Chapter 50: Stay

OLLIE

Sarah: What’s this? Your name appears in the end.

I read the header of the story attached below: ~New leader towards innovation;~ A confident Seline posed in a modern, futuristic photoshoot. Her words caught my attention. “Leaving the past is necessary to cross new frontiers.”

“‘The previously appointed CEO of Inkforce has decided to leave her position in pursuit of changing the publishing industry.’” I breathed in deeply, my heart already beating fast. My name appeared in small letters. Olivia Summer, founder of this startup, worked on this project…”

I stared at her text message for far too long, my hand reaching to my mouth. Seline had kept her word. The published article only displayed AgiNovels’ beginning, with no mention of Roger Ward.

Sarah: I’m sure this is fake.

Olivia: It’s true. All of it.

Yet, not knowing how the story would turn out made it even more miserable—two long, sad days.

I preferred it to remain hidden, as if nothing had ever happened.

Yet, it happened, and now the story was public and in my hands.

She texted again. The shoe dropped harder this time.

It was time to face it.

Sarah: You are doing business with Seline?

Olivia: I can explain.

But what was there to explain? Seline was smart about using this scandal to create expectations.

AgiNovel marked Inkforce as a company of the past, as she mentioned in the magazine.

We were now Inkforce’s official competition for the world to see.

Sarah: Wait, what? What am I supposed to say to Alexander about this?

I deflected an answer immediately, seeing the message and leaving it unopened.

Sarah’s keychain present in my hand gave me comfort.

~Life can be tough but so are you.~

Life really was tough.

I walked to my new building, courtesy of my sister.

It was a humble and spacious apartment, but there was no luxury whatsoever.

At least I had a temporary home, thanks to her.

After ignoring her message, I had no spirit left in me to celebrate.

Going out no longer sounded appealing, and I was definitely passing on Archibald’s New Year party invitation with him and his friends at an expensive party.

Maybe next year things would feel different for me.

I still couldn’t believe I had my project back.

Hopefully, soon I would forget how it felt to struggle, even though I knew I had to keep going a little longer, as I wouldn’t receive a salary from my company until we launched.

At least things had changed for me.

I was more of a wreck mentally and emotionally, not to mention my heart condition, but I had a little silver lining regarding my professional path.

It was on track.

Everything would be okay.

Things were far from settled, but close enough to breathe financial security in the near future.

I had something to look forward to.

A new start.

A new beginning.

I was going to be able to pay my medical bills, heart treatment, private loan, and expenses.

I sighed, lost in my thoughts as I opened the door, when I saw a tall figure at the end of my hallway.

My heart stopped.

“D-Darius,” I muttered.

He stood with his hands in his pockets, his big muscles bulging against the fabric of his suit, a power stance.

His lips were a flat line, and his eyes were cold and menacing as he glared at me.

“Why are you here?” I asked, my heart skyrocketing.

I thought my knees would fail me when he began walking toward me without an explanation.

How do you react when you betray someone you…~Idiot. Don’t say it.~

No, it was an infatuation. A strong one.

My neurons were fried, and something was wrong with me.

What I was feeling was a chemical response.

It was impossible to feel all this for him in two weeks.

Seeing him here with that look on his face made me wish for his forgiveness.

As if I deserved to be forgiven.

My heart raced to new levels and then shrank like a raisin in utter pain.

I was insane. That was the only explanation.

This was pure insanity.

As he approached me, I instinctively reached out to put my hands on his shoulders and pressed my head against his chest.

I breathed in his attitude toward me, cold as stone, not touching me back.

~Why was he not speaking?~

“You also partnered with Saionji,” he said.

Saionji was the last thing on my mind.

Why was this guy important?

“I am sorry, I am so sorry, I’m sorry,” I repeated.

My hands were on his back, feeling how he sighed and buried his face in my neck for a second.

A long second that crashed all my walls.

I reached up to kiss him, but he pulled my hair hard.

“You are ~sorry~?” he scoffed.

I knew he was hurting; I could hear it in his voice.

I gasped as he forced me to look into his menacing, mad, furious eyes.

He had never looked at me with such hate before.

I couldn’t stand it anymore.

I looked down.

“I don’t want to talk,” he said fiercely, holding my hair with one hand while the other grabbed my waist dominantly.

“I want to fuck.”

The way he said “fuck” made a knot in my stomach.

I could smell his minty breath.

My body instinctively reacted to his touch, wanting more.

“Do you want to fuck, Olivia?” He started kissing my neck and released his grip on my hair to grab my breasts as if he owned all of me.

Why was this so fucking hard?

I wanted him. I needed him.

I held him while he kissed my neck, bringing up goosebumps all over my body.

The feeling of having him against me, with his hands pulling me closer, holding him and knowing he would never forgive me, and that tonight would be one fuck made me unsteady.

Was this a goodbye? Did he need one last time?

That broke me.

I felt so blue.

My chest was closing, and the tears began to pool in my eyes.

“I-I am so sorry. Darius.”

“Are you?”

I pressed my arms around him.

I didn’t want to let go.

~Olivia, hold your shit together! You have made your choice already. You chose yourself.~

It was true, but seeing him in front of me made me weak, made my knees wobble, and everything I was holding inside poured out of me with no control whatsoever.

“Yes, I am.” I swallowed my tears.

It was better if he didn’t see them.

“Good,” he replied sharply and stepped inside the apartment, leaving me on the threshold.

I followed him inside, watching him with curious eyes as he stopped near my bed, taking his blazer off, then his shirt, and then his tie.

Bare-chested, Darius crossed his arms.

His lip twitched before he spoke.

“Show me how sorry you are,” he said between his teeth.

“Kneel.”

~Kneel?~ I blushed. Clearly, I’d heard him wrong. This was a different Darius, more dominant than ever.

He had the same tone as his father, watching me intently as if I were wasting his time.

“No, I am not your pet,” I answered quickly, trying to understand this new dynamic. “Do you have a god complex or something?”

His eyes gleamed with mischief, and his knuckles dug into his biceps. “I already told you that you are what I say you are. That is my choice.”

I frowned.

What the fuck?

“But I wonder… Is that what you want to be? My pet?” He gave me a toothy smile. “I had other ideas, you see.”

A rush of pleasure traveled over my body when he positioned himself behind me, sliding my hair across my shoulder.

When did my skin become so sensitive? Feeling his hot breath against my skin was already sending me into a frenzy.

“Besides. I want to see how sorry you truly are,” he growled, reminding me of my betrayal.

I fell to my knees in surrender while he pushed me down.

“Open your mouth,” he commanded.

~My mouth?~ My heart raced. I was running on adrenaline.

I turned to see an evil smirk with a promise of real danger.

I looked at the floor. I was kneeling. And wet.

~What the fuck are you doing, Olivia? You are so stupid, already on your knees!~

I looked up into his intense eyes. He arched his eyebrows at my closed mouth.

“Are you angry?” I asked.

“I’m losing interest.”

That caught me off guard. He was truly here for the sex then. How silly of me…

When I only looked at him, he said, “Well then, I have nothing to do here, Olivia.”

He turned.

No, he was leaving! I snatched his hand in a desperate attempt. “Please, stay.”

“Then. Please. Me.”

I was a desperate mess. Why was I feeling this way? I didn’t want to feel. I didn’t want to care, but I cared. More than cared.

I swallowed hard, deciding I’d rather eat the crumbs of his attention than have nothing from him.

One last taste. I wanted him more than the air I was breathing.

I wanted to be close to him, even if it was our last time together.