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 sat beside Christian in the backseat of the moving car, stealing glances at him when I thought he wouldn’t notice. “You know I can feel you staring, right?” he said without opening his eyes. Heat rushed to my cheeks and I quickly turned to the window, pretending to admire the passing streets. He sighed and shifted slightly toward me. “What is it?” I fiddled with the hem of my dress. “I’m just… surprised,” I admitted, sneaking a look at him. “The way you stood up for me tonight, how you made it clear to everyone that I come first.” My voice trailed off in a shrug. “It was… kind of hot.” He scoffed under his breath, the corner of his mouth lifting. “You fixate on the smallest things, Olivia. Sometimes it’s cute, other times, it’s just…” he trailed off with a low chuckle. “What?” I turned toward him, pouting. “I mean,” I waved a hand, “you see it all the time in movies and books. The guy just sits there like a dumbass while his girlfriend gets humiliated. Isn’t that weird
OLIVIAI smiled. “Yeah, I’m good.” He nodded once and rose to his feet, casually shrugging off his shirt. I didn’t even pretend not to look. The hard lines of his body, the way his muscles flexed when he tossed the shirt aside, it was enough to send my thoughts spinning. Without thinking, I reached for him, my hands finding his waist. He stilled, his eyes dropping to mine. “What’s that look for?” he asked, a slow smile playing on his lips. Smirking, I tugged at his trousers, pulling him down onto the bed with me. He landed beside me with a low grunt, and before he could catch his breath, I pushed him onto his back, climbing on top of him with a wicked grin. I bent low, dragging my tongue slowly down his chest, savoring the way his body trembled beneath me, each shiver sending a pulse of heat straight to my core. His muscles tightened, his hand coming down with a sharp slap to my ass, making me gasp and then laugh, breathless with excitement. I kissed my way back up to his
OLIVIA I groaned in exhaustion, glancing out the window. Miss Elowen had been yapping on and on for what felt like over two hours, and I was bored out of my mind. After everything that happened between us a while ago, I couldn’t focus in her class for the life of me. I tried to steer my thoughts somewhere else, but they kept drifting. Back to Christian. Back to the way his body had moved against mine last night. The way we were both sweaty and desperate, tangled up in each other, until I was half out of my mind. Sighing heavily, I picked up my phone. Liam had sent a few texts, checking on me, and I decided to respond to some. There was one from Nicholas too, but I didn’t even bother opening it. After a few minutes of scrolling through social media and getting even more restless, I huffed out a breath, feeling hot and uncomfortable in my own skin. What was this heat? In the haze of boredom, a thought crossed my mind. Chewing the inside of my cheek, I slid to my contacts and p
OLIVIAI chewed my lip anxiously, tapping my phone and waiting for his reply. Just as the tension in my chest built, Miss Elowen closed her laptop with a sigh, signaling the class was finally over. I glanced down at my phone again. He’d sent a string of even more ridiculous emojis, and I couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking my head. His humor was always unexpected, yet it never failed to make me smile, even if it was in the middle of something so… intense. I sighed, sliding my book into my bag and getting to my feet as Miss Elowen exited the hall. Grabbing my bag from the desk, I moved toward the door. “Olivia!”I turned around to see Ivy coming toward me, smiling brightly. “Ivy, hey,” I greeted her, returning the smile as she linked arms with me. “You seem to be in a hurry,” she remarked, her eyes lingering on the phone in my hand. “Got plans?” I chuckled, a little too nervously. My fingers hovered over the screen, glancing at Christian’s last message. “You could say that.” He
OLIVIA“I’m sorry, but he needs urgent surgery to survive.” The doctor said.My mother choked on a sob, staggering backwards so violently that if I hadn’t been holding her, she might have fallen to the ground. After hours of worrying, waiting and praying, this was not the sort of news we’d hoped to hear concerning my brother’s health. I felt goosebumps spread over my skin, my heart dropping at the realization that my brother might die. “Please, doctor..” I stepped forward, my hands trembling. “There has to be another way to save my brother. Please help us.”The doctor shook his head. “Unfortunately, the damage is too deep. Surgery is the only way out. And I’d advise you to hurry because he has less than twelve hours to live without surgery.”My chest felt tight as I fought back tears of my own. I shut my eyes briefly and tried to breathe, but it seemed impossible right now. I was feeling way too much, way too soon. It felt like my world was crashing down on me, and if I weren’t car
OLIVIAThis is a very vivid dream I'm having right now. That was my first thought as I stared at the man seated in front of me, certain that I must have heard him wrong. The chances of what he had just proposed to me being real were extremely low. I just couldn't believe it. Reaching out under the table, I pinched the skin on my arm hard. The pain shooting up my arm only meant that I was truly awake. This was not a dream. I was actually in the restaurant, seated across from Christian Blackwood, listening to him ask me to be his surrogate. He was still staring intensely, waiting for a response. "I…I don't understand," I finally said. And that was not a lie. I was lost here. "I am telling you that if you agree to this deal, you will never have to work a day in your life ever again. You won't need to raise a finger again if that is your wish. And as you said, your brother's health and survival are your top priority. From the look of things, I am your only hope."I swallowed hard, kno
