OLIVIA “How are you, James?” My brother rolled his eyes and let his head fall back against the pillow, turning away from me. Well, that was answer enough. I sighed, biting my lips. I’d come straight after lectures, hoping to make up for all the times I barely visited. But he was obviously upset with me. Still, he looked brighter today, more energetic. Just seeing him like this filled my chest with warmth. Thank God for Christian Blackwood. “I’m fine,” James grumbled, but his voice was softer than his expression. “But you haven’t been visiting me lately. I’ve missed you.” From the other side of his bed, my mother gave me a knowing look. I told you, her eyes seemed to say. I sighed, exasperated. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see my brother—I would give anything for him to be healthy, to live a long, happy life. Well, I already did by signing myself over to Christian. That was how much I loved James. But the choice I’d made to keep him alive had taken over my life. I barely
OLIVIA I stared at Christian from head to toe, my mouth slightly open. Was this really happening? To make matters even more shocking, he held a bouquet of roses in one hand and a basket of snacks in the other. Was he actually standing here with flowers? I must be dreaming. A loud gasp snapped me out of my daze. “Son-in-law!” my mother practically squealed, rushing forward to usher him further into the room. Son-in-law?? I licked my lips, watching as she pulled him inside. He was stiff as a board, clearly uncomfortable, but he let her lead him anyway. It was real. Christian had actually come. “Good afternoon, Mr. Christian,” James greeted, his voice filled with excitement. Christian turned to him, assessing him with a sharp gaze. “You must be James.” He handed the bouquet and basket to my mother. “How are you feeling?” “I’m fine, thank you,” James replied, looking up at Christian with something close to awe. “Honestly, I’m just happy you showed up.” He grinned, shaking
MICHAEL “What a sly bastard.” I paced in my office, flipping through the file in my hands, my gaze skimming over each image. Every picture was of Olivia Carter, the woman supposedly carrying my stepbrother’s child. I scoffed, shaking my head at the absurdity of it all. Christian? Expecting a child? Who were they trying to fool? Not me. Deep down, I knew the truth. This was nothing but a sham. Christian had planned the whole idea to fool everyone but I was smarter. And the evidence of this entire lie was now in my hands. Most of the photos my private investigator obtained showed Olivia Carter dressed casually, but one in particular caught my attention. A CCTV capture of her stepping outside a restaurant to throw out trash, dressed in a waitress uniform. The timestamp wasn’t too long ago, confirming she had been working there until recently. I clenched my jaw, shutting the file down on my desk before turning to my private investigator seated on the couch a few feet away.
OLIVIA I sighed, glancing at the black Rolls-Royce waiting for me at the school’s parking lot. Why on earth did Mr. Blackwood want to see me? “Ma’am?” One of the men who had come to pick me up called out expectantly, holding the car door open. Wringing my fingers in nervous anticipation, I forced myself forward, ducking my head as I slipped inside. The door shut behind me with a quiet thud, sealing me in. And just like that, we were on our way—to where, I had no idea. All I knew was that Christian’s grandfather had demanded to see me. A shiver ran down my spine as my mind raced with possibilities and why he wanted to see me. Was this about the pregnancy test? My heart pounded at the thought, a cold sweat forming at my temples. If it was about the test, what was I supposed to say? Panic curled around my chest, tightening with each passing second. I hadn’t taken the test yet—mostly because I hadn’t noticed any symptoms. My body felt the same as it had since the countless time
OLIVIA Racing heart. Sweaty palms. A game of confidence with Mr. Blackwood. I folded my arms and leaned back in my chair, feigning ease. I couldn’t let him see how nervous I was—I needed him to believe every word of my story. “Christian told me what his mother went through just because she was like me,” I said, meeting his gaze. “After his father married her.” I let the words linger, watching for a reaction. “He said he wanted to protect me from that.” To my surprise, Mr. Blackwood chuckled, settling back in his chair. “Everyone knows what happened to Christian’s mother,” he scoffed. “She was never accepted into the family. Anyone could easily pay any journalist to expose the full story.” I clenched my fists beneath the table, forcing myself to stay composed. “I didn’t expect you to believe me,” I said evenly. “But I will say this—” He raised a brow, waiting. “Your constant disapproval of me,” I continued, voice steady, “Will only make Christian blame you even more for his mot
OLIVIA After Mr. Blackwood left to attend to other business matters, I found myself alone with Ophelia and her staff. I couldn’t help but feel relieved. His presence had been… slightly uncomfortable. As if faking smiles and laughing at his jokes after blatantly lying to him wasn’t bad enough, his unexpected kindness, his apology, his insistence on bringing me here—only made me feel worse. Like I was the most deceitful person in the world. At least he’d forgotten about the pregnancy throughout the whole ordeal or he just didn’t care anymore. My revelation about Christian’s mother must have shocked the curiosity right out of him. Plus I didn’t think I had any more lies or excuses left in me anyway. “And… what about this one?” Ophelia’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. She arched a brow, pointing at a diamond-studded necklace displayed in an illuminated glass case. “Do you like it?” I stared at the necklace, mesmerized by the way the diamonds caught the light, sparkling like tin
