Chapter 29: The Pill

OLLIE

“~Both~? At the same time?”

“She is too innocent for that,” Archibald insisted, still making circles with his fingers and bringing me almost to closure.

“You’re right. We should take it slow,” Darius agreed. He fell to his knees to take one of my breasts in his mouth, and Archibald turned my head to take my mouth in a savage kiss.

With a gasp that could rival a fish out of water, I bolted upright, drenched in sweat and feeling like I had just run a marathon in a sauna.

My hand went immediately to my heart; it felt weird. Fluttery.

“Jeez, Ollie, calm down! It was just a dream,” I scolded myself, remembering the particularly inappropriate parts where Archibald’s hands and Darius’s grip on my hips were more than just innocent.

Olivia, stop! You did not have a threesome with Darius Rothschild and Archibald Price.

The hot cousin duo was still replaying in my mind.

“Just a dream,” I muttered to myself nervously, half-asleep and half-embarrassed, just to make it clear to my subconscious mind, which was still very much stuck on the feeling of the dream.

“Just a dream.”

And then my door opened.

Great, now my heart was attempting to perform a dangerous stunt, leaping out of my chest.

If it was Darius Rothschild on the other side of that door, I would need an ambulance—like, pronto.

But instead, Sarah, glowing like a ray of sunshine, entered the room in her soft yellow dress, looking all hearts and rainbows—clearly on a love and light vibe.

“You looked so peaceful sleeping; I didn’t want to wake you up!”

Peaceful? Ha! If only she knew.

I observed her, acting like any other person would when waking up. You know, the typical. Nothing weird here!

Thank god I didn’t speak out loud this time while asleep.

Sarah opened the closet, extracting a ridiculously cute dress.

“Time to get ready, Ollie! Family guests will start to arrive soon.”

***

The Christmas celebrations were in full swing in the Rothschild manor.

They behaved like a loving family around their pretty living room, eating and enjoying themselves in a lovely reunion by their fancy, cozy fireplace.

It wasn’t unpleasant to witness, but I didn’t know how to act normal after what had happened in Edmund’s office.

Facing Luther and Edmund tonight made me sick to my stomach.

I wanted to be alone, at least for a moment.

I wanted a quiet moment to think about what I would do with the weird machine now attached to my chest.

But what was I supposed to do? Bail on Sarah? Leave her alone with these animals?

I walked out from the dining room into the kitchen, intending to hide from everyone.

Anna’s voice made me turn my head.

“Olivia, you are a beautiful girl.”

This was bad news. A compliment from her could only mean one thing.

Something terrible was about to come out of her mouth.

Why did she follow me here?

She looked regal as ever. Her black hair framed her delicate features, and those silver-gray eyes—the same as Darius’s—looked right through me.

“It has come to my attention that you’ve piqued my son’s curiosity,” she began.

It was a peculiar expression, as if I were some new shiny object for Darius to play with.

“Piqued your son’s curiosity?” I asked.

I couldn’t match the intensity of her stare, and I looked away.

“Yes, Olivia.” She sat on the barstool right next to me, affecting a motherly attitude.

I tensed up. Was she going to pull a knife from her pocket? I wouldn’t put it past her.

“It is evident that you are infatuated with him.” She nodded as if reciting a fact.

I laughed nervously at the thought of it.

“No, I am not infatuated with him.”

She sighed and planted one elbow on the countertop before slowly, and with such elegance, resting her chin on her hand.

“You are both young and attractive; it is only natural,” she emphasized the last word, watching my every move.

“I can assure you, Mrs. Rothschild, you have nothing to be concerned about.”

“Oh, I am, Olivia. I am concerned about how fast you are staining your reputation, especially with the media, just like your sister did. You must understand how poorly your actions reflect on our family name now that we are bonded by the baby. Forever.”

~Forever.~ A life sentence.

I listened silently as she continued speaking as a concerned mother.

“At this point, I don’t think we could handle another scandal. That is why I must ask. Are you using protection?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Excuse me?” I was outraged by the question.

Was she seriously asking me that? A sudden déjà vu from when I had ~the talk~ with my mother washed over me.

“Are you on the pill?” she clarified.

“No. I am not.”

“Then I shall ask Dr. Kumar to prescribe you some birth control immediately.”

“No, I don’t want pills. I am not having sex,” I said between my teeth, annoyed.

Why was this woman treating me like a teenager? I was a grown woman!

“Oh, but it will happen, sooner or later.” She stood from the barstool and smiled tightly.

“Call it mother’s intuition.”

“Oh my God! No, it won’t!” I hissed, pressing my eyes as if having a headache.

