A Fiance For The Holiday

Chapter 005: Meeting The Delgado Family

~OLIVIA~

I feel a gentle tap on my shoulder and I open my eyes. I glance around and realize the car is no longer in motion.

"Where are we?" I ask drowsily as Xavier makes his way out of the car.

"My home." He responds as he shuts the door.

I let out a sigh as I gently push the door open, and I am greeted by the sight of a large, no, large feels too small a word to describe the breathtaking sight before me. The mansion looms in a distance, and nestles among lush, vibrant flower gardens that seem to stretch on forever.

I stare in awe at the beautiful flower garden and I am tempted to pluck out one and sniff it but I hold myself back.

I follow Xavier into the mansion and I gasp as we walk into the living room. Everything screams wealth! From the beautiful artistic paintings on the walls, to the polished marble floors, the curved staircases with gleaming banisters, the multicolored lightbulbs that gives the place a soft glow, it is just as impressive as the outside but then I notice there is not one living being present except Xavier and me.

"Do you live here all by yourself?" I turn to him with a raised brow.

"I like being in my own company but of course since you're here now, I guess that will have to change." Xavier responds in a somewhat disappointed tone.

Yup, monkey face is back.

"Or were you expecting servants?" He asks.

"Well I mean in a place like this... yeah." I respond as I glance around the massive living room once more. It is bigger than my entire house!

"Don't worry, Cinderella, I won't make you clean or cook. I have workers who come in to clean every morning." He responds as he walks out of the living room.

"For the last time, my name is not Cinderella!" I snap as I tail after him.

"But it suits you just right."

"Xavier!" I snap and he halts as he is about to climb the stairs. He turns to me with a slight frown on his face, his hands tucked in his pockets.

"This house has fifteen bedrooms. Choose whichever you like and I'll have Manuel move your things in." He says as he closes the distance between us while gazing intently at me.

"Unless of course, you want to stay in my bedroom, then I can make an exception." His gaze is dark now as he stares at me expectantly, as though daring me to accept his challenge.

Well not today Satan. I know a danger zone when I see one.

"I'd rather have my own room." I respond, holding his gaze.

"Fine by me." He responds and walks away without sparing me another glance.

I place a hand on my chest to steady my racing heart as I release the breath I didn't realize I was holding. I guess this is going to be my life for the next two months.

My phone vibrates and I check to see a message from an unknown number. It's an address.

"Your mom has been safely moved to this address. You can visit her whenever you like."

I smile as I send a thank you response before saving the number as I am certain it is Emmanuel, but then how did he get my number?

I guess being well off, they can get access to anything including personal information of people. As much as that upsets me, knowing my private life is being spied on, I still feel a bit grateful for their help, especially when Emmanuel beat up those tugs. They deserved every bit of it.

I walk back into the living and I am about to settle down on one of the sofas when I hear footsteps behind. I turn around and my gaze lands on Xavier as he strides into the living room with a demure expression. He had taken off his suit and wore a crisp white button-up shirt with sleeves rolled to his elbow, exposing his toned, veiny arms.

"Come with me." I quickly avert my gaze from his hand to his face, giving him a questionable look but he doesn't say anything else and just walks out of the living room.

I let out a sigh as I tail him, and we end up on the patio at the back of the house.

Xavier motions for me to sit and I notice he has a file in his hands. He places it on the table and pushes it towards me.

"What's this?" I ask as I open the file.

"Things you need to memorize about me." He responds swiftly and I furrow my brows as I read through the file.

Name: Xavier Delgado— wait what?!

I snap my head up in shock, unable to believe what I had just read.

"Y-you... your last name is... Delgado?" I stutter, and he raises a brow at me as he leans back on the chair.

"You expect me to believe you didn't already know that?" He asks, his piercing grey eyes staring intently at me as though he were trying to read my mind.

I don't respond however and resume reading the file, my hands trembling slightly and my heart racing hard against my chest.

The Delgado family are like the gods of California. They're not just business tycoons but the most powerful influencers in the city. At this point, I feel as though I have made a grave mistake. The Delgado family were not to be messed with, everyone knows that! And yet here I am prepping myself to deceive the formidable Madam Odell.

This is really bad!

If she finds out that I'm deceiving her, my life will be ruined!

"Why do you suddenly give the appearance of a scared little kitten?" Xavier's voice snaps me out of my thoughts and I raise my head up at him, masking my emotions once more.

"Scared of what? It's not like I stole from your family or anything. After two months, I'll neither have anything to do with you, nor your family." I respond boldly and Xavier's lips twitches into a small smile.

"Good." He says, and then his gaze suddenly darkens. "I hope you keep up that bold charisma until the very end. If this goes wrong, our deal is off."

