Chapter 49: Sacrifices

OLLIE

I was being pushed with only two choices. It was all or nothing.

This was my opportunity to set things on track for myself, no matter the cost.

I had to stay logical even though it hurt, but all that surged through me was a searing, consuming rage.

Rage for Roger, for Seline, for every individual who dared to dictate the terms of my existence, yanking me through decisions that were not my own.

“You are extorting me,” I spat, the accusation like venom on my lips.

“Into what? It is a great contract that benefits you a lot,” she said, watching the ceiling as if I was wasting her precious time.

“Can’t you see? I am pushing you to your greatest potential. If I didn’t like you, I would have already cut you from this deal.”

I burned with fury at my own helplessness and the two choices I had.

Darius or my future?

Stop thinking about Darius Rothschild when it is clear there is no future with him and think about claiming what has always been yours.

Take your company, Ollie. Do it. ~Do it.~

“You seem to overlook one crucial detail,” I shot back, my pulse quickening as I looked now to negotiate.

“You are missing the part where you need my brain to succeed in this project. That’s precisely why Roger isn’t here—he can’t bluff for his life.”

“True. Your presence is needed, but we could still move forward without you. It would simply slow us down,” Seline replied, her eyes glinting with calculation.

“That’s why I’m offering you a fair deal. The choice is yours to consider, of course.”

“You need me, Seline.”

“But you need me more,” she insisted.

I saw red. Consuming rage.

Triumph filled her eyes. She was right. I needed her more.

I needed to take the reins to my life and she was my one-way ticket.

I would grab this power she was handing me, and then I would act later.

“I want Roger out.”

“Well, look who’s suddenly found their spine. Olivia Summer has some balls, after all?” she remarked dryly, rising from her seat and circling the table toward me with a confident stride.

Blondie was a stunning woman, one who would go all the way to get what she wanted.

No one could fuck with this woman, and something about that made me feel alive.

I stood to face her. My hands were pressed to the table while I glanced at her, not backing down.

My rage was dancing, and this time I was set free.

My mood pulsated, flaring within me when she spoke.

“Let’s have it your way. Roger is out. You have my word. I can manage something.”

She extended her hand.

“But understand, I will expect something in return.”

I knew I was shaking hands with the devil, a blonde one.

But this was my shot.

I shook her hand, and she leaned over to me.

“Why do you think I didn’t bring him to the meeting?”

She then winked at me before turning around and returning to her seat.

“Now that we are doing business, girl to girl. I have a selfish request.”

Seline picked up the first document, ~my~ contract, the one I needed to set my life back on track, and she placed it in front of me with a pen and a phone.

A sly smile followed before she resumed her seat.

“Call Darius Rothschild and announce our partnership, Ollie.”

She pouted her lips.

“How childish, Seline,” I retorted, grappling with the immaturity of the situation.

“Maybe,” she conceded, “but make no mistake—Darius will exploit you until he tires of you. He will fuck you and discard you like nothing and then? Then, you will look back on this moment wondering why you gave away your chance. Roger Ward will be the illustrious face of AgiNovel, claimed as the visionary who transformed the publishing industry, basking in the spotlight beside me, and you? You, Olivia Summer, will always be the woman who gave her potential away for not one, but two men.”

She stopped laughing as if the joke lost meaning and I was the joke.

“Shut. Up,” I uttered, my tone razor-sharp.

My chest contracted.

The thrill of selfishness called to me like a siren’s song, knowing very well Roger Ward did make a joke out of me, and this time I was not making the same mistake again.

Integrity had only slowed me before.

Seline’s eyes flickered, glancing toward the door where Archer awaited alongside his legal team.

I felt the heat of desperation rising.

“Prove to me just how eager you are to seize your power back. Convince me of your commitment to taking Roger out.”

~Once Archer’s legal team gets involved you will see a different face from me, Olivia.~

Her words echo in my mind again.

This offer was retribution for both of us.

Her revenge towards Darius Rothschild for my revenge towards Roger Ward.

It was an offer that only existed off the record.

This was a moment where I needed to think rationally.

Logic over feelings.

