CHRISTIAN'S POVI shoved the files off my desk, barely registering the thud as they hit the floor.When did it get to this?Olivia clung to me, her breath hot, her hands running over my body in a wild frenzy as we kissed, my tongue tracing hers in slow strokes.Where did this fierce energy come from? Where did the passion come from?Last night, she had been begging beneath me, writhing with pleasure. Now, she wanted to be in control so badly.And just minutes ago...we were only talking.So when?Oh...I had crossed over to her, hadn't I?After she had blatantly denied suggesting we fuck in my office, I had been baffled by her boldness, and audacity, which was a clear contrast to the innocent look on her face.But no...she wasn't innocent.The way she kissed me now, pressing her body against mine, tugging me closer...every movement of hers ignited something primal in me, something I'd kept buried.I kissed her harder, more urgently, like I couldn't get enough of her. And frankly, I was
OLIVIA"Olivia, when are you going to tell me the truth?"I fiddled with my hands nervously as I stood with my mother in front of the mansion Christian had purchased for our family. This was also news to me because I'd just learned of it a few hours prior. Because his family meeting was happening this weekend, Christian wanted us to move into the new house to avoid any suspicion from his grandfather. Although I thought it was a bit extreme, I had no say in the matter. The hard part now was convincing my mother to move in, and it was proving more difficult than I expected. We had been standing here for over ten minutes as she continued to probe me with questions. It was understandable that she would react this way, but I was running out of lies to tell. "Mum, I told you already. It's my boyfriend, he's the one that purchased this mansion. I know it might seem like a lot, but he is a big shot in the city and that's just the sort of thing he does." I said, trying hard to believe myse
OLIVIAI readjusted the bodice of my dress for possibly the hundredth time since we set out. I was so nervous I practically could not stay still. My feet tapped nervously against the car floor as I wiped my sweaty palms over and over again on my dress. If this went on for much longer, I was certain I was going to pass out."Stop that," Christian suddenly said. I couldn't read his tone, as usual, but I figured that he was annoyed by the sound of my nervous tapping.Not in the mood to receive an earful from him, I forced my legs to stay put. Christian was seated comfortably, his back resting against the car seat. As usual, his face was expressionless, and he looked unfazed by what we were heading into. This was shocking to me. I didn't understand how the hell he wasn't nervous when this was his family's dinner. Not to mention that he was planning to make an announcement about something that wasn't set in stone yet. It was scary, but for Christian, it seemed to be a walk in the park.S
CHAPTER 12 OLIVIA“What???”It felt like a bomb was dropped in the room at my announcement. I could feel the coldness and shock practically oozing off all of them as they stared at me in silence. My jaw clenched as I stood my ground, head held high and refusing to back down. If taking matters into my own hands was what I had to do to get things straight then I would do it dutifully.I had no idea what the hell was up with Christian, but I couldn't just sit there while he made us both look like fools. If he didn't want to help me, then I would help myself. "Pregnant?" Mr. Blackwood finally broke the silence. I nodded, not trusting myself to say anything right now. I was so nervous from the audacity I'd garnered to even do this that I couldn't speak properly. I needed a few moments to catch my breath and regulate myself. "Lies! She's lying!" Michael suddenly yelled, slamming his hand on the table. His face contorted in fury as he glared daggers my way. The possibility of Christian e
CHRISTIAN My hands were gripping the edge of the dining table as I watched everything play out. I thought my grandfather would give up the moment Olivia mentioned that a board member was a witness to our intimacy. But I was wrong. There grandfather was, dialing Mr. Parker to confirm the story. This was more than my heart could take at the moment. Sighing, I leaned back into my chair and loosened my tie a bit. I couldn't help but feel like I'd fucked up. I should have handled this whole thing the way I'd initially planned. And now everything had fallen apart. I resisted the urge to exhale loudly. I really thought I would be able to attend this dinner, execute my plans and put Michael in his place. But the moment I walked in and saw the sitting arrangement, it all came rushing back to me. The past had gripped me so hard that I could hardly speak. I lost my composure, just sat there staring and struggling to remember how to breathe. It was such an awful thing that it almost hurt to
OLIVIAI glanced sideways at Christian for the umpteenth time and still he pretended not to notice me staring. We were in the car en route to my house, and a million questions were still roaming in my mind about the dinner. I didn't understand why Christian wasn't saying anything. He didn't even acknowledge the fact that everything we planned had almost gone south today.All because of him.Even a simple explanation would have sufficed. But apparently that was too much for him. I mean, why would the city’s most eligible playboy and billionaire explain himself to Olivia? I scoffed, resisting an eye roll. He just sat there, his usual stoic self as he stared out of the window. Meanwhile, I was still struggling to figure it out myself. Was that freeze-up a part of his plan? Was it some kind of test to figure out if I was up to the task?I seriously doubted that, considering how important this was to Christian. I didn't think he would put it all on the line like that for the sake of a
