Cristy walked into the supermarket feeling like shit. She had hoped to have a full night's sleep, but unfortunately; she had not been able to sleep until a really late time.
The next morning she woke up before her alarm rang (which was the worst) and she had to choose between heading to Adriana's villa and annoying her to death or stare at her ceiling all morning. Obviously, she annoyed Adriana, but in return, Adriana sent her to the store with a list of things she needed to buy.
With a sigh, Cristy knelt and reached down to get the milk. From the corner of her eye, she watched a slim and tall male lean over to her right and reach the section for yogurts. She averted her eyes as his light brown set traveled to her as if he had noticed her eyes on him.
When his eyes finally left her, she reached down for the milk and picked it up, while sneaking another glance.
She liked the way his lips twitched, avoiding a smile. She then noticed the mask hanging from his left ear. He had dark brown skin with a tattoo on his wrist that caught her attention instantly. She wished she could continue to stare and think about every detail of his appearance that sucked her in, but she didn't have the time.
After all, it was now or never. What if she never sees him again?
She groaned internally, remembering Adriana's words.
'Maybe try not jumping into a relationship every five minutes? Try to truly know the guy before you set yourself up for heartbreak, you dumb bitch.'
'But look at him!' She fought back.
'Fuck it, I'm asking for his number.' She thought to herself and closed the fridge, flashing him a smile.
"I have a feeling I won't be able to get you off my mind for the next 24 hours. Do you mind helping me out with that? Maybe with your phone number?" The words rolled off her tongue in French as she stood tall in front of him.
"Only for 24 hours?" He countered, with his eyebrows slightly raised.
His response was so instant, letting her know she was not alone in this right now. That he too had his attention drawn to her.
'Hot damn.' A mischievous smile playing on her lips.
"We can always change that." She replied by opening her contacts app and handing her phone to him.
"Sounds lovely."
…..
Adriana's face palmed as she heard Cristy's retelling of this morning's events.
"I... I won't even say anything anymore." She shook her head as she prepared breakfast for the twins.
Cristy who was beside her putting away the groceries pouted.
"I'll take a picture next time and show you. When I say he's hot, I mean HOT like god tier level!"
"Good morning, mommy! Good morning, auntie!" James flashed them a grin as he entered the kitchen.
Putting down the knife, Adriana smiled and knelt to kiss his forehead.
She looked at his messy hair and laughed, ruffling it.
Cristy ran to his side and picked him up.
"Oh, you look so adorable when you wake up in the mornings. Look at you, so handsome." She then covered James with hundreds of kisses.
His ears turned bright red, and he pushed her away.
"Shesh, why are you so shy, huh?" She grinned and put him down on the floor.
"Did you brush your teeth?" Adriana asked him.
"I did, oh and Aria is still sleeping." He replied.
"Okay, go sit down, baby. Breakfast will be ready soon."
"Oh! Oh! I got you something!" Cristy started looking through the groceries until she found a container with crullers inside. She handed him one wrapped in a paper towel, only to be stopped by Adriana.
"Breakfast first."
"Oh, come on. He can have one." Cristy insisted.
Rolling her eyes, Adriana gave in. "Only one and I swear to god if you brought Aria that chocolate I'm going to strangle you."
Cristy laughed nervously after handing James the cruller.
"You did, didn't you?"
"Hah…." Cristy sighed and showed her the giant dark chocolate bar she had bought.
"How can you give a kid that much chocolate? She'll get a stomachache!"
"I was planning to only give her a piece at a time, okay? See? This is why they love me more. I'm the cool aunt while you're the cranky granny!"
"I'm what? Say that again!"
Cristy laughed and ran out of the kitchen to escape Adriana's fury.
*****
Briana was dressed in some high-waisted pants, with a beautiful royal blue blouse. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail. She looked neat, clean, and perfect. After a business meeting, she met up with a connection in a cafe.
After discussing with him the matters of her parents, she dismissed him and invited Olivia over to the same cafe.
"How do you feel?" Olivia asked, expressing her worry right away.
"Not good, obviously. I can't believe my parents-" Briana paused, her eyes tearing up, and took a sip of her coffee before speaking again.
"My dad, my mom…. I just don't know what to think anymore. Anyway, let's not talk about that. I'm happy that you are by my side even during these tough times." Briana gave her a small smile.
Olivia clasped her hands and sighed. "I hope you can prove your mother's innocence soon. And don't worry, I'm your friend I will stick by you no matter how hard things get."
"Yeah…" Briana nodded, and both fell silent.
