CHAPTER 18—Olivia

My sleep is almost peaceful until there’s a sound blaring around the room.

I groan, my clothes from yesterday digging into my skin. I guess I slept off in the middle of my pity party.

What Sharlene had revealed had quite shaken me up and I needed time to process.

The Jake she was talking about couldn’t possibly be the same one that caused butterflies to stir in my stomach.

He was a loving soul that cared about me, I mean he likes feeding me so he’s high up in my radar.

Taking over his father’s company just to tear it down in a quest for revenge didn’t seem like something he would even think of.

It was possible Sharlene was only speaking from her feelings because it was obvious they didn’t have the best relationship.

It had to be.

Now I feel bad for not opening the door when he knocked, he must have wanted to know why I was in a mood.

I’ll apologize to him once he wakes up but first I have to answer my phone that keeps ringing. My hand finally finds it somewhere among the pile that’s on my bed.

I expect it to be Sharlene calling but it’s not. It’s an unknown number but I pick anyway. It could be a wrong number.

I connect the call and wait for the caller to speak.

“Olivia” Is all the person says but that’s all I need to recognize the deep dismissive voice of Jake’s father.

“Good morning sir” I greet quickly before he finds something to be upset about. He doesn’t acknowledge my greeting, but I’m not surprised.

“Let’s have breakfast together this morning. A driver will be there in three minutes to pick you” he says, and the line goes dead before I can respond.

What was with his father and arranging things without telling me. First the engagement now he’s calling to have breakfast with him without the decency of letting me know on time.

The grip on my phone tightens and then relaxes. I was doing this for Jake, I have to remain on the good side of his parents for this marriage to happen.

With a deep breath I push up from the bed and make my way to the bathroom. When I look in the mirror there are bags under my eyes from crying yesterday at the thought that Jake was merely using me.

When the warm water from the shower hits my skin I feel a bit alive, the warmth relieving places where my muscles were tied.

I feel a lot better by the time I’m done. The concealer I find in the drawer under the sink goes under my eyes in order to hide the dark circles because I’m sure Jake’s father wouldn’t approve.

When I open my closet I see clothes that weren’t there before. Jake must have had the stylist bring them in, God bless his soul because I was sure his father would disapprove of my old clothes.

Picking out a nude dress that stops just above my knee I pair it with white heels and dab powder unto my face. Hopefully, this would be enough to keep a scowl off his face.

When I finally it out of my room, I barely have five minutes left.

Jake’s door is shut tight. I don’t want to wake him so I just tiptoe down the hallway, careful so my heels don’t make a loud click on the tile.

When I look out the window there’s already a car in the drive way. I leave the apartment and in record time we pull into a deserted parking lot.

According to the driver, Mr. Smith, Jake’s father had rented out the entire restaurant just to have breakfast with me.

I should feel honored, but I know not to let my guard down with the man. For all I knew it could be that he doesn’t want witnesses when he gets rid of me in this parking lot or inside the restaurant itself.

He looked like the kind of man that had no problem getting rid of people he considered a problem.

Right now? It looked like I was his latest problem. I fight the urge to send Sharlene an emergency text in case no one hears from me again, she was the only one whose number I had. But he was her father, she’d help him cover the crime.

When I enter the restaurant there’s a sweet smell lingering in the air. My best guess is that they just finished baking banana bread or is that cookies I smell?

The moment I see him my body jerks.

Mr. Smith is sitting at the table that is the heart of the restaurant. A business magazine covers his face so I can’t tell what he’s thinking when the sound of my heels fills the quiet space.

I should have worn a flat shoe or something.

My heart slams in my chest as every step takes me closer to him.

I’m not sure I’ve ever been afraid of someone this much in my life. With unsteady steps I make it to where he’s seated.

My legs hurt because they’re not used to 3-inch heels, and I want to sit down badly but I don’t. I wait for him to signal me first.

It’s two minutes and I’m still standing; his magazine is still up in his face, but I have a feeling he wasn’t even reading it in the first place.