OLIVIA I stepped into the lecture hall, clutching my laptop and bag in both hands as I made my way to an empty spot. I could hear the shady whispers behind me as I walked past my classmates, their curious and mocking gazes stabbing into my back. And for a short, delusional moment, I decided to believe those whispers weren’t about me. But they were in fact, about me. My classmates were all staring at me. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. What was it about this time? What fresh gossip about me were they enjoying? As usual, I ignored them, sliding into my seat and setting down my bag and laptop. One would think that as final year students, they would be more mature. But they were really only as childish as it could get. They’d treated me the same way since our first year here, seeing as I didn’t come from money, and most of them were children of men and women that belonged to the elite class. This was basically a school for elites, because every one of my classmates owned luxury cars
OLIVIA I stood at my school’s parking lot, waiting for my driver, the wind blowing in my tear-streaked face.Christian had texted that my driver and personal assistant were coming to get me, and that he wanted to see me. And ever since I received the text, I’d been wondering why. Why would he want to see me?I sighed, running my fingers through my hair in frustration. I shouldn’t have left the hall, missing out on the lecture. But it couldn’t be helped. I hated how Miss Elowen looked down on and humiliated me constantly.It wasn’t the first time she’d made me her subject of mockery and each time, it was worse than the last. “Olivia,” A familiar voice called out from behind me, and my stomach knotted in painful twists. Something about that voice nauseated me each time I heard it. I turned slowly to see him standing there. The one person I hated the most in this world. Jaxon.His eyes roamed feverishly over my body in a way that made me feel sick to my stomach, that made my skin craw
OLIVIA Every single person in the hall was staring at me now, their eyes sharp with scrutiny, trying to determine if Sam was right—if I really did look like Christian’s mystery fiancée. The one they were all dying to uncover. My hair matched the one in the photo exactly, and my body size too. Of course, that was me in the picture. A mask and scarf had covered most of my face, but anyone who knew me well enough would be able to tell. But these people didn’t know me well. They’ve been around for years but they never truly saw me. To them, I was just background noise, never worth paying any attention to. Well, except, whenever they ridiculed me. I swallowed hard, silently praying that my classmates wouldn’t put the pieces together. “Oh, please!” Ivy’s sharp voice cut through my panic, dragging me back to reality. “That’s like comparing a unicorn to a pig. Olivia, our pig, looks nothing like that sophisticated unicorn in the picture.” Laughter erupted around the room, loud and
OLIVIAI clutched my purse tighter as I walked down the hallway toward my lecture hall, my thoughts stuck on Christian. Yesterday morning, I had woken up in his warm arms and felt a sense of comfort I should have known better than to trust. Because as soon as he opened his eyes, the warmth vanished. Just like that, he was back to his usual self that was cold and distant. I let out a frustrated sigh, struggling to make sense of him.That night in the desert, I saw something different in him. We shared a moment. A real one. He had let his guard down, and given me glimpses of his past. And for the first time, he pulled me close not because of the contract but simply because he wanted to.So why was he acting like none of it happened?Had I imagined it all?“Forget what I said last night,” he’d said in a cold tone in the morning, “I’m not emotional enough to have a strong stance against love, you see. I think it’s absolutely meaningless.”His words had left me shocked. I couldn’t under
CHRISTIAN I had shared my bed with women before, but with Olivia, it was different. The problem wasn’t that she snored—because she didn’t. I had just been flustered, watching her sleep, and grasping for an excuse. I never knew what to say when she caught me staring so openly. Now, lying rigidly in the small bed we shared, I kept a careful distance, afraid that even the slightest touch of her skin would spark something I wasn’t ready to handle. Damn this sandstorm. We were trapped here, my heartbeat a little louder than normal. She shifted beside me, and I instinctively edged closer to the mattress’s edge, nearly toppling off. I wasn’t giving in to temptation tonight—intentional or not. “Christian?” Her voice was soft, and hesitant. “Are you still awake?” A few heartbeats passed as I debated whether to respond and how to handle whatever followed. Our conversations were usually hasty because she insisted on interrupting me every time. No one else did that. Even Michael knew b
OLIVIA“The sandstorm happens once in a while,” Benjamin had mentioned earlier as the storm settled, “And when it does, driving is restricted.”Which explained why Christian and I were stuck here for the night.I stole a glance at him. He was clearly not handling the situation well. With no service, his ever-present phone was practically useless, leaving him with nothing to scroll through or type away on. For someone who insisted on coming here, he sure didn’t seem to like the desert at night. He looked bored out of his mind.The silence between us stretched and I felt uncomfortable, just sitting there.I considered saying something to strike up a conversation but I didn’t know what to say exactly. We barely talked as it was, except when we were arguing, and this felt like a rare opportunity for an actual conversation.After all, I hardly knew anything about him… other than the fact that he was the man I was bound to by contract.The file he had given me to study about him was vague.
