Book: The Royal Romance ( Drake x MC & Liam x Olivia)
Summary: Drake decides to leave Valtoria. Olivia remembers the day she got engaged to Liam. She had waited her whole life for that moment. But it still was not what she hoped for.
A/N: While writing for Drake and Riley, a story for Olivia and Liam took over me. There will be Drake and Riley but also Liam and Olivia in this series. Do let me know what you feel for them.
FaceClaim: Drake Walker - Daniel Di Tomasso
Riley Walker (Brooks) - Katrina Kaif
King Liam Rhys - Daniel Henney
Olivia Rhys (Nevrakis) - Emma Stone
Previous Chapter: Prologue – The Fight,
Chapter 2 - Riley’s birthday
Riley stood in her balcony looking over the river. It was way past midnight, but she was not able to sleep. She looked over at the wooden cabin. All the lights were out, maybe he had fallen asleep. She made sure the security guards that she appointed to the cabin were awake. She held her silk robe tight as she felt a chill running through her. It was a bit cold that night. She wondered if there were any blankets at the cabin. The last time they were there it was quite warm.
The cabin was their oasis. It was very small and humble but perfect for them. They would spend their day cooking, eating, reading books, sipping coffee or whiskey, or taking showers together, making love in the bedroom or kitchen or living room. The cabin had little to distract them from each other. They even kept their phones away. Their busy schedule didn’t allow them much time together, so they made sure that they make the most of the little time they did have.
Riley wondered how her life turned upside down in a matter of few days. She should be preparing to welcome a new member in their family, but instead, she had still kept it a secret. Only her doctor and Hana knew about her pregnancy. She still had a month or two before everyone could notice her bump. She wanted to tell Drake but he was showing no signs of getting his memory back. And somehow he was going more and more distant.
A light flickered on in the cabin, and she saw a silhouette moving. The door of the cabin opened and he came out. She could just see a faint figure, but she could tell he was only in his boxers. He stood leaning at the railing of the patio. He took a deep breath and looked up. Riley could sense that he had seen her. He watched her standing in the balcony of the estate and then returned back in, switching off the lights. Riley decided it was time she too gets some rest.
The afternoon, Riley and Hana were sitting in Drake’s study, replying to emails from Drake’s laptop, answering queries from the Investors from the USA.
‘So, what happened yesterday? Drake.. is he still there?’ Hana asked Riley, they hadn’t talked about what happened at the cabin and why Drake didn’t return. Hana waited for Riley to say something, but she hadn’t mentioned him the entire day.
‘Nothing, he wants to stay there. Prefers cabin to the estate. You know how he was.’ Riley shrugged her shoulders, avoiding Hana’s eyes.
‘Riley, I almost forgot,’ Hana said,’ the driver who hit Drake’s car was arrested today. He claims Drake was speeding and he lost control of his truck.’
Riley’s heart sank, guilt again clutching her stomach. This feeling was getting a bit too familiar to her. She decided she couldn’t hide it anymore, she had to tell her. She would understand.
‘It was me, I am responsible for Drake’s accident.’ Riley said, hiding her face in her hands.
Drake’s hand froze in midair, as Riley’s words reached his ears. Instead of knocking, he stood there, determined to find out the truth about his accident.
‘What?! How can you be responsible! You are not responsible!’ Hana looked at her confused. Riley looked at her, tears threatening to fall out of her eyes.
‘I had a fight with him before he left, He was late because of me! He was speeding because of me!’ Riley said, eyes closed shut with shame, hands fisted with anger.
‘Oh Riley! It was an accident! You wouldn’t have known!’ Hana said softly and walked to her, stood by her, giving her a side hug. Riley held her tight, as she tears started rolling out.
Drake waited a little longer, outside the study, out of their view. Finally, he knocked, with a firm determination to have the conversation he came for.
‘Hi, How are you?’ Riley’s wiped her face seeing him at the door.
‘I will give you two some privacy’ Hana said smiling to Drake. She closed the door behind her.
‘Thanks for coming back.’ Riley stood up from the chair.
‘Actually, I just came to talk to you.’ Drake said, giving a stern look to her.
‘Sure, would you like something to drink, while we talk?’ Riley offered him to sit on the sofa.
‘No, Riley. I just want you to remove the security that you have appointed for me.’ Drake stood firm.
‘Drake, they are for your safety.’ she reasoned
‘I am not comfortable with it. I don’t need them following me everywhere I go.’ Drake tried to keep his voice soft. But Riley could see that he is annoyed.
‘Drake, You are a Duke now. It is not safe for you to move around without security.‘ She reached out to him, placing a hand on his arm.
