Olivia Sparks - Volume 1 Chapter 129 Secrets

[This chapter was written whilst the author listened to Beethoven’s 5 Secrets – OneRepublic – The Piano Guys in Youtube. Thank you very much.]

~He pets my hair every time he sees me, it’s annoying.

He pets my hair every time he sees me, it’s annoying.

He pets my hair every time he sees me, it’s annoying.~

Olivia’s words rang in Maxen’s ears like a broken record. All the while he was armed and ready for a faceoff with Nikolai, but life had a way of pulling jokes on you when you least expected it.

Shortly after the queen of Vuono died, the late king married her divorced sister, welcoming the son she had in her first marriage. The said son was Konstantin Ivanov.

Lining up the siblings, he was the quietest of them all, always standing on the sidelines, silently supporting the crown’s causes.

Some say he was the late king’s actual son for Nikai, Natalia, and Konstantin were too identical, as if they came from the same mold.

To add fuel to the fire, rumor has it that the late king highly favored him over Nikolai when he was still alive.

But what bothered Maxen most was not how good and clean Konstantin’s record was, but the fact that the latter was here to purchase Xandra’s piece for an old friend, which he realized was Olivia all along.

Silent water runs deep.

Silence.

It was one characteristic that Konstantin Ivanov was known for. You wouldn’t feel his presence, but when the time was ripe, he’ll make sure one would see the deep-seated crack he paved for himself. And if what Maxen’s gut told him was right, Konstantin Ivanov was only waiting for his chance to swoop in and leave a mark.

“Look at that. I see my little brother hasn’t moved on from his uni crush who happens to be your girl,” Nikolai’s voice echoed behind Maxen. His jaw ticked but he was quick to quell his anger.

“Brother!” Nikolai’s voice boomed, but some guests ignored him for most of them knew how loud the King of Vuono loved attentionthe louder his voice was, the more attention he wanted trained on him.

And seeing that he was standing close to Maxen, they hid their smirks behind the rims of their flutes.

Of course, they also knew the long-standing rift between the two. For unknown reasons, the silent competition between Nikolai and Maxen even escalated to a fistfight during one of the polo matches ending with Nikolai’s signature crooked nose courtesy of Maxen’s fist.

Studying the jackass beside him, Maxen snorted. He didn’t want to entertain Nikolai, so he just tipped his flute, masking his anger with a grin. “I guess it’s high time for me to fix your nose, Nikolai.”

“Ha-ha! Ha-ha!” Nikolai’s hand flew to his stomach, his eyes turned into a crescent moon. By the looks of it, he knew he got the result that he wanted by provoking Maxen.

As if his foot had a mind of its own, Maxen found himself walking back to where Konstantin and Olivia were chatting.

“Your Highness,” Olivia was about to curtsy when Maxen cupped her elbow, clearing his throat, but the instant his hand left, she still went on and defied him.

Her refusal to cooperate made his thoughts run amok, thinking of ways to discipline her later in the confines of their bedroom.

His eyes darted to hers, and a lopsided grin painted his face. He should be angry at her but the fire in Olivia’s eyes burned. For a moment her hazel orbs turned into an amber glow as if challenging him to punish her right then and there.

The tense atmosphere in their group was dispersed when the live band started playing a song, and trickles of pairs headed to the dance floor. Maxen saw it as his opportunity to hog his baby for a dance.

“Thanks,” he said, passing his empty flute to Nikolai who reached for it, too late to realize what just transpired.

“Ha-ha! Ha-ha! Did he just turn me into a waitstaff?” Nikolai mused, glancing at Konstantin who schooled a blank expression.

“Care for a dance?” Maxen offered.

“Sure.” Olivia accepted his hand, letting Maxen whisk her to the dance floor.

The dark and powerful strings of cello echoed in the room, rousing the dormant passions in every guest, letting them pour out their emotions on the dance floor.

~I need another story

Something to get off my chest

My life gets kinda boring

Need something that I can confess~

Reaching the center of the hall, Maxen’s warm hands crept from her hip to the small of Olivia’s back. A tiny gasp escaped her mouth when she felt his warm palm on her bare back.

“I didn’t know Konstantin was your friend,” he whispered in her ear.

Scratching his tux, she replied, “First of all, he’s not my friend. They thought I was, but I know they were using me, always asking for favors, thinking I was a pushover because I was the youngest in the bunch.”

Olivia choked, a lump of air got stuck in her mouth when a memory flashed in her eyes. They were at her flat when she heard one of her classmates talk behind her back, mocking how Olivia easily agrees to all their requests like a puppy.

“But it’s fine. I needed some noise every once in a while and their company made my life a little bearable.” A rueful smile painted her face. She should be happy because she got her revenge, hiring that classmate in one of her firms, but never gave her the opportunity for a promotion. She should feel triumphant, but the sting of betrayal on what she thought was a genuine friendship left an imprint in her DNA.

Closing in their gap, he pinned her to his chest, and let the rhythm of the music play notes on their feet. Their proximity washed away the memory in her head as they made a bubble of their own on the dance floorexchanging goofy grins as they swayed, with Maxen occasionally spinning Olivia on her spot.

“He invited me to a poker match later. Do you want to join them?” he asked, and by the way Olivia heaved a sigh he knew what her answer would be.

“Do you have dirty money in your pockets too? Maybe I should run a check on you.” Olivia looked up, her eyes polarized on Maxen’s icy stare. She knew what those poker matches were for.

“What? Ha-ha!” Maxen nervously laughed. “You know all of us do, but that’s I don’t handle those matters. I just love playing, baby.”

Olivia tutted. “Do you know what happens in Nikolai’s poker matches? I’d rather not join them. It’ll be bad if you get caught, but hey, if the stakes are high, I might change my mind.”

The truth was, Olivia knew of Vasiliev’s secret wealth, hiding in the vaults of what was known as Konstantin’s bank.

On the outside, Ivanov Bank micro-loans for farmers to businesses. But Olivia knew those were dirty money that was collected through Nikolai’s poker matchesmoney from the mafia, dirty politicians, and businessmen whose name you’d read on the front page on the daily. In exchange, what was once dirty money from these poker matches would be paid up with clean cash by those who owed loans to his bank.

Olivia’s eye darted to his chest and saw a stain of lipstick on his dress shirt. Her eyes rolled, knowing full well who’s brazen enough to pull such a stunt.

“I see Catwoman dropped by earlier. You know what? I think we should play tonight.”

Maxen’s eyes furrowed. He glanced down on Olivia and traced where her sight was trained. His butthole clamped upon seeing a red stain on his dress shirt.

Locking gazes with Maxen, Olivia’s eyes twinkled with mischief and a promise that someone’s scalp would be shaved that night.

When the song reached its peak, he spun her around, dipping her ever so slightly. Her hands swiped on the planes of his shoulders for support, and in that moment, their gazes connected.

The urge to kiss her was so strong that when he pulled her up, their chests collided.

~This time, don’t need another perfect lie

Don’t care if critics ever jump in line

I’m gonna give all my secrets away

So tell me what you want to hear

Something that will light those ears

Sick of all the insincere

So I’m gonna give all my secrets away~

Olivia and Maxen were locked in a trance. Their background went to blur as their breathing went in sync. Their exhale a wicked dance on its own.

“I want to kiss you right now.”

Tilting her head to the side, she fanned her eyelashes, enchanting Maxen more than he anticipated. “Nothing should stop you, Your Highness.”

Devastatingly handsome. A god walking amongst mortals.

Olivia didn’t wait for Maxen. She’ll claim what’s hers the way he claims her as his.