Chapter 146

Chapter 15

Folks I don't trust children.

They are here to replace us.

-Stephen Colbert

For the first time, Oliver felt fear creeping upon his spine like a silent enemy. 'What if it never falls into place? What if she forever hates him? What then?

It was the biggest battle of his life, and he had wagered his everything to have her! And now he was failing.

A sad irony, wasn't it? He thought with a grimace. But then, his life had been only that - a long series of ironies that were out of his control.

To protect one secret, he had created a whole another web of lies and deceit. A web that was now wrapped tight around his neck in death hold and no matter how much he kicked and screamed inside his head - it wasn't loosening.

A shame, wasn't it? That if he comes out right with it and dares to tell her that he loves her, she wasn't going to believe him! In fact, she doesn't believe anything that comes out of his mouth.

And he can't blame her for it, after all he had been the one to lay the foundations of distrust in her by spouting one after another lie when they first met!

Soon, they were back into the house, the motion sensing lights of the front gates illuminated their path through the garden and back to the main door.

Oliver, unlocked it with a passcode that he told Mia for future references, but she was barely listening. She was still angry.

He wretched opened the door and let her enter first before following and locking the door behind him. Instantly, they heard the phone in his study ringing loudly, it's loud shrilly tone reverberating throughout the house.

'Let it ring! Let the them all....let the whole world go to hell!' Because right now, he needed to be with his wife and by any means - fair or foul he needed to convince her that he wasn't the monster she saw him as.

The phone continued to ring as he followed his wife, who was striding away from him as if he was the devil, himself!

"Mia listen-"

"There's nothing left the listen!" She snipped back, still with her back to him and still walking away.

"Yes, there is! We need to talk - things between us could not go on like this!"

"There are no 'things' between us, as you put it! and there never will be!"

Oliver let out a frustrated groan. "Would you at least listen to me?"

"Oh? So, now you want me to listen to you? Why what happened to the plan - where I was supposed to fall onto your plans without asking questions or protesting and simply give into your demands an become your bed mate for the month? Regardless, of what I feel!" The heightened color of her cheeks weren't the only sign that told him, exactly how angry she was.

Her nostrils were flared like a dragon breathing fire, her eyes turned to slits.

"Listen-" This time he forced those words out like a warning growl and grabbed her wrist to turn her around and make her face him.

Because he wanted her to listen to this - very carefully. "Insult, me all you want since, you think I deserve it, but you WON'T disgrace yourself by putting up words like 'bed mate' ever again in reference to yourself, because you are my wife and you are going to remain so. "

He let her wrist go as they stood there glaring at each other in the dinning space. "And if you think you can make me feel guilty about wanting you in my bed, think again." He hissed, now as angry as she had been moments ago and strode towards her in his strong lithe strides that always made Mia's legs quake beaneath her with a kind of charged energy that was hard to explain.

It was excitement as she had never known before, it had an element of fear and trepidation that made it all the more exhilarating and there was that desire that submerged her in tidal waves whenever he looked at her like that.

With a few well placed words and that look...oh, that killer look, he had once again stripped her of every kind of protective sheild and anger.

And now she was shivereing like the swaying leaves on a tree amidst the strong winds, at the verge of completely falling off from its roots.

He stopped only a breath away from her shivering body, and bent low to wishper the last words near her ear. "Because it doesn't matter why or how it had happened, but that now - you are my lawfully wedded wife and I have the right to want to make love to you, just as much as you have the right to want me. And sooner or later we are going to christen that bed and consummate our marriage and you are going to enjoy doing it, - that much I can promise."

With a feather light kiss on her heated cheek, he left her standing there and stewing in her own hell for a little bit.

While he tended to that goddamned phone, that had rung three complete rings by now.

In his purposeful stride, he went to his study and picked up the receiver, when it was through its fourth consecutive ring. "Hel-"

"Oh thank god! Oliver you picked up!" A shrill and panicked feminine voice reached him from the other side. A baby was crying in the backgroud making it hard to listen to her. "I - I don't know what to do...."

For a moment Oliver had problem understanding who it was and when he finally did, he himself started panicking.

"Evie? Are you alright? Is the baby coming? Shu-should I call the ambulance?" His voice cracked a little in alarm while the rest of his body was locked in a high wired tension. Evie was his good friend as well as the wife of his best friend and buisness associate Alex Philis.

Who was currently in Newzealand, attending buisness.

And the thought that she was 8 months pregnant with their second child was enough to break Oliver into cold sweat.

Alex was thousands of miles away, and Evie was currently alone in their town house with a toddler, their house was just a street away from here.

He was already calculating how fast he could reach to her and drive her to hospital, when she spoke.

"No-No, It's not me - it's Alex!" And then, she broke into heartbreaking sobs. "He had an accident while driving to his hotel in Newzealand - they- they had taken him to the hospital.....The staff called me just a few minutes ago."

He felt as if a bucket of icy water had been poured all over him. "How is he?" He was glad his voice came out strong and steady when his insides were anything but.

"Oh! Those wretched nurses won't tell me, no-no matter how much I ask!" She dissloved into another flood of tears while a child was now shrieking behind her. "That makes me think, it's bad! I-I need to go see him Oliver!" There was so much pain and anguish in that voice that it made a mess of Oliver's own emotions.

"Of course! Of course -you should go see him, I will book a flight for you and drive you to the airport. Don't worry-"

"No, Oliver listen to me - I have already booked a flight for tonight before calling you... I- It's something else....can you-can you please take care of my son - Junior for a few days while I am gone? I am sorry if it's a problem but I did-n't know who else to call and - and..."

"Of course not, it won't be a problem. I will be there in a few to pick you and the baby up. Just hang on and don't worry everything will be fine!"