The week went by as a blur and the supposed day of burial had arrived, the Griffins had actually waited for Olivia and since she was back, they were going to proceed with the plan.
Jane had not been able to control her water tank, as she stood by the grave after the burial. Poor child! I failed to protect you. I'm sorry you have to die at a young age-she whispered bitterly.
Olivia wrapped her hands around her mother and consoled her while she tried to fight back her tears.
Olivia felt a twisted pain in her chest, but there was something that wasn't clear to her. Kayla was married and no one told her? How? When did the marriage happen, and why didn't anyone tell her?
She wanted to make a fuss about it, but she would rather not disrespect Kayla. That wasn't the important thing at that moment.
And with the way her mom was crying, she couldn't bring herself to ask her about Kayla's sudden and eerie marriage.
Suddenly, she sighted a man stepping out from a Range Rover with another fleet of cars parked by the side.
Olivia arched her brows and stared keenly, then she sighted Griffin moving over to the man, and she noticed the tense atmosphere between them, especially when her father was bowing slightly at him. Who was that man? She thought.
“I need to go home. I can't stay here for long.” Her mom voiced out slowly and Olivia nodded while leading her to the roadside, so she could get a cab.
On her way, Griffin called her name and she excused herself from her mom and marched gently towards them. “Olivia, this is Aiden Leandro and-” Griffin tried to speak but got interrupted.
“She will get to find out more about me someday,” Aiden said coldly, and Olivia nodded.
He was wearing a shade, and she couldn't really say what he looked like behind them, but it was obvious that he was a fine man.
He was tall, had a pointed nose, round lips and sharp jawline. But she could also sense the cold energy coming off him.
“Go take care of your mom,” Griffin whispered, and she left quickly while shrugging all the thoughts in her head.
Aiden was at the fake burial ceremony to be certain Olivia was back in the state and Kayla wasn't messing with him. He didn't care to look keenly at Olivia, but he could say she was prettier than Kayla.
Aiden put a call across to Noah and asked him to let Kayla leave, now that Olivia was back. The deal was sealed!
He decided to leave, while he ordered Griffin to call him the next day. “Mom? Who is that man?” Olivia inquired, and her mom arched her brow.
“What man?” She questioned in a low cadence.
“The one standing with father, I have never seen that face before.” Olivia whispered and Jane didn't say a word.
“I don't know who you're talking about. My attention wasn't focused on them when your dad called you earlier.” She added sincerely and Olivia sighed.
She stopped a cab for her mom and she left instantly, while Olivia went back to pay her last respect for the day to her sister.
On her way back, she sighted Aiden leaving with a man walking behind him like a bodyguard. He must be a friend to Kayla, she was always the extroverted one-Olivia mumbled under her breath.
********
The sitting room was filled with total tranquility and no one was saying a word. Jane's hand was on her chin, while Griffin looked troubled and calm at the same time.
His phone vibrated, and he pulled it out and scrolled through it.
After a minute, he uttered. “Olivia, I'm sorry you have to leave your job and come back home for us.” He whispered and placed his hand on hers.
“You are my family, and you know family comes first. I hope to find a new job here, so you don't have to worry about me.” She replied with a light smile.
“And also,” he muttered and averted his eyes to Jane. “I have something Kayla wants me to give to you.” Griffin spoke and Jane arched her brow.
“What is it?” Olivia rushed the words as they spilled out of her mouth Instantly.
“It is a letter. She wrote it at the hospital before taking her last breath.” Griffin declared and lowered his gaze while Olivia spared her mom a stare, but she was also looking perplexed.
“You never told me Kayla wrote a letter for Olivia. What is it about, huh?” Jane inquired quickly.
“Let her read it first. I want her to process the words herself.” He voiced out and passed the letter to Olivia.
Olivia felt her heart skip for a moment as she slowly opened the letter, and then she flicked her eyes through the words while Jane scanned her face.
She widened her eyes and let her mouth slightly open. “What…what is this? She wants me to get married to her husband?” Olivia queried in a cracked voice.
