Olivia Sparks

"Oh my goodness. Will you please stop embarrassing me?" Olivia dropped her shoulders and shook her head in disappointment as she entered Matriarch Lin's bedroom.

She could not believe how easily her auntie and grandma fell prey to those hypnotic eyes, fawning over it and disregarding the fact that Maxen was snooping in the Lin property.

Looking around, she found an empty seat on the left side of the bed and went over so she could sit closer to her grandma. 

Olivia smiled as she leaned forward to fix her grandma's loose ash white hair. "By the way, I miss you too, Grandma," she teased when Matriarch Lin forgot to even greet her. 

"I don't understand the enthusiasm over having a blue-eyed grandchild. I mean, look at Finn. We have the same shade of eyes, yet he's adorable! Right, Finn?"  

Sitting on the other side of the bed, Finn bobbed his head and continued to play with his toy airplane, gliding it in the air and babbling rotor sounds.

"Of course, the Lin's gene won't disappoint. But what I wanted to see is your offspring with that handsome boy." 

Matriarch Lin patted Finn's head. Her sprightly face painted a warm smile yet her puzzled gaze never left Maxen who stood idly on a corner. 

Matriarch Lin's mind wandered. Being a Sui, setting foot on the Lin's turf was akin to waging a war. 

Henry Lin's wrath was so unforgiving that Ollie, Martha and her had to sneak behind Henry's back just so Queen Isla could visit Amelia, so she thought the rumors about the lad's steadfastness must be true. 

He wouldn't dare come here if he's not serious with her darling Livi.

Glancing at the rest of her visitors, she shooed the servants away so the family could have some private time. She gestured to Maxen, her arms were spread-eagle, ready to give Maxen a hug. 

"Come here, child. Oooh, how you've grown. I haven't seen you in years."

Repaying her warm welcome, Maxen lightly squeezed Matriarch Lin before he sat on the adjacent chair. And because he has long legs, his knees would touch with Olivia's from time to time. Sometimes by accident. Sometimes, intentional.

Surrounded by the Lin ladies, Maxen didn't know exactly how to react so he just kept quiet and listened as they exchanged stories. It was exciting and awkward at the same time for him because he never really reached the 'meet the family stage' in courtship. 

Wait. That's right. He never really dated anyone. 

He could feel the massive bedroom shrink in size. His claustrophobia slowly ate him up as he realized that he was walking on uncharted territory.

Snapping him out from his trance, his knees jerked when Olivia's jazzy voice echoed in the room. 

"Grandma, you should not put too much work on your h.i.p.s next time." Olivia fixed the duvet that got out of place because Matriarch Lin sprang up from her bed. 

She huffed upon remembering how she almost got a heart attack, afraid that her grandma would fall, which thankfully didn't happen.

"Hay naku, Livi. Grandma is getting older. My only wish is to see your offspring before you know…" Matriarch Lin made a sign of the cross and nodded in her silent prayer. 

Olivia playfully slapped Matriarch Lin's hand, so the latter opened her eyes in no time. She knew how extra her grandma could be. Where else could Olivia get her knack for exaggerating situations?

Ignoring Olivia, Matriarch Lin called Maxen's attention to relieve the boy from the heat of getting covered up. "Maxen, you can take that cap off. There's no camera in Grandma's bedroom."

Hearing Matriarch Lin's go signal, Maxen peeled his cap off his head and combed his hair with his fingers when he felt sweat form on his scalp. 

How could a simple thing like visiting his woman's home feel like an A-class mission? 

He searched Olivia's eyes for any form of reassurance, but she deliberately avoided eye contact, leaving him to behave in his seat and resume listening to the ladies' chatter.

From the corner of his eyes, he watched as Auntie Martha and Matriarch Lin exchanged knowing looks, mentally talking in their minds. He wanted to know too, but whatever that was, only the mother and daughter could tell in due time.

Olivia cleared her throat when a sense of foreboding fogged the place. "Grandma, Auntie, please don't get ahead of yourselves. I don't want to disappoint you once Ollie and Henry finds out about us and things would go haywire. The last thing that I want to happen is to have another casualty to Henry's ongoing battle with the..." she glanced at Maxen and swallowed, "the Suis."

Matriarch Lin raised a single brow at Olivia. Since when did her granddaughter think about her father's approval? Could it be she's afraid to be like Amelia? Bedridden for the rest of her life? Or perhaps she's afraid to be exiled again to somewhere farther this time?

Her heart bled when she searched Olivia's eyes yet saw nothing. It was a testament that the years of seclusion made Olivia the way she was. 

Hard. Calculating. Cynical. 

But Matriarch Lin knew that behind Olivia's mask was a little girl who sought company for years. She could see it in her granddaughter's eyes. Each visit she could tell that Olivia wanted to come home but was hesitant because of her father.

If not for the blessing in disguise in the form of a broken engagement, Olivia would not even bother to step foot in the country. However, the game has changed. Olivia was home, just where she belonged.

She knew it too, that Olivia could face her father on her own. And now that she found someone dauntless like Maxen, she knew Olivia would be safe from Henry's whiplash this time around with Maxen as her backup.

Another thing to take note was if Maxen came with Olivia today, it meant Olivia had something going on with the prince. 

Who was Olivia kidding? In her five years of relationship with Lance, she never brought the guy home and only introduced him just after they got engaged.

Reaching out to Maxen and Olivia, she brought and cupped their hands together. 

"Have you ever heard of the story about the father, son, and their carabao?" Matriarch Lin trailed off.

Olivia shook her head. She never heard of a story about a carabao.

"There was once a father and son who were on their way home with their carabao in tow. When they passed by a villager, the villager berated the son and said, 'How could you let your father walk?' so the son helped his father up on the carabao's back.

"They passed by another villager who scoffed, 'Look at you! How could you let your son walk while you ride the carabao?' so the father lent a hand to his son so they could both ride the carabao.

"However, when another villager saw them, that villager snickered, 'Look at those two fools weighing down the poor carabao!' so this time, the father and son hop off their carabao. They thought for a second what they would do next, and so, they tied the carabao and carried the animal on their shoulders.

"When they were almost home, their neighbors saw them and they became a laughingstock. One neighbor mocked, 'Why would you carry your carabao when it can walk?'

"So now… what's the moral of the story, Livi?"