Olivia Sparks

"Are you freaking kidding me? Ollie has a license?" Olivia bit the inside of her cheeks as she questioned Maxen's itinerary for the day. 

It's not that she hated Maxen's idea of skydiving. It was actually the part where Oliver would fly the plane that got her weak on the knees. 

Somehow, she felt as if she was signing her own death sentence by getting in on the plane that her brother would be flying.

She couldn't believe how she tagged along with the boys after Ava and Emily repeatedly reassured her that they got her back and that they would look after Hunter in her stead.

Even at the last minute when Olivia's legs were split apart by the threshold with one inside and the other outside because of her hesitation to hand over her duties, Emily insisted that Olivia needed to take some time off and enjoy their short trip without thinking about any responsibilities.

"I'm not kidding," Maxen confirmed with a shake of his head. "Relaaax. There will be two pilots, baby. If Ollie forgets something, I'm sure his co-pilot would do the job and ensure the safety of everyone in the plane."

"You're not helping, Brother," Oliver said from across the room. "And why are you more scared of me flying a plane than dropping thousands of feet from an aircraft?" He shook his head.

Instead of answering Oliver's question, Olivia yanked two parallel strings of her harness which dr.a.p.ed on her shoulders. 

"First things first, I need to see your license, Ollie," Olivia demanded. 

She held her palm up and waited for Oliver to drag his feet and hand over his proof although siblings knew it was a futile attempt in proving anything but the existence of a rectangular plastic with Oliver's name imprinted in it.

"Happy now?" Oliver asked. His irritation somehow alleviated Olivia's trust issues.

"A bit," Olivia teased, sticking her tongue out. "Don't pull stunts on me, Ollie. I'll have your head in the chopping block."

"Tch! What do you want me to do? Make sudden dips in the air? Thanks for the idea." Ollie sent a two-finger salute to Olivia before donning his designer aviators. 

He left the team that was assembling in the hangar and headed towards the office where his co-pilot was waiting for him. 

Meanwhile, teams of two banded together and scattered in the expanse of a room with each instructor briefing his tandem student.

Blending amongst the group of dozen people was Jack, drenched in cold sweat and a decade older from stress.

"Your Highness, if I can suggest…" Jack opened his mouth but before he could utter another word, he felt the burn in his throat as he swallowed nothing but dry air. 

He couldn't count with his fingers and toes combined how many times he had to gulp down his fear every time Maxen sent him a searing glare enough to crackle his skin.

He was just doing his job. And his job was to knock some sense into Maxen's decision into tandem flying with Olivia. 

As the crown prince of Nisia, engaging in an extreme activity such as skydiving which had a high mortality rate was a luxury.

That is why Maxen skydiving for leisure should be approved by the King first and foremost. 

Maxen was glaring at him while he was kneeling before Olivia, tightening her harness for the hundredth time. "I did this a thousand times, Jack. There's absolutely nothing you should be worried about except for the celebratory drinks after our jump."

"Your Highness!" Jack stomped. His curled fist in either of his sides made him appear like a child throwing a tantrum. 

The esteemed assistant held his ground, rejecting Maxen's idea of flying together with Olivia. 

"You know the rules, Your Highness," he seethed. His teeth made gritting noises as he spoke in a hushed tone, although he was pretty sure everyone's eyes were on them. 

Jack didn't want to be a buzzkill. That's the last thing he wanted to do, even though he was known for constantly hovering Maxen like a helicopter every step of the way because that's part of his job description.

Jack lived by one rule for the past decade of his service: to make certain that Maxen wouldn't pull something ridiculous which would potentially land the crown prince a front-page special that would tarnish the Sui Family's name.

"I know the rules. You've been repeating it like a broken record all morning," Maxen deadpanned.

"Very well. As we speak, the senior female instructor I contacted is on her way."

"No need."

"She's a wing commander of the Royal Air Force, Your Highness. Very capable lady, I assure you."

"Jack," Maxen trailed off, standing to his full height. 

He was an inch taller than Jack, yet the way Maxen oozed with power as if it was his cologne seemed as if he towered over Jack. 

"My decision is final, Jack. This is a high-risk activity and I won't place my wife's life on anyone's hands other than mine. So, please. Stop." 

He held a hand up in a stop sign. "Stop with your nonsense. You are planting unnecessary fear on other guests."

Raising the white flag over a battle Jack knew he couldn't win, he stepped behind the shadows and in silence, stormed the heavens with a prayer for a miracle to happen. 

Out of the blue, Jack felt sullen. In times like this, Yana was his reprieve, offering him a comforting pat at the back, and when she's generous, she would offer him a banana too. 

He wished she was there beside him to annoy and console him at the same time. However, the girl was still recuperating in the hospital when they left, and thankfully, her scans came back negative with concussions.

As if someone heard Jack's thoughts, fingertips pressed on his arm and as he raised his chin, he saw a consoling smile curved his savior's lips.

Holding on to his last hope, Jack pleaded with his eyes, pressing his palm together.

"Jack," Olivia trailed off, her lips curved in an understanding smile. "I'll try, okay?"

"Really, Your High Highness?" Hope bloomed like a leaf bud in spring in Jack's heart. Who would have thought a day would come that Olivia would be his saving grace?

He never in a million years expected that to happen.

"You have my word. I'll try my best to make our descent as uncomplicated as possible." 

With that, Olivia winked and left Jack whose knees gave up, he almost knelt in his spot as she walked away.

On the outside, Olivia walked with her chin up, looking calm and collected as if jumping more than ten thousand feet from a plane was something she did on a regular basis.

It was when Maxen held her hands as they found their way to the aircraft, that he felt her cold fingers.

"How are you feeling?" Maxen asked, hiding the smile on his, pulling a corner of his lips to the side.

"Excited." Olivia swallowed, mentally preparing herself. 

"We don't have to jump, baby. We can stay and watch other pairs, just to get a feel of it."

"I will jump. I don't want to be in the plane that Ollie is flying. He might know how to fly that plane, but he knows if he could land that thing."