“What? Let me see.” Jane grabbed the letter and flicked her eyes through it.
Olivia didn't know what to say next or how to act. She sat still while trying so hard to process everything.
“This is what your sister wanted. No one is in a better position to take care of him like you. Please, Olivia. That was her dying wish.” Griffin whispered, and she felt her body go numb, especially with his last words.
“We can't force her into this, Griffin. What if Aiden doesn't want to get married?” Jane questioned while doubting if what Kayla wanted was the right thing to do.
She also knew Kayla's one week marriage to him was based on a contract, but she had no idea the two fell in love for her to even want him to live happily on her dying bed.
“What do you say, Olivia? You can still kick against it if you like.” Griffin said and fixed his intense gaze on her.
“I haven't even met this husband of hers. What does he even look like? And do you think getting married to him is a good idea?” Olivia bombarded them with questions. She never intended to get married at that age, she was hoping to achieve some of her dreams first.
“You met him yesterday, the man I introduced as Aiden Leandro!” Griffin declared, and she looked at him like he had grown two horns.
That man was Kayla's husband? Heavens! She exclaimed.
Olivia had made her decision, she had agreed to marry Aiden, especially when she felt Griffin was obviously pleased about it. For a moment, she felt maybe her father was trying to grant Kayla's wish because she was always his favorite daughter and of course, Aiden was loaded.She had issues sleeping at night, while she tried to think of how her life would be after getting married.She also hopes to continue her work as a nurse in any of the hospitals nearby. Aiden was going to agree to that, right? She won't want to be categorized as a housewife that only feeds on her husband's money.The word “husband” felt strange to her, but she shrugged it off and sat upright on her bed while staring at the door like she was waiting for someone else to come in.Her hands placed on her lap while her long silken hair fell freely behind. She bit her bottom and just then, a knock was placed on the door.Averting her eyes to the door, she ushered the person in, and her mom walked in after peeping.The
The date has been fixed and Olivia couldn't get the marriage thought off her mind, no matter how hard her mother kept telling her all would be fine.The wedding would be next week, and she felt her heart racing. Oh heavens, she was definitely going to become someone's wife.How about her job? She didn't get to talk about that with Aiden. She ruffled her smooth black hair and laid straight on the bed with her back hitting the soft duvet.Olivia was lost in her thoughts and had no idea when she drifted to sleep. The next thing she heard was the knock on her door.A little groan escaped her lips as she stretched her hands and tried to wake up from her deep slumber. “A minute please.” She voiced out and got out of bed while dragging her legs to the door.She opened it and met her mom standing by the door with a tray in her hand. “Are you alright? Are you sick?” Jane inquired while scanning her from head to toe.“No. Why do you ask?” Olivia questioned with an arched brow.“Because you have
An awkward silence filled the place while the woman fixed her intense gaze on Olivia, who looked lost in thoughts.“Go ahead ma'am. Are you confused on which one to pick?” The woman questioned Olivia, jerking her back to reality, and she turned to face her.“Huh?” Olivia whispered and lowered her gaze. “Sorry, I have no idea where to start from. They look stunning and expensive.” Olivia spoke and the woman chuckled.“Come on, let me help you out then.” The woman uttered with a light smile and tilted her head to the opposite direction while Olivia followed her behind.Olivia decided to shrug off all the thoughts trying to drift into her head. But the woman's words kept ringing inside her head. Is she really the first lady Aiden brought there?Maybe the woman wasn't around the day he brought Kayla, or Kayla had shopped for the dress herself-Olivia mumbled within her and took a deep breath.Suddenly, her eyes caught sight of an attractive strapless sheer dress, and she moved closer and h