CHRISTIAN I sat in the backseat of the car, staring out the window, my mind racing. Grandfather had summoned me for dinner again, out of nowhere. These dinners were becoming more frequent than usual and they were always exhausting. ‘Meet me for dinner tonight.’ That was all the text had said. No explanation. No hint. Nothing. It felt like I was walking into a blind date except, in this case, it wasn’t the person that was unknown. It was the purpose. And I didn’t like it one bit. I preferred knowing exactly what I was walking into, preparing myself for whatever lay ahead. Still lost in thoughts, we pulled into the estate, smoothly gliding into an empty parking spot in the garage. The moment the door opened, I stepped out, adjusting my jacket. With careful strides, I crossed the forecourt and entered through the main entrance. As I stepped into the grand lobby, I slowed down, catching the faint murmur of voices drifting from the dining room. Michael was here too? I clenched m
CHRISTIAN“May I speak now, Grandfather?” Michael asked, leaning forward in his seat, barely containing his anger.I was certain he couldn’t. He was about to explode if he kept it in. “Go on,” Grandfather urged, nodding.Michael pushed himself to the edge of his seat, linking his hands tightly. “Didn’t you even look at the report I sent?” he asked, his face contorted with agitation. “Christian lied about Olivia Carter!”“Did he?” Grandfather arched his brow. “Christian never claimed anything about her background. We all made our own assumptions—assumptions born from a narrow, misguided mindset.” His gaze shifted between Michael and me. “A mindset that changes today. We have already lost so much in this family because of it. I want it to end now.”Michael scoffed, his eyes darkening with rage. He looked ready to burst but also shocked at the same time, like grandfather was speaking a new language. Watching him, I felt an irresistible urge to smirk and I did, making sure he felt every
Olivia’s POV“I’m glad you joined us, Lydia.”I looked from Mr. Blackwood to Lydia, who beamed at each other, a slow burn rage and discomfort working up my spine.When Christian had told me about this dinner, I didn’t expect that Lydia would be attending too.If I had known, I probably wouldn’t have attended, because now, I felt like leaping across the table and clawing the bitch’s face out.Sliding into the seat next to Michael, she flashed me a sly grin, which I didn’t even bother acknowledging, noticing instead, that Michael’s wife was absent tonight.I slid my gaze back to Lydia.Was she the reason his wife wasn’t here?Ophelia sat at the far end of the table, next to her grandfather, glaring at Lydia quite angrily. Guess no one wanted her here, after all. Well, aside from Mr. Blackwood and Michael, from the look of things.Christian on the other hand, who sat beside me, looked and seemed totally unbothered, acting like no one of significance was at the table with us.Letting out
Michael’s POV“When is he going to show up?”I glanced over at Lydia, who wouldn’t stop tapping her foot against the gazebo.I let out a small sigh, scratching my brow. “Should be here anytime soon.”Just as the words left my mouth, the butler showed up with a man trailing behind him.Finally..I rose to my feet, stretching out my palm as the man behind came forward. “Cain,” I greeted with a slight nod of my head.“Michael, you bastard,” he responded with a smirk, and I smiled, offering him a seat.“Thank you for coming,” I replied, adjusting my suit and letting out a whoosh of air.“So,” I turned towards Lydia, pointing a hand in her direction, “this is Lydia, and Lydia, this is Cain.”“Hey,” he said to Lydia, with so much of a nod in her direction, and Lydia returned the gesture in the same exact manner.“So,” he continued, returning his gaze to my face, “you contacted me for a job—come on, have a seat, will you?” He gestured me towards a seat, and for a moment, I felt embarrassed t
Olivia’s POVThe banging on the door penetrated my dream, and I bolted up from the bed, banging my head against the headboard.Who could be banging so heavily on my door?“Olivia!” My mother’s voice came from the doorway in a yell, and I sighed, relaxing fully against the headboard. So it was her…“Go wash your mouth and come down,” she continued, “bath of you. Breakfast is ready.”The shuffling of feet indicated she’d left, and I yawned heavily, stretching my arms and body.Just then, I felt Christian move beside me, and I glanced down at him, thinking he would wake up, but he doesn’t.Staring down at him with so much curiosity and inquisitiveness, I reached down and traced the lines on his face with my index finger, a smile tugging on my lips as I thought about how someone could be this handsome.I like you, Olivia.I blushed deeply as the words re-echoed in my head, pressing my lips together.I couldn’t really say the Christian I’d met months ago, cold and staunch, was the same one
