Olivia LawsonI didn't drink anything last night, but my head is pounding.I groan as I take in the fancy room; it is plain and lacks personality because the decorations are sparse.It's easy to dismiss that because it looks like this is a hotel, but some rooms are rented depending on the needs and money of a person. I know he can afford to decorate such a place for his needs, but either he works all the time, so it's temporary, or he simply doesn’t care.My body feels oddly light despite my headache, which, I realise, could have come about because of my crying yesterday."He undressed me?"I frown as I look down. The only things on my body are Matteo’s socks and shirt, which I know are his from the scent.I hate that I want to bury my nose in them.Sliding out of the bed is easy. The clock reads three a.m., meaning I've barely slept for four hours."Mh...."I wince at the discomfort between my thighs. It doesn't hurt, but it definitely feels tender and clean.Oh god, he wiped me down
A scrawny-looking boy with dark circles beneath his eyes leaves the door where most of the yelling came from. His eyes widen when he spots me before his gaze lowers to the ball beside my foot.He mutters something under his breath before walking towards me."Visitors need to schedule a meeting with Pamella; Mr Gibbons does not take walk-in visitors. He is busy.”Walk-in visitors? Even if he doesn’t know me, shouldn’t he know Samantha? She handles most of the mundane work directed to me."Do you like working here?"I ask rather than introduce myself, and he scoffs."Pays the bills, sure, but I'm out of here once I finish my internship. Nothing is worth this."He answers, even his voice sounds weary.The young man, perhaps no older than twenty-five, looks me up and down before a sigh leaves his throat."Look, if you don't want him to harass you, dress down. You are too well dressed to be here.""Too well dressed at a fashion company?"I ask, and he scoffs."Sure, but look at how the oth
The entire studio falls silent at Natasha’s words; I can feel their gazes on me, judging me, waiting for a comeback that should not come as Natasha spits her venom. Some of the people in the audience shook their heads, others laughed, and some covered their mouths, appalled by my behaviour from her explanation as if they saw me act the way she described. "What! Got nothing to say for yourself? Livy, you owe us an explanation. You have some nerve to pull the crap you did and then package it as ‘love ran out’!” She adds with a vicious chuckle, causing murmurs to rise from the silent audience as they discuss me. "The nerve of you! That man did everything for you; shame on you, Olivia! Or should I say, Miss Lawson!" "You want an explanation? Okay, Natasha, but first tell them how you fucked my 'loving' husband while I was out shopping with his sick mother.” I ask, and almost immediately, a sea of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ hushes over the audience. “I-” She begins, but it’s as if she hadn't
Matteo's light brown hair is slicked back neatly; his burgundy suit jacket fits him snugly so that I can see the outline of each muscle on his torso. His black scarf flows with the wind as his grey eyes turn to me before a smile warms his face, enlivening his features.He is too beautiful to be real, and the fact that our outfits match makes this feel more unreal."Bellissima, but why the coat?"He asks with a light shrug."Why the coat? Is that a joke, my..."I peer at his security before lowering my voice."My breasts are out."He chuckles."I will keep them safe."He says as he tugs me to him. His cologne washes over me as his hug grows tighter around me.‘He will keep me safe’? For him to use such words can only mean one thing."You watched my interview, didn't you."A bitter chuckle escapes me as I force my body away from his."Is this dress some sort of pity?"His hold on me tightens."Pity? No, not pity. Anger. Those bastards shouldn't even breathe for what they did to you, and
I want to tell the gorgeous lady that ‘I can take care of myself,’ but someone calls her name, and she waves me off as if my response never mattered. What an odd feeling. I want to rush to Matteo because I like being around him despite his attitude, but at the same time, everyone around me keeps telling me to ‘be careful’ to the point that I don’t know what to do. But rather than dwell on the uncertainty, I move to the door she pointed. On nearing it, I notice that it is open slightly. I can hear Matteo’s laugh from the other side. My belly warms, but my name flows from his lips just as my hand flies to the handle. "It has to be the Lawson; he didn't crack for years, and once she paints me her hero, he offers an asset worth multiple billions?" "Nicely done, Teo, but I really can't congratulate you for using a woman." "Oh, please, Chris, like you are one to talk." A string of Italian words leaves him before he reverts to English. “...it’s just business." He finishes with a li
Maybe I'm self-conscious, but it felt like everyone was staring at us as we left the party. It could have been our messy clothes, flushed skin or even the smell of sex and sweat on us. It could have been anything, but that doesn't seem to matter to Matteo because even though I'm certain his seed is still trailing down my legs, we are at the gynaecologist. "This should work." The doctor says as he passes me a prescription for plan B. "I'm supposed to get my period in two to three days. I'm not regular, so I'm not sure. Can I wait before taking the pill?" "Uffa! What do you mean wait? No, we’ll get the medicine, and you will take it now." "She can wait, maybe three days maximum, for full efficiency." The doctor explains, but this only serves to irritate Matteo more. "Why? Just take it so that-" "Matteo, this is my body." I don't want to tamper with my odds of fertility. I don't know if there is any correlation between plan B and fertility, but I want to raise every odd I can. A
"What?""You didn't know?"I ask. Technically, I refer to Dawson as an old family friend since I can hardly call him a father or stepfather."No, I thought he was…yours?"He says the 'yours' in a small tone that makes me suspect he thinks he has stolen something from me, so I smile."He just likes me because I laugh at his jokes and keep Eliza in line. He isn’t my father.""I didn’t know that you aren't fully related to your sister.""To the point, Matteo."I insist."Fine. My men found out he had a terminal illness last year and-"Right, I remember Elizabeth refused to inherit his fortune, and his sons are druggies."He needed someone to inherit it."I nod slowly."His sons are dangerous.""For your sister or you, maybe. But not for me. But he refused to give me the time of day for two years, but a few tabloids with you in my arms and suddenly he is the one blowing up my phone.""So, you needed to seal the deal by doing that to me?""I thought you'd mention how I helped you in the ho
Natasha"Are you crazy!"Mia's plate, full of hospital food, washed over Natasha, ruining the outfit she had spent ages picking. Even if she was supposed to take them off in a few minutes to prep for the surgery, this was not how she wanted to do it.Of late, Mia had found every possible way to torment Natasha."I'm sorry I-I forgot to pick up your kids from school. There was so much I was supposed to do before this surgery!"Natasha tried to defend herself, but the entire room stared her down as if she were the enemy.Yes, she had made a mistake in drinking before the surgery, but how was she supposed to know that Vincent’s mother would spiral, leaving the hospital no choice but to put her in tubes as they waited for her safe window to arrive because she refused her children to donate?The rising hospital costs put them on edge. Natasha understood that, so she volunteered to run their errands until their anger was soothed, but it was only getting worse!Not to mention, she was suppos