_______ . . . ~ ~ ~ J A C K S O N ~ ~ ~ . I called William as soon as I reached my office. But the motherfucker didn't pick up until I rang three times. "You know," He spoke as soon as he picked up, without any greetings. "If I am not picking up your calls, it obviously means that I have no interest in talking to you so early in the morning and ruining my mood, Reign. Why the hell are you acting like a desperate girlfriend?" I rolled my eyes. "I have news." I told him, knowing how much this asshole loved gossips. "What? Olivia wants to divorce your ass?" He snickered like a retard making me wonder if he was drunk in the morning? Or had he not gotten his first cup of coffee yet? "Yeah, she wants the divorce." "What? Really?" I could hear the chair creak suddenly as he must have hopped off it. "What happened to 'I am going to get you better and ruin my own life in the process'?" He did an unflattering imitation of her which made me cringe. "Please never do that agai
_________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~ ."Jackson left Monkey with you?" I asked as I stepped out of the elevator and walked to the exit of the company. "Yeah. He said he had some work to finish and that Kelse was missing Pickles." I sighed. I was missing Pickles too. "Maybe I will also come over, spend some time with Pickles." "What's left of the renovation anyway?" My Mom asked. "I thought most of it was already done before you three moved in." "We are pet-proofing the place and getting in a high fence. I don't want Pickles or Monkey to wander into the water unsupervised." I explained to her. "Well, you should have thought it all through before getting a beach house for your permanent residence!" She exclaimed. I rolled my eyes. "I remember you telling Jackson what a wonderful idea it was." "I wasn't thinking about the practical implications then. What do I know? I am a airhead socialite. How can you expect me to figure out what you corporate moguls haven't figured out?"
_________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~ .The dude did not even let me see what he got for Kelsey.He went straight to the parking without any shopping bags. I wonder if he got her some jewelry that fit in his pocket or something. That would be stupid. She was four. She was not interested in jewelry. But he was stupid, wasn't he? And it was not like he was going to put in any real effort because... why would he? He wanted to pretend to be the good father so he was going to get something to make her happy, without putting any thought into whether she liked it or not. I rolled my eyes as I put the bouquet and the shopping bags in the backseat of my car after making sure that the idiot was nowhere in sight. I sighed. Should I get her something else? I knew she would love the toys. And she had been asking for more toys for Pickles. But still... What if she felt disappointed by what her Daddy got her? I slumped my head against the roof of my car. Well, I guess she would just
_____________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~."I am so drained." I confided in my best friend, Sarah Hopkins. "I just can't handle all this nonsense anymore, Sarah.""What's up, Liv?" She replied, "Your stupid Dad dumped more work on you again? Or did your Mom want you to meet her socialite friends to show off her perfect daughter?"I fidgeted with my phone, balancing it between my ear and shoulder as I worked on the day's never-ending report. "Neither, though I think those might have been better. It's my and Jack's six-month anniversary today and they are throwing a huge useless party!""Oh yeah, I got the invite a month ago." She sighed. I could hear her typing away on her computer as well. "But I thought you said you wanted to keep it low-key?""I would have loved that." I slumped in my chair, taking a break from all the typing. "Jack has been making all these really sweet tiny gestures for the past five months. But the past month, he has been insanely busy and closed off so I figur
_____________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~.I stared at the paparazzi photos and videos of my husband hugging and kissing another woman. The last video was of today when they were caught walking out of a hotel hand in hand - the same hotel where we had spent our first night as a married couple because we didn't have the time in our busy schedule for a honeymoon.Apparently, the husband who didn't have time to take a Sunday off from work had the time to take another woman."What have you done?" My Mom screamed. "How could you not know? How could you let this go on for so long?"Jack had been with this woman even before our wedding.Then why the hell had he even married me?I dialled his number one more time. Though all the proof that I needed was right in front of me, I was still willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. I was willing to give him a chance at an explanation.My heart ached. Like it was about to explode inside my ribs.I loved him just too much.But I knew this pain