‘I heard I didn’t have any security when I met with the accident.’ he said, eyes glaring at her, lips tight.
‘No you didn’t. And I will not let that happen again.’ Riley pulled her hand away.
‘Look, I told you, I am not comfortable, I need you to remove the security at once.’ He said sternly, eyes fixed at her.
‘I am sorry, I can’t do that.‘ she shook her head as she said softly but firmly.
‘Riley, You can’t keep me in house arrest like this. I cannot stay here like this. I need to go.’
'Where?’ she asked, her brows knitted.
‘Do I need to tell you everything?’ he snapped. He saw her winced at his reaction. He took a deep breath.
‘I was thinking to visit Savannah at Beaumont house and then maybe live at Palace for a while.’ Drake informed her with a plain voice.
‘Drake, Can you please take the security with you? At least till you reach the palace.’ Riley almost pleaded with him.
‘Ok. I guess it won’t hurt.’ Drake reluctantly nodded, shrugging his shoulders.
‘Drake, I will wait for you.’ Riley held his hand in hers. Their eyes met, pain in her deep brown eyes so intense, he found himself drawn towards them. He felt an ache in his heart he couldn’t understand. You can’t trust her, his head told his heart. He gingerly removed his hand from hers and walked away, not daring to look back.
Olivia was sitting in their bedroom, in front of her dresser, brushing her red hair. Her eyes fixed at her reflection, but mind far away, two years in the past.
Olivia had woke up at 5 in the morning. Actually, she didn’t sleep at all the previous night, just tossing and turning around in bed thinking about the last conversation she had with Liam.
‘Are you free tomorrow night?’ Liam had called her just after she finished her meeting with her lawyer to get her marriage with Anton annulled.
‘Yes. Why do you ask?’ Liam rarely called her. Mostly for some business for the Duchess of Lythikos.
‘Would you like to join me for dinner?’ Olivia was not sure if she heard him correctly. ‘Dinner!?’ she confirmed.
‘I am sure you eat dinner.’ Liam chuckled. Just the sound of his laughter made her heart beat faster.
‘Yes, of course. I do… I mean I will… join you for dinner.’ she closed her eyes shut, embarrassed for behaving like a teenager unable to talk to her crush.
‘I will pick you up at 5. It’s a Date.’ he disconnected the call.
A date? A date! He said a date! Her cheeks turned red, she turned her head left and right to make sure no one noticed her blushing.
She was just five when she lost her parents. They were killed, she couldn’t understand why. All she knew was that they were not coming back. She was left all alone in her estate, no one but her servants to take care of her. Her caretaker was a heartless lady who told her to be strong, every time she cried she would remind her, 'You are a Nevrakis! Nevrakis don’t cry!’ She learned to push her emotions away, at least in front of others. Many nobles visited her to offer condolences. She was taught to behave in a certain way in front of them, to mourn her parents’ death with stoicism. She was not allowed to play, not allowed to cry. When Liam visited Lythikos with his parents, the King and Queen, her caretaker made sure the king and queen are impressed by the mature behavior of the five-year-old duchess. Olivia had learned to play her part right, but she got confused when Liam wanted to play with her. She was supposed to mourn her parent’s death and behave stoically, not play around, not when the king was visiting. She avoided Liam even though, all she wanted to do was to play with him, to be a little girl that she was. She was able to hide her feelings in front of others, but nights were never easy. She missed the stories of warrior princess her mother used to tell her every night, while gently caressing her hair. Every night she would sneak into her parents’ room and took out a gown of her mother. She would cry till she fell asleep clutching the gown. One day, out of nowhere, she saw a boy entering the room cautiously. Olivia hurriedly wiped her tears away, fearing that he would laugh or judge her, but he didn’t say anything, just sat beside her and gently kept a hand on her shoulder. Olivia couldn’t hold back her tears anymore, she hugged him tight and wept for hours. Liam sat there with her patiently. The next morning, when she woke up on the floor of her parents’ room, Liam was gone, but he left a smile on her face. That day she smiled for the first time in months after her parents’ death. Liam somehow convinced his parents to take her with him to the Palace.
She spent the next three years in the Palace, never leaving Liam’s side. Liam was her only friend. She, Liam and Drake would play every day. Drake didn’t like her, as she was often mean to him, but Liam would always convince him to let Olivia play with them. Drake and Olivia would fight almost every day over Liam. And soon it was her time to go back to Lythikos, to handle the affairs as a duchess. Liam called her every few days to make sure that she was alright. She would visit Palace once a year and Liam and Drake visited Lythikos once a year. These were the moments that kept her going.
