Olivia’s POV
“Oww! My head! What the…”
I woke up with a start. Whoever was behind the door pushed it even more, and light streamed in and blinded me. In a rush to stand up, I let go of my father’s ash jar, and it began to roll away.
I got away from the door, and it opened fully, and there stood my mother, glaring down at me. I scrambled to my feet and went over to get my father’s ash jar before it rolled under the bed.
“What is your problem?” I said, almost yelling at my mum.
However, she didn’t answer me immediately, and I watched as her eyes surveyed my room in jealousy and disgust.
“I can’t believe you slept on the floor when you have such a comfortable bed and luxurious room.”
She walked in and toured my room with a look of evident jealousy. She touched the silk curtains and tested the soft bed.
“You really don’t know what is good for you, Olivia. But then again, it is expected, considering the dump I pulled you out from.”
I rolled my eyes and put my father’s ash jar back on the shelf I had gotten it from.
“What are you doing here? I’m certain that you didn’t pop in here to see my room.”
She finally turned to me, and a weird smile crept over her face.
“Well, I just came to tell you that Alpha Andre has given us the great privilege of having breakfast with him.”
I stared at her dreamy, almost schoolgirl-like expression. The kind of expression you get when your crush says ‘hi’ to you for the first time.
I rolled my eyes. She was crazy. Hadn’t she had meals with him be…
I gasped silently. No, she hadn’t. Andre did say that he never had his meals with her. This was her first time eating with him. I wondered why.
As I watched the dreamy look in her eyes, I felt pride bubble in my heart. She is so behind. I already had dinner with Andre the first night I got here.
I was about to smirk, but I soon realised what I was doing.
‘No, Olivia. You can’t be feeling like this. Andre isn’t yours. He belongs to my mother, no matter how witchy she is. The last thing you need is struggling with your mother for a man,’ I mused, thinking to myself.
“Well, I suggest you get ready,” my mum said, finally turning to me.
She eyed me suspiciously, and I felt her eyes fall on my dress.
“Why are you dressed so fancy? And… urghhh… you got it all dirty.”
I looked down and realised that I was still wearing the dress I had worn to dinner with Andre last night. I had forgotten to take it off!
“I was just trying it on and fell asleep,” I lied.
She stared at me, and I glared back at her, trying my best not to look guilty.
“Right,” she replied sceptically. “Well, don’t be late. I have to go and get ready, and don’t you even think of embarrassing me! Do I make myself clear?”
I scoffed and rolled my eyes.
“If you keep up that attitude, you might just end up embarrassing yourself.”
She looked at me horrified and growled. Finally, she left my room wordlessly, slamming the door angrily behind her.
I sat on my bed and sniffed my dress. Urghhh… I had to have a shower. I smelled like dirty river water and dead leaves and Andre!
I felt my heart begin to beat wildly in my chest. I was going to be in the same room with him again. Oh no!
I began to panic. I couldn’t eat with him. The last time I did, it ended terribly. Maybe I could skip breakfast; that way, I would have to be in the room with him. I began to pace frantically in my room.
No, I couldn’t skip breakfast. If I did, my mum would suspect something. I took a deep breath. I guess I was just going to have to go through with it and hope that I don’t make a fool of myself.
I removed my dress, threw it into the laundry basket, and headed to the bathroom. I opted for a hot shower and as soon as it came rushing over me, I felt the dirt, filth, and smells being washed off me and going down the drain.
In a few minutes, I was done. I got out and picked something to wear. I didn’t want to try to look my best. It would be bad enough trying to steal the spotlight from my mother, especially since this was her first time eating with Andre.
After last night, it was best that I didn’t draw too much attention to myself.
As I was deciding what top to wear with my pair of dark blue jeans, I heard a loud knock at the door.
“Miss Olivia, everyone is waiting for you.”
“I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
I finally settled for a plain crimson shirt with a low neckline. I threw it over my head and was on my way to the dining room in less than no time. I was nervous with each step I took.
What if I lost control of myself and embarrassed myself in front of my mum? I would be so screwed. I had to act normal, like I didn’t even know him. If he tried to look my way, I would focus on my food and act oblivious.
Yes, that was what I was going to do.
I took a deep breath and entered the dining room. I saw Andre and Nicole already seated and eating. My mother had gone overboard with her dress, but Andre didn’t even bat an eyelid at her. Deep down, I felt sorry for her.
Why did he marry her if he was going to ignore her like this? It was all too confusing.
“Good morning,” I said meekly, taking my seat at the table. “I’m sorry I’m late.”
“That’s alright,” Andre replied, not even bothering to look at me. He didn’t even raise his head when I walked in.
We all continued to eat in silence, and every now and then, I would see my mother flip her hair or make a slight noise to get Andre’s attention. But his dark eyes didn’t care to look at either of us.
He continued to eat his food without a care in the world, occasionally stopping to look at his phone. His lips moved as he chewed his food silently. He did not even say a word to me.
I felt my heart sink to the bottom. Why was he acting this way? Barely a few hours ago, he was all over me, but now, he acted like he didn’t even know me; he acted like I didn’t exist.
He was acting like nothing had happened between us last night. Like he didn’t tell me I was his mate just a few hours ago.
I stopped eating briefly and stared at my plate. What was going on? Was all of last night some illusion? Did it all happen in my head?
Or was what happened just a temporary fling for him?