_______________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~....FIVE YEARS LATER...."Kelsey Jennifer Smith, you really need to get up now or you will be late!" I walked into my baby's room, a spatula in hand to find that my baby girl who had to leave for kindergarten in half an hour was still in bed and with the blanket over her head."I don't want to go to school!" She whined from under her space-themed blanket.I sat down on the edge of the bed and placed my hand on where I saw the bump of her head. "And why is that, monkey?" I asked her, lighting tapping on what I assumed to be her forehead.Kelsey threw the blanket off her face and pouted. "I will go to school if you give me something that I am going to ask you!"Oh boy. This was never fun.My baby girl, no matter how much I hated to admit it, was a product where the sperm won the gene battle. My genes didn't even try. Except for hair color and face shape.So she was stubborn as an ox, like her biological father.And she always got what she w
_______________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~.I took a deep breath and steeled myself. I could do this.But did I want to do this?He would leave if he thought I was not here, right?What did he want from me?I swiped at my cheeks and took another deep breath. I had to be strong.I unlocked the door and pulled it open.Jackson stood there, looking as handsome as ever, but his eyes were filled with something unreadable. Regret? Pity? I couldn't tell. I could never tell."Liv." He said, his voice thick.I raised a brow. Liv? LIV?Jackson's gaze searched my face, looking for something.I kept my face a mask. "What do you want, Jackson?"He stepped closer, and the scent of his cologne hit me like a tidal wave of memories. "Can I come in?""Umm... No." I said blankly.Jackson's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Liv, I need to talk to you."I smiled at him."I don't want to listen to a word you say." I shot back.Jackson looked taken aback, his eyes widening for a moment before he regained hi
_____________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~."Mommy, Mommy!" My angel ran towards me. "I told all my friends you will get me a Daddy for Christmas!"I mentally face-palmed.Why did I think that was a good idea?I smiled at her nevertheless. "Did you, now?""Yes!" She fell into my arms and I picked her up."Maybe you should have kept it a secret. As a surprise."What was the use of telling her that now?My darling thought for a moment. "Oh, I should have!"I patted her head as I walked to the car. "That's okay. No need to fret over it now.""Okay. Mommy, will you get me ice cream today?" She asked as I buckled her into her car seat."Hmm..." I pretended to think about it. This was my chance. "Do you want ice cream now or Daddy in two weeks? You can only choose one."I waited for Kelsey to choose the former. Come on, it was such an easy choice. Who would choose Daddy over ice cream?"Daddy!" She threw her hands up in the air.Apparently, my daughter would choose Daddy over ice cream.S
_________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~ .The dude did not even let me see what he got for Kelsey.He went straight to the parking without any shopping bags. I wonder if he got her some jewelry that fit in his pocket or something. That would be stupid. She was four. She was not interested in jewelry. But he was stupid, wasn't he? And it was not like he was going to put in any real effort because... why would he? He wanted to pretend to be the good father so he was going to get something to make her happy, without putting any thought into whether she liked it or not. I rolled my eyes as I put the bouquet and the shopping bags in the backseat of my car after making sure that the idiot was nowhere in sight. I sighed. Should I get her something else? I knew she would love the toys. And she had been asking for more toys for Pickles. But still... What if she felt disappointed by what her Daddy got her? I slumped my head against the roof of my car. Well, I guess she would just
_________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~ ."Jackson left Monkey with you?" I asked as I stepped out of the elevator and walked to the exit of the company. "Yeah. He said he had some work to finish and that Kelse was missing Pickles." I sighed. I was missing Pickles too. "Maybe I will also come over, spend some time with Pickles." "What's left of the renovation anyway?" My Mom asked. "I thought most of it was already done before you three moved in." "We are pet-proofing the place and getting in a high fence. I don't want Pickles or Monkey to wander into the water unsupervised." I explained to her. "Well, you should have thought it all through before getting a beach house for your permanent residence!" She exclaimed. I rolled my eyes. "I remember you telling Jackson what a wonderful idea it was." "I wasn't thinking about the practical implications then. What do I know? I am a airhead socialite. How can you expect me to figure out what you corporate moguls haven't figured out?"
