NERO’S GAME

CHAPTER 1: Letting the devil in

Olivia pulled the fresh batch of brownies from the oven and placed it on the counter,before pulling her buzzing phone out from her apron pocket. She smiled when she saw her boyfriend's name on her screen.

“How is the most beautiful girl in the world doing today?” Connor's charming voice made Olivia blush red like a tomato.

“Am doing okay, Connor.” She bit her lips shyly.

“How has your sales been going today? Did you get a lot of customers?”

Connor sighed. “It's going as good as it can go, Livie.”

He was making ends meet by running the tiny cobbler's punch by the corner.

“Oh Connor! Don't worry, it's going to pick up soon,” she encouraged.

“There’s something I would like to tell you, Livie.”

Olivia pushed off the table she was leaning on. She sensed that he was about to tell her something serious.

“What is it? Is something wrong? Are you alright?” she asked nervously.

“Am okay, love,” Connor quickly replied to allay her fears. He knew how worried she could get.

Olivia gently pressed a hand to her thundering chest as she exhaled in relief. Thank God he was safe.

Connor was hesitant to break the news he had to her. He didn't want to lose her, but he knew that at the end, it was her choice.

“I'm leaving.”

There was pin drop silence. The noise of the bustling in the cafe was drowned out. Olivia felt like the carpet had been shifted from underneath her feet. Both waited with bated breath, till Olivia's tiny crushed voice broke through the silence.

“Why? Is something wrong?” Don't you like me again? She wanted to add but couldn't find the courage to say it aloud.

Her pained voice tore at Connor's heart. “The shop's not doing well so I have to go back to my hometown,” he admitted.

“Okay,” she said slowly.

Olivia felt like crying. She was about to lose the only person who made life bearable. Living with her mother was suffocating, and Connor was the only reason she could breathe.

“Come with me,” Connor offered, snapping her out of her self pity.

Her eyes widened in surprise.She hadn’t expected him to ask her to go with him.

“Please say yes, Livie. I promise to try my best and take care of you. I will work hard and eventually save up enough to buy us a good house, and then we can get married too. Just like we always planned.” he promised in a voice that was both pleading and persuasive.

Her jade green eyes lit up. It all sounded so glorious. But what about her education? And also her mother, she couldn't just leave her. Though her mother did not know about her relationship with Connor, and would never approve.

She bit her lips nervously. “Connor, this all sounds so amazing, but—”

She was cut off by the shrill sound of the summoning bell, in the cafe.

“I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Hold on, what about your answer?” Connor asked in a voice that was filled with apprehension.

“I promise, we'll talk later, I gotta go.”

“But—”

“Bye.” Olivia swiftly ended the call and pocketed her phone.

She carried the tray of brownies into the cafe, and was surprised that they had a full house that evening. She approached an agitated waitress.

“I heard the bell, Mel.”

“That lousy girl Carol didn't come to work today. She must have run off with her no good boyfriend again,” she huffed.

“We are packed today and I need an extra hand.” Mel was clearly at the end of her tethers.

“Okay. I'll give you a hand.”

“Thank you, Livie.”

The bell chimed, and someone entered. The customer was a tall handsome man dressed in dark expensive looking clothes.

“Good evening Sir. Welcome to Sweet Treats,” Olivia greeted with a smile.

Piercing grey eyes briefly glanced at her before scanning the room. Olivia had never seen him before. He must be new to the neighbourhood.

“What can I get you,Sir?”

Cold grey eyes settled back on her. “What's your bestselling sweet dessert?” His voice was deep and heavily accented. He was definitely not from around here.

“Our orange vanilla cake. It's our bestseller. It's my recipe, and I can guarantee you that it's good, Sir.”

He looked at Olivia for a while, his face as blank as a sheet. She concluded that he must be trying to decide whether he would trust her or not. There was something about him that gave her sudden chills.

“I'll get that, and two cups of coffee. One black, and the other with cream and lots of sugar.”

“To go,sir?” Olivia asked, writing down his order.

“Yes.”

“Have a seat, Sir, and I will get your order soon.

Olivia dashed into the kitchen, and soon returned with his orders. “Here's your order Sir. That would be fifty dollars.”

He wordlessly reached into his pockets and pulled out a crisp hundred dollar note which he handed to her. He quickly left before Olivia could return his change to him. He must be filthy rich to leave his change behind.

Olivia was about to head into her room after the saying the rosary with her mother later that night when sge stopped her.

“Take this. Fill it, and hand it back to me,” she instructed stoically. She was never affectionate towards her. She spent all her time praying and doing volunteer work at the church.

Olivia's brows knotted in confusion as she picked up the paper.

“Mom, what is this?”she panicked.

“Why… why are you giving me a form for the convent?” Her voice was shaky with the fear that was quickly spreading in the pit of her stomach.

“Don't act silly, Livie. Fill the form and hand it back to me as soon as possible,” she replied dismissively with a hint of irritation.

“No.”

Helen's head quickly whipped to Olivia. Eyes wide with shock, before narrowing angrily at her.

“Since when did you start disobeying me? Why don't you want to?” she asked angrily.

Tears spilled out of Olivia's eyes. She always prayed and hoped that one day that her mother would change, but she was wrong.

Olivia shook her head defiantly. “This is not what I want.” She needed to start standing up for herself.

“What do you want to do? Do you want to sin against your own body?” she seethed and grabbed Olivia's arm in a painful grip.

“I knew it. You have let the devil in. You daughter of sin. You have begun to sin against your own body, haven't you?” Her eyes were manic and burned with rage as she shook Olivia vigorously. Olivia managed to free herself, and gently pushed Helen aside.

“Stop it, mom. Am tired of you treating me this way. I'm tired of living like this.”

Olivia was crying at this point.“How long will I continue to hope and wish you would treat me with a little love?”

Helen scoffed. “You’re an abomination— a sin, Livie. I didn’t get rid of you because it would be a sin before the Lord. You should be grateful. I am doing this for you, so you don't end up like—”

“...like you? I have heard that a lot of times mom. When will you see that you are punishing me, and making my life miserable? Its not my fault i was born of rape.” she cried.

Helen's lips quivered and her expression faltered for a second.

“You are going to fill that form, and leave college to enroll in the convent ,Olivia, end of discussion.”

“You’re going to pray the novena twice to purge your soul from the demon that has possessed you. She looked at Olivia with disgust and disdain,before storming out of the room.

Olivia slumped to the ground and wept her eyes out. She didn't want to become a nun. A soft purr drew her attention to the fat feline furball. Olivia opened her arms and the eager orange cat ran into her arms and curled itself on her lap.

“Lulu, what do I do about mom? I can't do what she's asking of me?”

She suddenly remembered Connor, and quickly reached for her purse. Her sudden movement made the cat fall off her lap and it purred in displeasure, narrowing her large green eyes at her owner.

She dialed Connor's number with shaky hands. She heaved a sigh of relief when he picked up.

“Livie, what's—”

“I decided, Connor. Am coming with you.”