Olivia Smith is the secret billionaire heiress that no one knows about. Disguising as a pauper with her mother's last name "Smith" instead of the popular family name, "Richards," she secretly helps the love of her life, Lucas Preston build his company from the scratch. And how does he repay her? With a heartbreaking betrayal and divorce. When Lucas eventually finds out his mistake in divorcing a billionaire heiress, he wants her love back by all means. But Olivia is now the hottest single lady in the city. And she doesn't want her ex husband back!
View MoreOLIVIA'S POV
The restaurant was brimming with conversation and the occasional clink of glasses. Soft jazz music played in the background, adding a classy outlook to the already sophisticated environment. I sat across from my elder brother, Ethan, who had just finished his third glass of wine and was now swirling the remnants around the glass.
“It’s been years, Olivia,” Ethan began, his tone laced with that familiar sarcasm he seemed to carry around.
“Years?” I stared at him and chuckled. “It’s not even been two months!”
“But I’ve missed my baby sis,” He whined on.
“And I’ve missed you too,” I admitted, a huge smile forming across my lips.
Ethan called a waiter who was passing and ordered another bottle of wine.
“So…Lucas?” He stared at me. “How is he doing?”
I sighed, setting my fork down on my half-eaten plate of pasta. My marriage with Lucas had been a bit shaky in recent weeks but I was not bothered. Lucas loved me but he had been very busy with business meetings recently.
“He’s fine,” I shrugged. “Making me happy as usual.”
Ethan scoffed and I chuckled.
“I hear he’s been spending a lot of time at the office lately,” Ethan pressed on.
“Lucas is working hard,” I grunted, refusing to let his words affect me. “He’s driven. You’ve met him—you know how much he loves me.”
“Love doesn’t pay the bills,” Ethan shot back, his eyes narrowing. “And I don’t believe for one second he loves you as much as he loves what you’ve done for him. You’re too good for him, Liv.”
“Spare me,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Not everything is about money, Ethan.”
Ethan smirked. His skepticism was evident. “Not everything, no. But don’t pretend it doesn’t matter. You’re a Richards, for crying out loud. We’re bloody rich but here you are, hiding behind mother’s maiden name ‘Smith’ and struggling like some… nobody.”
I flinched at his words but forced myself to stay calm.
“I’m not hiding,” I muttered. “I chose to be with Lucas because I believe in him. I don’t need the family fortune or the name to define me.”
Ethan leaned back in his chair, letting out a low chuckle. “You’re unbelievable. Always trying to be noble.” He gestured around the restaurant. “Meanwhile, he’s probably at work, smiling with all the ladies in there.’”
“You’re impossible,” I grunted. “Lucas is thoughtful and romantic—something you wouldn’t understand.”
“Romantic?” Ethan scoffed. “What’s the most romantic thing he’s done for you?”
I opened my mouth to defend him, but my phone buzzed on the table. I glanced at the screen, and a smile immediately spread across my face.
“What?” Ethan asked, his eyes darting over to my phone.
I turned the phone toward him, showing him the text:
Romantic dinner at home tonight. Can’t wait to see you. Love you.
“See?” I said triumphantly. “Lucas isn’t what you think. He plans things like this all the time.”
Ethan rolled his eyes.
“A text message. Wow, that’s very impressive.”
I frowned and rose up from the table, grabbing my purse.
“You can mock all you want, but I’m going home to my husband. Enjoy your lonely steak dinner.”
“You’re seriously leaving?” he asked, looking genuinely disappointed. “I haven’t seen you in months, Liv. Stay a little longer.”
“I will next time, I promise,” I muttered. “But tonight is important.”
Ethan sighed, and rose to his feet as well. “Fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you when this perfect little dream of yours comes crashing down.”
“It won’t,” I said. “Goodbye, Ethan.”
The drive home was quiet, the city lights blurring as I navigated the familiar streets. Lucas’s text had filled me with excitement, and I couldn’t wait to see what he’d planned. It wasn’t often he went out of his way to do something romantic, and I appreciated the gesture more than I could put into words.
When I pulled into the driveway of our modest house, the lights inside were dim. A smile tugged at my lips as I imagined candles flickering on the dining table, the soft scent of flowers filling the air, maybe even some music playing in the background.
But as I stepped inside, the house was eerily silent. There were no candles, no flowers, no music. Instead, the first thing I noticed was a jacket tossed carelessly over the back of the couch—a woman’s jacket.
I frowned, setting my purse down on the entryway table.
“Lucas?” I called out, my voice echoing slightly in the stillness.
There was no response.
I stepped further into the house, and it was then that I noticed the trail of clothes scattered across the floor. A blouse, a pair of heels, and then… a black lace bra.
My stomach tightened, an overwhelming sense of dread creeping over me.
No. This couldn’t be what it looked like. There had to be an explanation.
I followed the trail up the stairs, my heart pounding louder with every step. The closer I got to our bedroom, the more I heard—a faint giggle, a soft murmur of voices. My breath caught in my throat as I reached the door.
My hands trembled as I pushed it open.
The sight before me was like a slap in the face. Lucas was in our bed, his shirt half undone, his hair tousled. Next to him was a blonde woman, her body wrapped in the sheets I had picked out with so much care.
“Olivia,” Lucas said, his tone disturbingly casual, as if my arrival was nothing more than an inconvenience.
The woman turned to me, her lips curling into a smug smile before she nestled closer to him.
I froze, as the sight of his betrayal crashed down on me like a wave. My voice caught in my throat as I tried to form words, to make sense of the scene before me. But there was nothing to say. No explanation. No justification.
