OLIVIA I groaned, rubbing my forehead as I slumped onto the desk in the lecture hall. Of all the days to schedule extra lectures, it had to be today, the day after I drank myself into oblivion. Just my luck. What part of once-a-week lectures did they not understand? Whoever planned this deserved a special place in hell. With a sigh, I kept my head down, hoping to ease the pounding in my skull while still keeping an eye out for a few angry birds. Ivy and her minions. They’d do anything to get their revenge on me after slapping Ivy with my purse. I forced myself to focus on Miss Elowen’s words, but before I could make sense of them, the public address system crackled to life, interrupting her mid-sentence. “Attention, students and faculty,” A bold voice announced, “We are honored to welcome a very important figure to our campus today. In recognition of his esteemed visit, all lectures and academic activities will be temporarily paused.” A brief silence, then the voice continued
OLIVIA My pupils dilated in shock as I stared at Christian on the podium. Was I dreaming? Had I really won? My sample had surpassed Ivy’s and everyone else’s? “What? She won?” Ivy’s voice rang out behind me, laced with disbelief. I didn’t need to look back to know she was fuming. Still staring ahead, I was stunned by the results, but a more pressing thought gnawed at me. Had Christian planned this? The idea had flickered in my mind earlier, but now, with the way everything played out, it weighed heavily on me. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was truly a coincidence that he’d picked my sample over every other person’s? And if it wasn’t, why would he do that? “I can’t believe she won,” Someone muttered behind me, his tone dripping with disdain. “What’s so special about her sample?” As I listened to them, I nearly smirked but held my head high instead, giving them more to look at. For the first time in a long while, I was in the spotlight for something good, not scandalous o
CHRISTIAN The car sped down the highway toward the hotel, and I leaned my head against the headrest, hiding a smirk as I replayed Olivia’s expression from earlier. Shock, disbelief and a flicker of something she probably didn’t even realize—pride. She hadn’t expected to win. Not over the so-called best students. What a shame no one had ever acknowledged her talent before. Her writing was unlike anything I was used to. It was raw, original, untainted by the usual clichés that flooded books these days. I wasn’t much of a reader, for good reason. Most stories lacked creativity, recycled the same tiring tropes. But hers? It had depth, thought and a kind of brilliance that made you stop and actually think. So why had no one ever recognized it? Was it because of her financial status? Was that why they looked down on her, why they bullied her? Her school catered to the rich, after all. Or maybe, just maybe, they simply couldn’t handle her. She was leagues ahead of them, while they stil
OLIVIA “You do know you have terrible taste in wine, right?” I turned slightly to find Christian staring at me, his expression a mix of distaste and disapproval. Seriously? All because I didn’t like the wine he claimed was his favorite? Talk about dramatic. “Well, still better than my taste in men,” I retorted, shifting comfortably on the divan we both lay on. Somehow, I’d managed to convince him to lie here with me, outlining quite convincingly, if I may say so, ten benefits of lying down while flying. Normally, he would be sitting, legs crossed and eyes fixed on his phone. But I had won this vacation fair and square so I would run it the way I wanted. If I could though. His brows furrowed slightly as he placed his arms behind his head. “What do you mean?” I shrugged. “I mean, I clearly have terrible judgment, considering I willingly signed a contract with you. Doesn’t that say enough about my poor taste in your gender?” For a second, his expression showed something betwee
OLIVIA Each kiss was hotter than the last. His touch was hungrier, more demanding, more intoxicating. More everything. And I couldn’t get enough. I grabbed his shirt, clinging to him as his arm tightened around my waist, pressing me against his hardness. But even that wasn’t enough. Our tongues tangled and I reached up, wrapping my arms around his neck. A moan slipped past my lips as I felt heat pool between my legs, the usual response Christian always drew from me, even with the lightest touch. He pulled me closer, taking off my blouse and his eyes roamed my chest. It felt hard to breathe under his gaze and he pushed my hair back, his fingers undoing my bra in one movement. I leaned in closer to kiss him, his hand sliding up to cup my breast, fumbling gently, while his thumb grazed my nipple in a teasing stroke. My body arched into him in response, a moan catching in my throat. As his fingers traced my thigh, heat pooled low in my belly, and I couldn’t resist any longer. My f
CHRISTIAN “Oh my God!” Olivia shrieked, clapping her hands excitedly and squirming in her simple jeans and blouse. I turned to her, rolling my eyes. Again? This was the tenth thing she’d found cute in the past three minutes. We hadn’t even made it halfway through Pyros Village, and already, she was fawning over everything, her eyes wide with wonder, and her lips curved in a bright, wide smile. Little things. It was ridiculous how much they made her happy. Lydia, one of my ex’s, had never been like this. She was impossible to impress. A tour of Pyros Village wouldn’t have even made her blink. She preferred yachts, exotic islands, diamonds, lots of them. But Olivia? She was now crouched in front of a turtle, staring at it like it was the most significant thing she’d ever seen. I watched as she quickly whipped out her small camera, taking pictures with a beaming smile. “Christian,” she called, beckoning me over with a flick of her fingers, her gaze still fixed on the small scree
