Olivia Sparks

Thrown under the bus. That's what Chanel Greene felt as Konstantin Ivanov sentenced her into using her poor life choices against herself. 

She could hear every crack in her bone when it dawned on her how she looked like a pawn in the royals' chess game of shitting on each other's head.

Scanning the room, she took her grand time and thought of ways to see the end of the game. After all, a pawn was not just a pawn. It could be anything so long as it reached the other end of the board game.

Left with no choice, she forced herself to agree to the terms given to her, just like how she faced things that were beyond her control. And just like those times, she knew a window of opportunity would open for her soon. If not, she would build her own damn window. "You were my angel, Ms. Lin. Hmm. I think you still are even after this," Chanel Greene uttered whilst picking up the pen on the table.

"It's an honor to be called as such, but I am never an angel, Ms. Greene, because angels belong in heaven. I am nothing but a vessel of fortune. And those who chose the right path—my path, to be exact—will always be greatly rewarded."

Although pacified with Olivia's empty promise, Chanel Greene held an impassive expression on her face. 

She didn't want to put her hopes up, but if Olivia and Maxen were husband and wife, she saw nothing wrong in placing her bets on Olivia.

"And what about this handsome traitor? What is it going to be for him?" 

Maxen chuckled and rubbed the skin above his eyebrow. Was Chanel Greene mad or hurt? It seemed as if she was hurt by Konstantin's betrayal more than getting mad over losing millions. "I wish I could share it with you, Ms. Greene, unfortunately, our meeting ends here."

Chanel Greene scoffed. What did she expect from these royals? How could she even think they would include her after all the trouble she had to endure just because she wanted to be on top?

Accepting her fate, Chanel Greene stood from her seat. "You don't need to see me out," she announced. 

She tugged the ends of her pink Chanel jacket and squared her shoulders. With her chin held up high, she exited the room without sending the rest a goodbye.

Seconds passed, and the soft click of the door raised Olivia's hairs on end, dotting her skin with goosebumps. She was praying in her seat that Maxen would keep his cool and wouldn't dare start a brawl.

"You know why you're here, correct?" Maxen leaned in the backrest of the sofa and splayed his arms. He eyed Olivia and tipped his head to the side as if telling her to come closer and sit beside him.

A smile curved his lips when Olivia stood up, mouthing an "Excuse me," towards Konstantin's way as she rounded up the coffee table. With his wife sitting beside him, Maxen felt infinite more than ever. 

He knew competition for his wife didn't exist in the universe they lived in, but the thought of rubbing his marriage off on someone's face, especially if that someone had a silly crush on her made him feel infinite.

The feeling was akin to stepping out from the loo after letting go of all the constipation of the previous day. So light. So free. Like a butterfly in the meadow.

"Enough with the gloating, Max." Olivia elbowed Maxen and shook her head when a boyish grin painted his face.

"Am I?"

"You are. No doubt about it."

"Let's cut to the chase. What do you want, Maxen?" Konstantin butted in, feeling left out with the couple's bantering.

Hearing Konstantin's voice, Maxen scooped Olivia closer to his side. He didn't like how Konstantin's eyes darted to Olivia. "Now your bugs are out, I don't want to see any of those again in my turf. And a list. I just need one. So simple."

Konstantin shrugged. "We've long infiltrated Nisia, Maxen. The bugs were just the tip of the iceberg, and we shouldn't be having this conversation because I heard… the Huks are ready to attack The Highlands."

This time, Maxen rolled his tongue over his teeth. He wanted to gouge Konstantin's eyes out after catching him stealing a glance at Olivia, and not the part where the latter mentioned the threats Sui Family was facing.

"The Huks is my problem to solve. What I want immediately is for your people to scram as far away as possible from Nisia's shores, and the list."

"What list?"

"Do I have to spell it out for you?"

"I don't know what you're spouting, Your Highness. I believe you're speaking with the wrong guy. I'm not the king of Vuono. I'm a private person who runs his own bank. I have no knowledge of what's going on in and around, especially the parliament's discretions and operations."

Maxed drew a sharp breath. "Let's be honest just this once. I don't think Nikolai had the right frame of mind or the level of intellect of even coming up with an intricate plan as worming into as deep as our officials' pockets. It screams Konstantin Ivanov a thousand miles away."

"Plus, Nikolai's a d.i.c.k. We all know that, Kostya."

Konstantin Ivanov chuckled. Stealing another glance at Olivia, Konstantin's jaw ticked. Hearing her call him that way cracked his resolve. But he knew better than to get swayed by a woman. That was his father and brother's weakness. 

Tracing his gaze back to Maxen, he mirrored the prince's posture and leaned on the backrest of the sofa with his arms splayed on a wingspan. "Vuono is a free country, Your Highness. People are free to do whatever they pleased as long as they will face the consequences of their actions. I can't be held responsible nor accountable over something they did on foreign soil. Do whatever you want with the poachers. If you said it's your seas, then what's stopping you from arresting them? Oh, right? Your officials won't because they're under my payroll."

Maxen ground his teeth. There was nothing anyone could do indeed. It was not as if the crown had a hold of the government. Those alligators operate on their own and wouldn't blink if a grim reaper appeared and offered them millions in exchange for their souls. 

But he needed Konstantin's list, just so the Suis knew who to keep their tabs on. Maxen didn't want to be petty and use the last thing he had under his belt, but Konstantin wouldn't budge. 

It was then that a burst of insidious laughter bounced off the walls of the hotel room, sending goosebumps to Konstantin, but even when an uncertainty crippled him, it didn't show on his face. He watched as Maxen's shoulder shook in glee as if what Konstantin said was a joke. 

"How could you run that small town lottery if you're in jail?" Maxen sneered, subtly hurling an insult on Konstantin. Seeing the twitch on Konstantin's ear, Maxen took it as his cue to uncross his legs, fishing the phone from his b.r.e.a.s.t pocket. 

His eyes glowed as it reflected the light of the phone in his hands. Flipping the phone so it would face Konstantin, Maxen humored the c.o.c.ky bastard with a video of Konstantin. "See? I told you we have evidence."

Cornered, Konstantin locked his gaze on Maxen. He didn't need to look at the video that played on a loop in Maxen's phone screen. That scene was haunting him for days. The fear that hid in those eyes never failed to wake him up in the middle of the night. 

He didn't care about the implications of the video, what bothered him was seeing the same fear in those eyes when that video would be splashed all over the media. "What do you want, Maxen?"

"What I want is the list of officials under your payroll, in exchange for this video."

"You can have it. The list. I don't have any use for it anyway," Konstantin lied. That list was a gold mine for him but it didn't matter. He needed that video destroyed before it destroys him down the road.

Across Konstantin, Olivia's toes tapped against the insole of her stilettos. She didn't want to speak out of turn, but something inside her told her to speak up when Konstantin sealed the deal.