The audacity of Lucas was making Olivia lose her mind.
"I'll call the police!" Olivia growled.
"Should I remind you about the contract? We had to be married as soon as your Dad passed away, but I allowed you some more time to pay off his debts. Calling the police will get you more into trouble," Lucas threatened.
Of course, her father was the culprit, not Lucas. Still, she loathed Lucas for bringing this up every time.
"Will you stop blackmailing me?" Olivia sighed.
"Just reminding you, baby," Lucas answered softly.
Olivia wondered why he needed to have so much power over her and most importantly, why did he have to look so cute.
"Lucas, please, give me back my portfolio and leave. I have to go to work in the morning and I can't handle you right now," Olivia insisted.
"I'll leave only on one condition," Lucas said, after finishing the coffee until the last drop.
"You and your conditions, contracts and threats! I've had enough," Olivia held her head worryingly.
"Let's go on a date tonight. I'll pick you up at seven," Lucas suggested.
"Lucas, I'm already exhausted and I really don't want to go out," Olivia tried to avoid.
"Alright, then, we'll have it here," Lucas shrugged.
"Do you have to make things more difficult for me?" Olivia asked.
"I'm not, Olivia. I'm actually happy for you finding a job and doing your best to take care of yourself. You're indeed a very strong lady. I love spending time with you. At first, when your dad offered you to me, I was somewhat taken aback. Despite not seeing you, I agreed to the terms, because I thought, sooner or later I would need to get married and who knows, you were destined for me. Then, when I set my eyes on you for the first time, I did not regret my decision and since then, I decided that I would not back off. Take your time to get to know me, I'm not the bad guy here," Lucas expressed.
"My dad is the bad guy here, you mean?" Olivia asked.
Lucas could not utter any words for he knew that she would either not believe him or despise the dead man.
"Olivia, I'll leave now and pick you up at 7," Lucas said while getting up, still having a tight grip on the folder.
Olivia's eyes widened, "Lucas, my folder, please."
"A kiss in exchange for the folder?" Lucas flashed a smile at her.
"Lucas... Enough!" Olivia rebuked.
"Alright, the folder stays with me," Lucas giggled as he walked towards the door.
Olivia knew that until her portfolio would remain in his custody, he would continue to blackmail her. Therefore, she rushed in his direction and before he could leave, she stood in between the door and Lucas.
Standing on her toes, she kissed him on the cheek.
"Hand it over now, Lucas!"
Lucas stared at her, smiled and then returned it to her. After receiving her folder, Olivia quickly moved away from the door for she would not want him to pin her against the door. She knew Lucas too well and she had to be very careful.
"See you soon, baby," Lucas opened the door and left.
Without losing any second, Olivia closed the door and locked it. She swore to herself never to let Lucas into her apartment ever again.
She held the portfolio tightly to her chest as if it was her baby, closed her eyes and heaved a sigh of relief. She had to call her friend and tell her everything about her day. Moreover, she would also need to speak about Lucas, which she hated.
As she checked the time, it was 3 PM. Olivia threw herself in bed, lying on her stomach and then dialled Amelia.
"Hey, what's the good news?" Amelia began.
"I got the job!!!" Olivia screamed happily.
"Yay!!! I knew it. When do you start?" Amelia asked.
"Tomorrow," Olivia answered.
"What's the plan for tonight? Should we hang out?" Amelia asked.
"Uhm... I called you to speak about this," Olivia sounded worked up.
"What's the issue?" Amelia questioned in a gentle tone.
"Lucas... He asked me to have dinner with him," Olivia said.
"Wow! I told you he loves you... Then go out with him and have fun, girl," Amelia suggested excitedly.
"Come on, Amelia. I don't love him and I know that he only wants the art gallery, that's all," Olivia said.
"I don't think so, Olivia, because he would have forced you to marry him as soon as your dad departed. Instead, he gave you some more time."
"Why do you need to speak like him and act as if he is the hero?" Olivia asked distressfully.
"I'm not taking his side, but from the last incident, I can say that he respects you. Just give it a try, at least," Amelia tried to reason.
"I just hate him," Olivia muttered.
"OK. Leave that. What are you wearing? Do you need anything from me?" Amelia offered.
"Thanks a lot, Amelia. I have a lovely long dress which I shall wear. You know, the black one," Olivia said.
"Oh yeah, I know that one. It's perfect. I have to go now. We speak when you're back?" Amelia asked.
"Sure. Take care and bye," Olivia replied gleefully.
Once Olivia disconnected the call, she jumped on her feet to check the long silk black dress that her mother had gifted her on her birthday. She was not going to deck up for Lucas. It would be more like a formal dinner.
She wondered where Lucas would take her, but it did not matter.
***
"All set for tomorrow?" A text came from Alexander at 6:14 PM.
Olivia tapped on the phone screen to reply to Alexander, "Yes, thank you."
"Send me your address and I shall ask the company driver to pick you up at 8:30 in the morning," read Alexander's message.
"That is so kind of you. It's the Manhattan Building," typed Olivia.
"I'll be in the office at about 1 PM and we can have a chat then," Alexander wrote.
"Sure," Olivia replied.
Then the communication between them died down, but Olivia could not take Alexander out of her mind and that baffled her.
YOU ARE READING
Love In High Stakes
Romance"From my bed to his office?!" Lucas exclaimed caustically. "It's not what you are thinking, Lucas," Olivia said in a nearly inaudible tone. "You lost your voice or what?!" Lucas yelled, while his right hand was on the steering of his Bugatti. "You...
