Episode 4

GALEN

Plowing 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 her." 

I smiled as we shook hands with the diplomats in attendance. Most of the men I had greeted were barely able to take their eyes off her. 

A tinge of jealousy pooled within me as I pulled her close to me. 

"It’s very nice to meet you, Mrs Grunt." Olivia smiled as she took his hand. Even though she was just being polite, I could tell from Michaels eyes that he wanted her. 

But she was mine. 

And I was fucking proud. 

Olivia excused herself to go talk to a friend on the other side. I smiled before giving her a short passionate kiss and letting her go. I loved it when she blushed. 

She was all cute and adorable. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

OLIVIA:

Getting away from my husband was the highlight of this party. However, that small kiss he gave me felt like he was making a statement. "This is my wife. MINE!" 

"Jessy?" I called out with a smile. 

"Olivia. The queen of the Gala." Jessy said with a laugh, as she hugged me. "God, I’ve missed you…" 

"I’ve missed you too." I cozied into her embrace. It was the first touch of genuine care and familiarity I had felt ever since the wedding. 

"How are you feeling?" Jessy asked, as she looked at me. 

"Good." I smiled, taking another sip of my wife. 

"That bad, huh?" She deduced, corking her head as she grabbed my hand. "Come, talk to me, sweetheart." 

She led me to the secluded balcony on one end of the hall, where the cold night breeze felt exhilarating. I noticed Jessy was still staring at me. 

"How long are you going to keep lying to people?"

My eyes shot up to meet hers. "What do you mean?" 

"Come on Livy… I know you like the back of my hand. You’re not happy. But you want everyone to believe you are. You can't fool everyone; not even me."

Her words struck something within me. And before I knew it, I was a mess. Crying and covering my face. Trying to breathe while she comforted me. 

"I just can’t fucking stand him!" 

"Galen?"

"Yeah. Our parents forced us into this whole marriage thing, but I hate him with every fiber of my being." I cried. "This whole thing is a sham. We’re only doing this because our companies are being joined. Only one person can be CEO, but in the case of marriage. And then one of the couple is allowed to lead the company."

Jessy remained quiet and listened. For the first time, I felt relieved. She was my high school best friend. We’d lost touch when I went to Paris to further my studies and she was left here. But I believe that our bond of friendship never died. 

I could trust her. Or so I thought…

Just when I finished airing out my dirty laundry to her, crying while she listened and comforted me, a small pique voice rang in the vicinity. 

‘Recording complete.’ 

My face paled as I looked at her, "what’s that?" I said, pointing at the little device she was holding in her hand. 

"Oh, this?" She suddenly laughed. "This is the start of more exposure for me as a journalist. Revealing how fake your marriage with Galen is, I will be the lead journalist on this story. I’ll make a name for myself."

Her tone was pumped with malice, as she brushed past me. 

"W..w..What?" 

"Oh, come on, Olivia… you can’t be that stupid. I'm a journalist. I need this story. So far, no one has been able to get any dirt on the both of you. But with this–" she held up the device. "-- this is gold." 

I was left there, confused and utterly dumbfounded. 

"Oh no...! What have I done…?"