I scanned the contract, each line shimmering like a mirage, too good to be real.

I was a quick reader, so it took no time, yet Darius Rothschild came to my mind again, slowing me down.

“I don’t have all day,” Seline pressured.

“You want me to sign or no?” I challenged.

Seline sighed heavily and leaned back on her chair, crossing her legs, and I? I was doing my best to eliminate Darius Rothschild from my mind.

He was merely a distraction, a fleeting passion.

I couldn’t forsake everything I had fought for over him, could I?

No, of course not.

I loathed myself for even contemplating a response that could alter the course of my life once again.

“Hi, Darius,” I stammered, my voice shaking for a second as he affectionately greeted me.

“You should hear this from me first.”

His soft, intimate tone wrapped around me, and I faltered.

Integrity had held me back for too long, yet now, I was fueled with tentative resolve to transform into someone new.

I pushed through.

“Yes, this is Seline’s phone. I have an important message to convey. I—” My voice quaked as I began to declare my allegiance with who recently was his right woman.

“Yes, this is Seline’s phone. No, she is not in front of me,” I lied, the weight of my words distinctly unsteady.

I shut my eyes, conjuring memories of him—flashes of ferocious passion and reckless abandon.

What had transpired between us was a tempest of desire, a reckless bedfall of lust, nothing more.

“No, she isn’t coercing me. This is entirely my decision.” Be strong, Ollie, I urged silently.

“Baby? Stop calling me that.” My voice cracked again, bringing a new wave of emotion I hadn’t anticipated. This was spiraling beyond my control.

“Let’s be real. We were nothing more than a weekend fling.”

Seline arched a brow, an unspoken challenge shimmering in her gaze, as though she dared me to dig deeper.

“There’s no us. You are a stranger, one I only met for two weeks. I indulged in you for the thrill, and now, I’m beginning to feel uneasy. Yes, I’m here with Archer too,” I added, my tone carrying a weight of cold finality.

The knot in my throat tightened.

~Control. Maintain control.~

“No, I don’t want to meet in person!” I nearly shouted, the electrifying tension setting my nerves ablaze.

Why was I losing composure?

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”

I ended the call, tears spilling over my cheeks in the wake of a downward spiral.

“We both got our revenge,” I murmured, wiping my eyes in anger and defeat as I signed my new future.

I signed a contract that would cut Roger Ward from AgiNovel.

It didn’t feel sweet when I signed.

As everyone says that revenge has a sweet taste, this felt more bitter than ever.

I was more in a state of despair, acting out of calculated logic.

“Indeed,” Seline purred, a wicked satisfaction lacing her lips. “That’s the spirit, Ollie. I didn’t require you to call him, but this way is indeed more gratifying. He is our competition now, and the road ahead will be fraught with difficulty.”

She placed a comforting hand on mine, a gesture that seemed to mock the vulnerability seeping through my defenses.

“Oh, don’t cry,” she cooed, her tone almost maternal. “I thought you were made of tougher stuff. Consider this a lesson in how the world works. You’ll need to develop a thicker skin if you believe this is the end.”

“What do you mean?” I questioned, striving to regain my lost composure.

“You just made yourself an enemy. Darius will not come after just me, but you too, now that he knows who you stand beside,” she warned.

Just then, Archibald and Saionji returned, and Seline presented the signed contract to Archer’s legal team with a triumphant air.

At least she had upheld her end of the bargain.

With a disapproving glare, Archer ran his fingers through his hair, taking in the situation.

My impulsiveness had triumphed once again.

The hunger for revenge had consumed me whole.

I buried my face in my hands, fighting the overwhelming swell of emotions that threatened to drown me.

It felt as if my chest were confined, a vice strangling me tighter with each breath I took.

“What have you done, Seline?” Archibald questioned, eyes dark with concern.

“Corrupted her innocence,” she replied, shooting me a knowing smile. “I’m only making her stronger for what lies ahead.”

“Everything will be fine. I promise,” Archibald reassured, attempting to ease the lines of worry from my brow.

Although one of the lawyers seemed concerned, after he scrutinized the contract, he nodded toward Archibald and congratulated me, declaring it a remarkable deal and the right decision.

