Exclusively Yours – Episode 2

                             

Olivia’s POV

You know that feeling when someone says something, and you hear it, but it doesn’t quite register in your mind? Well, that just happened to me a few seconds ago. 

“I’m sorry, what?” I responded, taken aback. 

The absurd smirk on his face only grew wider. “I’m certain you heard me, but I’ll repeat myself anyway. I want you to marry me.” 

My immediate reaction was to assert myself. “And I want you to leave my house.” 

Riccardo Torrance rose from the sofa, taking deliberate, slow steps towards me. My breath hitched as I watched him approach, my heart pounding against my chest. “Sunshine, there’s no need to be so feisty,” he remarked, using a nickname that I found utterly ridiculous. 

Sunshine? You gotta be joking. 

“Get out, I won’t say it again,” I insisted firmly. 

He slowly withdrew one hand from his pocket, attempting to caress my face, but I instinctively leaned back, avoiding his touch. 

In one swift motion, he wrapped his other hand around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I blushed, feeling the hardness of his chest against me, and let out a gasp. His gaze fixated on my parted lips, leaving me bewildered and unsure of what was happening. 

What the héck is happening? Am I dreaming? 

“Olivia, I love you and I want you to be mine,” He express, making me feel increasingly uncomfortable with each passing moment. 

Things just keeps getting weirder by each minute. 

I attempt to wriggle free from his grasp, but his strength overpowers me. “Please, let go of me!” I plead, and he simply releases his grip on my waist and takes a few steps back. 

“Aren’t you going to offer me something to eat or drink?” he asks, seemingly unfazed. 

I reluctantly nod, contemplating my response with a hint of drama. “Hmm,” I pause, “I would consider it, if I had some poisôn, but I don’t.” 

“I’m going to ignore that,” He brushes off my comment and sits back down, pulling me to sit beside him. “I want you to be my wife,” he declares, his words sounding completely unhinged. 

Crazy man. He is totally crazy. 

“This is insane, you barely know me,” I protest, convinced of his irrationality. 

“I know you very well, Olivia and you know me too, so why?” 

Now, he is being creepy. 

“Who doesn’t know you? I see your face every time I turn on the TV, but that is it, Riccardo. I don’t want to marry you; it’s preposterous.” 

“I like the way you say my name,” he remarks, his dark eyes gleaming as he flashes a smile, revealing his dimples. 

Is he on drúgs? 

“You’re really weird, and I have no intention of marrying you.” 

In an instant, the calmness disappeared, and the sparkle in his eyes faded away. “You will,” he insisted. 

Absolutely not!

“I won’t,” I replied firmly. “You have no right to force me.” 

“Olivia, I said, you will get married to me.” 

“No, I will not.” 

Never ever. 

“Olivia…” 

“I said, no!” I snapped, cutting him off. “You can’t force me.” 

“Oh, I can and I will,” With a smirk, he confidently brushed his hair back and stood up, placing a card on the table. “You have 24 hours to decide whether to marry me, or face consequences you won’t like.” He walked towards the door, giving me one last glance. 

What did he mean by that? What actions would he take? 

It doesn’t matter. He can’t harm me. He’s just a really, really, really odd man.

                             ✯✯✯✯

I shifted restlessly in bed, seeking refuge from the sun’s rays by turning to the opposite side. Curling up into a ball, I hoped to continue indulging in peaceful slumber, but fate had other plans in store. 

The shrill sound of my phone interrupted my tranquility, prompting me to groan and flail my feet in frustration before reluctantly reaching for it. As I picked up the phone, I sat up and glanced at the caller ID before tapping the green icon. 

“Hey, babe,” Felicity’s calm and composed voice greeted me, instantly bringing a smile to my tired and sleepy face. 

“I heard the latest news. Are you alright?” 

I looked up at the air conditioner mounted on the wall above me and grabbed the remote from the nightstand to switch it off. “I’m doing alright, just jobless,” I replied. 

Felicity couldn’t help but let out a gentle giggle. “You’ll be fine. You, my friend, are an incredibly talented editor, and I have no doubt that you’ll find another job.” 

Rising from the bed, I slipped on my flip flops and made my way to the bathroom to freshen up. “You really think so?” I asked. 

“No,” she responded assuredly, “I know for sure that you’ll land an even better job.” 

That’s Felicity for you. She is the most positive person you will ever meet. She has never once been pessimistic, and that’s one of the reasons why I love her so much. 

I placed my phone on the sink after putting it on loudspeaker. “I really hope I can recover from this setback fast. I had to quit the job I worked so hard to be recommended for.” 

“It is not your fault,” Felicity reassured me. 

“You know, I think I should really kíll William. He doesn’t deserve to get away with what he did to me. I felt violated and dirty.” My body shudders as I recall his hands on me. 

“Umm, you can totally make it look like an accident,” Felicity says with full support, which makes me laugh. “You even have a lawyer to defend you if needed. Stand up for yourself.” 

I dab my face with a sky blue face towel, looking at myself in the mirror. “I will, if he ever crosses my path again. How are you?” 

“I’m great!”

“Hmm, I can sense something in your voice. What’s going on?” 

Felicity remains silent for a tense ten seconds, heightening my curiosity, and she’s well aware of it. “I noticed something in Lucas’s car…” 

I hope he’s not cheating on her, or else I’ll make sure he faces severe consequences. 

What I mean by, “severe consequences” is cutting his díck into tiny little pieces.  

“What did you see?” 

“A ring box.” 

Ah, fúck!

That dumb boy. 

I explicitly warned him not to leave it in his car, but he didn’t listen. Now, his surprise is ruined. 

I need to find a way to cover it up, so she doesn’t discover his plan to propose on her upcoming birthday which is in a month. 

“Oh, that actually belongs to me.” 

“Yours?” Her voice fills with confusion.

“Yep, I got it for myself and accidentally left it in his car.” 

Lucas and I had picked out the ring together a week ago. She was aware that we were together but didn’t know the reason behind it. 

“Oh,” Felicity muttered in disappointment. “I thought… nevermind, it’s stúpid.” 

Aw, my baby. 

“No, it’s not, love. Don’t tell him this, but he told me he’s planning to propose to you on his birthday.” 

She gasped dramatically. “Why did you tell me?!” 

Gosh, I love this girl. 

Suppressing my laughter, I headed back to my room to change into my gym clothes. “To cheer you up, silly.” 

“He’s here, gotta go.” 

“Right. Bye, love you.” I made a kissing sound with my mouth. 

She did the same before saying, “Love you, babe.” 

As soon as our call ended, another call came in instantly. This time, it was my aunt. 

An even bigger grin spread across my face as I placed the phone to my ear. “Hi, Auntie. How are you doing today?” 

“Bad, Lili.” My usually cheerful aunt sounded worried and devastated.

My smile fades, as fear engulfs me. My hand becomes clammy, and my heart races against my ribcage, filled with anxiety. A lump forms in my throat, making it difficult to speak. 

“Why? What happened?” I manage to force the words out, instead of waiting for her to finish her sentence. 

Is she hurt? What could have possibly happened? 

“Yesterday, a group of individuals came to the shop and presented me with documents claiming they have the authority to demolish the bakery. They are here now to carry out their plan, and I’m at a loss for what to do.”

What?! 

TBC 📖✍️