An arranged marriage gone terribly wrong. And Olivia and Kelsey are the collateral damage. Why the hell was he so bent on dazzling her if he already loved someone else? What is his ploy? Read on to find out. And let me know what you think so far in the comments. Maybe leave a review on the main page as well? It really would be a big help. <3 <3 <3
________________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~ ."My name is Jackson Reign," Jackson told my sweet sweet girl as he knelt down in front of her. "I am your Mommy's... friend. What's your name?""I am Kelsey Smith." Kelsey gave him a toothed grin as she put forward her hand, which he took. "I am my Mommy's baby.""Yes, that you are." He grinned back.My heart felt like someone was squeezing it inside their fist. It was not a good feeling but the scene in front of me was something that I had dreamt of endless times even though I had no hopes of it really happening. It was so hard to navigate through my heartache when this particular scene haunted my dreams. "So how long have you known Mommy?" Kelsey was ever the curious kid. She took Jackson's hand and tugged at him, a gesture that brought a very wide variety of emotions in Jackson's eyes. And I could not and did not want to decipher any of them. I was done trying to do that. Jackson and I were way past those days."Umm, five years?"I
_______________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~ .I slammed the door in Jackson’s smug face as I felt anger like no other boiling inside me. How dare he charm my daughter and manipulate her into striking another meeting with her? And how dare I be so weak to let that happen? “Mommy…” Came my precious little troublemaker’s very familiar tone. “No, monkey, he is not going to be your Daddy.” I turned to her. “But he is so nice!” She clapped. “And handsome and strong! I bet all my friends will be super jealous if he becomes my Daddy.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Is it really a Daddy you want or a show pony?” I asked. “Huh?” I took in a deep breath. I had to calm down. I could not make the mistake of taking out my anger for him and myself on my most precious baby. I sat down on my haunches in front of her. “You know what Daddy means?” “What Granna is to you?” “Yeah, good girl. Daddy is part of your family. Daddy is someone who you love and respect and look up to despite their s
_____________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~.“Thank you so much for having me for dinner, Li- Olivia.” I stared at the bouquet of yellow roses that Jackson Reign held outstretched in his hand.“Yellow roses mean eternal love.” That’s what he used to say before one fine day, he revealed that there was no love at all and everything lived and cherished had been nothing but lies and betrayal. “I developed an allergy to roses after my pregnancy.” I gave him a saccharine smile and waved the flowers away. Jackson raised a brow, an amused smirk forming on his stupidly handsome face. “Is that so? Because I could swear that I saw a vase of roses on the dining table yesterday.” Oh well, it was worth a try. “Hyper-realistic faux flowers.” I shrugged. “Right.” He was not buying it for a second but I would be damned if I let him have it. “I am sure one or two of them were wilting.” “As I said, hyper-realistic.” I stared him down. He stared right back for a good minute before letting out a
_______________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~."You have turned into a monster, Olivia." Jackson dared to look like he was the one who was being wronged here. "I know what I did. And how wrong it was. But my mother-""Your mother is none of my fucking concern," I cut him off, my voice icy cold. "She knew everything and did nothing. Just like she did nothing while you were busy playing house with Elena. Just like she did nothing when she found out you had a child with me. She is just as much to blame as you are."Jackson's eyes narrowed and for a moment I thought he would argue. But then he took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. I understand your anger. But I need to do this for my peace. For the peace of her soul."I let out a wry chuckle."It's always, always about what you want, isn't it Jackson?" I asked.He let out an exasperated sigh as if I was being unreasonable."Why are you twisting everything I say, Olivia?" He rubbed his temple. "Why can't you take what I say at face value f
____________ ...~ ~ ~ J A C K S O N ~ ~ ~. "Dammit!" I growled as I flung the stupid bouquet of what used to be Olivia's favorite flowers across the room. It was like she was immune to my apologies and pleas. How could she be so cold, so unforgiving after all this time? "You owe me a thousand bucks." My eye twitched as I heard my best friend and legal advisor, William's smug voice. I turned on my heels and glared at the asshole leaning against the doorframe of his room. "Shut up, Harvey" I snarled. "What?" He shrugged as he stepped into the hall. "A bet's a bet. Someone was pretty confident that he would have his ex-wife on her knees the moment he appeared in front of her. Two days later, all he has is a healing almost-broken nose." I glared at him. "I don't want her swooning over me or submitting to me. That is not what I want from her, Harvey. You know that." "I know exactly what you want from her, Reign." William chuckled as he walked over to the corner bar and picked
___________________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~.The next morning, I woke up to a complete ruckus in the kitchen.Kelsey's laughter filled the room and the smell of burnt toast filled my nostrils."Mommy, look!" She was standing on a kitchen stool, her small hands holding up a piece of toast that was black on one side. "I made this toast! For the first time ever, I made breakfast!""Meant to poison sewer rats, I