Olivia Sparks

The sun was high in the sky as M/V Nikki docked into the pier of Nisia.

Up on the deck, Maxen's eyes darted from the crew that were busy anchoring the ship down to the docks.

He noticed that unlike the other times that the royal fleet arrived, the number of media present was reduced in half. It's not that it upset him. Rather, intrigue plagued him as he thought about what caused such a rare phenomenon.

"Wave for the cameras, Your Highness," Jack whispered from behind.

Maxen uttered through gritted teeth, still waving his hand, "You don't have to remind me, Jack. I've been doing this for years."

"Just doing my job, Your Highness. We don't want a slip up to happen."

Maxen smirked at Jack's reply and stopped waving when the ship blew its horn. The anchor finally tethered to the soil to which it belonged.

The royal prince of Nisia tipped his hat and clipped it under his armpit as he, one by one, shook hands with a row of naval officers for a job well down during their thirty-day expedition.

Reaching dry land after what seemed like forever, Maxen almost kissed the earthen soil—thankful for the safe voyage that he and the rest of the crew endured for thirty days.

In a concerted way, his royal guards sandwiched him as they made their way to his waiting car at the end of the red carpet.

As the convoy traversed the stretch towards the exit of the pier, he closed his eyes and let the soft classical music from the radio calm his nerves. On the outside, Maxen looked calm and relaxed. However, deep inside, he fought hard to keep his balance as the swaying of the ship hasn't rubbed off of him yet.

During the entire car ride, he could still feel the crashing waves and lull of the sea. He tried to sit as still as possible, but it felt like his world swayed side to side. 

Maxen's convoy reached the metro. He intended to go up to Notios Estate where Olivia promised to meet him on the day of his arrival. However, the convoy halted at a crosswalk where people swarmed in all directions. The walk sign blared, and like working ants on a summer day, people aimlessly walk across, bumping into each other but never sharing a glance.  

Close to where the convoy was, Maxen's attention was stolen by the photo of a lady he knew all too well. 

Wedding of the Year! Lin Heiress weds Yang Tycoon in a private ceremony!

Maxen could feel his head spin. He could feel his body sway. And pebbles of sweat formed on his scalp and back, drenching his dress suit.

Panting, he hooked his finger in his tie and scrambled to loosen it as he craned his neck. He could feel his extremities numb—paralyzed as the photo of Olivia and Tristan up on a stage, side by side, replayed on the digital screen.

He dialed Olivia's number. Once. Twice. Dropping it after the fourth ring until they reached the entrance to the private road which led to his private residence.

"Stop the car!" Maxen commanded, almost in a scream that startled his chauffeur. 

In the chauffeur's decades of service, not once did Maxen raise his voice. He watched through the rearview mirror as the prince opened the door and stormed out of the car, standing by the curb. 

Once Maxen got outside, a breeze of fresh air c.a.r.e.s.sed his face, soothing him down a bit, and clearing his muddled head. Rubbing the skin above his eyebrow, he prayed as he dialed Olivia's number for the nth time, "Please pick up the phone. Please pick up the phone."

From the corner of his eye he saw Jack try to step forward but retracted a step in an instant when he glowered at the secretary's way.

"Nobody told me? Nobody f.u.c.k.i.n.g told me anything!" Maxen screamed at the top of his lungs. Purple veins crawled and adorned his neck as he squeezed the phone with force in his hand.

Jack flinched, but he didn't cower. He tried his best to look as calm and placid as a lake, hoping to counterbalance Maxen's fury. "It was advised that Miss Olivia Lin's engagement be kept a secret from you unless she herself would inform you about it, Your Highness. I believe it was in the letter you received three days ago."

Maxen screamed one more time, emptying his lungs from the suffocating air that filled it. Walking back towards the car, his every footstep was heavy—it grazed the gravel on the ground. Reaching the awaiting open door, he commanded, "Don't you think today's a good day to confess my sins, Jack?"

"Absolutely, Your Highness."

Jack held the door for Maxen, shutting it close before he filed in on the passenger seat. "Let's go to Christ the King," Jack ordered the driver and in no time, the car reversed, and headed to the cathedral's direction.

Maxen briefly shut his eyes as he calmed himself down, figuring out what the heck was going on.

She was everything to Maxen; the sun that gives hope to his days, the moon and stars that guide him in the night's darkness. 

Olivia was the very woman who'd cut through all his defenses and reasoning the moment he laid his eyes on her. And he knew for a fact that he meant something to her too.

Reaching the private entrance for the royal family, Maxen alighted the car, determination written all over his face.

He reached a glass-walled room, and his heart dropped. Pellets of cold sweat trickled down his forehead. 

Immobilised. Thunderstruck. Abandoned. 

The bride looked pristine and divine in her white gown. But she's not his bride. She was someone else's.

He felt his world spin as he stood frozen, watching her from the shadows of the dark hallway.

He saw her clutching her phone and so he dialed her number one more time.

One. Two. Three. Four.

Olivia's name flashed on the screen as his phone dangled from his limp arm. 

A harsh, derisive chuckle rumbled on his c.h.e.s.t before he turned on his heel, never looking back at the bride who was never his in the first place.