Maybe this was a test for me. I stand taller, determined not to fail whatever he was trying to proof.

It feels like forever when he finally sets the magazine down and gestures for me to take the seat across from him.

I almost groan in satisfaction when I sit down but I refrain. “Good morning” I greet but he’s more focused on his tablet.

Can it get anymore awkward?

“Order anything, I know you’re starving” he says.

Maybe he meant for his words to show care but all that rings in my head is the word ‘Starving’.

It feels like an insult if anything, but I don’t make a comment. I just pick up the menu and order a croissant with iced tea when the waiter walks over.

He orders just iced tea before going back to his phone.

There’s not a single expression on his face that betrays what is running through his mind. I can’t tell what he thinks of me, or why he called me out here.

When he’s done tapping his screen, he sets his tablet on the table and finally turns to me.

“What do you want with my son?” he asks.

Going straight to the heavy questions I see.

“I love him and want to spend the rest of my life with him” I answer easily.

“Don’t try to lie in my face” he says without reserve, “I’ve seen the two of you together and there’s no chemistry whatsoever. Besides, I know Jake, he’s not one to settle with one woman.”

I’m beginning to feel cornered “Then you don’t know Jake as much as I do. He cares and loves only, that we don’t like to display affection in public doesn’t mean we don’t care about ourselves” I defend.

“He wants this just as much as I do, it was his idea if you must know” I throw in with a smile.

“Then you don’t know Jake” he says. He takes out of his pocket and slides across the table to me.

I don’t want to believe that right in front of me is a blank cheque signed by Mr. Smith himself.

“I believe you know what that is” he says, and I nod slowly.

“Leave Jake alone and it is yours. Any amount of money you want you can have now, there’s no limit” he says like he’s offering me a business deal that I couldn’t resist.

My hand wants to have the check, but I fist them on my lap.

I reminded myself why I couldn’t take the money. To leave Jake meant I had to betray him and the contract binding us.

I would never do him like that, especially now I think I might feel something deep for him. I couldn’t take it no matter how much I needed it to help my life.

“So you’re trying to buy your future daughter-in-law out?” I ask instead with disbelief “You don’t want me in your family so bad that you’re paying me to leave your own son?”

“I’m doing you both a favor” he sounds bored. “I know this marriage is a scam and he’s paying you to keep your mouth shut.”

Keeping a straight face is hard trying to not let the surprise I feel break out on my face. I can’t confirm that he’s not far from the truth.

“You think your son lacks so much that he has to pay someone to pretend to be his bride?” I ask, letting disbelief sip dip into my words.

“Yes” he answers, like he’s sure it couldn’t be otherwise.

“That’s a horrible thing to say about your own son” I say.

“I say things as they are.” He sounds exactly like the kind of father that’ll never accept that he’s wrong or even apologize to his children.

“No, you don’t just believe that your son can have something good going for him. I see the way you treat him, like he has to earn his place beside you.”

I don’t know why I defend Jake, but I do. It feels right. Telling his father off because he cannot.

“You know nothing about the relationship we share so keep quiet!” This is the first time he raises his voice, and something tells me there’s more to the story to make a man like Mr. Smith react.

“Seems like a touchy topic to me”

His nose flares “You don’t know a thing about my family. Whatever it is between you and Jake break it off before it hurts you too.”

There’s something in the way he said it that chills me to the bone. Why was everyone warning me against Jake? And coming from Mr. Smith it sounded more like a threat.

The doubts I thought I buried deep begins to surface. Why was everyone warning me about Jake?

It couldn’t be possible that every one of them had a wrong impression, this was his family even.

Did I need to worry about Jake? What was he hiding from me?

I hadn’t thought much about him paying me to be his wife, I was desperate then but thinking about it now, it didn’t seem right. He could easily get any girl of his choice, why pay for one?

“You know there’s something not right, you can feel it” he continues.

With a final nod towards the cheque he says, “Take this and stay away from my family.”