CHRISTIAN The woman nodded, still smiling, and lifted the camera, snapping a few shots. “You make a wonderful couple,” she remarked casually. I felt my hand twitch in shock. Couple? “Oh!” Olivia blurted, startling me. She let out a nervous laugh, pointing between us. “Us?” she asked, almost like she was disgusted by the idea. “No, no, we’re not together. Never. Ever.” She shook her head with such force it almost looked offensive. My eye twitched. The woman’s brows furrowed in surprise as she glanced between us, clearly confused. But I barely noticed her. I was too busy glaring at Olivia, replaying her words in my head. Never, ever? I clenched my jaw, resisting the urge to scoff. I didn’t want her to see how much those two careless words had gotten to me. But why did she say it like that? Like I wasn’t good enough for her. Many women dreamed to be with me, to spend a night in my bed. So why did she act like she wasn’t one of them? “Oh… I see,” The woman stammered awkwa
CHRISTIAN I paced the suite, restless as hell. I couldn’t shake off my conversation with Olivia, no matter how hard I tried. Her words echoed in my head, going against every belief I held. Kindness. I scoffed, tightening my grip around the wine glass. What the hell was kindness? When I asked Olivia what she looked for in a man, I expected the usual answer I’d heard from most ladies: wealth, power, good looks. The things that mattered. Not… kindness. What the fuck did kindness have to offer? Did it own penthouses? Yachts? Billion-dollar empires? Did it command the sort of respect I did? Did kindness even look half as good as I did? Fuck as good as I did? I needed Olivia to answer that last part, especially. Was she even thinking straight? Choosing kindness over every other advantage a man could offer? Or did she intentionally say that because it wasn’t in my top ten qualities I mentioned? Was she messing with me? I bit down on my bottom lip, my gaze drifting
OLIVIAHe sat down heavily, his glare burning into both of them before turning it directly onto Christian. “I don’t think you have enough reasons to turn Miss Hale’s offer down.” Christian exhaled. “I understand you’re the chairman, Grandfather,” he said. “But I’m the president of Blackwood Hotel and Air. I have the full right to make these decisions.” He let the words settle in the heavy silence. “And frankly, having this discussion right now is an insult to my relationship and I won’t tolerate it.” His gaze slid to Lydia, his jaw clenching. “I won’t accept her investment, and I sure as hell won’t bring her onto my board. Not just because she’s an insufferable, exhausting human being but because she has no place there. Quite frankly,” he added. “She knows nothing about business. So why bother?” Lydia looked stricken, her mouth hanging open like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. And for once, I could actually savor the silence that followed. Just then, Ophelia broke the
OLIVIA “I’m glad you could join us, Lydia.” I looked from Mr. Blackwood to Lydia, who beamed at each other, a slow burn of rage and discomfort working its way up my spine. When Christian had mentioned this dinner, I didn’t expect Lydia to be attending too. If I had known, I probably wouldn’t have come because now, all I could think about was leaping across the table and clawing her face off. Sliding into the seat next to Michael, Lydia flashed me a sly grin. I didn’t bother acknowledging it, my gaze instead drifting to notice something else: Michael’s wife was absent tonight. I narrowed my eyes slightly. Was Lydia the reason his wife wasn’t here? At the far end of the table, Ophelia sat stiffly, shooting daggers at Lydia. Guess no one really wanted her here except Mr. Blackwood and Michael, judging by their faces. Christian, on the other hand, sat beside me, completely unbothered, as if no one of any significance shared this table with us. Letting out a silent breath, I wis
MICHAEL “When’s he getting here?” I glanced at Lydia, who was tapping her foot against the gazebo floor, clearly losing patience. I let out a small sigh, scratching my brow. “Any minute now.” She turned away, and for a few moments, silence hung between us. “So let me get this straight,” I said, eyeing her. “You promised your parents some kind of partnership with my family in exchange for their investment in Blackwood Hotel and Air. More specifically, you promised them some connection to a Blackwood.” She glanced at me from the corner of her eyes, letting out a sigh. “Did you really think this was just about Olivia? She’s standing in the way of something bigger than she’ll ever know.” I raised an eyebrow. “Well, I think this started because you couldn’t handle the rejection, especially because of her.” I leaned in slightly. “And in your desperation to get closer to Christian, you made a deal with your parents. I wonder how they’ll react when they find out you’re no closer to gett