The dark, quiet room made it impossible to think someone could be inside and even though the bed was soft and comfortable, Olivia kept tossing throughout the night. She chucked the duvet to the other end and snapped her eyes open. A little yawn escaped her lips and she ran a hand into her hair. Olivia was having a mixed feeling, and it was making her go nuts.The week had moved by so quickly and the wedding day had arrived. Once it was 6am, she knew her mom was going to walk into her room to wake her up.For a second, she felt unexplained butterflies in her stomach but the next minute, it was a fair share of fear and nervousness radiating through her.Was she doing the right thing? How will her life be after marriage, huh? She asked herself these unanswered questions.She ruffled her hair one more time and took a deep breath. Overthinking wasn't going to solve anything, so she decided to shrug the thoughts in her head and concentrate on the present.Olivia adjusted herself on her bed
Olivia had a million thoughts buzzing inside her head, and she didn't even notice the time Aiden moved past her. “Congratulations,” a lady whispered to her while jerking her back to reality, and Olivia turned to look in her direction.“Thank you.” Olivia muttered faintly, her voice barely above a whisper as she roamed her eyes in the crowd and rested them on her mom who was obviously marching towards her.“Ma!” She called with a light smile and the moment Jane got closer, she pulled Olivia into a tight hug.“I'm so proud of you, the day has finally come, and it will soon be over. You're a Mrs now,” Jane reminded her, but that word alone sent shivers down Olivia's spine and the thought she was trying to avoid flowed into her head again.“Thank you, Mom, I pray I won't disappoint.” She added sincerely and wiped her sweaty hands on her dress.“Where is your husband?” Jane questioned and glanced around, and then she sighted Aiden talking to someone who was wearing a gray suit, he was ave
Her heart kept racing, and she feared he was going to hear her heart pounding heavily against her chest. “Olivia!” Aiden called for the second time, his voice calm, but void, with no emotion attached to it. “Yes,” Olivia managed to reply in a cracked voice. “You should sleep now, today was indeed a long day. But you can go to the guest room if you're not comfortable, that's the only kindness I can give.” He uttered and adjusted himself on the bed, and Olivia felt he was kidding with his last words, unknown to her that he really meant it. She felt butterflies in her stomach that he cared, even though it wasn't a big deal. Olivia took a deep breath and closed her eyes while trying so hard to get some sleep. And after an hour, nature gladly took over her. * * The ray of sunshine coming through the window woke her up. Her scattered hair was all over the pillow, while she turned and faced the direction Aiden had slept. Olivia snapped her eyes open, she had totally forgotten that sh
The night didn't go as planned for Olivia because her head was filled with so many unanswered questions. Olivia felt she needed to ask Leah questions to satisfy her curiosity. She had turned at night and noticed she was the only person in the room and was obviously lying alone in the bed. Olivia hasn't seen Aiden since morning, she has stayed awake and drifted to sleep when it was 11pm. What kind of work was keeping him outside? And another disturbing thought was trying to find its way into her head. She sat upright on the bed and wiped her face with her palm. She adjusted a few hairs, trying to obstruct her view while tucking them neatly behind her ears. Furthermore, she sighed and took a deep breath before lying down back on the bed, but was unable to fall asleep. The moment Olivia noticed it was morning, she jumped out of bed and moved straight to the kitchen. But she halted along the way when she heard a sound coming from a room. She was curious and wanted to see for herself.
Olivia tapped her foot gently on the floor while Leah walked into the kitchen shortly. “You look fazed!” Leah muttered and Olivia sighed. “Excuse me!” She whispered and went out of the kitchen. Olivia wanted to ignore Aiden, but it wasn't working, so she quietly headed for the dining room. It was the next place close to the sitting room, and immediately he sighted her, he had a frown on his face, but Olivia cared less. “We need to talk. I really want to know where I stand.” She uttered, but he played dumb and continued munching on his food. Olivia felt a certain pain wash through her, but she has decided not to let Aiden's cold and silent treatment break her down. She hasn't done anything to deserve all this cruelty. Without his permission, she pulled a chair and sat on it while he narrowed his dark hazel eyes into her direction, and it seemed like he wanted to say something but kept quiet. “Come on, talk to me.” Olivia pleaded. “Do you even see me as your wife? Why did you reall