Xavier's shadow loomed tall as he strode toward the private elevator, the sharp click of his Italian leather shoes echoing against the marble floor. Olivia's heart hammered in her chest, a desperate plea at the tip of her tongue.
"Congratulations, Miss Williams." Xavier's voice was a cold caress, absent of warmth or interest as he glanced at her swollen belly with dispassionate eyes.
"Xavier, it's your baby," Olivia blurted out, the words laced with a cocktail of hope and defiance.
A chuckle rumbled from his throat, a rich sound that held no mirth. "Miss Williams, you have to be very sure of what you are talking about, because I do not remember," he said, his tone dripping with derision. He turned to his assistant and said, "Caleb, let's head inside. I don't have time for this."
But Olivia wasn't done-not by a long shot. Her heels clicked against the floor as she pursued him, determination etched on her face. "Just because you are now in love with your stupid wife, you tossed me away like trash, and now you are denying our son the right to his father," she spat, venom tainting each word. "Xavier, this baby is going to be your heir."
His laughter was a cruel echo in the expansive lobby. "Wait, my heir?" The mockery was evident in Xavier's tone as he paused before the elevator doors. They slid open, inviting him to escape this confrontation, but for a moment, he lingered. "Miss Williams, the only heir to my empire will be born of myself and my wife. It's comical how you position yourself when the child isn't even born."
The doors began to close, an iron curtain descending upon Olivia's pleas. But her gaze remained locked with Xavier's, a silent battle raging between them until the very last sliver of light was snuffed out.
Olivia's chest heaved, her breaths coming in ragged gasps as she stood her ground before the retreating figure of Xavier Knight. "I was in your life before that useless girl was," she declared, her voice a whip crack in the tense air of the lobby. "I was supposed to be your wife."
Xavier's sneer was a palpable force as he turned, a dark silhouette framed by the elevator's sterile light. "You dream way too big, Miss Williams," he said, his tone slicing through her hopes like a knife. "I never once thought of marriage while I was fucking you. It was just that-fucking. Understand this and save yourself further humiliation. Our agreement was carnal, nothing more. If the baby is mine," he conceded with a disdainful tilt of his head, "I'll have a doctor check."
"Damn you, Xavier," Olivia shot back, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. "It's a high-risk pregnancy. Why would you want to put our baby in danger?"
"Your baby," he corrected coldly, his eyes void of any warmth or concern, "until proven otherwise."
Desperation clawed at her throat. "I don't have a place to stay since you stopped paying for the penthouse," she admitted, each word tasting bitter. "It's best I move in with you."
The suggestion sparked a cruel amusement in Xavier's gaze. "Oh, is that so?" He leaned against the polished metal doors, like a predator toying with his prey. "My house isn't under my name. I'd have to ask my wife if she's fine with you moving in," he drawled, each word a calculated barb. "But then again, where were you staying before? And what took you nine full months to come looking for me? You've always been desperate to belong, Olivia. So why wait so long?"
His smirk cut deeper than any blade, leaving Olivia floundering in the wake of his scorn. The elevator dinged softly, a quiet harbinger of the chasm growing between them as Xavier stepped back into its confines.
"Think about it, Miss Williams," he said, the doors beginning to glide shut. "And remember your place."
As the sharp, unyielding jaws of steel closed in, severing their line of sight, Olivia's resolve hardened like a diamond under pressure. Her heart raced and her hands clenched into fists as she realized this wasn't over-not by a long shot. She could feel the adrenaline coursing through her veins, fueling her determination to keep fighting until the bitter end. The metallic tang of fear and defiance filled her nostrils. This was a battle she refused to back down from.
Olivia's pulse thrummed in her ears, a staccato rhythm matching the sharp click of her heels on the marble floor as she hastened to keep pace with Xavier's retreating form. The air was electric with tension, and the lobby's opulence was a stark contrast to the raw confrontation unfolding.
"I didn't want you to think I was after your money," she spat out, her voice laced with desperation and pride wounded bare.
Xavier halted mid-stride, turning to face her with a predatory grace. "Well, you already started saying your son is my heir," he sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "Are you not after money, then?"
"Fuck you, Xavier. You know it's not about that," Olivia snapped, her cheeks flaming with indignation.
"Sure, darling," he drawled sardonically. "Caleb!" His shout sliced through the tension like a whip.
The assistant, who had been lingering at a discreet distance, flinched visibly before approaching. Caleb's eyes held a glimmer of sympathy, quickly masked as he faced his boss's icy glare.
"Get a hotel for Miss Williams," Xavier commanded with an imperious wave of his hand. "Make sure she doesn't go to my house."
"Understood, Mr. Knight." Caleb nodded, a flicker of conflict crossing his features before he schooled them into neutrality.
Olivia watched Caleb retreating back, a sinking feeling in her stomach. She was a pawn in a game where Xavier held all the cards, and her vulnerability was laid out like an open wound.
"Listen to me, Xavier," Olivia hissed, stepping closer, the proximity to him igniting a dangerous spark. "This isn't over."
His laugh was cold and devoid of humor. "You're playing a losing game."
"Am I?" Her gaze locked with his, challenging, defiant. "We'll see about that."
"Indeed, we will," Xavier replied, the threat clear in his tone. He stepped into the waiting elevator that now led to his office, the doors closing with a soft chime, severing their volatile connection once more.
Left standing alone amidst the echoes of their confrontation, Olivia clenched her fists, her resolve hardening like steel. This battle may have been lost, but the war was far from over.