OLIVIA
I woke up in an empty bed, feeling my skin cold as the sheets dripped at the bottom of my feet.
I sat up, as I rubbed my eyes and looked around the room. Suddenly, I heard the bathroom door creak open and there he was - my husband. The man I hated most in the entire world.
"Hey, sleepyhead." he smiled as he emerged from the bathroom in nothing but a towel. I stepped down from the bed, feeling irritated. "We've got company waiting for us downstairs."
I shot him an impatient look as he began to move faster, ignoring my discontent. Time was of the essence and I already knew those waiting for us downstairs.
"Can you at least finish getting dressed so I can hop in the shower?"
"What's wrong? It's nothing I haven't seen before." he smirked.
"It's not anything you'll ever see ever again." I countered, as I stared at him. He rolled his eyes, ignoring me. He got dressed rather quickly as I busied myself checking emails on my phone.
I hated sharing a room with him.
"Do you know what you're going to say?"
"You don't need to train me. I've been trained my entire life." I answered with my back turned to him.
"Well, this is going to be a little different. We are married now, and they need to see us as a happy in-love couple."
"Believe me, that's the most difficult part of it." I said through gritted teeth, as I rolled my eyes.
"What is?"
"Pretending to be in love with an arrogant, self-centered man like you." he laughed, as he walked around the bed.
"Don't worry darling, the feeling is mutual here." he picked up his gold watch and slapped it around his wrist before walking out of the room.
He infuriated me.
Without further ado, I hopped in the shower and proceeded to get myself ready. The media was always nosey. I wasn't surprised that they had already come this early.
We had an image to maintain and a united front everyone needed to see. I got dressed quickly and went downstairs.
Galen was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. The interview was situated in the middle of the living room. I took his hand as I fixed a smile, yet, our whispers to each other were like venom.
"I can't fucking stand you."
"Likewise." I answered.
There was tension when we walked into the room. We had an act to put on and we had been trained all our lives. Being the heirs to a billionaire empire meant that our lives were not our own. This whole marriage was a sham and I was married to my worst enemy. The facade was necessary, and we were masters of this game.
"Long time no see." The interviewer suddenly walked up to us.
~~~~~~~
Galen’s POV
A pang of resentment shot through me when I looked at Ashern. He tried to greet me but I couldn't stand the thought of shaking his hand.
I despised him.
"Always." My forced smile tightened.
We took our seats as they began firing questions at us like rapid bullets. Good a thing we were prepared. Olivia and I answered mechanically. Keeping up the act and dodging the questions that were too private and personal. She played the part of a supportive partner perfectly. The tension between us was not lost seeing as Ashern was a past friend with keen eyes.
As the interview reached its end, I noticed a sharp shift in his dominion.
Ashern's eyes lingered on Olivia for a slight moment. The questions he asked her were meant to entice her into a conversation that did not involve me.
What was he playing at?
"So, Mrs Olivia, would you say that you have always been in love with your husband, Galen, your entire life?" Ashern asked and to which Olivia laughed.
"Not really. We've never really noticed each other until the day we crossed paths." Olivia replied.
I forced a smile when the camera was zoomed on me.
"And do you plan on repeating past mistakes?" My wife’s face paled as he stared at him.
"Excuse me?"
"From your previous interview as a couple at the gala, it was revealed that you once cheated on your Mr Galen a few years ago when you were in a relationship. Do you plan to do the same?" He poised the question, as I was filled with rage. I couldn’t believe he was bringing that up.
Especially here.
"Your accusation is vague and honestly insulting," I jumped in when she couldn’t answer. "I love my wife, and what you speak of has never happened." I smiled.
And then grabbed her hand.
"I see…" Ashern said with a half smile. "But why did Mrs Olivia say that you two met only a few months ago?"
"That’s not what I meant." Olivia interrupted, regaining composure. "My husband and I have been away on school and business. Building our careers while chasing knowledge. We met again a few months ago, and–" She turned to me. "--the spark we once had for each other was kindled again."