She was my headache!

“Olivia, when it does, remember that Darius is not the type of man to commit to a common girl such as yourself. You don’t belong in our world.”

“Are you deaf? I don’t want anything to do with your son or this family,” I spat, losing control for the first time.

She ignored my comment and continued in that honeyed voice.

“Oh, dear. You are not fooling anybody. Holding the same expectations your sister has will only hurt you.”

Anna turned without waiting for my reply.

“We should return; dinner is about to start.”

She walked back to the living room, and I followed her.

Not because I wanted to return for dinner.

No, I followed her because I wanted to murder her.

“May I offer you something to drink?” someone from the staff asked.

If moderation was key, I didn’t have to restrict myself.

They said red wine was good for the heart. Besides, I needed help to survive the night.

“Yes, red wine,” I answered.

I watched Anna hug Sarah with a sudden change in attitude.

Alexander had his protective arm over Sarah’s shoulder.

Darius wasn’t there. He probably was back in the city, handling all the chaos.

“Heard you almost died,” Vivian began as she sat beside me on the couch.

“I’m alive,” I muttered.

“It feels like I’m witnessing the end of the world, or in this case, the end of us, the Rothschilds. It’s the first time the business is this close to crumbling, and here we are, ignoring the fall.”

“Bankruptcy?”

There were worse things than being poor.

“No, dummy. Our generational wealth is endless,” she laughed.

These people were not concerned about losing billions, and I didn’t even know how I was going to pay for this heart monitor they placed in my heart.

“It’s more about keeping the hold,” Vivian explained.

“Of what?”

“Our power, Ollie. Of course,” she spoke slowly, as if speaking to a toddler.

“Darius already has us on a tight leash. This is a disaster,” she continued.

A flash of Darius with leashes in his hands crossed my mind.

~Stop thinking about that asshole!~

“I don’t think it’s that bad to lose control sometimes,” I said, suddenly aware I was being a total hypocrite. There was no one more afraid of losing control than me.

“Says the one on the front cover of the gossip columns,” she pointed. “Are you even supposed to be drinking?”

I rolled my eyes.

“This is honestly the worst day of my life, and it’s all your sister’s fault,” she sighed.

“Wow, hold it there.”

“It’s what everybody thinks; at least I am being honest.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because it’s the truth. Alexander’s affair has cost us a lot. Look around, Ollie. Tell me who looks genuinely happy about your sister’s presence.”

~Ouch.~

“Anna seems happy,” I said sarcastically, watching Anna’s hands over Sarah’s flat belly.

“Oh, please. She is faking, Ollie. Once Sarah pushes that baby out, she will return to her usual self around her. Let’s just hope they are having a girl—that will keep them safe away from the Game of Thrones shit my uncle and Dad are brewing.”

Vivian didn’t know how to catch a joke.

Me neither.

What she said sent me on edge; this time I controlled the urge to glance at Luther.

“Anna, a fake?” I asked, as if I was receiving the revelation of the century.

“Yes. Believe me, she is not happy,” Vivian replied seriously.

“What about their happiness? Would you rather see your cousin unhappy?”

“No one can be unhappy with our resources, Ollie.”

“Well, his life before Sarah seemed pretty shallow to me.”

“Maybe, but how are you so sure he won’t return to his old ways?”

“I’m not.” I took another sip.

“I hope that this”—she waved her hands dramatically in front of her—“was not for nothing. I am expecting a huge destination wedding and all, with more babies on the way.”

That was a weird way of saying she was on Alexander’s side.

“So, tell me, which one of my cousins are you planning to catch, or is it just for fun?”

“Cousins? What are you talking about?”

“Oh, like you don’t have the same talent as Sarah for men? Reveal your secret and help a sister out!”

I remained quiet, frowning.

“He was asking about you, you know,” she drawled, enjoying this way too much.

“Darius was asking about me?” I asked in genuine surprise.

She broke into laughter.

That wicked girl!

“I knew that picture wasn’t photoshopped! But no. I was talking about Archibald. He called this morning to ask if you would be here tonight. He seemed interested.”

~Oh, Archer!~

“But now that you throw Darius into the mix, this is going to be fun to watch.”

“Alrighty, I think I need a refill.” I stood and walked away from Vivian.

Archer was coming.

Thank God Darius was in the city.

I sighed in relief, but a rush of heat traveled through my body imagining being with both of them in the same room. Like my dream.

The doorbell rang, and Anna’s voice chimed from the other room, “Oh, my sister and my sweet boy, Archer!”

I exchanged looks with Vivian, who was smirking.

“Go get him, tiger!”