suppose?" I muttered to myself, the face of a sewer rat in need of immediate extermination coming to my mind as I grinned at my daughter, my eye twitching as I strained to keep the grimace away. "Well done, monkey! I am so so very proud of you, darling!" "Maybe you should feed the first breakfast you ever made to your Mommy, Kelse," Sarah smirked as she encouraged my daughter to poison me instead of the piece of shit that I had in mind. I glared at my best friend when Kelsey nodded with all the joy in the world. "Yes, yes! Mommy, you get to eat the food I made! Let me pret
_________________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~."You can place him right on the center of the bed!" Kelsey clapped excitedly as she directed Jackson to her bed."Alright!" He had his ever-present pleasing smile on his dumb ugly - okay, maybe not so ugly - face as he settled the giant toy on top of her purple fluffy pillows and straightened up, scanning the toy treasure cove that my daughter's bedroom was.His eyes took in the many drawings that my monkey had made and then his eyes lingered on one of the drawings in particular.It was her representation of me as a superwoman with hEro written on the top in her clumsy scrawl.Jackson's eyes softened as he took in the sight. "She is quite the artist, isn't she?"It took me a moment to snap out of my dreadful train of thought and actually realize that he was talking to me. I was in a daze as I nodded. "Yeah... She is really good. At everything she does." "Gets it from her mother, I guess." He replied without missing a beat. I almost s
_____________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~.After breakfast, which consisted of many more of my monkey's burnt poison toasts and all three of us collectively stopping her from actually trying out her disastrous culinary creation, Sarah, Kelsey, Jackson, and I filed into his car, with me in the passenger's seat and my girls in the back.It brought back memories.It had been five years, but he was still using the same car—the black SUV that I had brought him on one of his birthdays, the only one which I had celebrated with him.Why was he still using it though? Shouldn't he have thrown this vehicle out just like he had thrown me out of his life?And he already had a child seat installed. Was he actually expecting to take Kelsey out today or did he have a child? I did not have the courage to ask. Kelsey was busy yapping with Sarah. They were always doing that. Sarah's childish side came out whenever her Kelse was around.Jackson seemed to be uncomfortable. He kept on squirming in his s
___________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~ ."That's not it."It took everything in me not to throw the foam packing on my monkey and her Daddy."We are trying!" Kelsey whined as she pretended to read the instruction manual for assembling the indoor kennel.Jackson had the tip of his tongue poking out from the side of his lips as he screwed two segments together completely wrong.I sighed frustratedly, Pickles looking up from my lap and then back at the mess that the two were creating."Why don't you both take a break?" I asked. "Have some of the caramel toffee muffins that Ms. Jenkins dropped off and some orange juice from the fridge. Meanwhile, I will just take a look at your handiwork-""No!" Jackson and Kelsey yelled at the same time, each holding a hand up."Why not?" I asked."Everyone knows you are good at this thing, Liv." I still had to get used to him casually calling him Liv again. I wanted to tell him that we had not reached that stage yet but since I had agreed to give th
___________________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~.I walked into the greenness of the place, the serene sound of the fountain in the corner reaching my years.It was as beautiful as I remembered it.I turned to face Jackson. "What is it that you wanted to talk about?"He took a deep breath, his gaze roaming over my face. "I know it's a lot to ask, Olivia, but I am asking to give me another chance."I opened my mouth to disagree immediately but he cut me off with his hand up in the air. "I am not asking you to forgive me. I know that it is not possible for anyone to forgive so easily after what I have done, especially when all I have done is say I am sorry verbally and never did anything to prove that I am sorry through my actions."He took another step closer, his eyes boring into mine. "But I want to be that person now. I want to be the person who shows you, every single day that I am sorry. That I regret everything that happened between us.""Jackson, I-"He cut me off again. "And I
_____________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~."Mommy!" The sound of Kelsey's excited voice pulled me out of my thoughts. She was standing in the doorway of my room, her eyes wide with excitement. "Daddy's here!"Jackson?I looked at the huge clock on the wall.It was seven in the morning. What was he doing here this early?I quickly straightened my pajamas and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. "What do you mean, Daddy's here?""He's downstairs with Uncle Will!" Kelsey exclaimed, bouncing on her toes. "They brought presents. Santa messed up the orders and dropped some of my presents there!"I blinked, trying to make sense of her words through the fog of sleep. "What are you talking about?""Daddy's downstairs," she repeated, her tone impatient."Why?""It's Christmas, Mommy!"I couldn't believe I had forgotten. It had been so chaotic with the funeral and the aftermath that the holiday had slipped my mind entirely.But as I saw the excitement in Kelsey's eyes, I knew I had to play along."O
_______________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~.Elena.Jackson's first love.I felt all the pain that I had tucked away in the corner of my heart rush back in full force at