Page 114 of Money Reigns
My breath gets caught in my chest.
“But, there’s something more Olivia. Maybe you think this is too much. Too fast. You don’t deserve it. That if you stay, I’llseetoo much. That I’ll figure out you’re not the polished, perfect woman you think I want.”
I swallow hard. He’s half right.
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.
He steps closer.
“Tell me,” he demands, “what are you so scared I’ll find out?”
My heart stammers. My pulse is everywhere.
“Nothing,” I whisper.
“Liar.” His voice softens, darkens. “What are you hiding?”
The air thickens between us.
I weigh my options. If he’s serious about this. About me. Maybe he could…
No.
No one else gets dragged in to my family shit.
“I just have a lot going on.”
Warren exhales slowly. “I’ll figure it out, Olivia.” He smirks.
“You know I will. Now take off this dress. Take a shower and change. We leave in twenty.”
I don’t move.
He watches me, waiting.
Ten seconds feel like ten years.
But then, I turn.
Wordless.
Obedient.
Furious at how much I want this.
Want him.
***
The garden is quiet.
Not silent. There’s the hum of the city beyond the hedges, the crunch of gravel beneath my shoes, the flutter of wings near the rose beds, but quiet in a way that feels rare.
Rare and…intentional.
Warren walks beside me. No suit today. Just slacks and a white button-down, sleeves rolled, the top undone. A watch still gleams on his wrist, subtle yet stupid expensive.
