"Idiots," Olivia hisses under her breath, then looks at Ethan with a piercing gaze. "Are you following me, Ethan? I thought you were a faithful husband."Ethan's eyebrows raise at her accusation, and he scoffs. "Well, I didn't know you owned this park, just like last time I didn't know you owned that restaurant. If I had known that this place belongs only to you, My Queen, I would've never even dreamed of trespassing into your territory."At his word, Olivia felt a surge of frustration and anger. I didn't know why, Ethan, you're effecting me so much that I forget about my surrounding. Shrugging her shoulders, she said, "Smartass."Ethan's eyes widened at her retort, and he ask, "Are you serious?"Olivia realizes her slip and quickly tries to cover up. "I was asking about your ass-phone. You said it broke, right?"She closes her eyes for slipping again, "I... I mean your smartphone." She felt flustered, her cheeks flushing slightly at her unintentional innuendo. "You said your phone br
He lunged forward towards the girl and the puppy, scooping them up in his arms. He jumped to the other side of the road. His heart pounded in his chest as he felt the rush of air against his face. With a thud, Ethan hit the ground on his back, clutching the girl and puppy tightly to his chest. He shielded them with his body as the car rush past, the screech of tires echoing in his ears. The sound of the crash reverberated through the air as the collided with the pavement. For a moment, he felt like time had stopped. Everything went silent except for his own heartbeat. Then the girl started wailing, and the puppy squirmed in his arms. Ethan looked down at the crying girl cradled against him and sat up. He consoled her "Shh, you're safe now, princess. See everything is okay? The little puppy is safe, too." Gently checking her over for any injuries. "Are you hurt anywhere, baby?" He asked softly. The girl shook her head no amidst her sobs. He stroked her hair soothingly. "Shh, please
Ethan laughed at her request. "You want Puppy to come home with you?""Your mama doesn't like dogs, baby," her grandfather said gently. "We can't take the puppy home."Isabella's face fell at his words. "No, puppy?" She looked so heartbroken that Ethan's heart melted."Hey now, no tears," Ethan said, giving her hand a squeeze. "Puppy has to stay here, but you'll see other cute puppies another day, okay, princess?"Sniffling, Isabella nodded before waving sadly. "Bye bye, Puppy."John mouthed "thank you" to Ethan once more before turning to leave. As they left, Ethan felt that warmth mixed with a tinge of sadness at Isabella's disappointment. But he knew her bright spirit wouldn't stay dimmed for long.As Isabella and her grandfather John left the ice cream shop and walked a short distance, Isabella suddenly shouted excitedly, "Mama! Mama!" She wiggled out of John's arms and took off running."Isabella!" John called after her, but the little girl had already launched herself into the a
"Mia, I can't do that in front of our parents it's ridiculous! What will they think of me if I start holding Olivia's hand and flirt with her right in front of them?" Ethan looked at Mia with disbelief."But that's what we have to show to our parents. We have to convince them that you're flirting with Olivia. Only in this way we can make our plan successful. Only in this way we will be able to get divorced. Why don't you understand, Ethan? This is the most important step for our plan," Mia said.I'm willing to help convince them Olivia and I have something going on between us through more subtle means lingering glances, standing a bit too close, that sort of thing. But I won't cross obvious lines of decency in front of our family. Our parents deserve to be treated with respect, even if we disagree with their decision on our marriage. Pulling a stunt like that will only make the situation more volatile. Please, I'm asking you to reconsider this approach."My Mom are completely inflexi
"Olivia, Ethan was about to spill details of our plan right in front of our parents! Thanks to you for talking with mom while coming here, I was able to stop him from revealing more by kissing him."She glanced around furtively before continuing. "You have to be bold and take matters into your own hands. Make Ethan act according to our plan."Olivia felt a rush of relief that Mia had been the one to instigate the surprising kiss she witnessed earlier. At least it wasn't Ethan making unwanted advances.However, a lingering doubt crept into Olivia's mind. What if Ethan did have feelings for Mia, even if he hadn't acted on them openly yet? The idea made Olivia's stomach knot with worry.Hearing Mia's words, Ethan felt the ground had slipped beneath his feet and he couldn't control his inner turmoil. A tear fell from his eyes and he abruptly stood up, collecting the broken glass shards."Don't you ever dare kiss me like that again, Mia. I will not tolerate anything you do without my conse
Olivia flinched at first when Ethan guided her hand towards the puppy's fur. But as her fingers made contact with the impossibly soft coat, she felt herself relaxing slightly. The puppy seemed to sense her fear and ceased its barking, letting out a small whimper sound instead."See, he likes you," Ethan murmured reassuringly close to her ear. His warm breath tickled her neck, sending an involuntary shiver down her spine.Slowly, Olivia lifted her head from the safety of Ethan's neck to get a better look at the puppy. It looked up at her with soulful brown eyes, its tiny pink tongue lolling out happily as she stroked it. A reluctant smile tugged at the corners of her lips."I guess he's not so bad... But I don't like dogs," she admitted, running her fingers through the soft fur.Ethan chuckled at that. "Who said he's a dog? Meet Mango, my new furry friend. And Mango, meet Olivia, my new old friend." He took Olivia's hand, which he was still holding, and guided it to shake the puppy's p
***Four Years Back***Ethan perched on his usual barstool, his dark hair casting shadows on his chiseled feature, eyes reflecting the golden glow of the lit club. A mixologist shook a cocktail shaker, creating a rhythm that made the space come alive."Another Old Fashioned, Ethan?" The bartender, Mark asked, and smirks as he placed the fresh drink in front of Ethan.Ethan shrugs. "Why not? It seems to be the only thing keeping me going these days," He said wistfully, swirling the amber liquid in the highball glass. His mind traced back to a time when he had someone special to share his evenings with, but that seemed like a distant memory now.Mark glanced discreetly over Ethan's shoulder, then winked at him. "Looks like your luck is about to change, my friend."Following Mark's line of sight, Ethan noticed a woman walk in Olivia. Her golden brown hair cascaded past her shoulders, and her captivating blue eyes scanned the room. Without a second thought, she sauntered over, closing the
Ethan was running behind a thief. As he got him and tried to snatch the bag, the thief pushed him, causing him to stumble on his feet. The thief, attempting to escape, darted into a nearby small alley. After balancing himself, he turned around; suddenly, a car halted just an inch away, causing his heartbeat to race rapidly.The car door opened slowly, revealing black heels, followed by a perfectly manicured hand reaching for the door. A woman wearing black sunglasses appeared from the car.Defiantly standing before him, a woman's stance contrasted starkly with the chase chaos. Before he could react, she grabbed the purse from him. He regained his footing, standing up to the accomplice of the thief. He found himself face to-face with.... a beautiful lady. Describing her differently was impossible. She was captivating the orangish hue of the sunset illuminating her made her look even more beautiful, almost ethereal. She raised her arm, ready to throw a punch at him. Ethan caught her sm