Olivia Sparks

"How about we stop talking in riddles next time, Livi?" Oliver scoffed. How could his sister be so straight-forward yet cautious at the same time? "I'm not talking in riddles. What I have told you is the truth, it's not hers but I don't know who it belongs to." Swatting his hands to change the topic, "So you will contact me within a week and then we'll go and visit Mum together. Correct?" Oliver massaged his forehead to relieve it from the throbbing pain. One problem solved. More problems to go.  "Aren't you going to ask me why?" Olivia swiveled her seat and faced her brother. "Why? What?" He raised an eyebrow, taken aback by Olivia's random question.  "Why Ava helped me." "Okay." He nodded, looking intently at his sister. "Why did Ava help you?" "Forget it. You don't want to know, anyway." Olivia felt unconvinced with Ollie's acting. Something about Ollie's micro-expression bothered her. "It's not that I don't want to know… it's just that I prefer not to know. The less I know, the fewer troubles will come my way. And I understand my wife. She's naturally helpful." Clearing his throat, Oliver continued talking without pause. "Typical Ava. She's just upset that nobody can't even tell who my sister is, and she was grieving for you the whole night." Olivia couldn't contain her laughter. It was dramatic and villainous that goosebumps scattered Oliver's body.  Wiping the imaginary tears on the corners of her eyes, she mused, "Seriously? I feel touched. I didn't know Ava has that side on her. Well, as long as you didn't bump heads because of me then all's good. "That won't happen. Ava hates confrontations." Oliver held his hand up in a stop when he saw Olivia's about to charge another question. "Stop asking questions, Livi. And next time you pull something as big as dragging our name in the mud, please, I beg you, give me a heads-up." "And then what? Are you going to stop me?" "No. As you said, I'm a negotiator so I might as well put that talent to the test." "Hmm…" Olivia propped her chin on her knuckles. "There's no such thing as a win-win situation, Ollie. In reality, there would always be a fall guy." Nodding, Oliver concluded, "And you chose your father, our family's name, to be the fall guy." "What about me, Ollie? I was handed to an engagement all because Henry found out that I was seeing Maxen. I have been the fall guy for years and nobody said a thing." Olivia stood up, opened the door, and gestured for Oliver to leave, "I'm not the bad guy in this story, Ollie. And for the record, I didn't tarnish anybody's name. Henry is just reaping what he sowed." It was almost sundown and Olivia cooped herself up inside her study, losing sense of time as she did last minute revisions on some contracts that she would be signing up with her clients. It amazed her how a small country would have so much hidden wealth. Looking at the five applications on her table, her lips curled into a devious smile. Her sight singling out on one application in particular. Tap. Tap. Tap. The gears in Olivia's head were set in motion, thinking of what her next step should be. However, her reverie was cut short when a soft knock echoed in the room. Gathering the doc.u.ments, she stacked them together and hid them in a corner steel cabinet. "Come in," she chirped, slightly checking her reflection in the mirror. A restrained goofy smile painted her face when Maxen's head peeked in. She grinned wider upon seeing his furrowed, thick eyebrows. "It's almost dinnertime. What are you doing in your office the whole afternoon? Aren't you on a vacation leave?" Scrunching up her nose, Olivia asked, "Am I? Then why didn't you call me?"  "Babe…" Maxen skimmed his hands on either side of Olivia's h.i.p.s. He didn't want to break the news to her because he knew she'd go berserk, but he had to take responsibility for his actions. After looking around the office for damage assessment, he decided that it has a lot of sharp objects that would put his life in jeopardy.  Soon enough he realized that the safest room to confess his sin would be in the bedroom.  "We need to talk," he kept his words short, carrying out Olivia of the study like a sack of potatoes. She kicked her feet in the air and slammed her hands on his back, but all she got in return was a whooping smack on her b.u.t.t. "MAXEEEN LET ME DOOOWN!" she demanded, but her pleas seemed to fall on deaf ears. Upon reaching the bedroom, Maxen finally freed her and put her down. The echo of her giggles still ringing in Maxen's ears.  He wished that once she found out what he did, he would still hear the same giggles in the foreseeable future. "Baby, I have to tell you something…" he trailed off. Slowly, Olivia turned to face him but tripped that she fell backwards to the bed. Reaching out to her, he tried to keep her from falling but they both ended up landing on top of each on the mattress with Olivia on top of Maxen. In one slow liquid motion, dozens of butterflies flew around the room, turning it into a butterfly garden. "What? Is this what you wanted to tell me?" Holding out her hand, a shimmering blue and green butterfly perched on it.  "Where did you get these?" She glanced at him, her face beaming with euphoria. "My mother's garden… and no, it's not what I've been meaning to tell you." Maxen gulped. He didn't know if he should be thankful that his month-old project paid off at the perfect timing. "You should stop taking things from your mother's garden, Max." Olivia chuckled upon remembering how she received a daily delivery of flowers from the Queen's garden during his absence. "You told me not to waste taxpayers' money on you so I have to improvise and mooch off my parents."  Maxen cast a look at Olivia who was busy collecting butterflies in her hand, looking like a forest fairy.  Hypnotized by her enchanting air, he couldn't help but kiss her ear… and biting it too because she's not paying attention to him. "Ouch." She tipped her head away from him but her gaze was focused on the fluttering butterfly on her finger. "Our room's infested, Max." Olivia stuck her bottom lip out, letting go of the last butterfly on her finger. "It's ok, we still have time to have this cleaned up before bedtime." "Okay." Facing him, she asked, "What do you want to tell me again?" "Oh...I had the wall upstairs torn down." "What did you just say?" Olivia sprang up from the bed, her menacing stare enough to drench Maxen's back with sweat. "I had a portion of OUR wall taken down," he replied with a straight face as possible. "Why the heck would you do that, Maxen! That's MY wall! Not OUR wall. I told you we'll keep it as it is." Olivia stormed out of the bedroom. She wanted to see how much damage the little prince has done. Turning on her heel to face him again, she threatened him, "I will sue you for damages, Max. Not cool!" Olivia pulled her hair by the scalp and regarded the sneaky arse who was grinning like a mischievous toddler.