn’t like it was the first time I was going out with him. Maybe I was just having PTSD from our last date. But I knew I had nothing to be worried about. My father had assured me that he was okay with me being with Mason. He wanted me to be happy, even if my happiness included being with someone who had hurt us in the past. It wasn’t Mason who hurt us but I just didn’t focus on that part. As long as he was ready to move past the whole situation, I didn’t care to correct him anymore. “The makeup artist is here!” Rowan yelled loud enough for me to hear after knocking on my room door. Yes, I had to ask for a professional makeup artist because I was hellbent on making everything perfect. “I’ll be downstairs soon,” I replied as I wore my hair bonnet to protect my hair while getti
Chapter 268Mason Craig ~•~Ever since Riley’s father picked her up from the restaurant and interrupted our date, I had this lingering feeling of sadness inside me. But I acted like everything was fine and normal. I didn’t want to put too much pressure on her. I felt hurt because every day I woke up, I was reminded that she wasn’t my girl and could easily give another boy a chance. I didn’t want that to happen but at the same time, I didn’t have any control over it. Every day felt like torture but I was glad that it had finally come to an end. Riley’s father had finally approved of our relationship. A wave of excitement surged through me but I tried my best to remain calm when she told me about it. I would finally be able to be with the girl of my dreams. I had a feeling that he changed his mind because my father agreed to help when Riley had gone missing. I also had my father to thank. He finally fixed the mess he had caused earlier. Everything was finally going smoothly. I h
Chapter 267Olivia ~•~“Are you sure you don’t mind seeing them together?” I asked Alexander for the umpteenth time when he said he wanted to tell Riley that she could be with Mason. I didn’t want a situation where he would second guess his choice and regret his decision. Or a situation where he wouldn’t be nice to the boy later in the future. It wouldn’t be fair on Riley. Alexander nodded his head as he parked the car in the driveway. “Yes, I’m sure.” He assured me. “I shouldn’t be the one to take away my daughter’s chance at teenage love.” He added, smiling at me. I shrugged. “Okay, if you say so,” I replied as I loosened my seatbelt. “I hope you don’t have any secret animosity towards him that will reveal itself later.” Alexander laughed. “Don’t you trust me?” He asked, raising a brow at me. “I’m not holding anything against the boy. Not even his parents.” “Fine.” We stepped out of the car and made our way into the house. On our way back home, we stopped at the mall to get
Chapter 266Riley Burke ~•~It was fun having my friends over for the weekend. And it was a total flop trying to pretend like I was surprised when they first arrived. They saw right through my pretense. Even if we hadn’t been friends for so long, they knew me well enough. I barely even thought about what I had gone through while they were around. Having them around was a good distraction. I was sad that they had to leave. But I couldn’t do anything about it as I walked them to the car. During their stay, I realized that it was actually my mother’s idea to invite them over. Now it made sense why she was so welcoming. My mother didn’t usually like it when I had my friends over. I mean, my friends from high school. Our family was always under scrutiny, so she didn’t trust anybody. It was nice to see her giving my new friends a chance. The weekend was over and it was a new school week. I hadn’t completely healed but even when I assured my parents that I would be okay, they claime
Chapter 265Riley Burke ~•~As soon as my dad handed me a new phone, I found my friend's phone number and called them immediately. It was already noon and on the weekend, so I was confused about why none of them answered their phones. I mean, those girls were literally always with their phones. I really wanted to speak to them, but I guess I had to wait until later to try calling them again. Maybe they were busy with something. I spent most of my time inside my room and I was getting bored. Normally, my mother didn’t like it when l took my food upstairs but this time, she brought the food to my room by herself. I hadn’t gotten any reason to go downstairs. I needed a change of environment, so I decided to freshen up and head downstairs. I was pretty sure Rowan and Jason were playing video games in the living room. After spending about thirty minutes in the bathroom, I dressed up in my comfortable sweatshirt and shorts before making my way downstairs. “Hey,” Jason said as soon a
Chapter 264Olivia ~•~I wanted to accompany Alexander when he was going to see Maxim, but he refused. I knew that he didn’t want me to see him, but still, he said I was going to see him later. After helping Riley with dinner and giving her medication, I went back to the room to meet Alexander. I hadn’t talked to him since he came back from the station. “Hey, what happened at the station?” I asked him as I walked into the room. He was standing in front of the closet and searching through it. “I have something to tell you,” Alexander muttered under his breath. My interest became piqued. “I’m listening,” I responded as different thoughts ran through my head. Alexander sounded so serious and I couldn’t help but wonder what he wanted to say to me. He took a deep breath and turned around. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.” He cleared his throat and continued. “You remember when you found out that Maxim was a fraud?” He asked and I nodded, anticipating what he had to say next. “Y
Chapter 263Riley Burke~•~When we finished at the restaurant, my father asked my mother to drive me back home. He wanted to go to the station to see Maxim and the other men who kept me hostage. My mother wanted to accompany him but he refused, saying she would see him later. As soon as my father left, I followed my mother to the car. I couldn’t wait to go back home and see my brothers. I was so excited to see everyone. Being free felt so good. “Riley, I’m inviting the doctor over, so she can do a checkup and give you the necessary treatments you need.” My mother said as I settled down on the passenger’s seat. I hated anything related to hospitals or medical care, but I couldn’t protest against it. I actually needed medication because I was still in pain. My legs and my head were still hurting and I needed the pain to stop. “Sure,” I responded with a smile and my mother nodded. A few minutes later, we arrived at the house. My heart leaped for joy as the security guards open
Chapter 262 Rowan Burke ~•~I loved my sister but I had no idea that her absence would affect me so badly. Ever since I realized she was missing, I couldn’t even focus on anything else. My mind was always racing with different thoughts. What if something bad had happened to her and my parents took so long to search for her? Everyone thought Riley had willingly disappeared but that wasn’t the case. My sister was missing. I couldn’t even talk to anyone or go anywhere. I shut everyone out, including my girlfriend, Belle. Until Riley was found, I was certain that I would be restless. While my parents were at the station, I kept on blowing their phones with constant calls. Most of the time, they didn’t respond. A part of me felt bad because I wanted to be kept in the loop, I wanted to know what was going on, or even if they had gotten a lead. But I knew that they were busy and my calls were distracting them from doing their work. When my mother finally answered her phone, she a
Chapter 261Olivia ~•~Different waves of emotions rushed through me as I saw Riley running in our direction. Relief, joy, and gratitude swirled together, overwhelming me.I was so happy to see her. For a moment, I thought we were at a dead end. I thought she had left the house or the men they caught were probably lying about her whereabouts. She looked so scared but also excited to see us. Before I could even move, Alexander rushed and pulled her in a tight hug. I was still in shock as I watched them reunite. After a few moments, I joined them, turning the hug into a group hug. “Oh my baby, um happy to see you.” I smiled at Riley as we broke the hug. Riley looked like she was struggling to hold back her tears. I could only imagine what she had gone through at the hands of those people. Alexander stepped aside to call the detectives. He wanted them to know that we had seen Riley. While he made the call, I led Riley to the car. As soon as we got into the car, I began asking her