the sight of Jackson's first love."Mind your language or I will forget that this is a funeral."Elena raised an eyebrow at me. "You think you can scare me?"I looked at her with a deadpan expression. "I'm not trying to scare you, Elena. I'm just stating the fact that this is a funeral. A place for mourning, not for drama."Her eyes narrowed, and she took a step closer to me. "Don't you dare act all high and mighty! You're just the desperate bitch he settled for because he couldn't have me."I felt my hands clench into fists at my sides. "This isn't the place for this. If you have anything to say to me, say it later."Elena smirked. "Oh, I'll save it for when he realizes his mistake and comes back to me, with his tail between his legs."I raised a brow.So they were really not together?And Jackson had initiated the
________________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~."I am making this more difficult for you, aren't I?" Jackson asked after dinner with my parents.Kelsey had fallen asleep in my father's arms and he had insisted that we stay for the night.And Jackson had refused to leave, going as far as to threaten to wake Kelsey up if he didn't get to stay.And then he had the audacity to ask me if he was making the situation harder for me.No shit, Sherlock!"Jackson," I hissed, my eyes flashing as I turned around to face him. "You have no idea."I was in the balcony, drinking a cup of chamomile tea. It helped me sleep. I needed it especially after he appeared back in my life."Olivia, we need to talk." I didn't know why he had followed me outside.All I knew was that I really did not want to talk to him now, or ever. But I needed to say this one thing."You are an absolute piece of shit, you know that?" I asked."I know." He made no attempt to defend himself."Do you even know why I am saying this
________________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~.Kelsey asked me why we were not riding with her Daddy on the way to my parent's house.My Dad was not at all happy to hear that but he kept quiet for the sake of his granddaughter.Jackson followed us in his car.I wondered why he was doing it.Could he not just go to his place? What was the need for coming to a place where even the lawn weed hated him?"Mommy, why is Grandpa mad?" Kelsey looked at me, her voice filled with innocent curiosity."He's not mad, sweetie," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "He just has a lot on his mind.""I am mad." My Dad mumbled.I gave him a flat look.Did I really need to verbally remind him that I already had a four-year-old to deal with?Did he have to be stubborn and make things more difficult for me than it already was?"See!" Kelsey pointed out. "I told you Grandpa was mad.""Grandpa won't be mad anymore after I talk to him, monkey. It's grown-up things. You are just a baby. You won't understa
_____________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~.The scent of home was something else.It was true that I had uprooted my life and moved across the country, that this was not home to my daughter.But it was where I had grown up, where I had met Jackson, where I had gotten married, where I had fell in love, and where I had felt the most pain.It was a homecoming I was not sure I was ready for.As the plane touched down, my stomach churned with a mix of anxiety and nostalgia.Home.There were two cars waiting for us on the tarmac."Grandpa!" Kelsey yelled as soon as she sighted my father."Dad?" I was confused.I had told my mother that we would talk about where we were staying. Why was he here when we hadn't had that talk yet?Jackson looked over at me. "You didn't tell me Daniel was coming.""He didn't tell me either." I sighed.Jackson took Kelsey's hand and led her down the steps of the plane while I took a moment to compose myself.My father, Daniel Smith, was a man of few words. But h
____________ ...~ ~ ~ J A C K S O N ~ ~ ~."That's not enough, Mommy. Kiss Daddy better." Kelsey demanded.I raised a brow at my daughter's demand.Kiss Daddy better?I really liked that idea."No need for that, monkey." I pretended to be the good guy. "Daddy is not sad. Mommy is right about Daddy not knowing how to tie your hair anyway."Olivia shot me a look that could have frozen the Sahara desert."Kelsey," she said firmly. "Mommy and Daddy are just friends now. No more of that, okay?"I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from smirking - try selling that to our daughter, wifey.Come on Kelse, show her whose daughter you are! Get what you want from her!"Mommy!" The stubborn pout was on. "We are not going anywhere until you kiss Daddy."Olivia's eyes shot to me, a silent plea for help.But I was enjoying this too much."Okay, okay, Kelsey," I said, stepping closer to Olivia, my hand on her shoulder. "I guess I can get a kiss from your Mommy for doing a good job on the bu
_____________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~.Jackson had texted me earlier in the morning saying that he would pick up us.I was still doing some last-minute packing.Jackson had said that he would take care of accommodation when we got there. But I could always stay at Sarah's.I did not want to stay with my parents.I had not even told them that we were coming, or that Jackson was back in our lives, or that he had dropped the bomb on the status of our marriage.But I knew that I had to.The last thing I wanted was to cause more drama, especially for Kelsey.So, I took a deep breath and picked up the phone to call my mom.Cassandra Smith had not changed one bit in the last five years - she was still the charming socialite and host and overbearing mother, who was never satisfied with what I did.The phone rang for the longest time before she picked up. Knowing that my mother was attached to her hand device like a second skin, I could imagine she was in the company of someone else. And