When they reached the teenage, Liam’s preferences had changed. Olivia longed for spending some time with him, but he was going more and more distant. Everyone, including her, believed that one day they will get married. Everytime someone mentioned this, it would make her blush, but Liam would laugh it off as a silly joke.
She had never been in a relationship with anyone. It killed her when she heard Liam hooking up with some girl. She would get jealous and would hook up with some random guy, only to end up feeling guilty for cheating on Liam, even though they were never in a relationship.
When she sponsored herself from her house, as Liam’s suitor for social season, she was sure she would win him. She knew him better than all other suitors combined. There was no one else who could compete with her. But somehow a commoner from America had captured his heart. She tried everything she could to throw her out of the competition, but she had a way to win against all odds, to charm everyone who met her. She saw how Liam looked at her, she knew he loved her. It broke her heart, but she decided to stay away from them. Liam got engaged to Madeliene and was in love with Riley. She had no place in his life. She made her mission to find out the person who had conspired against her and Riley. She wanted to do that more for Liam than for herself so that Liam could be with Riley again. She just wanted him to be happy even if it was with someone else. Along the way, somehow, she made friends with Riley. Yep, Olivia Nevrakis now had two friends, Liam, the love of her life and Riley, the love of his life.
But Riley was stupid enough to fall for the grumpy commoner. She actually declined Liam’s proposal for Drake. Olivia could see the pain in Liam’s eyes, and her heart ached for him. And it hurt her more knowing that she cannot do anything about it.
Now, Riley and Drake were on their honeymoon, and Liam had asked Olivia for a date! It was the most important day of her life! She tried on every dress in her wardrobe until it was empty. She could not find a single dress suitable for her first date, with Liam in the piles of clothes she had created on the floor and on her bed. She tried out hundreds of dresses in at least five boutiques of the top designers in Lythikos until she settled for a red one shoulder dress with side slit. Even after purchasing the dress, it took her the entire afternoon to get ready. She let her hair fall on her shoulder rather than tieing them up in a bun as she usually did. She went through her entire collection of accessories before finalizing a stunning diamond bracelet. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, still not completely satisfied, when Liam called her at 5 PM.
Her heart threatened to jump out of her chest as she walked down the stairs to Liam smiling in front of his car outside the Lythikos estate. The King had come himself to pick her up in a limo with around fifty security guards in several other cars and bikes. But all she could see was the man she ever loved standing in front of her. Liam was dressed in a blue and white suit, quite ordinary for the King, but still making him look like the most handsome man on earth.
Olivia’s stomach somersaulted when Liam took her hand in his and open the car door for her. She was a little disappointed when Liam sat several seats away from her.
‘You look beautiful today.’ he said as the cars took off.
‘Thanks’ Olivia’s voice was just a whisper. ‘You look handsome.’
They soon arrive at Olivia’s favorite restaurant Marcellino. It was always difficult to book a table there, even when she tried booking it weeks in advance. But today, to her surprise, it was empty.
‘Why is the restaurant empty?’
‘Oh! I booked it for tonight’
‘Perks of being the King’ Liam smiled, he gently placed his hand on her back and led her to a table on the middle or restaurant. He pulled out a chair for her.
‘Are you comfortable?’ he asked politely as she sat.
After they ordered, Olivia looked at Liam expectantly.
‘‘Olivia, I don’t know how to say this.’ Liam awkwardly cleared his throat.
‘You have been my friend since I remember. We have been there for each other through ups and lows. You know me, understand me. I have never known any woman who is as strong, intelligent, fierce as you are. I truly believe that you can be a wonderful queen. ’
Olivia’s heart skipped a beat as she understood what he was going to say next, ‘Olivia, Will you… marry me?’
She had imagined this moment many times, but somehow it was not like she imagined it to be, there was something missing. She searched his eyes, for vulnerability, passion, love. But she could not find anything.
‘Liam, aren’t you moving a little too fast?’ she asked him.
Liam sighed,’Olivia, you are aware of what I am going through. I need to get married to stabilize the monarchy. I have thought about this a lot, and no one else is perfect to be a queen other than you.’
‘A Queen!? Liam what about you? What do you feel about me?’ she asked as her heart ached, she knew what his answer will be, but she still was hoping.
‘You are my friend, Olivia. You know about me and Riley. I don’t think I can get involved in a romantic relationship this soon. I am a King. And I cannot let my emotions get in the way of Cordonia’s future. You are someone I can trust. I will be able to be proud of you as a Queen. I will be able to confide in you and share the responsibilities of the kingdom with you. ‘ Liam said.
