Olivia Sparks

"Posh Spice, secured and safe," MIB1 said as he pressed a button pinned on his lapel. He glanced towards Maxen and Olivia's direction and saw the prince c.o.c.k his head, a silent order for the man to give the couple some privacy.

He then stepped out of the room and closed the door, punching in the code from the outside to lock the couple inside as standard operating procedure. "Eton, secured and safe. MIB1 now on standby," he pressed the button one more time, speaking through a tiny device. 

He scanned the hallways one more time and nodded to a passing guard before he straightened his back as he stood guard outside the panic room. He was itching to secure the place himself, but it was his duty to stay close to the prince at all times, especially now at the presence of a threat in their location.

Meanwhile, a soft click of a door locking told Maxen and Olivia that they were alone inside the panic room. The room was silent, let alone for the hissing sound of the air-conditioning unit as it fanned cool air inside the four corners of the grey reinforced walls made from layers of cement and steel.

Olivia perched her bottoms on the edge of a control table, her hands planted on either side while Maxen stood in front of her.

They were smiling silly at each other as if nothing happened earlier, as if they weren't in danger and almost lost another chance of waking up together the next day. The comfort of being in each other's arms washed away their fears for a moment.

"Posh Spice? Really? If I'm Posh Spice, would that make you Golden Balls?" Olivia teased, making a reference of a famed couple. 

"I do have golden balls, so yes, you can call me that." Maxen chuckled and pulled Olivia by the waist, their c.h.e.s.ts crashing on impact. 

He knew Olivia was hiding her emotions with how she did her best to avoid eye contact, choosing to train her gaze on his c.h.e.s.t rather than to meet his eyes.

Maxen had a feeling that she didn't want to look weak even in front of her husband who would love her weakness nonetheless. He then c.a.r.e.s.sed her cheek with the back of his index finger, forcing her eyes to close and submit at his touch. 

"Sorry I was late," Maxen apologized.

"Don't say sorry, it's not your fault," she replied, a rueful smile painted her face. Holding his wrist, Olivia let her whirlwind of emotions simmer down. 

"It is. He won't come after you if he didn't know we're dating."

Olivia's hand that was holding Maxen's wrist dropped. She pondered if she should tell her husband what Lance Go said earlier and decided it would not hurt if she would tell the truth.

"About that… I heard him say that he wanted me back in his life."

"He said that?"

"Yep." She nodded.

"Stay here. I have some business to finish."

"Max!" Olivia reached out a hand to stop Maxen from storming out of the room. She knew it wasn't 'business' that he would finish, but the life of a guy named Lance Go.

"The heck is he even thinking about? Shooting my dad and now kidnapping you?"

"He's the least of our concern as of today, Max. I think," Olivia trailed off, the hint of warning in her voice was enough to nail Maxen on his spot. "I think there's a mole in the security team or one of the staff," she assumed, and the tick on Maxen's jaw told her that he knew of it too. 

"It's not something you should worry yourself about," Maxen assured and squeezed her.

Leaning her head on his c.h.e.s.t, Olivia smiled as her heart lulled with every rumble of his c.h.e.s.t, but her mind quickly drifted to the events that happened that afternoon.

Earlier, she thought the location of The Highlands and the bas.e.m.e.nt parking lot contributed to the lack of reception on her phone, add to that the fact that her phone was an old model too. However, while she was drinking her water in the kitchen just a few minutes ago, she realized that maybe there was someone inside the Sui's household staff who fed the enemy pieces of information about the Suis' movements.

Silence filled the room until something caught Olivia's periphery. It was a monitor that displayed the camera feed outside her apartment. She pushed Maxen out of her way and she trained her eyes on the screen but couldn't make out of what was happening.

Why is a man crouching down by the threshold?

Although Maxen was quick to turn up the volume, it was too late because the man stood up with a cap covering his features as he left the scene.

"What is he doing here?" Olivia mumbled. She wanted to pull her hair for an answer, but confusion took over and she couldn't think clearly anymore. "Let him go, Max. We don't need to alert him that we knew he was here." She looked over her shoulders and saw a fuming prince who got an idea who the man could be.

He was always composed and in control, but with how things unfolded before their eyes, it was a rude awakening on Maxen's part too, and he felt impotent at his lack of grip on the situations presented to him on a silver platter.

Seething with rage, he didn't notice Olivia was right in front of him until she cocooned him in her embrace, brushing his back with featherlight touches.

"Will it be weird if I boss you around today, baby?" Maxen asked, his voice was soft and soothing just like the way he brushed her cheeks with the back of his finger. His demeanor was a stark contrast to the anger that boiled in the pit of his stomach.

Although Olivia was not someone he could push around, she didn't protest this time and behaved, listening to Maxen as he spoke.

"I want you to rest here and wait for me, okay?" Olivia bit her bottom lip. She could do that, she told herself in her thoughts, so she nodded her head in agreement.

"What do you want to retrieve in your room? I'll get it for you," Maxen asked.

"It's in my closet. A brass trinket box that has my initials on it, and a file too in my office. Use the lock in the trinket box."

Maxen pulled away from their embrace. He fixed his cufflinks and nodded his head, making a mental note to get that trinket first before doing the rest on his agenda.

"Do you want to share what you have in mind?" Olivia angled her head to get a look at the storm brewing in Maxen's eyes because his head bowed as he contemplated his next steps.

"First, I'll get the answers from Lance Go, and then I will deal with him," he said, rolling his neck. It cracked as he did, relieving it from its stiffness.

"Deal with him...meaning?" Olivia gulped. She didn't need to know the answer because it was too obvious. "Are you going to kill him?"

"Always remember that death is an easy way out." He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, adorning her with his eyes. "Baby, you're so innocent sometimes I wonder if all of your villainous thoughts is a facade."

Olivia scoffed. She didn't know if he was complimenting her or making fun of her. Whatever it was, she thought Maxen was cute as a puppy. "Then what are you going to do to him? I want to know."

"I'll interrogate him, yes. And if he cooperates, I'll give him a feast."

"And if he doesn't?"

"I'll cook his balls in front of him and feed it to the dogs."