Olivia could feel her ears ring in the silence of the hotel room. Konstantin left just a minute ago and Maxen went to the loo for a much-needed bathroom break. "I have to go back to the conference, Max. Mind if I take a rain check on that lunch date?" Olivia asked as soon as Maxen emerged from the bathroom. She lazily propped her arm on the couch's rest, putting her weight against the cushion.

Bobbing his head whilst making his way to Olivia, Maxen asked, "And I won't be seeing you for dinner too?"

"Yes, dinner too. I'll be with the gal pals." Olivia scrunched her nose. She swatted at Maxen's hand when it reached for her nose in an attempt to pinch it. "Ouch!"

"Ouch? Ouch really? But I haven't even touched you yet!" Maxen exasperated. His mouth fell agape in disbelief over his wife's best acting to date. When Olivia stuck her tongue out, he made sure to really pinch her nose this time.

It should hurt, but it didn't. Olivia started laughing at how gently Maxen pinched her nose as if he was afraid to inflict an ounce of pain on her. 

A smile slowly curved her lips when Maxen wrapped his arms around her, caging her in his embrace. Tipping her chin up so she could see his face, Olivia uttered, "I should really go, Max."

"Just one more hug. I won't be seeing you for a long time." Maxen buried his face in the crook of her neck and got a whiff of the sweet and crisp apple scent of her hair. "Tomorrow, we have all afternoon to ourselves, correct?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Olivia responded. "Just one breakfast meeting in Oakwood Capital's London office, then that's it. We have the rest of the day to play." Olivia bit her lip. Maxen just tightened his embrace, squeezing her waist. How could she leave now when he's intoxicating her with the promise of protection from his broad c.h.e.s.t and warmth from his hugs?

For a fleeting minute, the two sat still on the sofa and occasionally exchanged pecks on the other's cheeks. It was until Shadow cleared her throat that the two snapped out from their bubble.

"Permission to speak. But I got word that Mr. Ma arrived and is in the hotel's lobby, President."

With a sharp inhale, Maxen forced himself to let his wife go. The meeting with Mr. Ma had greater urgency than him getting his daily fix of hugs and kisses. 

He peeled himself from their embrace and huffed when he immediately missed his wife's comfort. Offering a hand, he pulled Olivia up into a standing position and tucked the loose hair that covered her eyes partly.

"Thank you," Olivia mouthed and straightened her jacket. "Why do I feel like I'm meeting our child's future in-law? Ha!" she commented.

"Is this your first time meeting Mr. Ma? Don't fret because contrary to the gossip floating around, I can attest the man's the best of a bad bunch."

Olivia scrunched her nose. She believed her husband's good words for the man, but the secrecy that hounded the Ma Family was creeping her out, sending a chill to her bones. Seeing Maxen mouth a "What?" at her, her eyes turned into slits. 

"Nothing," she said, although they both know her mind was overthinking as usual. For a second she stared at the ceiling to clear her thoughts, then her eyes darted to where Maxen stood, forcing a pursed smile as she regarded Maxen who was slipping one arm after the other in his suit jacket with the help of MIB1 holding it up for him.

While it was the truth that she had encountered royals, presidents, and persons whose names could be found in history books while still alive, the clawing feeling of meeting someone who made history without the rest of the world knowing was a different ball game for her. One that she needed to tread lightly and with full caution.

After all, the Ma Family possessed the largest private fortune in the world, the Suis coming in at the third place. In a sense, if she couldn't get into Mr. Ma's graces, then all the things she worked hard for years to accomplish her goal would be for naught.

Olivia and Maxen parted ways in the elevator, and much to her chagrin, she had to let go of Maxen smearing her lipstick on the corners of her lips as he ate her face in the elevator car. Her fingers curled into a fist when she had to make a quick detour to the powder room to freshen up.

After her powder room break, she was on her way to the hotel's restaurant when she passed by the indoor courtyard and saw a familiar figure: a girl with a hair whose color matched the leaves of autumn—it was not hard to miss. 

Aerith was standing by the edge of the pond, offering a rock to another child. The two seemed to be playing with the rocks, throwing it into the pond to create ripples on the surface.

Suddenly, a small smile that reached her eyes painted Olivia's face. Did the two children just enter a growling match when Aerith made more ripples than her playmate?

For a stolen peek, Olivia and Aerith's eyes met and the little one waved at Olivia, gesturing for Olivia to come closer.

As if magnetized, Olivia's feet dragged her to where Aerith stood. 

"Oh," she let out a soft gasp when Aerith slammed her little body on her to give Olivia a big bear hug. C.a.r.e.s.sing Aerith's hair, Olivia asked, "Where's your father, Little One? How could he leave you here?" she grumbled her question, annoyed that Wyatt further proved how irresponsible he was.

Aerith shrugged, and it made Olivia purse her lips in disdain. Kneeling down so their eyes would meet, Olivia brushed Aerith's hair to the side, tucking it behind her ears. "I'll ask your dad later if I could bring you with us, okay? Do you like shopping, Little One?"

Aerith's eyes grew wide with excitement, and a faint blush of pink painted her freckled cheeks.

Angling her head, Olivia raised a brow at Aerith's playmate. She felt protective of the little one, especially after seeing her playmate curl fingers around the pebble after losing the pebble throwing game.

Standing up to her full height, she wanted to scare the child just a little to give Aerith an advantage with the backing of an elder against a bully in the playground—one she didn't have growing up isolated from her family.

A sinister smirk curled Olivia's lips, but just as she lifted a foot to take a step closer to Aerith's playmate, she saw the child drop the pebble into the pond with a plop followed by a shadow looming over them.

Looking over her shoulders, Olivia kept her eyes emotionless as she faced what either could be her blessing in disguise or worst nightmare.

"Mr. Connor Ma." The name rolled out of Olivia's lips effortlessly. She pivoted on her heel and pressed Aerith's body against hers. She wasn't sure if she was protecting the little one or using her as a shield.

"Lovely to see you, Ms. Olivia Lin… or should I call you Crown Princess Olivia?" Connor Ma grinned. Tipping his head to the side, the creases on his face smoothened and his arms spread out in a welcoming hug. In a split second, Aerith's playmate came dashing to Connor Ma's arms.

"Just call me Olivia. Oh, and this is my niece, Aerith Ang, Wyatt's daughter. I'm sure you've met him before."

"Indeed. I was speaking with him in the lobby before I came here. I believe he had to meet Prince Maxen, so I had to keep my conversation with him short."

Olivia forced a smile and nodded as Connor Ma spoke. She did not like making small talk but with the presence of the two children, and the thought of her image earlier as she was about to bully the child in Connor Ma's arms, urged her to explain herself. "I was on our way to our meeting and I saw Aerith playing with your…" Olivia paused, unsure of the right word to say. The man was in his sixties and she was not a hundred percent sure of the relationship between the two.

Connor Ma beamed and looked down at the little child in his arms, patting the little shoulders beneath his hands. "My son. His name is Hunter."