OLIVIAThe scorching sun burned against my bare back as I sat at the entrance of one of the tents Benjamin had provided, feeling as if it were peeling my skin away, layer by invisible layer.“I can’t believe this,” I scoffed, my frustration bubbling over as I glared at Christian. He was lounging a few feet away in another tent, scrolling through his phone like we weren’t in the middle of a furnace.When he’d said he came here to relax, I hadn’t imagined this.This wasn’t relaxation, it was torture.My gaze drifted outside, where tourists and locals were actually enjoying themselves—playing sand games, riding horses, making the most of the desert. Meanwhile, I was roasting alive in a tent, watching a man who clearly had no intention of moving anytime soon.Enough.Unable to take it anymore, I shot to my feet and marched over to him. “Are we just going to sit here all day?”Christian finally looked up, lowering his sunglasses just enough for his piercing blue eyes to meet mine. The sunl
OLIVIAI woke up slowly, my body sore but I still felt the lingering warmth of last night. The silk sheets glided against my bare skin as I shifted, stretching lazily. The pillow was thick with a masculine scent as I inhaled.And in an instant, I felt it: a presence in the room, someone watching me.My eyes flew open, sweeping across the vast room, until they fell on a shirtless figure.I was right.Christian stood at the far corner of the room, watching me carefully, one hand jammed into his pocket, the other wrapped around a coffee mug.I bolted up from the bed, a little taken aback by the sight, and as I did, the sheets slipped down, exposing my naked frame.“Oh my god!” I panicked, scrambling to grab the sheets and cover myself but it was pointless. Christian had already seen everything.I caught a small smirk tugging at his lips, slight mockery staining his features. His expression told me exactly what he was thinking: I saw everything last night, so what’s she trying to hide now
OLIVIA The moment we stepped into the suite, the anger I’d been bottling up burst free like a dam breaking. “What the hell were you thinking?” I snapped, kicking off my shoes and tossing my purse into the corner. “Why would you do that?!” “Well, I should be asking you that, Olivia!” Christian shot back to my surprise and slammed the door shut. I blinked, caught off guard. “W-what? What do you mean?” My voice wavered as confusion crept in. “One word!” He yelled again, “A simple instruction, Olivia. Smile. That was all I asked you to do,” He threw his hands in the air, his eyes boring into me with anger, “You disobeyed me. You decided to go ahead and show Zaydan your beautiful dentition. You’ve done well.” The words cut me like a sharp knife, and I took a step back. I couldn’t believe he was saying this. How could he? “But I…I was only trying to help,” I stammered, watching him carefully. “And did I ever ask for your help?” He shot back immediately. “Did it ever occur to you
CHRISTIANI tightened my grip on Olivia’s wrist, dragging her through the crowd in Zaydan’s mansion. I could feel the nervous and anxious energy coursing through her veins as we walked. And I despised it. What annoyed me most about Olivia was her lack of confidence. She had no idea how beautiful she was—how much power she could wield if she only realized it.As we moved through the crowd, heads turned, admiring the striking couple we made. Yet beside me, she trembled like a wet puppy, completely unaware of the attention she commanded.“Stay close to me,” I ground out in a whisper, “And stop panting like a dog.”She glared at me, challenging me with her eyes, her usual way of reacting to me, because she was too scared to actually utter a word.Well, except for that one night. After the family dinner. She’d looked me in the eyes and uttered the cruelest words ever. I shouldn’t forgive her so easily.“Ahhh. Christian, my old friend!” Someone exclaimed from behind me, and I turned aroun
OLIVIAWe arrived in Dubai a few hours later, and I instantly fell in love.I’ve heard stories about Dubai being a nice and beautiful city, but now I was actually in Dubai, I realized that the stories did no justice to how good this city looked.It was a lively city illuminated with lots of lights, and as we drove through the streets, I plastered my face against the windscreen of the car to get a good look at the glistening billboards and malls.I whipped out my phone and aimed at a fish-tank-designed billboard that had the videos of a really pretty woman floating around in 3D style.It was such a catchy sight.“We’ll be arriving at the hotel soon,” Christian said from beside, interrupting my little sight-seeing session. “Stop that and put away the phone,” He ordered, a stern look on his face, “Makes you look like a bush rat.”The last few words caught my attention, and I whirled sharply to face him, forgetting about the 3D display for a minute.“What?” He asked after a while of glari