Chapter 3

Olivia POV

The man sitting beside me was, without a doubt, the most attractive man I had ever seen.

His black hair was slightly tousled, with a few strands falling carelessly across his forehead. His face was sharply defined, from the strong line of his jaw to the straight nose and perfectly shaped lips that looked like they had no business belonging to someone who seemed so unapproachable.

But his eyes were what caught my attention the most.

They were an unusually light shade of brown, almost golden beneath the dim lights of the club, and they held a level of intensity that made it difficult to look away.

He was also ridiculously tall.

Even sitting beside me, I could tell he was built like a man who spent a considerable amount of time in a gym. His broad shoulders stretched the fitted black shirt he wore, and the material clung to his muscular chest and arms. There was nothing flashy about his appearance, yet somehow, he looked more expensive than half the men in the club.

I quickly looked away. The last thing I needed was to spend my night admiring another man.

I sat there for a while before calling Anaya, but it went straight to voice mail and I was already tired.

I stood up from the stool and immediately regretted my decision because I lost my balance. I reached for the counter, but my fingers missed it. Before I could hit the floor, a strong arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me firmly against a hard chest.

I gasped.

Then his eyes narrowed. “You should at least know your limit before picking up a bottle.”

He was looking at me as though I were some irresponsible child he had just caught doing something stupid.

My already fragile emotions snapped.

“Don't touch me,” I said, pushing against his chest.

His arm immediately loosened around my waist.

Then, unable to stop myself, I slapped him. The sound echoed through the space between us.

His head turned sharply to the side, then he slowly turned his face back toward me with an angry expression.

“What the hell?”

“You pervert! You think you can just touch me because I'm drunk?”

His jaw tightened. “I only stopped you from falling!”

I grabbed my purse and turned away, but before I could take another step, his hand grabbed my arm, causing pain to shoot up my arm. I winced immediately.

“Let me go!”

“Where do you think you’re going? You think you can just slap me and walk away? Do you know who I am?”

“You're hurting me,” I said with tears in my eyes.

His eyes dropped to where his hand was wrapped around my arm and for a second, something flashed across his face.

He let go of my arm.

I looked at him in disbelief. “You're crazy.”

His eyes narrowed. “Me? I stopped you from falling then, you slapped me and somehow I'm the crazy one?”

I turned around and hurried toward the exit. I pushed through the doors and stumbled outside. I stood near the curb and pulled out my phone, trying to order a taxi, but after several unsuccessful attempts, I gave up. Cars continued passing along the street, but none of them stopped, and I wasn't willing to go back inside and ask Anaya for help when I had no idea where she was.

Eventually, I started walking. My heels made every step uncomfortable, but I continued down the sidewalk, wrapping my arms around myself as the cold air gradually began to sober me.

I had no idea how long I had been walking when I heard a car slowing down beside me. I ignored it at first, but the vehicle continued moving alongside me until I finally glanced over.

A black Rolls-Royce was driving slowly beside me.

The passenger window lowered. It was Mr. Mysterious. He looked at me from behind the steering wheel.

“Get in.”

I took a step back. “Absolutely not.”

He stared at me for a moment before looking ahead again. “Fine.”

The car started moving.

“Wait!”

The Rolls-Royce stopped, then the window lowered again, and his gaze settled on me. “Yes?”

“Are you really going to leave me here?”

His eyebrows lifted slightly. “You said you didn't want to get in.”

“I changed my mind.” I shifted uncomfortably. “Can you take me home?”

For a moment, he said nothing. Then, he unlocked the passenger door.

I walked toward the car and climbed inside.

The interior looked expensive, from the soft leather seats to the polished details around the dashboard and I suddenly felt incredibly out of place sitting beside a man whose car probably cost more than everything I owned.

I told him my address before he pulled away from the club.

The car ride was quiet until he spoke.

“I’m sorry for grabbing you like that.”

I sighed. “I’m also sorry for slapping you when you were only trying to help me.”

The car eventually pulled up in front of my apartment building.

I turned to him and thanked him before stepping out.

I managed to get up the stairs without falling. When I looked downstairs, I saw his car still parked. Was he waiting for me to get into my apartment?

Once he saw me looking, he started the car and began reversing.

I unlocked my door and got inside, but as I was about to close the door, someone pushed it open with force causing me to stumble backwards.

It was Ryan.

“Get out of my house!”

He slammed the door shut behind him. “Who was that man?”

“How is that your business?”

“Answer me!”

“Why do you care?”

“So, you won’t tell me?” he said, stepping closer.

“Since you want to know… he is your new replacement.”

“How dare you say that to me?”

“The difference between you two is that he is already rich, but you… were nothing without me. A big zero.”

“Shut up!” 

“You want to know the truth? You would still be struggling if I hadn't helped you.”

His eyes filled with rage. “Watch your mouth.”

“Or what?”

He walked closer and raised his fist.

I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain, but it never came. I opened my eyes and saw Mr. Mysterious holding Ryan’s hand midair. 

“Let go of my hand.”

He let go, but Ryan swung at him but missed. Instead, Mr. Mysterious landed a punch on Ryan.

Ryan staggered backward. He touched his mouth and his fingers were stained with blood.

“You son of a—”

The stranger grabbed him by the front of his shirt. “Get out.”

Ryan stared at him. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

“Someone who's giving you a chance to walk out.”

Ryan looked between the both of us before walking toward the door. Just as he was about to leave, he looked at me and said, “Don’t think this is over.”

Mr. Mysterious shut the door behind him, then turned to me. “Are you hurt?”

I shook my head. “No.”

He reached into his pocket. “You had forgotten your phone in my car. I came to return it,” he said handing it over to me.

“Thank you for everything.”

“You’re welcome.” With that, he left.

I locked the door and lay on my bed. Eventually, exhaustion took over.

The following morning, I woke up with a pounding headache and a stiff neck. I groaned as I slowly sat up. The events of the previous day returned in pieces.

My mind stayed on Mr. Mysterious. Who was he?

I walked to the bathroom and splashed some water on my face. After cleaning my face, I opened my laptop to search for jobs, but before I could start looking, my phone rang.

It was Emma.

“Olivia...”

I stood up. “What happened?”

“It's Mom.”

“What happened to Mom?”

“She collapsed.”