I smiled, and kissed the side of her cheek. Ashern seemed a tinge irritated.
"Very well… So what advice can you give couples who are watching back at home?"
"I don’t think we’re in quite the place to give advice," She laughed. "Right, Honey?"
"Right." I replied. "We’ve only been married for two days." I joined in her laughter.
"Well, there might be space to still find love." He said, probably meant as a joke, but I could see through it.
Ashern delightedly touched my wife's thigh and laughed flirtily. In a split second, I grabbed her arm and pulled her towards me.
I got up.
My abrupt movement attracted everyone's attention and the room fell silent. The murmurs from the cameramen intensified as they looked at us.
"We are done here." I said, and looked at Olivia. "Let's go, my love." she smiled slightly as she nodded her head.
"Still jealous, Galen?" Ashern suddenly called out. "Afraid I’ll steal her from you again?"
OLIVIAThe second we were behind closed doors, the entire atmosphere became thick."How dare you?!" he spoke with a high tone as he approached me. "Why did you embarrass me back there?" I looked up at him. ‘'What do you mean? I was just as embarrassed as you are.’'‘'Cut the crap! You knew exactly what you were doing. You both did.'’ he shouted." Tell me something, is this some sick joke you both cooked up to humiliate me on National TV?'’ My eyes widened, as I stared at him. "I don't know what you're talking about."I walk towards the bed as I begin to take off my shoes. "He insulted our marriage, and you had the nerve to flirt with him?""Flirt with him? I did no such thing.’'"Don't play me for a fool Olivia. I saw the way you looked at him. The way you let him touch you.""You're crazy!""Are you planning to sleep with him again?" I stopped in my tracks. A sense of dread washed over me as the memory set in. I felt a tear almost sliding down but I held my ground. "I don't care
GALENPlowing through the crowd and acting happy was a piece of cake. "Yes, I totally agree. I’ll talk to my father about it and we’ll see what our company can do." I smiled, as I held my wife’s hand. I guided her away from Mrs Shirley, feeling exhausted. "And who was that?" "No one you should concern yourself with." I smiled. "Come on, play nice." She sneered. "And besides, our companies are joined now. I need to learn about yours and you need to learn about mine.""Fine. That was Mrs Shirley. She owns a containment company and she handles most of our sales shipments overseas." "And why did she seem displeased?" Olivia pressed, and I took a sip of my champagne. "One of our handlers failed to correctly seal a package, and in turn, the fuse cut and a fire broke out, leading to a loss in not just our own shipment, but a couple of others that Mrs Shirley was handling for other companies.""Lemmi guess, she wants compensation. Right?" Olivia rolled her eyes."Yes, and we’re stalling
OLIVIA"You did what?!" Galen’s voice was raised as he got up abruptly."I'm sorry." I said, burying my face in my hands. "I can’t fucking believe this. It’s been less than a week and you’re already screwed this up?" He put his hands akimbo as he raged. "Is this what you wanted? To embarrass me again?"My eyes shot up to meet his, blood pumped with rage boiled inside of me, as I took in his words. "No. I have never wanted to embarrass you." I countered. "Then why do this now, when the companies just joined?" He raged. His eyes flickered as he stared at me, and then, his lips curved into a smile. "That’s it, isn't it?" Galen quipped, "You’re trying to screw us over?" "Huh?""You and your god forsaken family are trying to milk us dry off… right?"My hand collided with his cheek so quickly that I barely had time to stop myself. He seemed taken aback as he stared at me."Don’t fucking talk about my family like that!" I warned, his face was red with rage as he pummeled out of our room
OLIVIA:Galen followed me up the stairs like a man on fire. I've never seen him that agitated before. There had been a mixture of feelings on his face before he finally settled to anger and disbelief. I entered our bedroom, and he was right behind me. He slammed the door shut, I turned to look at him, startled. "What do you want?'’ I shrugged and walked past him. "How dare you?!" He bellowed. "Tell me that isn't true. You lied to me. You couldn’t have done that!" His voice was almost breaking. "Why would I lie about something like that?" he gasped. "This is the answer you always wanted, Galen. You asked the question for 5 years and you’ve always hated me for not clarifying it. This is the truth now. It wasn't just Ashern. It was Philip as well." horror struck his eyes as he stepped back. He looked at me as though I had grown two heads. That look of pain in his eyes was exactly what I desired. Yet, it didn't feel so good. Seeing him in pain put me in pain. Why did I feel this way