Olivia was a bit startled by Briana's suddenly less irritating attitude. She looked calmer. In a normal circumstance, Briana would fight her for even talking about it. But now she even started the conversation. Suspicious, but not being obvious Olivia, ordered a drink for herself.
"How have you been?" Briana suddenly asked.
"I've been doing well."
"Really? You aren't doing those dangerous things anymore right?" Briana asked, her expression hardening.
"No, of course not I stopped riding bikes a long time ago, remember?"
"Oh, yes.…" Briana nodded, noticing her elegant outfit. Of course, Olivia was not aware that Briana already found out about her lying. She acted like a prim and proper lady in front of her but was pretty wild outside.
Not that Briana cared, as long as Olivia kept all her flings and sexual relationship with men, along with all her dangerous activities in secret she wouldn't really comment on it. After all, Briana needed to be careful with who she surrounds herself with. High society isn't simple, they are the epitome of fake smiles, false impressions, and misconceptions.
"Anything exciting going on at your workplace? I heard their 50th anniversary is coming up soon."
"Hmm, I don't think I will attend though. I have other things to do, besides I don't blend in well with my co-workers."
"They like to talk behind everyone's backs, huh?"
"Yeah, it gets pretty toxic." Olivia nodded.
"Not shocking. Office workplaces aren't always the best. The rumors that go around suck, and it's as if your whole work-life depends on what everybody says about you."
Confused, Olivia only nodded in agreement.
"Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?" She asked.
Briana shook her head. "Not really, I just wanted to meet you. Oh and thank you for handling things so well at the party last time. I'm sorry things turned out how they did. By the way, did they ever talk about my father's recent involvement in an enemy of the Orchards?"
"What? No, I don't think so. Strange why would they?" Olivia handled her acting perfectly.
Briana tapped her fingers on the table, her eyes boring into Olivia.
"Yeah, I guess not. Nevermind then. Forget I said anything. *Sigh* Other than my parents, I've been thinking over a lot of things lately. I mean, did you hear about Justine? Who could have thought the woman had faked her death all those years ago! You use to be best friends with her no? Adriana Price?"
Olivia stiffened.
Is she acting like she doesn't remember all the things she had forced her to do back then?
"Uh... yeah. Not anymore, though. Who could have thought she was such a bitch, huh?"
"Yeah, truly saddening. She looked so frail and innocent. A whole Cinderella, if you ask me." Briana rolled her eyes.
"Exactly, not even a week after she married into Preston's, and she was already surrounded with nasty rumors," Olivia added in.
"Seriously, it's shocking to see Noah has such poor taste." Briana shook her head.
Olivia bit her tongue and spoke again, "How are things going between you guys, anyway? I heard there might be an engagement soon."
"The Preston's are being very considerate of me right now. They understood my situation and accepted my proposal to call off the plans…. for now, of course. I guess we'll see what happens."
Olivia almost scoffed. She asked Briana about her and Noah, not the Preston's. Obviously, Briana and Noah were not doing, and she said them to be.
"Crap, I have to go. I'm sorry!" Olivia jumped when her phone started ringing.
"Oh, what a pity. I wanted to hang out for a while longer."
"I'm really sorry! Let's set up a date and meet up again."
"Sure, but first who's calling?" Briana asked.
Olivia swallowed and smiled. "My boss." She answered.
"I see, hurry and handle everything. Take care!" Briana grinned and dismissed.
"You too!" Olivia bid her goodbye and walked out of the cafe, her smile instantly dropped.
"Yes?" She answered, recognizing the unnamed number as Adriana's.
"How are things going on your side?" She asked.
"I just met up with Briana. She seems oddly calm." Olivia reported.
"Oh, hold on, I have to handle something. You can report everything to me later." Adriana then hung up the phone, leaving Olivia confused.
…..
Briana's expression darkened, and she watched a voice actress she hired walk back to her and hand over the recording of the conversation she had with Olivia just now as she posed for Adriana.
Using the phone number on Adriana's business card Briana had the voice actress practice Adriana's voice through interviews she had found.
"This is it?"
"Yes." The voice actress answered.
"Good, the rest of your payment has been sent to your bank account. You may leave." Briana waved her hand dismissing her and crossed one leg over the others she replayed the recording.
A bitter smile wandered onto her lips. "This traitor little bitch." She mumbled.
Briana's suspicion had been really sharp lately, and she had to test Olivia to ease her mind. Of course, this was unexpected but not too surprising. After all, Olivia was…. Olivia.
Anger spread through her every nerve, but Briana controlled her expressions.