"Then shouldn't you also learn things about me?" I ask with a raise brow.

"I know everything there is to know about you, Olivia." I let out a scoff at his response.

"So you do know my name after all." I roll my eyes as I resume reading his file.

"I never said I didn't. Olivia Denovan, born December 2nd. Graduated college with a first-class honors in Business Administration, obtained a masters degree at 24, and returned to California a year later. You're quite impressive." I frown at his words.

"You know you could just ask if you want to know about someone. I don't appreciate being studied like a lab rat."

"I'm a busy man, Cinderella. Things like that are time consuming." He responds nonchalantly and I take a deep breath to calm my nerves.

"These are things anyone can know from a g***le search. If we want to make this believable, then I have to know things about you that no one else does." I say as I close the file and push it back to him.

He is about to respond when his phone suddenly vibrates, and he picks it up as he walks away from the patio. I don't take my eyes off him as he answers the call, and I feel as though something isn't right as he turns to me with a look of uncertainty before turning away.

He ends the call shortly after and walks back to me, his face void of all expressions.

"Change of plans, Cinderella. Get changed and meet me in the living room in ten minutes." Xavier says rather hastily.

"Is something wrong?" I ask.

"Now isn't the time for questions! Just do as I say." He orders and I glare at him.

Contract or not, I won't let him treat me like some peasant. However, I could feel the urgency in his tone, and so I chose to ignore his arrogance once more.

"I don't have anything to change into since you made me come empty handed." I point out as we walk back into the mansion.

"The first room by your right upstairs. Manuel left some clothes for you. He'll be back with more shortly." Xavier responds and I nod before making my way to the room. I notice some bags on the bed as I make my way into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

I check the bag when I'm done and smile when I see my favorite lotion in one of them.

How did Emmanuel know to get me this exact type?

I quickly apply the lotion and ransack the bags for something to wear but none of the clothes are my style. They are all too lavish and extravagant. I'm about to give up when I spot a floral sleeveless gown in one bag. This would have to do.

I remove the hair tie from my hair, letting it sprawl on my shoulders before leaving the room. I enter the living room to find Xavier and Emmanuel in a heated discussion.

"You couldn't even convince her to stay back?" Xavier asks in a displeased tone.

"It was her choice not mine. And you know how much that woman terrifies me." Emmanuel responds swiftly.

Who are they talking about?

Xavier suddenly turns to me and I stop in my tracks as we both stare at each other. His gaze shifts to my outfit and a small frown appears on his face.

"Is this the only dress you could find?" He asks in a somewhat displeased manner.

"Well, Mr. Delgado, you clearly know nothing about me if you think I'm into any of those fancy outfits." I respond and he lets out a scoff as he walks closer to me, closing the distance between us.

"We clearly don't know anything about each other but if you want this to be more convincing, then you're going to have to wear what I give you and obey my every command." I roll my eyes at his words.

"I will only do what makes me comfortable." I state boldly while holding his gaze and he smirks.

"We'll see about that." He responds and suddenly takes hold of my left hand.

"What are you..." I trail off as I watch him take out a ring from his pocket, and he gently slides it on my finger, the diamond head glowing with the soft lights.

"We can't be engaged without a ring now, can we?" Xavier asks but I'm lost admiring the beautiful diamond ring to pay him any attention.

"You look lovely, Ms. Olivia." Emmanuel's voice snaps me out of my daze and I look up at him with a warm smile.

"Thank you." I respond and I hear Xavier scoff. The doorbell rings at that moment and everyone's attention turns towards the door.

Emmanuel pulls the door open and seconds later, an elderly woman walks in, a bright smile on her face, and I widen my eyes in shock as I immediately recognize her.

Madam Odell!

"Manuel, dearest, you look well." She says as she gives Emmanuel a light hug.

"Grandma, what an unexpected surprise." Xavier says as he walks up to her and hugs her as well.

"Oh please. I'm certain Manuel gave you a heads up." She responds before breaking the hug and then she shifts her gaze to me.

I suddenly couldn't feel my body anymore, my heart thudding violently against my chest.

"And who do we have here?" Madam Odell asks as she stares at me intently

I try to speak up but my mouth wouldn't just open and so I just stand there, trembling slightly.

I suddenly feel a warm hand around my waist as I am pulled onto a warm body. I slowly look up and my gaze locks with Xavier's as he stares at me with a knowing grin, as though he had expected me to freak out last minute.

Xavier turns back to Madam Odell with a warm smile on his face, and I find myself calming down, my tensed up body easing up a bit as I subconsciously relax in his arms.

"Grandma, I'd like you to meet Olivia, my fiance."