Christian’s POVWhat am I doing? Good question.Because if someone had told me months ago, that I would be doing this, kneeling between her thighs, my only desire to make her happy, to satisfy her own pleasures before mine, I would have gotten them arrested. Yet, here I was. The overwhelming desire to tongue-fuck Olivia, coursing through my veins.Oh, how I’ve missed the sight of her writhing underneath me. In pleasure.It took a real man to admit when a woman had swayed his entire life, and I was a real man.So yes, I had no freaking idea what I was doing, but the end result would most probably be cum all over my face. Soon.She shivered in my palms as I kissed a path up her thighs, to her visibly pulsating core.“Relax,” I breathed against her skin, and that somehow seemed to make her quiver even more.Letting out a sigh, my eyes strayed to her pink, soft wetness, and a small groan escaped my throat. I loved the way she looks for me. I could stare at the beautiful sight all day.Gen
OLIVIAHis lips tilting up in a small smirk, he lifted his palm and caressed my chin, and very visibly unable to stop himself, he pulled me into another hug.“I’m glad we’ve cleared the air,” he mumbled into my hair, splaying his fingers against my lower back, “so you can stop seeing Nicholas now.”As if I’d just been stung, I quickly pulled away from him, glancing up at him. “Do you think I’m meeting Nicholas because of you?”He scoffed, shaking his head. “Even though jealousy is a lousy emotion, it makes people do things.“I knew it!” I exclaimed. “You stalked us, didn’t you? Nicholas and I?”“I regret it, you know, because I found out you truly do have terrible taste in men,” came his sarcastic reply.“Uh,” I scoffed in derision. “How—“The words were snatched from my mouth as he suddenly reached out and grabbed me by the waist, smashing his lips down on mine.It was a hungry, fervent kiss that has been long overdue, fired up by all pent up emotions, and I melted into him, relaxing
The door creaked open, and Christian stepped into my room, locking the door behind him.For some reason, that makes my heart skip.In the minutes that followed his entrance, a heavy silence hung between us, as we stared at each other from where we stood.After a while, I cleared my throat quietly. “So, did you mean what you said downstairs?”He looked at me for a while, a quiet expression on his face. “Of course.”Tears immediately rushed to my eyes, and I blinked them back, trying to not think about how his answer had filled my heart with warmth.“What about Lydia?”At the question, he moved closer towards me. “I didn’t fuck her, Olivia, or whatever assumptions you have in your head.”I shook my head, still not satisfied. “Then just come clean,” I replied.“Tell me why you think I’m lying,” he urged, “and say something that could be the problem, other than me dancing with her at the party.”Sniffling, I wiped the back of my hand against my face. “When I went to shop for a dress for t
Olivia’s POVThe ride home was hellish.My mother had always had a temper with small things, and now that it was actually something big, she was crashing out real bad.She’d been yelling nonstop ever since we got in the car, making the ride as hot and uncomfortable as it could get.I remained mute, because I knew there was nothing I could say in this moment.What could I even say?That Christian offered to pay me to get pregnant for him? And I used that same money to pay for my brother’s surgery?Would she understand?“Ma’am, we’re really sorry you had to find out this way,” Christian’s voice penetrated my thoughts, and I whipped my gaze to the side to look at him, shocked.Christian Blackwood…apologizing?But just as I’d expected, his apology did nothing to soothe her anger, neither did it stop the yelling. It continued right until we got home.No…it got worse. As soon as we stepped through the front doors.“So what was it you were saying?!” She yelled, flinging her purse on the couc
Olivia’s POVMy face terribly flushed, I stared up at the nurse, who stood a few feet away from the bed, a patient chart in her hands.“We’ve run a series of tests,” she started, “and you’re fine.” She paused, studying the chart meticulously. “Apparently, you were just stressed out.I nodded as she spoke, touching my wrist. Actually, I felt okay now, almost like nothing had happened to me in the first place, although I’d literally passed out earlier.Maybe it was the IV fluid that was coursing through my veins right now, but I really wanted to leave there.Letting out a small sigh, I turned my head to the other side of the bed to see Liam standing there, staring down at me, and I couldn’t tell if he looked shocked or appalled by the sudden, unplanned discovery that I was pregnant.There was no way this was avoidable.He was going to find out sooner or later, because coincidentally, I’d been rushed to the same hospital where I’d registered for prenatal care.“How long do I have to stay
Olivia’s POV Wiping her nose with the handkerchief I offered her, she sniffled, then zeroed her gaze into space. “When I was twelve,” she started after a few moments, her tone laced with a deep emotion I couldn’t put a finger on, “my mom would always tell me to make friends with girls that are in the same bracket with me.” She scoffed, lifting her arms. “You know, status-wise,” she added, bracketing the last two words with her fingers. I stared at her as she spoke, my attention rapt and silent. “Guess what?” She continued. “She even forbade me from being friends with a girl whose mother was a hair stylist. Can you imagine that?” “And at 17,” she continued without missing a beat, not giving me a chance to respond to her possibly rhetorical question, “she started taking me to parties filled to the brim with old men. Passing me around and asking me to climb my way to the top on their backs.” She tilted a corner of her lips in a small smirk then, her eyes darkening in pain, “I mean,