CHRISTIAN“May I speak now, Grandfather?” Michael asked, leaning forward in his seat, barely containing his anger.I was certain he couldn’t. He was about to explode if he kept it in. “Go on,” Grandfather urged, nodding.Michael pushed himself to the edge of his seat, linking his hands tightly. “Didn’t you even look at the report I sent?” he asked, his face contorted with agitation. “Christian lied about Olivia Carter!”“Did he?” Grandfather arched his brow. “Christian never claimed anything about her background. We all made our own assumptions—assumptions born from a narrow, misguided mindset.” His gaze shifted between Michael and me. “A mindset that changes today. We have already lost so much in this family because of it. I want it to end now.”Michael scoffed, his eyes darkening with rage. He looked ready to burst but also shocked at the same time, like grandfather was speaking a new language. Watching him, I felt an irresistible urge to smirk and I did, making sure he felt every
CHRISTIANI said nothing, and he pressed on. “I know I made life unbearable for your mother, Christian. But I was just following orders—my parents’ orders. Back then, there was a strict rule in the family, one made from sheer pride and ignorance.” He exhaled sharply. “I see now that I should have stood up to them. I should have protected my son and his wife. I failed them, and I’ve failed you.” He placed a firm, reassuring hand on my shoulder. “I won’t fail you again. That’s a promise.” I sighed, nodding despite the weight still pressing against my chest. “Thank you, Grandfather.” He patted my back before turning and limping away. As I watched him go, I exhaled in relief, finally piecing together what had happened with Olivia. He had confronted her. But instead of blurting out the truth, as I’d expected, she had taken a different approach. She had used my past, the one I’d indirectly mentioned to her at the desert, against the very man responsible for it. I scoffed, shaking my
OLIVIA I walked down the hallways in one of the fancy dresses Christian bought me, humming along to the familiar tune blasting from a phone somewhere nearby. Ever since I won Mr. Blackwood over in our last impromptu meeting, I had been in an impossibly good mood. Even though I hadn’t told Christian yet, I couldn’t wait to tell him all about it, to see his reaction, to revel in the moment. “Is that her?” The words drifted to me as I passed a group of girls lingering in the hallway, snapping me back from my thoughts. Just as I turned around, I caught one of them pointing directly at me. What did I do this time? It was always something, always some reason for them to whisper, to judge me. “Yes,” another girl confirmed, her voice carrying that cruel tone I had come to recognize too well. “She’s the slut.” The word slammed into me, knocking the breath from my lungs. My heart dropped, the happy mood evaporating in an instant. Slut? Me? “I heard that’s how she affords tuition at o
CHRISTIAN I glanced down at the extravagant gifts piled beside me in the backseat. Flowers. Novels. Perfumes. A whole assortment. Was it too much? A nagging doubt crept in, making me second-guess myself. Maybe I was overdoing it. My gaze lingered on the bouquet, and I suddenly felt hesitant about everything. Were they even necessary? Was it too fucking much? I reached for them, ready to toss them aside, but then I hesitated again. Would she even read into all this? Overthink the gesture? If she did, then maybe she was just naive or narrow-minded, even. Because why would anyone assign deeper meaning to something so trivial? Gifts like these were common. Business associates exchanged them. Friends. Even surrogates… Just like her. So I hoped she wouldn’t misunderstand. I tapped the screen of my phone, expecting to see a reply. But nothing. She still hadn’t responded to my text I sent minutes ago. That was odd. By now, she should’ve been back from her lectures since it was alre
OLIVIA I groaned, rubbing my forehead as I slumped onto the desk in the lecture hall. Of all the days to schedule extra lectures, it had to be today, the day after I drank myself into oblivion. Just my luck. What part of once-a-week lectures did they not understand? Whoever planned this deserved a special place in hell. With a sigh, I kept my head down, hoping to ease the pounding in my skull while still keeping an eye out for a few angry birds. Ivy and her minions. They’d do anything to get their revenge on me after slapping Ivy with my purse. I forced myself to focus on Miss Elowen’s words, but before I could make sense of them, the public address system crackled to life, interrupting her mid-sentence. “Attention, students and faculty,” A bold voice announced, “We are honored to welcome a very important figure to our campus today. In recognition of his esteemed visit, all lectures and academic activities will be temporarily paused.” A brief silence, then the voice continued
OLIVIA My pupils dilated in shock as I stared at Christian on the podium. Was I dreaming? Had I really won? My sample had surpassed Ivy’s and everyone else’s? “What? She won?” Ivy’s voice rang out behind me, laced with disbelief. I didn’t need to look back to know she was fuming. Still staring ahead, I was stunned by the results, but a more pressing thought gnawed at me. Had Christian planned this? The idea had flickered in my mind earlier, but now, with the way everything played out, it weighed heavily on me. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was truly a coincidence that he’d picked my sample over every other person’s? And if it wasn’t, why would he do that? “I can’t believe she won,” Someone muttered behind me, his tone dripping with disdain. “What’s so special about her sample?” As I listened to them, I nearly smirked but held my head high instead, giving them more to look at. For the first time in a long while, I was in the spotlight for something good, not scandalous o