Olivia’s lips curled up as she understood, it was just a political marriage proposal for him. ‘So you are saying you want to marry me, and still stay friends?’
‘In a way, yes. I mean, of course, we will have … ‘, he paused for a moment, before awkwardly continuing, ’physical needs. And we will have to produce an heir and a spare. I have thought about that too. I think our children, a combination of you and me, will make a great King or Queen.’
He paused for her reaction, but she continued silently looking at him, her expressions unreadable.
‘If we will be honest with each other, we can make this work. And… if you… I mean, I will understand if you want an open marriage. We will just have to be discreet about it.’ Olivia moved her eyes away from him.
‘Look, I understand, it is a lot for me to ask of you. You can say no. But please take some time to think over it.’ Liam finally said unsure of what was going on in Olivia’s mind.
‘Yes!’ she said in a whisper, looking at him. His brows knotted unsure of what he had heard.’Yes! I will marry you.’ she said with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
‘Thanks, Olivia’, Liam smiled as he pulled out a box, opening it to reveal a ring, with a solitaire the size of a rock. with two smaller rubies on either side. Olivia gave her hand in his for him to slid it in her finger.
Olivia didn’t realize when Liam came inside the room, till he was standing right behind her. She looked up at his reflection in the mirror.
‘Good Evening, Your Majesty.’ she greeted him with a short smile.
‘Good Evening Olivia. How was your day?’ Liam asked, placing both his hands on her shoulder.
‘It was productive, How was yours?’ Olivia turned to look at him. Towering above her, in a blue suit, similar to one he was wearing two years ago.
‘Well, the truck driver who hit and ran Drake was arrested today.’ Liam said unbuttoning his suit.
‘And you bought that?’ Olivia asked standing up to face him.
‘What do you mean?’ Liam’s brows knotted.
‘I think you should get the accident investigated by a senior detective instead of some inexperienced cops.’ she said tieing up her robe.
‘Well, I guess you are right. I will ask Bastien to send some good detective.’ Liam nodded. He turned to see her going to the bar and followed her. She poured some bourbon in two crystal glasses. She handed him one and sat on a chair.
‘By the way, I am planning for a world tour. Planning to visit some countries to extend a friendly hand and maybe bring in some business. I was wondering if you can join me.’ Liam sat on a chair opposite to her.
‘I am not sure if I should,’ Olivia shook her head,’someone must stay in Cordonia to handle the affairs.’
Liam’s eyes searched her face,
Liam could see that Olivia was hurting, he remembered their conversation the other day. He took a sip of the bourbon as he asked, ‘Olivia, are you not comfortable with our arrangement?’
Olivia looked down at her glass in front of her, her finger moving in a circle at the rim of the glass,‘What if I am not?’
‘Olivia, I had explained you my situation before we got engaged. You were aware of what you were getting into. You agreed to it.’ He kept his glass down and reached for her hand, but she pulled her hand away.
‘Yes, I did. But I am not comfortable anymore.’ she said looking into his eyes. The intensity of her gaze boring through his heart.
‘But why? I thought everything was working perfectly. What happened?’ he asked softly.
‘Maybe what we have is not enough.’ she sighed.
‘Olivia, is it about the sex? It was you who kept pushing me away. I thought you didn’t want sex with me.’
‘It’s not about sex.’ Olivia shook her head and looked away.
‘Then what is it? You know you can talk to me.’ Liam stood up, he sat down on his knees in front of her, looking into her eyes.
‘I can’t pretend anymore. I am exhausted.’ her eyes searched his face.
Olivia, you can take a break, you can visit Lythikos for a while if you want.
No, Liam, I don’t want to take a break.
Olivia, please tell me what you want. I will do whatever you wish.
'Fall in love with me.’ Olivia whispered.
Liam pulled his hands away. He opened his mouth to say something, but words didn’t form. Olivia’s lip curled up on one side. She shook her head and started walking away.
‘Liv!’ Liam reached out to grab her hand. He pulled her close and wrapped her in an embrace. She stood motionless in his embrace, hands on her side.
'Liam, I want a divorce.’ she said.
‘If that is what you want, I will give you…’ he sighed,’…a divorce.’
He held her tight for a while, feeling so comfortable around her. It made his heart ache knowing that she will soon be going away from him. He pulled away with a sigh. He looked at her, he brushed a stranded hair from her face and said, ‘Thank you for being there for me.’ Olivia raised her hand to cup his face. 'I am sorry.’ she whispered before going to bed.
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Pixelberry.
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