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9. MOVING IN WITH OLIVER
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Played By Love 10. LIFE OF A CEO
A knock resonated on the door.This broke Zara out of her trance. She stood up without hesitation as she had been awake a while ago. She pulled the door open and was met with a beaming Maya.“Good morning, Mrs Russel. You look lovely," she began as she gestured at her clothes. She helped herself into the room and stopped in the center to face Zara again.Zara blushed as she subconsciously looked down at her outfit. She had chosen a blue sweatshirt which tightly fitted her body, a pair of harbor jeans that seemed as if they were made only for her and a pair of white sneakers. Her dark hair was tied in a ponytail. She looked beautiful without even trying so hard."Good morning and thank you, ma'am," Zara chirped and dipped her head in the process.Maya tilted her head at her before clearing her throat. "Maya, that's my name," she corrected.Zara raised her head at the head maid and smiled. "I have a better idea. If you call me Zara, then I'll address you as you wish," she laid out her
Played By Love 11. THE MAKEOVER
“Oh. . .I’m sorry I’m late,” Anne began as soon as she came in.She looked like she was going for a magazine cover photoshoot; on the category, '30 and made.'She had all shades of purple on. Her blazers fitted perfectly on her well tailored pants. Her stilettos and her clutch bag were the same shade of purple, a darker shade compared to her clothes. She finished with pearled jewelry and everything soothed her well.Zara had to stop herself from gawking like an idiot. It was even stranger that she was working with the exquisitely dressed woman standing before her."It's okay, I finished my breakfast a few minutes ago," Zara muttered a response.Anne nodded in response before continuing. “We have a number of events lined up and here is our schedule for today.”Anne handed over a tablet to her. Zara accepted it and stared at the scream cluelessly. She wondered if she would be able to play her part well.“I’m not sure if Mr. Russel has briefed you. We are going to shoot a video, if you s
Played By Love 12. IN ANNE'S HOUSE
Was she still dreaming?Anne led Zara to her car and drove her away from the fashion house. Inside the car, she decided to play soft music. She usually streamed all her songs on Spotify and she had her favorite playlist set. She moved her head slowly to the music as she drove and she noticed that even Zara moved her head to the rhythm.Zara stole a glance at Anne. She was unsure of their next destination. She guessed that it was where they would make the video but she also thought that there perhaps was another stop to make first. In the end, she decided to voice out her thoughts, only then would she get answers. "I'm guessing we're going to make the video," Zara pointed out while staring at the cars that drove past them. She had not yet gotten to the live uptown. It was almost as if everyone who lived here were always in a hurry to meet someone."We sure are, I hope you've memorized your lines?" Anne asked without looking at her. She made a turn to her left effortlessly and continue
Played By Love 13. THE VIDEOSHOOT
"I've parked the car safely."Oliver suddenly cleared his throat and looked away from Zara. Zara too broke out of her trance and stepped aside for the men to walk in.As she watched Oliver go up to Anne, she felt her face turn red with embarrassment. What had been the meaning of that? Why had she stared at him the way she did? He probably thought her to be a pervert. What normal woman in her right senses acted the way she did?She felt so ashamed of herself and considered running out of Anne's house and never coming back. She would have done it had it not been for Kelvin's illness. She was desperate."Zara? What are you waiting for? Come here so we can start!" Anne soon instructed."I'm coming!" She exclaimed before squeezing her eyes shot and telling herself to ignore everything.Then she slowly walked up to Anne who was standing before her phone's camera. “Do you want to go over the script one more time, or are we good to go ahead?” Anne inquired, as the perfectionist side of her s
Played By Love 14. FIRST TREATMENT
Kelvin entered Umbro Medical Center for the first time. If he hadn’t seen nurses and doctors in uniforms, patients in hospital gowns moving about, he would have mistaken the building for a hotel. He walked up to the reception and got directions to his doctor’s office. He went ahead to locate the office. He passed the Neurology department and saw a young man in a wheelchair, with a young woman around the same age as the man pushing the wheelchair. Kelvin suddenly felt sadness run through his entire being, he wished Zara was with him. All he had gotten was a text, he knew if she had her way, she would have shown up. He blamed his ailment for putting them in a situation where they would not be able to see each other regularly. He had no family or friends that could have been there for him. All he had was Zara and her family. Since he had refused to reveal the news of his condition to Zara’s parents, he was doomed to be in his own. Kelvin felt alone, in a busy place as a hospital. H
Played By Love 15. DISHEARTENING NEWS
