Olivia Sparks

Freshly showered and blow-drying her hair in the bathroom, Olivia's attention was stolen by her phone ringing on the bedside table.

She immediately switched the power off and docked her supersonic blow-dryer on the stand before she sprinted out of the bathroom.

Her heart raced as she flipped her phone. She knew who was calling because she saved a special ringtone for him.

Chewing her bottom lip, she paused and answered the call calm enough to contain the excitement that was bursting out of her. She almost screamed his name but she held herself back and a blush crept up her cheeks.

"Baby, do you miss me? Because I miss you so much." Maxen sighed at the end of the line. Depleted of energy and his skin reeking of sweat mixed with sea salt, he lazily rolled on his bed, hugging the pillow wishing it was Olivia in his arms.

"Nope," Olivia denied, lying down on the bed and grabbing a pillow to hug too. She buried her face in the pillow to hide her smile when she heard him chuckle. "I'm getting ready for tonight and thank you for the flower."

"Flower? Oh, that one?" Maxen paused. Since she didn't notice anything unusual on the flower pot he gifted her and he didn't want to ruin the surprise, he went with the flow and said, "Make sure it gets enough sunlight and water."

"It's in the bedroom so I won't forget to water it, so you don't have to worry about a thing." Olivia eyed the potted plant by the window. 

Earlier that day, MIB2 looked awkward in his royal guard uniform holding the small pot of foliage outside her decoy apartment's doorstep. He said it was from Maxen.

Holding it up against the sea of flower arrangements she received from family and clients, Maxen's plant stuck out like a sore thumb but she loved how misplaced it looked like. 

"Are you getting ready? Can I see you? Turn on the video mode."

In a beat, Olivia's phone beeped and a request for a video call flashed on her phone screen. She didn't have to think twice and just accepted the request.

"Why are you on the bed? Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for the party? Ooooh, look at that," Maxen's breath hitched at the sight of Olivia's flushed face, b.a.r.e from any cosmetics, her natural glow made her look enticing than ever.

"Show me your t.i.t.s, baby," Maxen pulled himself off the bed, leaning on the bed's headboard. 

"But you didn't say please," she tutted, moving the camera from her face down to her c.h.e.s.t.

Maxen knelt on the bed. If he had a tail, it would be wagging as he said, "Please show me your t.i.t.s, baby."

However, just as he was about to unzip his fly, Olivia flashed him a bird, maniacally laughing on the other end of the line.

"Hey! That's unladylike of you to do." Maxen laid back on the bed, smiling at Olivia. 

"What's unladylike is me flashing my skin on a video call," Olivia huffed, yet she grinned from ear to ear. 

He could feel his erection soften when Olivia's smiling face froze on the screen. Luckily, his fingers were quick and took a screenshot before the video feed started to move again.

"Hear hear. Would you please remind me next time if I get naughty again how absurd that request is because I don't want to see that gorgeous body making the headlines too."

"Okay," Olivia curtly agreed as she made her way back to the bathroom to finish blow-drying her hair.

The two continued to talk whilst Olivia prepared for her birthday dinner.

...

Clad in the green gown Eli made for her, Olivia checked herself in the hotel's wall to wall mirror in the lobby one more time. Slowly, her cherry-colored lips curved into a smile, satisfied at how she looked.

"Look at you smiling, Livi darling. You don't look like someone who got stood up," Eli mused. He couldn't pinpoint where, but there was something amiss about his cousin. 

Earlier when he picked her up from her decoy apartment, Olivia looked serene yet there seemed to be a grey cloud that followed her every step.

Yes, she was smiling, yet the fire in her eyes seemed as if she was gearing for battle.

Seeing the signage stand beside the hotel's concierge, Eli double-checked his invitation. "Huh? They switched the venue?"

"As expected," Olivia uttered. "My guess is, Henry prepared a surprise party for me. Let's go, Eli. Everyone's waiting for us."

Her nonchalance bothered Eli. He didn't like the bound and determined look on Olivia, yet he shrugged off his thoughts and trailed her.

Instead of the private room that Auntie Martha reserved for Olivia's birthday dinner, Olivia and Eli were ushered to the ballroom hall.

Upon entering, the cousins were welcomed by Ava's worried face.

"I didn't know, I swear. I was just as shocked as you a—" Ava tilted her head, baffled at Olivia's smiling face. She thought Olivia would throw a fit and point a finger at her for the sudden changes of what's supposed to be an intimate birthday dinner.

"Don't look at me, Ava. I don't have the answers to the questions in your head," Eli uttered, grabbing a flute of champagne from a passing server to calm down his nerves. He knew Ava felt weird to see the eerily calm Olivia.

Soon their small group grew in size when Auntie Martha and Grandma Lin came out of the private room inside the ballroom hall.

For a moment, there was a cast of gloom on the two older Lin women. They were upset by the news that Maxen was sent away by King Alistair.

Auntie Martha walked behind Grandma Lin who sat in a wheelchair that her nurse pushed. Immediately, their crestfallen faces change into soft smiles to break the tense atmosphere that shrouded the youngins' group.

The guests' attention was stolen. The Lin Family did not need to utter a word. Their presence alone was enough to catch even an insect's attention. But what surprised them more was the lady dressed in green.

People fought hard to keep themselves from exchanging glances for they knew Matriarch Lin and Martha were watching them from afar, waiting for the bystanders to make a mistake so the Lin women could get something to toy with, for example, ruining the gossipmongers' businesses or worse, their lives.

Now that they've seen Olivia was a kin, shock registered on their faces as they tried to put the puzzle pieces together on why she handled her broken engagement that way—ruining the reputation of Lance and Selena Go.

Everyone in the metro knew how ruthless the Lin Family was that even the royal family kept their hands off and maintained an invisible barrier between them. That's why, as much as possible, people wanted to either avoid getting under their radar or get into their good graces.

The party went on as expected. Great food and trays of champagne danced from table to table along to the music of the big live band playing jazz music.

"If you will excuse me," Olivia said, dabbing the napkin on the corners of her mouth before placing it on the table. "I just saw a friend, Grandma." She kissed her grandma's temple before finding her way to the person she least expected to see.

Sitting at the table on the other side of the hall, his back was against where Olivia sat. 

Midnight black clean-cut hair, lean body akin to a swimmer plus the wide and charming smile that showcased his pearly whites was in fact a grim reaper of women's hearts. 

Olivia knew who that back belonged to. She'd seen it a million times—more than she'd seen her father. But she didn't get butterflies like the other ladies who were whispering amongst themselves in their seats.

"Tristan Yang." Olivia gritted her teeth behind her smile.

"Look who's here? What a lovely night, isn't it?" Tristan beamed. He wasn't expecting to see Olivia for this was a last-minute party that his parents dragged him into.

Kissing her cheeks, his hand cupped her waist as he whispered, "Happy birthday."

But just before they could exchange more words, Henry Lin went up the stage. He was glad to see that Olivia and Tristan knew each other—he need not introduce the two.

With heavy steps, Olivia and Tristan willed themselves to walk up what felt like the longest stairs of their lives.

Holding his hand, Olivia turned to face the bewildered man beside her. 

"Smile for the cameras, Tristan."