_______ . . . ~ ~ ~ J A C K S O N ~ ~ ~ . I called William as soon as I reached my office. But the motherfucker didn't pick up until I rang three times. "You know," He spoke as soon as he picked up, without any greetings. "If I am not picking up your calls, it obviously means that I have no interest in talking to you so early in the morning and ruining my mood, Reign. Why the hell are you acting like a desperate girlfriend?" I rolled my eyes. "I have news." I told him, knowing how much this asshole loved gossips. "What? Olivia wants to divorce your ass?" He snickered like a retard making me wonder if he was drunk in the morning? Or had he not gotten his first cup of coffee yet? "Yeah, she wants the divorce." "What? Really?" I could hear the chair creak suddenly as he must have hopped off it. "What happened to 'I am going to get you better and ruin my own life in the process'?" He did an unflattering imitation of her which made me cringe. "Please never do that agai
__________ . . . ~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~ . "ABOUT the wedding." I almost yelled at him. "Let's get married again." Jackson stared unblinkingly at me for a long moment. A very long moment. And what did he do after that? He snorted. Like I was a clown cracking a joke. I was THIS close to cracking his skull! Jackson held up his hands in surrender again, before stepping forward and pressing the back of his hand to my forehead and then my cheek. "You don't seem to be having a fever..." He murmured. He stepped even closer, his lips inches away from my face. He took a sniff. "Not drunk either..." I shoved his face away, harder than necessary. Actually, it was necessary. That was what he deserved. "Ouch!" He laughed, he actually laughed at me. "Aren't you going to look for any head injury?" I asked drily. "Should I?" He laughed. "Did you hit your head somewhere?" I will hit you in the head. He laughed. Shit, I had said that out loud, hadn'
_________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~.I parked my car in the garage, and walked out to stare at the lights on in the living room through the window. Jackson had called me twice, but I didn't pick up. Should I have picked it up? I don't think so. It felt right now as though the more I talked to him, the more I was giving him opportunities to manipulate me again. I did a mental checklist of all he had done. One, he approached me and my family five years ago to take revenge on my mother by hurting me, a revenge that I could not understand to date. What did he gain? My mother did not even feel a tremor of the earthquake that shook my life forever. And he had succeeded in his revenge. In his own twisted way. Two, he did not let his dying mother not have a glimpse of her grandchild. Why? Because his ego was bigger than her dying wish. Three, he decided that it was time for a comeback when his interests got involved in this message. He did not care about me. He did not care about
__________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~ . "What's wrong?" I asked as soon as she opened her front door. My best friend looked ready to kill someone. "Where's Kelse?" Her voice was hoarse as if she was either crying or yelling, but by the looks of it, I guessed it was the latter. "What's wrong?" I asked her again. Sarah grabbed my arm and pulled me into the apartment and closed the door when she realized that Kelsey was not with me. "Why didn't you bring her?" She asked as she walked back into the living room, dragging me with her. "I told you to bring her!" Her voice rose as she sat down, filling two glasses with whiskey. She held one up to me. "You want Monkey here when we are going to sit and have a drinking marathon?" I asked, raising a brow at the almost empty bottle. "I failed." She sighed. "I failed as a lawyer and I failed as a best friend." She said as she rubbed her face with her palms. I looked at her confused. "What are you talking about?" I asked as I sat down nex
____________...~ ~~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~."Mommy!" Kelsey squealed as Jackson dipped into the water with her in his arms.I laughed at the scene, taking out my phone to capture the moment.Jackson looked over, the water droplets glistening on his tanned skin. "Want to join us?"I hesitated, feeling the warm sand between my toes. "I'll just watch for a bit," I said, trying to keep the sadness from my voice. The breeze picked up, carrying the scent of saltwater and sunscreen.Kelsey giggled as Jackson splashed water at her, her eyes lighting up with joy.I sat on the picnic blanket, watching them. The sun was setting, casting a soft glow across the beach.Jackson's eyes met mine, and I tried to smile again, the problem at the kindergarten getting to my head. I am pretty sure it was more of a grimace than a smile at that point.He waded out of the water, Kelsey still in his arms, and approached me. "Your turn," he said, extending a hand.I shook my head, my eyes wide. "I am not going i
__________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~."Monkey is not going to be happy that you left without meeting her," I told Harry as he wrapped his arms around me, lifting me off the ground and giving me a shake before putting me back down."I will come visit. I really need to go this time." He mumbled as he stepped back. "Give her all the gifts. I tell her I sent them, not that I was actually here. Thanks for having me.""No, thank you for spending time with me when your schedule is so packed." I smiled.He nodded and put his hand out to Jackson who took it. "It was good to see you, man."Jackson simply nodded, not saying anything. He was awfully quiet since lunch. And I think I know what this is about.I waved until the cab disappeared and turned to Jackson. "Jackson, it's all in the past." "I didn't say anything." He muttered before abruptly turning on his heel and stalking into the house.I rolled my eyes before following him. "So you are not pissed Harry was with me during the preg
_____________...~ ~ ~ J A C K S O N ~ ~ ~ .Stress. I guess when God made me, he accidentally poured a whole tanker of stress into my life. I rubbed the back of my neck as I stared at the message from my asshole best friend. WILLIAM HARVEY: It's taking longer than I thought. Both of the works. I swore as I threw the paperweight across the room. I wiped the sweat off my forehead. "LILIANA!" I yelled. "LILIANA, GET IN HERE!" My middle-aged PA hurried in, looking wide-eyed at the shattered paperweight on the floor. "Why isn't the air conditioner working?" I spat at her. She looked at me weirdly. "WHAT?" "I will get it checked right away, Sir." She said. "And get one of those paperweights." I waved dismissively at the wet mess on my floor. It was a gift from Olivia when we were first engaged. I didn't know if she had noticed it the last time she had visited, but if she did she would make some other pathetic assumption about the whole situation. "Of course, Sir." She pick