Anne was surprised he was not matching the energy she was giving. “Was it, not a video that caused the trouble we were facing in the first place? We tackled that issue with a video!”"Hold on," Oliver checked the stocks. Indeed, they had risen. "The stocks are up!" He chuckled and looked at Anne. He was grateful the whole thing worked out and he didn't have to worry about losing the company.“Yeah, different broadcast stations are wanting to have interviews with you. The tabloids are buzzing with content concerning this video. Our phone lines have been buzzing since the video was posted," she showed Oliver the iPad screen. "I picked out some interviews to be done, the first one is by 8:45 am tomorrow,” Anne dropped the tab on his table. Oliver looked at the screen, he wasn't sure he was ready to appear for interviews on this matter. Anne was jolly about it, he wanted to refuse. He knew better than to say no to Anne.He tried to change the topic of discussion, “So now that we are bac
Played By Love 16. WORRIED SICK
She was restless.Zara wondered why she had not been able to reach Kelvin. She was dying to know how the doctor's visit went. But all of a sudden, Kelvin wasn't reachable again. She kept calling, but she could not reach him, nor did he return her text.The one time she wasn't with her phone was when she went to the bathroom. By the time she came back, there were three missed calls from Kelvin.Zara immediately dialed his number and it wasn't reachable again. She became very restless, wondering what went wrong.She kept trying his number, waiting for him to pick up. All she needed was to hear Kelvin's voice at the end of the receiver.Something in her was telling her to leave the house, but she knew for sure that was not going to end well.She wasn't sure what to do and Oliver was not back from work.“Oh Oliver,” a thought came across her. She searched for his number and then remembered that she hadn't saved it. At the time, she had felt there was no need to, she could now see every r
Played By Love 17. Alive And Awake
Kelvin's eyes flew open. The dull grey ceiling stared back at him, it remained like that for some seconds. There were a lot of questions in his head at that moment,He was alive. The smell of chemicals and medicine, that signature smell of hospitals filled his nose, with a faint smell of fruits. He could hear the sound of the heart rate monitor beside him, and he noticed for the first time that he had an oxygen mask on. Kelvin slowly removed it from his face, and he heaved out a deep sigh which was stopped halfway because of a dull pain in his chest.He was really alive after all. Kelvin felt warm relief flow across his body, he had never been so happy before in his life. He had watched his life flash before his own eyes, it was disappointing that he had become quite frail.His memory jogged, and he remembered why he had passed out. Kelvin slowly sat up on the bed, his body felt heavy and weak to his commands, but he still managed. He glanced at the table and he saw his phone star
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Played By Love 45. Close call.
This was very bad. Cold sweat broke out of Kelvin's body as he worked a thousand scenarios of how today would end. Was this the end? Had she found out? Was Oliver's company and reputation going to plummet down the drain?He was very certain that the woman in front of him was Vanessa Willow. Of course, she was the one, the one that had caused problems earlier for Oliver. If she was here, it was bad news for him, it was instant death. Kelvin nodded his head at Vanessa as he greeted her. He looked at Rita as she smiled at her and he wondered what signal he could give her to back off from the crazy woman in front of him. How could someone so beautiful be as evil as the press portrayed her to be?“Kelvin!” Rita called out. She noticed that he had been staring out into space for a long time. Kelvin greeted Rita briefly and turned to Vanessa. "I hope we are making you comfortable ma'am," Kelvin said politely and wore a smile on his face. "How about we give you a feel of our VIP spaces
Played By Love 44. Enemy at the doorstep.
Vanessa stared at the restaurant bewildered. She had expected it to be a small restaurant where she could just grab her grubs and leave at the speed of light. But they had something going on here. Vanessa stared at the description of the restaurant and looked back at what stood before her. The front of the restaurant was true glass, but at the same time, it offered privacy to its customers. Vanessa slowly stepped out of her car and looked at the glowing name on the signboard.“ZAMAN'S GRILLS,” she spelled it out. It looked like she wouldn't be able to get in without a reservation, although there were chairs outside, but she didn't want to be hijacked by the media. Vanessa made up her mind and entered the main restaurant, the interior was even better, with the makings of a 4.5-star restaurant. She settled into a chair and stared at the servery, where a middle-aged man and woman were working. Those middle-aged people were Paul and Rita Lawman. “Uh hi, I wanted to make a reservation
Played By Love 43. Zaman's Grills
Kelvin stared at the name Paul had scribbled on a pad for the restaurant. He suppressed a laugh in him and looked at him. "Don't tell me," Kelvin laughed. They were all seated. In the Lawmans' new home. Paul jokingly hit Kelvin, “Oh please, what is wrong with Zaman's Grills?” He turned to his wife waiting for her response. Rita held her forehead and turned to Kelvin. “Paul is more obsessed with his daughter than I. It is all his doing, not like I have a better name yet," Rita saidKelvin adjusted himself in his seat and took in the living room. Oliver had taken his time decorating his house. God knows how much he had splashed into the project. "You should have seen Zara when she came in some days ago, she has grown up," Paul started. His eyes gleamed as he talked about Zara. "Really? In what aspect?" Kelvin asked with renewed interest as he clasped his hands. "Well, for one. Zara has always been a grown up but it seems like she grew up again! Zara found it hard to convey her fe
Played By Love 42. Part of the plan.