CHRISTIAN The car sped down the highway toward the hotel, and I leaned my head against the headrest, hiding a smirk as I replayed Olivia’s expression from earlier. Shock, disbelief and a flicker of something she probably didn’t even realize—pride. She hadn’t expected to win. Not over the so-called best students. What a shame no one had ever acknowledged her talent before. Her writing was unlike anything I was used to. It was raw, original, untainted by the usual clichés that flooded books these days. I wasn’t much of a reader, for good reason. Most stories lacked creativity, recycled the same tiring tropes. But hers? It had depth, thought and a kind of brilliance that made you stop and actually think. So why had no one ever recognized it? Was it because of her financial status? Was that why they looked down on her, why they bullied her? Her school catered to the rich, after all. Or maybe, just maybe, they simply couldn’t handle her. She was leagues ahead of them, while they stil
OLIVIA “You do know you have terrible taste in wine, right?” I turned slightly to find Christian staring at me, his expression a mix of distaste and disapproval. Seriously? All because I didn’t like the wine he claimed was his favorite? Talk about dramatic. “Well, still better than my taste in men,” I retorted, shifting comfortably on the divan we both lay on. Somehow, I’d managed to convince him to lie here with me, outlining quite convincingly, if I may say so, ten benefits of lying down while flying. Normally, he would be sitting, legs crossed and eyes fixed on his phone. But I had won this vacation fair and square so I would run it the way I wanted. If I could though. His brows furrowed slightly as he placed his arms behind his head. “What do you mean?” I shrugged. “I mean, I clearly have terrible judgment, considering I willingly signed a contract with you. Doesn’t that say enough about my poor taste in your gender?” For a second, his expression showed something betwee
Christian’s POVA few hours earlier…As the engine died down, I exited the car and slammed the door shut, turning to the imposing edifice that stood there.I whipped out the business card from my pocket, glancing down at it.I’d decided to make a quick stop here before heading over to my grandfather’s, and I silently hoped this decision would be worth my time.The NYPD precinct looked just as I remembered it, and I started towards it, determination in my steps.“Welcome, sir,” a desk sergeant greeted me as soon as I walked in, rising to his feet.“Thank you,” I replied, pulling up to his desk. “I’m here to see a detective Nolan,” I added, my eyes sweeping the space. “He asked me to come in.”He nodded, facing the desktop screen. “Can you tell me why he asked you to come in?” He asked, his fingers rapping against the keyboard.I paused, thinking of the best way to put the response I had in mind.“I believe I was asked to come in, so I could give a statement that might be helpful for a
Christian’s POVI lifted my knuckles and rapped twice on the door, and my grandfather’s voice rang out almost immediately.“Come in.”I pushed the door in and stepped inside the study, glancing around briefly.“I’m glad you arrived swiftly,” he added gesturing me to a seat, and I nodded and sank into it, keeping close to the edge.We sat in silence for a few seconds, and I just stared pointedly at him, waiting to hear the reason he had called me over.“So,” he started after a few more seconds, “you don’t care to know how your brother’s faring? Or Ms. Hales?”He cocked a brow as he asked the question, incredulity etched deep into his face.I leaned back in my seat, keeping my eyes closely trained on his face. “If Michael’s condition has gotten worse, I’d know that, don’t you think?”My grandfather flinched a bit at my tone, his eyes narrowing slightly.“I mean,” I continued, “he’s been bankrolling the press, hasn’t he?”My grandfather shook his head in what seemed to be disbelief. “I f
OLIVIASmiling to myself, I walked up to the piano, running my fingers across the sleekness.I was mesmerized by it, but even more, by the fact that Christian had gotten me a freaking huge piano, and a guitar, without any care in the world if I could play or not.All I did was simply ask, not even fully intentionally, and he’d gotten what I asked for, in just three freaking hours.I shook my head, an excited giggle spilling out my lips.What on earth was he even thinking, being so sweet and intentional?I ran my fingers across the keys, strumming up a chaotic melody, and the sound bounced off the walls, echoing across the hallways.Oh. Interesting. Now I’d have to learn.As the noise died down, the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs drew my attention, and I turned towards the direction.Martha stepped down the last step and came towards me, a pleasant smile on her face.I returned the smile, turning fully to face her. “You could have used the elevator, you know, instead of goin
Olivia’s POVI woke up feeling a bit groggy, heavy to my bones and deeply satiated.As I started to collect my thoughts slowly, my eyes adjusted, moving round the room, and I was a little surprised to find that Christian was nowhere in sight.Where had he gone to?I could remember—a bit groggily, anyway—that he’d been by my side before I fell into the unplanned nap.Did he leave? Work?Sighing, I slid down to the edge of the bed and picked up my knee walker, groaning as I struggled to get out of bed.Now steady on my feet, I exhaled shakily and started out of the room, nodding at the maids that called out their greetings as I walked down the corridor.I was tempted to just call one of them and ask about Christian’s whereabouts, but decided to save that card for the last few minutes of the severe panic. While silently hoping it doesn’t get to that.I got into the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor, my lips pressed together as I tried to calm my suddenly raging nerves.