GALEN:“I still can’t believe we’re doing this.” I rolled my eyes as I listened to Olivia complain. “This is way too early. Everyone is going to be suspicious.”“And isn’t that the fucking plan, darling?” She shot me a look before we got into the mall. I had already noticed a man following us from a few blocks back. “Are you sure coming here without our security detail is what’s best?”“For the last fucking time, Olivia, YES!”She infuriated me. Hearing her voice was like the descent of hell. She was like a little kid who couldn’t fucking shut up. I heard the clicking of a camera in the distance, and finally, our plan was working. We entered the boutique in quite a hurry. My wife was worried about something so silly. I kissed the top of her head, and then stood behind her as she picked out some clothes. A Lot of the shop attendants were already throwing glances at us. Olvia smiled, as she showed me a small baby apron.“Yes honey,” I smiled, “this would be perfect.”An attendant ca
OLIVIA:My husband is a fucking jerk!I can’t believe he had the guts to abandon me!Was it something I said? I didn't fucking care. As I entered our house, I tossed my handbag on the chair before climbing up the stairs in a hurry. I was going to give him a piece of my mind. “Galen!” I called out at the top of my voice. Suddenly I began hearing noises coming from our room. A feeling of déjà vu washes over me. As I open the door my mind refuses to process what my eyes are seeing. “Jessie?” I tilt my head as I look at her. Her legs were shamelessly spread apart and my husband was on top of her. They were both naked and they didn't even bother to cover up. my heart pounded in my chest and I felt a lump forming in my throat. It wasn't jealousy. It was humiliating. We were married for crying out loud. I stood there like a deer caught in the headlights. “Well, well, look who decided to come home early.” he snared as he looked me up and down. I could not understand his audacity. My
OLIVIA:“I just don’t know.” I let out. “You were once my best friend too, but right now there’s too much baggage between us.”“You mean because of Galen?”“Yes. He hates you.”“And do you hate me?” He asks, his eyes sinking into mine. I followed the trail of his words and figured out what he really meant. I didn’t like it. “I have never hated you, and it’s not your fault for what Galen believes. But Ashern, you have to understand that I am a married woman now.”“And I know that. It’s not like I'm confessing feelings. Or asking you to sleep with me. I simply just want to be a friend to you.” I thought about it for a moment. It did not make sense that he wanted to be my friend. He knew that Galen hated him. “Well, you were right. My husband is being a jerk.” My shoulders dropped. “It’s high time I stopped letting him decide things for me.”“Atta girl.” Ashern cooed, causing me to laugh. “So tell me, really, how do you feel?” I paused for a moment. The question sunk within me, and
OLIVIA:Galen spoke in grunts, scoffs, and angry glances. Surprisingly, I had expected this to be my new peace. Yet it turned out the opposite. I wanted things to go back to normal. Even if it meant we would be fighting every now and then. Right now, my husband avoids any argument and barely speaks to me. He was mad at me and I understood that. But I also had a right to be angry at him for what he had done. “They are calling us downstairs.” Galen said, as he stood across our bedroom door. I shook my head as I followed him behind. A feeling of déjà vu sets within me as we walked down the stairs and found both our families waiting for us. “It's started.” my mother said with a disapproving look. Galen and I settled into the sofa while our families threw ugly glances at us. A news bulletin popped up on National TV in the gossip sector. Almost everyone in the country subscribed to this. On the TV was an image of my husband punching Ashern. Just the headlines. It was like a comedy