And in that moment, my world shattered.
Olivia's POV The kitchen was a battlefield, the air thick with the metallic tang of fear and the echo of Austin’s knife slicing through the air, its blade a deadly arc aimed at Marcus. My heart pounded, a frantic drumbeat in my chest, my body pinned in Marcus’s bruising grip, his hand a vise around my arm as he dragged me toward the door, his threat a dark promise that chilled my blood. Austin’s face was a mask of fury, his eyes cold, his voice a low growl—“, my tears streaming, my breath shallow as Marcus’s strength overwhelmed me, his obsession with finding Vivian and Aiden. My chest heaved, my voice a choked plea, my eyes locked on Austin, desperate for rescue, for safety, for the life we’d fought to reclaim.Marcus dodged the knife, his reflexes sharp, his body twisting as the blade embedded itself in the doorframe with a dull thud, its failure sparking a rage that made my stomach lurch. His hand shot to my neck, his fingers tightening, a crushing grip that stole my breath, m
Olivia's POV The scent of waffles, pancake and coffee lingered as Austin and I sat at the counter, our plates piled with breakfast, the morning light softening the edges of the chaos we’d weathered. His forehead kiss, the playful chase after my contract prank, had sparked a fragile hope in my chest, a flicker of the love we were fighting to rebuild. My heart still raced from the night before—his promise to stay, his gentle care of my bruises, my signature on the contract to stay away from Lucas a vow that felt like a mistake, a chance to choose Austin, to let go of the past.I took a sip of coffee, my hands steady, my smile genuine as I met Austin’s eyes, his face relaxed, his laughter a quiet joy that warmed me. “Work’s been piling up,” I said, my voice casual, my hands gesturing, my heart settling into the normalcy of the moment. “Natayla’s been great, but I’m thinking of resuming next week, get back to the office, tackle those budgets. What about you? How’s the work?”He nodde
Olivia's POV My hand clung to his, my fingers trembling, my tears streaming down my cheeks, a desperate plea to hold onto the man I’d hurt, the marriage I’d nearly destroyed. My chest heaved, my sobs breaking free, a raw, wrenching cry that tore from my throat as I collapsed against the counter, my voice a shattered confession, my heart laid bare. “I’m trying, Austin,” I said, my words choked, my eyes pleading, my body shaking with the weight of my effort, my guilt, my love. “Why can’t you see it? I’m trying so hard to choose you, to be what you need, but you’re not seeing it!”He stood there, his face a mask of pain, his eyes dark with the exhaustion of our battles, his hand slipping from mine, a gentle but final retreat that broke me further. My tears fell faster, my voice rising, raw with frustration, my hands gesturing wildly, my heart racing with the need to make him understand. “This wasn’t our plan, Austin,” I said, my words sharp, my chest aching with the truth we’d bot
Olivia's POV My heart pounded, a frantic drumbeat of fear and adrenaline, my hands trembling as I saw the broken pieces of the vase. Ethan lay sprawled beneath Marcus’s limp body, his breath ragged, his face bloodied but alive, and relief flooded me, a wave that nearly buckled my knees. I rushed to him, my voice a choked gasp, my hands shaking as I grabbed his arm, pulling him free, my tears falling as I helped him to his feet. “Ethan, are you okay?” I said, my words rushed, my eyes searching his, my chest heaving with the weight of what I’d done, the violence that had saved him but left me reeling.Ethan nodded, his hand gripping my shoulder, his voice hoarse but steady. “I’m fine, Liv,” he said, his eyes warm with gratitude, his breath uneven. “You saved my ass. Thank you.” But my relief was short-lived, my mind spiraling, my hands fidgeting as I glanced at Marcus, motionless on the floor, blood pooling beneath his head, his chest still.My voice trembled as I turned to
Olivia's POV The hospital’s air clung to me as I walked away from both of them. My confrontation had left them silent. My breath was shallow, my hands trembling, my body weak from donating blood, my mind reeling from the reality that I’d saved Lucas only to be cast out, my love for him a burden I couldn’t carry anymore.My phone rang, shattering the haze, and I fumbled for it, my eyes blurring as Vivian’s name flashed on the screen, her familiar warmth a lifeline in the storm. I answered, my voice trembling, my tears falling as I leaned against my car, my heart racing with the need for her comfort. “Viv,” I said, my words choked, my chest heaving, my hands clenching the phone. “It’s… it’s a mess. I’m at the hospital. Lucas was shot, I got him here, but his mom and Amelia—they hate me, they think I’m trying to hurt him. I don’t know what to do.”Vivian’s voice was steady, concerned, the best friend who’d seen me through every crisis since college. “Oh, Liv, I’m so sorry,” she sai
Olivia's POV The street was a blur of fading daylight and distant traffic, but my world had narrowed to Lucas Preston’s retreating figure, his back to me as he walked away.I was angry at him for reappearing, for stirring the love I’d fought to bury, for choosing his new family over the history we’d shared. Jealousy, bitter and raw, for Amelia, for the child they’d created, a bond I’d never given him, a life I’d never been part of. Fear, cold and gripping, that this was truly the end, that I’d lose him forever—not just to prison, not just to divorce, but to a life where I no longer mattered. My tears streamed, my chest heaving, my hands trembling as I stood by my car, the weight of his forehead kiss a lingering burn, a goodbye I hadn’t wanted but couldn’t escape.My mind spiraled, a desperate, aching thought piercing through the chaos: maybe if I’d given him a child, we’d have been together, no matter what. A child might have anchored us, forced us to fight for what we had, to cl
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