Precise

Chapter 6

Precise~

OLIVIA

Three days of thinking over and over again about what I really want.

I push the mug of coffee away from me as a sigh leaves my lips.

It shouldn't be this hard.

I should've been over this the same day.

I should've told him 'no' that day and got it over with.

But I didn't. Why? I really don't know.

"I think I'm sick," I tell Bella, and she nods.

She's opening a new account on Tinder, searching for a man who would not only love her but also her new cat she's about to purchase.

"Here, read this and get better." She says, placing the contract file on the table slab in front of me.

I push it away, glaring at her from the side of my eyes.

She shrugs.

"Many people would read the part that says 'Anything you want' and get better, Olivia." She shakes her head and continues with her search.

"You don't understand. This is Bartholomew Hades. If anything goes wrong, my reputation will be ruined and...imagine what people would say." I reply.

"Exactly. This is Bartholomew Hades. The richest man alive, the richest man in New York and the whole world. He's buddies with Elon Musk, the second richest man, and he's asking you to be his wife for two years to access a trust fund. Name anything, Olivia. You can name ten billion, and it'll be yours, goddamn it!" She glares at me again.

I feel like crying.

The annoying part of all this is that... I'm not afraid of doing this. If it were any other person, I would've signed those papers last week, but this is Bartholomew.

Bella heaves a deep breath and turns to me, this time with a softness in her eyes as though she had read my mind.

"You're not afraid of doing this. You're just afraid of doing this with him, right?" She asks.

When I say nothing, she places a hand on my back.

"I'm not trying to force you into it; I just... thought that you needed the money, and besides, if he's your husband...you could fuck the attraction out of him."

"I already told him that if we were to do it, it would be professional," I tell her, and she nods.

"But do you want to do it?" Bella questions.

Yes, I want to do it.

Yes, I want to do it so badly. Thinking he was going on blind dates two weeks ago broke me.

Imagine what would happen if I sat back and watched him marry someone else.

I know it's just the attraction between us and nothing more, but I still want it.

I nod, and she smiles.

"Then go sign that file."

~•~

I signed the file the first thing the next morning.

And after that, Bartholomew silently, without telling me where we were going, drove me to this boutique.

Now I'm standing in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection.

I look nothing like the woman I know. The dress is stunning, a red strapless gown with diamond beads.

Not fake diamonds... real diamonds.

I sweep my hand down the length of my hips and heave a deep breath when my gaze meets that of Bartholomew through the mirror.

"Uhm....she picked this one, and although there's no price tag, I think this one is very expensive, so we're dropping it."

"Why?" He frowns, giving me a rundown look, his gaze leaving every part of my body hot.

"I... It's expensive. These are real diamonds." I mumble.

The door to the room opens, and once again Evaline smiles as she sees the dress.

"I knew this would be the best for you. You have the shape to pull off any dress you wear, isn't that right, Mr Hades?" She asks, and he nods.

"Yes, of course." His eyes don't lie as his gaze runs down my body in an unholy way I can't name.

Evaline giggles.

"And I know just the heel for it." She rushes out and comes back with a pair of perfect silver heels.

Once she's done, Bartlomew doesn't wait to pay; he takes my hand and leads me to the waiting car.

"Where are we going?" I ask, the second time.

"Somewhere." He says and navigates through the highway until we're in front of Hade's main hall for events.

A frown mars my face as he steps down and comes over to help me out.

Bartholomew's hand finds the small of my back the moment I step out of the car, like he's done it a hundred times, even though this is the first... in his words, not mine.

"You look beautiful." He finally says, and I smile, thanking him.

"You could have told me where we were going."

"I could have. I didn't want to give you the chance to say no." I glare at him as we head inside.

Paparazzi fill the outside of the hall, but I'm grateful we're not in the spotlight.

I haven't been here before. The hall is richly decorated.

We're escorted to a table, and I sigh, praying no one would come to fuss over Bartholomew, to give us time before he would tell the world about me being his fiancée.

"Are you alright?"

"Seeing that you decided to do this without my consent. My well-being shouldn't be a concern to you." I retort.

He laughs, picking up a glass of wine and handing it to me.

I take the wine and gulp it down, but it does nothing to calm me.

"I didn't plan on coming here tonight, but when you said yes this morning...I decided it would be the best time and place to announce our engagement." He drops another bomb on me.

I don't get to respond and chew him out for not talking to me before doing all this, because a tall silver-haired woman in emerald silk is already walking toward us, with a smile on her face.

"Bartholomew Hades. I was beginning to think you'd sworn off these things entirely." Her eyes cut to me, and she raises a brow, assessing me the way people size up a stock before they decide whether it's worth the risk.

"And who is this?"

I feel his hand tighten, just slightly, at my waist.

"Diane." He inclines his head, politely.

"This is Olivia." He says. "My fiancée." He adds, and the smile drops from her lips completely.

TBC