She placed the recording in her purse and walked out of the cafe. Next, she headed to a hotel room. She placed her purse on the sofa and unbuttoned her blouse.
"You're here." A deep masculine voice came from up the stairs.
Briana's eyes darted towards him, and she hummed.
"It's been a while, I'm surprised." He raised a brow at her and walked down the stairs slowly.
"Yeah, well, here I am Jacob."
She shrugged.
Jacob ran his fingers through his blond hair, his green eyes following every move of her fingers. His steps quickened when she finally discarded her shirt and revealed her chest.
Walking up to her, he chuckled. "Hold on, let me have my fun too, will you?" He then unbuttoned and unzipped her pants, rolling them down her legs and finally removing them completely.
He grabbed her neck and pulled her head back, claiming her lips. His hands wondering in every part of her body as if he were starving and was dying to touch her.
Briana closed her eyes as the image of another man appeared before her. The man she desired.
Every touch, every kiss, she wished it was from him instead.
Not long after, she moaned with Jacob between her legs and driving her into pure pleasure.
When the activity was done and she opened her eyes again, she was in a king-sized bed. Picking up the sheets, she covered her naked body and glanced at his sleeping figure.
Sighing, she walked towards the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. Not long after, she was once again under the sheets with Jacob.
"I have somewhere to be." She exhaled and dropped her head back, closing her eyes as another round was finished.
Jacob filled the empty space beside her, panting and groaned in the complaint. "Can't you spend the night?"
"I will be back soon. I just have something to handle." She replied, covering her face with her arm.
"One more round." He insisted.
Briana shook her head.
Giving in, he brought her to his chest and ran his fingers through her hair. "Fine, just rest for a bit."
"If anyone asks if I was here the whole afternoon and night, you hear me?"
"Hmmm." He nodded.
After her nap, Briana got dressed and exited the hotel through the back door, making sure the security cameras would not catch her leaving the hotel.
This time she had changed into all black and covered her face with a black mask and a hoodie. She took a taxi to a bar nearby where she knew Olivia frequented.
She waited and waited until the right opportunity to strike. Olivia exited the bar through the backdoor and was smoking a cigarette when Briana finally approached her.
As soon as Briana reached her, the first thing she did was grab her hair and smash her head into the wall, leaving Olivia in a state of shock.
"Why have you been working with her? Tell me, what is it she has ordered you to do?"
Olivia looked up at the person who had her completely shocked. Placing her palm on her bleeding forehead, she tried to shake Briana off her.
"Speak."
"What? What the hell are you doing?" Oliva's true character revealed itself by her tone, making Briana snicker.
She fetched a knife from her pocket and aimed it at Olivia's neck.
"Tell me everything you know."
It took Olivia a few seconds to finally realize what is happening. Briana knew…. she knew. And Briana was ready to kill her.
"I... I don't know…" She took a step back and cowered in fear.
"You don't? Hah, you do not know how angry I am right now. It's taking every bit of self-control in me not to stab your throat, so start talking!" Briana roared.
"She just wanted me to make sure you wouldn't tell anyone about her being Noah's ex-wife. "
" 'She seems oddly calm.' " What did you mean by that?" Briana repeated the contents of the call, shocking Olivia even more.
"That your mother tried to kill her! She knows what your mother did and now that she has the chance she will put her in jail and make sure she pays for her crimes!" Olivia would never tell Briana the truth and help her escape her doom, so she said what would satisfy Briana enough.
"Is that all?"
"I swear! I reconnected with her because I felt bad for what I did all those years ago." Oliva's hands were trembling and tears rushed down her face.
Satisfied, Briana removed the knife from Olvia's throat, making the ladder drop her shoulders in relief. Just before she could put her guards up again, the same sharp object penetrated Olivia's stomach.
Briana dug the knife deep. As deep as she could. She loved the way the color in Olivia's face disappeared as she choked on her saliva and looked at her in shock.
Tears rolled down her cheeks faster, and she looked down at her stomach.
Removing the knife, Briana picked it up and stabbed once again, but this time in Olivia's chest where she thought her heart was located.
Olivia had dreamed. She had goals. She was like any other person in this world that wished she had not been such a pushover. She too had regrets. She too had people she loved. She too wanted to be loved, and she wanted to be happy. Olivia had a life. Olivia had lived a regretful life, but all those small moments of happiness she experienced had kept her going up till now. She had wished nothing more than to be truly happy and free to be herself and act the way she wanted.
"This is what you get for betraying me. You should be thankful, I had other ways to kill you in mind, but I choose such a simple one." Where the last words Olivia heard before every bit of life was stolen from her.