Chapter 68: Chapter 68

“Has he returned?” She heard Sana’s voice from the other end. She let out a sigh while lying down on the bed. It had already been a week since he disappeared.

“I heard that he did come while I was sleeping. The maid told me that he just came for a few minutes.” She said feeling frustrated to no end. He knew how difficult it was to live with his grandpa, yet he left her completely alone with him.

And then he came for a few minutes to fetch some necessary stuff and left. She knew that because some of his clothes were missing from his closet. She would never admit the fact in front of him, but she had gone through his stuff to see what kind of a person he was. The colors, choice of clothing, and personal stuff all told a lot about a person.

She got to the conclusion that he was a very neat, disciplined, and organized person. The majority of his stuff consisted of black and white. It screamed expensive and classy. He screamed expensive and classy.

“Wow! I never expected him to act like a typical guy.” Sana said from the other end making Olivia let out a bubble of laughter.

“He is a guy. By the way, what do you mean by a typical guy?” She asked with amusement. Her life was a mess, but her best friend always made it easier.

“I know he is a guy, obviously. But you know like the kind of guys with bruised egos who go around and give you a cold shoulder until you beg him to see you exist.” There was annoyance in her voice as she said that.

“Wait! That doesn’t sound like you are talking about Thomas. Is there something I should know?” She asked curiously. After breaking up with her boyfriend six months ago, Sana had been single for a while. He was a douchebag who only used her for money.

“Well…” She trailed off. That was when she knew her intuition was right.

“You know, um, Mike? Thomas’s friend? He got my number and we talked for a few days. And then, he disappeared. He disappeared. I thought we hit it off. Don’t get me wrong. I have no wish for something to happen between us. Not at all. It just doesn’t add up with me why he would do that.” She said in an unbelieving tone. Olivia did not say anything about why she hid it from her or anything. She knew that she must have had some feelings towards him which she was denying to herself.

“Oh. I talked to him the other night. It was when Thomas pulled an all-nighter on me for the first time. I had no idea you two had something going on. I would have talked to him about it, you know.” She said teasingly. She heard Sana’s grunt from the other side.

“Forget it. I don’t want to talk about him anymore.” She paused as she sighed, “You should talk to Thomas, I suggest. This can’t go on forever.” She advised as a sincere friend would. She was aware of the contract and their relationship. She just wanted her friend not to stress about anything while she was at it. She already had a lot on her plate at that moment. Her mom just had her surgery. She had a grumpy old man, James Walker to deal with. Her life was so uncertain. She was not content with anything that was happening. The least she needed was an unpleasant relationship with Thomas.

Olivia nodded her head. As much as she was proud of herself for putting up a firm stance in front of Thomas, she could not live like that. She had to make him understand where she was coming from.

She bade goodbye to Sana and got up to attend her class. It sounded funny even to her ears. It was not the class she had always wanted to attend. Rather, it was a class she had refused to attend. She had gone to the grandpa and told him she could not do that. But he told her in clear words that if she wanted to remain Thomas’s wife, she had to obey him.

She did not know she would have to deal with such a difficult person when she agreed to make that marriage contract with Thomas. And there she thought that Thomas was the most difficult person in her life.

She had already showered and wore her green flannel dress and black pumps. That was another ridiculous thing she had to change about herself.

“I cannot bear my daughter-in-law to be seen in such ordinary dresses. Mrs. Sophia will guide you about it.” He had told her the other night when he called to his study to discuss some “Important matter” with her. It was not discussed. All he did was order her.

“I cannot change myself completely just because I married your son-in-law. I have my personal preferences.” She tried to stand up for herself. It was not easy. Her hands were fisted on her sides. She had a little sweat on her forehead. It was not the heat. It was because of the nervousness. Her eyes looked firm though when James turned around to look at her.

It was as if he had not expected her to say anything and just nod at whatever he would have to tell her. He gave her a stern look.

“I was not asking about what you like and what you don’t. if you are to remain my daughter-in-law, you have to obey me. I make the rules here. If you don’t like the rules, you can leave this house…and my grandson.” He told her in a challenging tone. It was as if he wanted her to disobey him, so he would have a chance to dismiss her from their lives and his precious house.

She had to swallow the words that were ready to fly out of her mouth. All she wanted was to tell him he did not have to worry about her being his daughter-in-law. She wanted to tell him that she was not Thomas’s wife. He would be free from her in a few months. But she could not do that.

So there she was getting ready and wearing dresses inside the house. She had no other choice.

She left the room and went to the study. That was where she had her “etiquette” classes.

The teacher was already there. She greeted her and was faced with a half-hearted reply.

“You know, coming late and making someone wait is against etiquette.” She informed her as if she was telling that to a child. Olivia gave her a sarcastic smile that was not apologetic at all. The teacher just shook her head with disapproval and continued with the lesson.

Olivia sighed. Here we go again!

Thomas’s P.O.V:

He came to the house. He had often left that house and lived at his place. The reason was always his grandfather, but this time, it was not him. It was Olivia, his contracted wife.

She did not want him to be there with her. She hated the idea of sharing the same space with him. He knew that his grandpa would question him about where he was when his wife was in the house. But he did not care. All he cared about was the fact that Olivia did not reciprocate his feelings.

He had accepted his feelings for her. He would never be ready to name it love or some other shit. He did not believe in such things. But he knew that he could not deny the affection he felt for her.

He was not ready to face her that was why he chose the early hours of the morning. He did not want to look at her face and forget everything including the wall he had built after a huge effort. His heart called him out for not contacting her many times, but he stood firm.

He went to the room opening it slowly. It was not locked.

He saw her sleeping on the bed. His heart skipped a beat as soon as his eyes lay on her sleeping form and innocent face.

She was sleeping soundly with a light comforter covering her lower body. Her upper body was on display for her desirous eyes.

She was dressed in her nightgown which he had not seen on her before. It was not flimsy. It was covering everything that needed to be covered. The rise and fall of her breasts, her messy long hair, and her Luscious lips were tempting him though. He resisted every force that was driving him toward her.

He went to his closet to get a few things he needed. That was the reason he was there.

‘Don’t try to fool yourself. You could easily get those through your secretary or better yet, buy new ones.” The little voice in his head said. He shook his head at the voice and was about to leave the room when he cast his eyes toward her again.

She was still asleep. Part of him wished she had been awake, so she would ask her where he had been—to tell him that she missed him. He wanted her to complain about why he had left her.

But he knew that she would not do any of that. She was probably happy and relieved that he was away.

He gave a bitter smile and pushed the door open leaving the room and the house again. The feeling of emptiness hit him again. He had not gained anything from the visit like he had hoped. He wanted to steal a glace so his restless heart would be at peace somehow.

However, his heart was still in chaos, and her heart was still stubborn. Nothing had changed.

Nothing was likely to change.