OLIVIABut most of them were too small, too fitted and definitely not made for someone with Christian’s build. After a few more minutes of searching and silently cursing myself, I sighed and pushed my hair out of my face. “This isn’t going to work. Everything here would look like a crop top on you.”I turned toward him, already dreading my next words. “I guess… we’ll have to ask James.” He raised an eyebrow, clearly entertained by my discomfort. I ignored him and hurried out of the room. Luckily, James was just stepping out of his room as I reached the hallway. Without thinking, I grabbed his arm and yanked him back inside, shutting the door behind us. “What the hell—?” he started, but I cut him off. “Can I borrow a shirt? And maybe some shorts?” He blinked at me, confused for half a second, then smirked. “For Christian?” I nodded impatiently. He shrugged and walked over to his closet. After a bit of rummaging, he pulled out a pair of loose black pants and a sky-blue flannel
OLIVIA A loud banging on the door jolted me awake. I shot up from the bed and immediately smacked my head against the headboard. Wincing, I clutched my forehead. Who on earth was pounding on my door like that? “Olivia!” my mother’s voice rang out from the hallway. I sighed and slumped back against the headboard. Of course. It was just her. “Go wash up and come downstairs,” she called. “Both of you. Breakfast’s ready.” I heard her footsteps fade away down the hall. Yawning, I stretched my arms over my head, trying to shake off the heavy sleep still clinging to me. Beside me, Christian shifted slightly. I glanced over, expecting him to wake up, but he stayed fast asleep. For a moment, I just stared at him. His face was so relaxed in sleep, the usual sharpness of his features softened. I couldn’t help myself—I reached out and lightly traced the line of his jaw with my fingertip and a small smile pulled at my lips. How could he be this handsome? I like you, Olivia. The words echoe
CHRISTIANIt was the quickest fucking quickie ever, because even though she said it was safe, I wasn’t about to take chances. “That was fast,” she murmured against my skin, her voice sleepy and satisfied. A corner of my lip tilted up in a smirk. “For saying that, I’m going to fuck you for hours after the baby’s out.” As she stared up at me, I realized what I’d just said, and the cheery mood evaporated like smoke. I sighed, shaking my head. “You’re about to say the contract ends once the baby’s out, right?” She shook her head, her big green eyes staring up at me — the same eyes that did something crazy to my heart, making me feel things I used to believe I couldn’t feel. “Why didn’t you…” she whispered, her voice soft, “Why did you turn Lydia away?” I chuckled under my breath. “Is that what you’re thinking about right now?” Her brows pinched together slightly and her lips twisted shyly. “It’s not like you.” She revealed. “I know you always made time for her whenever she showed
CHRISTIAN What am I doing? That’s a fair question. Because if someone had told me months ago that I would find myself in this position—kneeling before Olivia, my only focus on her pleasure, and my own desires secondary, I would have called them crazy. And yet, here I was, overwhelmed by the need to make her squirm, to hear her breath hitch, to watch her lose herself under my touch and consumed by a hunger I couldn’t control. Oh, how I’d missed the sight of her writhing beneath me. It takes a real man to admit when a woman has completely shifted his world and I was that man. So yes, I knew what I was doing, and the end result? It would most likely be her release all over my face. Soon. Slowly, I trailed kisses up her thighs, nearing the place where she pulsed with need and she trembled. “Relax,” I whispered against her skin, and somehow, that made her quiver even more. A groan rumbled in my chest as my eyes caught the sight of her…soft, wet, and waiting for me. I could lose
OLIVIA It was just a simple misunderstanding. And yet it had wrecked me for weeks. I’d cried, sulked, pushed him away, all because of something that was never even real. My eyes stung with embarrassment. I tightened my fingers in my dress and turned away, unable to look at him, memories of every stupid argument flashing through my mind. I remembered all the times he said there was nothing between him and Lydia. And all the times I hadn’t believed him. I thought about that night in the car, the way I’d thrown words at him like knives. I thought about how he had just sat there and taken it. I must have looked like a fool and sounded even worse. I swallowed hard and dropped my head, squeezing my eyes shut, and wishing I could erase everything. Then suddenly, I felt his hand on my shoulder, wrapping me with warmth. I opened my eyes, blinking back tears, just as he pulled me into a hug from behind. The second my back hit his chest, everything broke loose. I started sobbing — ug
OLIVIA For weeks, I’d waited for him to explain their relationship, to show that she didn’t matter, but I never got that. I couldn’t keep waiting for his words to match his actions. “What about her?” He didn’t answer right away, but his gaze didn’t waver either. His eyes searched mine, like he was waiting for me to say more. When I didn’t, he exhaled. “I didn’t fuck her, Olivia.” He took a slow step forward, like he wanted to make sure I understood every word. “Or whatever you think happened.” I shook my head, still not convinced. “Then just tell me the truth.” His eyes softened for a second. “Tell me why you think I’m lying. And say something more than me dancing with her at the ball.” Dancing with her at the ball? Was that all he thought this was about? I lifted my chin. “When I went to shop for a dress… Lydia told me you…” I paused, trying to steady myself. “She said you made her leave your bed that morning. I don’t think that means nothing.” He raised an eyebrow, a