OLIVIAJust like Christian said, my brother was booked for surgery. Twenty minutes after he made the call, my brother was transferred to the best neurosurgeon in the city, and a few hours later, his surgery was over.My mother and I spent the rest of the time in the lobby, overjoyed to learn that the surgery had been a success. My brother was still alive, and in a few weeks, he would be completely fine. I was so happy that I even cried tears of joy. I couldn't believe that I'd managed to pull this off and save my brother’s life. My mother was even happier. She was so overwhelmed with excitement that she did not even ask me where the money came from yet. But I knew in the back of my mind that she would soon return to it, and I had until then to come up with a reasonable lie. I shook my head in horror at the thought of how I would tell my mother about my arrangement with Christian. I didn't even want to think about how she would react or what she would do. Although I felt terrible fo
OLIVIAI chewed my lip anxiously, tapping my phone and waiting for his reply. Just as the tension in my chest built, Miss Elowen closed her laptop with a sigh, signaling the class was finally over. I glanced down at my phone again. He’d sent a string of even more ridiculous emojis, and I couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking my head. His humor was always unexpected, yet it never failed to make me smile, even if it was in the middle of something so… intense. I sighed, sliding my book into my bag and getting to my feet as Miss Elowen exited the hall. Grabbing my bag from the desk, I moved toward the door. “Olivia!”I turned around to see Ivy coming toward me, smiling brightly. “Ivy, hey,” I greeted her, returning the smile as she linked arms with me. “You seem to be in a hurry,” she remarked, her eyes lingering on the phone in my hand. “Got plans?” I chuckled, a little too nervously. My fingers hovered over the screen, glancing at Christian’s last message. “You could say that.” He
OLIVIA I groaned in exhaustion, glancing out the window. Miss Elowen had been yapping on and on for what felt like over two hours, and I was bored out of my mind. After everything that happened between us a while ago, I couldn’t focus in her class for the life of me. I tried to steer my thoughts somewhere else, but they kept drifting. Back to Christian. Back to the way his body had moved against mine last night. The way we were both sweaty and desperate, tangled up in each other, until I was half out of my mind. Sighing heavily, I picked up my phone. Liam had sent a few texts, checking on me, and I decided to respond to some. There was one from Nicholas too, but I didn’t even bother opening it. After a few minutes of scrolling through social media and getting even more restless, I huffed out a breath, feeling hot and uncomfortable in my own skin. What was this heat? In the haze of boredom, a thought crossed my mind. Chewing the inside of my cheek, I slid to my contacts and p
OLIVIAI smiled. “Yeah, I’m good.” He nodded once and rose to his feet, casually shrugging off his shirt. I didn’t even pretend not to look. The hard lines of his body, the way his muscles flexed when he tossed the shirt aside, it was enough to send my thoughts spinning. Without thinking, I reached for him, my hands finding his waist. He stilled, his eyes dropping to mine. “What’s that look for?” he asked, a slow smile playing on his lips. Smirking, I tugged at his trousers, pulling him down onto the bed with me. He landed beside me with a low grunt, and before he could catch his breath, I pushed him onto his back, climbing on top of him with a wicked grin. I bent low, dragging my tongue slowly down his chest, savoring the way his body trembled beneath me, each shiver sending a pulse of heat straight to my core. His muscles tightened, his hand coming down with a sharp slap to my ass, making me gasp and then laugh, breathless with excitement. I kissed my way back up to his
OLIVIA I sat beside Christian in the backseat of the moving car, stealing glances at him when I thought he wouldn’t notice. “You know I can feel you staring, right?” he said without opening his eyes. Heat rushed to my cheeks and I quickly turned to the window, pretending to admire the passing streets. He sighed and shifted slightly toward me. “What is it?” I fiddled with the hem of my dress. “I’m just… surprised,” I admitted, sneaking a look at him. “The way you stood up for me tonight, how you made it clear to everyone that I come first.” My voice trailed off in a shrug. “It was… kind of hot.” He scoffed under his breath, the corner of his mouth lifting. “You fixate on the smallest things, Olivia. Sometimes it’s cute, other times, it’s just…” he trailed off with a low chuckle. “What?” I turned toward him, pouting. “I mean,” I waved a hand, “you see it all the time in movies and books. The guy just sits there like a dumbass while his girlfriend gets humiliated. Isn’t that weird
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