Olivia Sparks - Volume 1 Chapter 126 Completely Honest

Maxen’s chest rumbled, and eventually, he released a hearty laugh, squeezing Olivia’s knees. He couldn’t believe such a nasty word would come out from a beautiful mouth.

Beside him, Olivia raised an eyebrow at him that his laugh was cut short. Afternoon sun cast a light on her eyes and he saw a swirl of accusations dance in it.

“I haven’t done that,” he came clean. Little did he know it doubled the enormous question mark floating above Olivia’s head.

“I didn’t ask you if you did. Why do you sound so guilty?” He saw her scrunch her nose, a sign that the gears on her head were busy painting scenarios in it, scenarios that really never happened.

“Because your eyes are accusing me. And for the record, it would be nice if we try that. It’ll be the first for us both. Wanna try?”

“Wanna die?”

Maxen choked on his saliva, letting out another laugh, infecting Olivia and Uncle Jin in the car.

“If it’ll send me to heaven, why not?”

He hunched when Olivia elbowed him, enjoying her red as tomato face. He heard her say, “If you want to try it, then I’ll do it to you first so you could tell me if it sends one to heaven.”

Maxen shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. The threatening tone in Olivia’s voice was enough to pacify him from pushing her buttons. “Okay. That’s enough. This conversation is going nowhere.”

To close the subject, he pinched her chin, tilting it up, his lips locking with hers in a short, sweet kiss.

The car ride was silent as they reached the toll gates when a question popped out of Maxen’s head. “Did you used to have a pet, baby? I saw you play with Beauty but didn’t think about how much you love animals until earlier. That’s what? 18 animals in total?”

Glancing down at Olivia who was unusually quiet, worry painted his face when he saw her watery eyes.

“Baby? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Olivia wiped the lone tear that fell like a waterfall on her cheek, a rueful smile curved her lips. “I used to have one, but she died and I couldn’t bring myself to get another one, but I’m good now. Maybe my days spent with Beauty helped me move on.”

She cupped Maxen’s face, brushing the pad of her thumb on his cheekbone, immediately softening the lines on his face. She knew he would pester her to open up, so she pressed a finger on his lips. “I am okay. Stop fussing about it. Ouch! You brute.”

She smiled when Maxen kissed the finger he just bit. She should be mad but he didn’t stop from peppering her hand with featherlight kisses, so she caved in. “I want to know the story. Please?”

“Well.” She swallowed air in her throat. She felt it contract along with the knots that twisted in her heart. “I had a cat, her name is Petra and I share custody with Lance. Technically, we both own her. And then one day, I have to be away for a week and there’s nobody to look after her so I had to leave her under his care. My gut told me to bring her with me or hire a help to take care of her while I’m gone, but back then, Lance and I hadn’t broken up yet, so I kinda expected him to have the decency of taking care of Petra. But when I came back, I found out someone named Selena accidentally fed her a truffle.”

“Oh, baby.” Maxen caged Olivia in his arms, brushing her back to calm her down when tears streamed down her face. She kept wiping it away but her cheeks kept getting drenched with salty tears.

“It’s ok. I’m fine. I’m just… She was my only constant companion for years even when she ignored me most of the time unless it’s bedtime. She loves snuggling up with me, and eventually she’ll rest on my foot and nudge it until I give her a rub.”

“So that explains it,” Maxen uttered, squishing her closer to his chest.

“What explains what?” Confusion painted her face.

“You, giving me a foot massage on my leg every night.”

“I do?”

Maxen bobbed his head much to Olivia’s surprise. She was clueless about it even when she does it every night to fall asleep.

“Well, I didn’t know I did that.” Feeling lighter after sharing Petra’s life with another human being and not Xandra’s cat portraits, she looked up to Maxen. “Do you want to see her photo?”

Scrolling through her album filled with stolen shots of Maxen and her OOTD, she finally paused when she reached the end of the album. She flipped her phone, the screen almost ate Maxen’s face.

She beamed at Maxen’s reactiona face that nobody could paint as he held into his emotion, afraid to offend her. Olivia shook from glee upon seeing his bushy brow rise and fall, the one thing that moved in his stoic face.

“Are you sure that’s your cat?”

“Yes. She’s beautiful, right?”

Most of the time, if Maxen sees something absurd, he would hold off his judgement and his face would paint nothing but neutrality on it, but not today. Not with her baby. His face said it all, and Olivia saw through it, beaming at him as she waited how he’d react to the photo on the screen.

“Baby Ha-ha! Ha-ha! I don’t know.” He scratched the skin atop his eyebrow. Right in front his eyes was a photo of a grey Peterbald cat. “She looks scary to me. Ha-ha! Oh good Lord, please don’t be mad at me, baby. It’s just. That cat breed looked ridiculous.”

“Do you know what looks ridiculous? You sleeping on the sofa tonight!”

..

Notios Estate

Two days away from the auction night and Maxen woke up alone in the bed. When he palmed Olivia’s side of the bed, it was empty and cold telling him she woke up earlier than her usual wake up time.

He knew just where to find her so he quickly changed and followed the trail that Olivia took ever since they moved to his private Estate earlier that week.

“Catch!” He heard her say, her jazzy voice made the eagle tilt its head to the side, questioning if it should keep listening to her voice or follow her command.

He smiled upon seeing Olivia happily toss another fish to Aqui the eagle who now flew, albeit low, catching the fish mid air.

Olivia clapped her hand in delight. “Good boy! Let’s train your wings again tomorrow morning, okay little guy?”

A waiting servant stepped forward, pumping a soap on her palm. She rubbed it clean together when another servant stepped forward holding up a basin filled with lemon water. She dipped her hand, rinsing it before wiping it dry with a towel.

And just like the other mornings since they moved, Maxen stood silently on the sidelines, drinking Olivia’s jolly air. However, to his shock, something slithered on his feet. Ever on high alert, Maxen stood frozen, breathing ever so lightly so as not to surprise the cheesecake that coiled on his leg.

“Oh, Max! He likes you.” Olivia was all smiles as she approached Maxen.She hunched down and was about to pet the python when she remembered she already washed her hand, so she gestured for a servant to come and get the serpent off of Maxen’s leg.

Standing up to her full height, she planted a morning kiss on his lips, patting his cheeks twice. “Maxen, relax. You’re as stiff as a log. You’re upsetting him when he’s just saying good morning to his daddy.”

“I don’t remember you giving birth to a python.” His tone was flat yet his eyes darted to her belly. Subconsciously, his hand reached for it, hugging her from behind as their eyes roamed on Olivia’s mini safari in his estate.

He sighed, knowing full well that marriage between them wouldn’t happen soon, and that includes babies too.

He saw it every day how Olivia would drown herself with work, hellbent on carving a name for herself and he didn’t want to take away what she worked hard for, so as much as he wanted to bring their relationship into the next level, he’ll just find contentment with those animals for the meantime.

“What are you thinking?” She asked, lifting her head to see the look on his face.

“You know what I’m thinking.”

“Yes, that’s true, but I want to hear it from you.” She twisted in his caging embrace, turning around to face him. Her b.r.e.a.s.t got squished in the process that her cleavage was in full view for Maxen who eyed it with feral possession.

Clearing his throat, he trailed off, “I was wondering what your end goal in Pyxis is.”

“Oh. That’s…” Olivia paused, caught off-guard with his question. She didn’t expect him to mention the name, and she didn’t expect him to even broach the subject.

“If I will be completely honest with myself, I don’t know what I wanted to do anymore.”