Zara sat cross-legged in front of her parents. They sat in their new home, and she had decided to visit them. She preferred breaking the news to them face to face, rather than on the phone. She had left Jeff in the car outside while she talked to her parents inside. And besides, it had been a while since she had seen them. "Dad, we are getting you a shop."Those words hadn't been digested completely in Rita and Paul's ears. One could say they had trouble processing it. They seemed to be lagging, at times. Zara sighed and rested her hands on her thighs. She uncrossed her legs and sat more comfortably. She used that opportunity to look at the house very well. She could see that Oliver had taken his time to furnish it well with high-grade furniture. Wasn't he doing too much, too much to be comfortable?"Zara, what are you saying?" Paul asked first. He seemed to have processed it faster than his wife.Zara sighed and stood up. "Mum, Dad, remember those times when you used to say you
Played By Love 41. To close to call
Zara felt something ominous as she stared at her phone. Vanessa's video was trending, and she wondered what she was up to this time. Thankfully, she wasn't her problem. Oliver would deal with her sooner. She sat in the garden and looked up at the sky. The sun was high up in the sky, but it was mild on the skin because of autumn. She looked down at the flowers and thought about talking about the plants to Oliver when her phone rang. Zara stared at the ID and put it to her ear immediately. "Yes, Mom?" Zara answered. Kelvin must have already told them about it by now. She just hoped her mum wouldn't throw hard questions her way. "My baby girl, you have gotten us what we have always wanted," Rita's voice broke out as soon as she picked up.Zara sensed happiness in her mother's voice. It has been forever since she heard her mother sound that happy. She could also hear soft sobs at the end of the receiver. "Oh Rita, are you going to start on the call and keep sobbing?" Zara heard her
Played By Love 40. Vanessa's Comeback
Vanessa had become quite miserable. In fact, "quite miserable," was an understatement. She had reached the point where she had completely embodied Squidward's point of view, that famous miserable character from that legendary kiddies show.Her reputation had plummeted downwards, she couldn't even go outside to buy her groceries because of the way people looked at her. Her suspension at work was still ongoing, she didn't even expect to be called back after what had happened. Oliver Russell. Vanessa grabbed a ceramic vase from the bedside table and flung it at the wall. It shattered into a million pieces, with the sound bouncing back and forth in the large room. She grabbed her bare knees and looked at the mirror. She was losing it. Oliver Russell. Vanessa stood up and rested her hands in front of the dressing mirror. Her eyes were puffy from not getting enough sleep and she had gained some mass from staying at home, lazing around since last week. "Oliver, I will crush you!" Vane
Played By Love 39. A deal is done
Oliver smiled back at Zara with his hands in his pocket. Zara slowly stood up and shook her head. It was impossible, why was he going that far? He was getting too involved with them. "No, I can't accept that," Zara shook her head. "You can cut off my bonuses, I barely use them anyway. You can use the money and pay for the—" Oliver cleared his throat and Zara stopped talking. He looked down at her and cocked his brow. "Tell me the truth. If I left it to you, you wouldn't have been able to do it, even with the bonuses. Are you a masochist? Can you even repay me?" The smile on his had disappeared. Zara looked to the ground and held her palms together. She felt her palms were the only ones warming her up in front of Oliver's cold stare. "I—I—""You can't. So instead of partying with the money I have, or going to the brothel, I want to help your family, and you are not stopping me," Oliver paused. He saw that he had been coming a bit too strong there. He watched as Zara's body tensed
Played By Love 38. Revamping
"We need to talk."A sentence with four words. It sounded more intense than it was intended to, partly because Zara was trying to avoid Oliver. She hadn't forgotten what had happened on the rooftop that day. She knew it. She had almost kissed Oliver. "We need to talk."She simply stared at the message that was displayed on the screen. It had been there since morning, and she hadn't even bothered to reply. “Curse you, Oliver,” Zara flustered.She had successfully ignored Oliver for the last few days after that incident. She beat herself up every time she remembered it. What killed her the most was that she could not tell Kelvin about it. How would she even start? She knew it was almost an act of betrayal. Kelvin himself had been very busy for the past few days, his cafe boomed well. He was very happy. No way she was going to spoil it for him. Zara straightened her dress and heaved a deep sigh in front of the mirror. Her face stared back at her. She looked less confident than the wa
Played By Love 37. Helping Family
Oliver flexed his fingers in front of his laptop. The tech seemed alien to him. How many days had he missed work? Four days? Two days? Well, none of that mattered since he was—Anne barged into the office and shook Oliver out of his thoughts. Oliver blinked several times at her and she simply stared back at him. Oliver thought he would have another episode of severe scolding for dumping his work on her. "Oliver, I found what might become a problem later," Anne dropped her laptop on Oliver's table. She had taken Oliver by surprise. He thought he would have gotten scolded again. "What are you talking about?" Oliver raised a brow in confusion. Anne slapped her forehead lightly. She had forgotten that she had left Oliver out of the loop since Vanessa's last show. "Okay, let me place it like this since you have not been around for a while," she flashed Oliver a frown and he swallowed. He raised his hands in submission and Anne continued. "I ended up putting myself in Vanessa. More lik