They all signed, leaving me ensnared in the reality of one glaring truth: they remained oblivious to the pact I had struck with the devil in a sleek blonde disguise.

“Do you need a ride home?” Archibald inquired after the others departed, his eyes scanning my expression, searching for a way to help me.

I sat frozen in my chair, my gaze riveted to the contract that now felt like a noose.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting warm rays on the dark cherry wood table, a stark contrast to the gravity of my thoughts.

What have I done?

“Can you give me a new life?” A little laugh escaped my lips.

Archibald frowned, narrowing his eyes.

He took his time inspecting me while I remained silent.

He was trying to figure me out, to figure out what was happening in my close and private world.

Did it bother me that he could judge me?

No. After all I had sacrificed and all I suffered, no one could judge me.

No one. Because no one could understand me.

“I thought this was what you wanted. To have your company back.”

~But not like this…~

“I don’t understand. Is this about Roger? Are you feeling remorse for taking him out of the deal?” He leaned closer to me, ready to listen.

“It is not about Roger,” I said, swallowing.

It was about me! For once in my life I’d permitted myself to be selfish, no matter the consequences.

~I think you are pretty much misunderstood, Olivia. There is nothing wrong with being selfish. Though, putting yourself first comes with a price. It can get lonely.~

Darius’s words made my hands shake.

~I chose myself. I chose myself. I chose myself.~

I sighed, still not ready to move.

Yes, I felt remorse, but more than that, I was swirling in a black hole while part of me was dying.

A metamorphosis. I was becoming someone different.

The broke, single, unemployed, and hustling-for-the-money girl who was naive with her heart and gave her power away in relationships was long gone, a distant memory.

But it was the right move.~ ~I raise my eyes toward Archer. Would he understand?

No. Only I knew.

Only I knew that if I had been soft I would not have taken the deal, and I would be back in Darius’s arms, and then… I would resent him for the rest of my life.

I knew the feeling. Regret would unfurl like a horrible disease spreading slowly but steadily.

I still had the aftertaste of it because I knew what living with it did.

I regretted how much I trusted Roger.

Look what he had done with my trust.

Archer sat and crossed his legs, bringing his knuckles to his chin while he looked at me as if I were innocent.

Naive. Someone good. Like I wasn’t doing anything wrong.

Did I really want to show him the monster I truly was?

“That was highly irresponsible of you. Signing a contract without Donald,” he said bluntly. “An agreement without representation. We are lucky everything is fine.”

I didn’t answer, but I did look at him, ashamed of my impulsiveness.

“Have you ever done something you regret?” I asked, wanting to feel understood.

“Never,” he answered. “Regret is useless. It keeps you from moving.”

From moving…

“Why? Do you regret this?”

“I only regret—” I choked on my words. I was unable to even say his name.

“Whatever you are holding onto, eventually, you will have to let go.”

Maybe it was time to leave behind that part of myself that made me weak, but I’d never felt so vulnerable.

He stroked my hair behind my ear. “Do you ever doubt the sun will rise?”

“No.”

“Exactly.” He offered me one of those bright smiles, the kind that could nurture and repair.

A smile of hope I knew deep down that I didn’t deserve.

“I just feel so tired…” My face fell, my eyelids heavy.

~So tired of bringing myself up each time the sun rises.~

Only I knew the struggle, how much I’d fought, crawled, hustled for this, and finally, it was here, and it was mine.

The race I’d been running for so long had ended. I’d arrived.

~Ollie, you’ve arrived.~

My stomach twisted. I hated it.

I hated how my throat closed and the tears pooled in my eyes. I was in pain, so much pain.

The kind of pain that cuts deep, leaving a scar.

I sobbed, missing my inability to cry.

The pressure in my chest built with a loud pounding in my heart that tore a wail from my mouth.

I was helpless, and this was my punishment.

I was able to express my inner hell, and it made me feel like a stranger to myself.

After all the hardships, and even though I deserved this success, this was the payback handed to me.

I wasn’t able to feel excited about it anymore.

Life was cashing out my happiness, and I felt more alone than ever.