Olivia’s POVI felt a tingling warmth against my skin, and I peeled my eyes open, squinting them against the streak of sunlight that rested on my face.Deeply satiated, and feeling energized, I stretched against the sheets and yawned with my mouth wide open, the rich sound of Christian’s snores reaching my ears.I giggled softly, turning to his side to watch his peaceful expression as he slept.This was the first time I was hearing him snore, and interestingly enough, it still sounded topnotch sexy.Did he always snore?Smiling, I reached up and picked at his dark curls, and he shifted gently just then, his eyes flickering open just a wink.“Hey,” he croaked in a husky voice, turning fully towards me and pulling me in, burying his face into my chest.“Hey,” I returned in a soft voice, threading my fingers into his hair and massaging gently. “It’s past 9am. Time for work, right?”He shook his head slowly, his breath fanning my naked skin.“Coffee?” I asked, my tone suggestive, and he s
Christian’s POVMy cock throbbed even harder as I stared down at the green-eyed beauty that sucked the living daylights out of me, with half-lidded eyes, her pink tongue swirling around the tip.God, she would be the death of me.Groaning in pleasure, and unable to hold back anymore, I gently pushed her back on the bed, my cock jutting out like a sword as I straddled her.“How much do you want me, Olivia?” I demanded, my eyes running down her face, lingering on her nipples, as I stroked her clit with the tip of my cock.Slowly, I pushed in the tip, my jaw clenching with suppressed hunger and desire. “This much?”“No, a little more,” she breathed, her fingers gliding over my back.Taut veins bulging on the side of my neck, I pushed in a little bit further, her clit hugging my pulsating cock, and we both gasped as a tingling sensation washed down my skin.“This much?” I whispered in her ear, my arm snaking around her waist and positioning her perfectly underneath me.She nodded slowly,
Olivia’s POVI shifted gently on the bed, half asleep, as I reached for Christian on the other side of the bed.When my fingers don’t connect with his skin in the next few minutes, my eyes fluttered open, only to find he wasn’t there.Where was he?I ran my eyes over the room slowly, groaning, and eventually, they landed on him in the corner, a wine glass between his fingers, staring down at me intently.Fear zapped through me for a split second as I stared at him, and I fully opened my eyes and sat up gently in the bed.I pushed my fingers through my hair and rubbed my eyes. “Are you okay?”“Yeah,” he replied, nodding. “I just couldn’t sleep,” he continued, “so I decided to just watch you sleep, instead.”I swallowed, sticking out my tongue to lick my lower lip. His hot gaze followed the movement, darkening, and he immediately pushed himself off the wall, moving towards the bedside table to pour me a glass of water from the carafe.Still keeping his eyes on me, he inched forward and
Olivia’s POVI remained very rigid as Christian carried me into the car, gently placing me on the seat and leaning forward to strap on my seatbelt.I felt like a toddler, with the way he was carrying me, but I couldn’t even argue with him, because he was probably annoyed with me too.But how could I have refused his grandfather’s orders to appear at the hospital? It wasn’t like I could do that and not expect to face his wrath…Sighing heavily, I watched through the rearview mirror as Christian took the car key from the driver and dismissed him, walking over to the driver’s side.As he got in, I kept my gaze transfixed on him. More out of disbelief and curiosity.He jammed the key into the ignition, and the engine rumbled to life.“Why are you taking me home yourself?” I demanded in a loud voice, trying to get myself heard over the engine noise. “What about the driver?”Christian waited until the noise had died down, the engine still running, before he turned his gaze to me. “I sent hi
Olivia’s POVDespite my leg, when Mr. Blackwood demanded to see the entire family, including me, I had to be present.Although I’d been shocked I was even included in the list…But there was no time for questions because Michael was lying on a hospital bed right now.I scratched my arm, glancing across the hallways as I wondered where Christian was.Why wasn’t he here yet?Sighing, I turned towards Michael’s ward, staring a bit longingly as I wondered if his injuries were severe or extreme.We haven’t even seen him yet. It was just Mr. Blackwood with him in there, ever since we arrived, plus he had just come out of surgery an hour ago.I didn’t even care about Lydia, if she was alive. Or not.Was I being too harsh?I let out another huge sigh, throwing my head backwards and closing my eyes. I felt Ophelia sink in next to me then, and she threw an arm around my shoulders.I peeled my eyes open to see she looked as scared as I was feeling, despite trying to act strong.“He’ll be okay,”