Chapter 2 An Uninvited Plan
1562 Words
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(Oliver’s POV)
The office of Sterling & Associates had always been the one place Oliver Sterling felt completely in control.
Today, for the first time, it felt like a trap.
Oliver sat behind his wide desk, staring at the steel framework blueprint of a skyscraper spread before him. Normally, he could read every line within seconds—understanding structural loads, connection points, and potential flaws before anyone else even noticed them.
Today, the lines looked meaningless.
It wasn’t the project that was troubling him.
It was a single fact that had been circling his mind since morning.
In six months, he would be marrying Olivia Sinclair.
Papers were scattered across his desk—something that almost never happened in Oliver’s office. A cup of cold coffee sat abandoned beside his mousepad. His reflection in the glass wall behind him revealed a man who looked nothing like his usual self: distracted, restless.
Behind his calm exterior, his thoughts were in chaos.
Old rivalry. Pride. And his refusal to ever lose—especially to Olivia Sinclair.
Yet beneath all that anger, there was another feeling creeping in.
One Oliver refused to acknowledge.
Relief.
As if the humiliating disaster at his parents’ house the night before—the photo, the shouting mothers, the sudden announcement of an engagement—had done something he had never managed to do himself.
It had chosen someone for him.
Oliver exhaled sharply and pushed the thought away.
Ridiculous.
He didn’t even like Olivia.
And there was another problem—one far more real.
Cassie.
Cassandra Thorne.
A talented interior architect at his firm. Beautiful, ambitious, and for the past eight months… his girlfriend.
Their relationship had always been simple. No drama. No complications. They worked in the same industry, understood each other’s demanding schedules, and never made things unnecessarily complicated.
Cassie made sense.
And Oliver hadn’t said a single word to her about what had happened at his parents’ house.
The memory of that morning crept back into his mind.
---
After the chaos in the guest bedroom, everyone had eventually gathered in the large dining room of the Sterling estate.
Oliver was still wearing the same shirt, only half-buttoned. His hair was messy, and his head throbbed from the alcohol the night before.
Olivia sat across from him.
She had put her dress back on, but her face looked pale, her eyes tired.
The dining table felt less like a breakfast setting and more like a courtroom.
No one touched the food.
“This cannot simply be ignored,” Mrs. Sinclair said at last.
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
Olivia immediately looked up.
“Mother, we only—”
“You were found in the same bed,” her mother cut in.
Silence fell across the room.
Oliver crossed his arms.
“We were drunk,” he said flatly.
“That’s all.”
“But people will not see it that way,” Mrs. Sinclair replied.
She placed her phone on the table.
The photograph taken that morning glowed on the screen.
Oliver glared at it.
Olivia turned her face away.
“Olivia’s reputation as a psychologist relies on trust,” her mother continued. “If a photo like this were to spread, people would assume things that should not be assumed.”
Mrs. Sterling spoke next, her tone gentle but equally firm.
“And Oliver would never allow Olivia’s reputation to be damaged because of something that happened in our home.”
Oliver raised an eyebrow.
“So the solution is to force us into marriage?”
“Not force,” Mr. Sinclair said calmly.
“Repair the situation.”
“This is the twenty-first century,” Olivia said sharply.
“We are not living in a royal drama.”
“The issue is not the century,” her mother replied.
“The issue is honor.”
The word silenced Olivia.
Mrs. Sinclair looked directly at her daughter.
“Olivia… you cannot be completely certain that nothing happened last night.”
Olivia opened her mouth.
Then she closed it again.
Her memory of the night was too hazy.
She remembered drinking too much. Feeling overheated. Falling asleep.
But after that?
She couldn’t be certain of anything.
A heavy silence filled the room.
Oliver watched Olivia’s expression change—not anger, as usual, but uncertainty.
And for the first time since they had known each other…
Oliver said nothing.
Mrs. Sterling sighed softly.
“We only want to do what is right for both of you.”
Finally, Mr. Sterling spoke again.
“You will be engaged next week,” he said calmly. “The wedding can be arranged in six months.”
No one argued anymore.
Olivia lowered her gaze.
Oliver stared at the long dining table.
For the first time since they were children, they stopped fighting.
Because they both knew the same thing.
The battle had already been decided before they even had the chance to fight it.
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A knock on the office door pulled Oliver back to the present.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Cassie stepped inside, carrying several design folders.
Her blonde hair was styled perfectly as always, and her navy work dress moved elegantly with her confident stride. Cassie always looked like someone who knew exactly where her life was going.
Her smile was bright—until she noticed the state of Oliver’s desk.
“Ollie?” she said.
She set the folders down and glanced around the room.
“Your office looks like it’s been hit by a small storm.”
Oliver leaned back in his chair and forced a faint smile.
“Just a lot on my mind.”
Cassie rested against the edge of the desk.
“You disappeared from your parents’ anniversary party,” she said casually.
“Your mother said you were exhausted and went straight to bed.”
Her tone was light, but Oliver could hear the question underneath.
“The wine was too good,” Oliver replied.
“And Liam showed up. So things got a little… chaotic.”
“Liam Sinclair?” Cassie raised an eyebrow.
Oliver nodded.
“Yes. He was there.”
Cassie studied him for a moment.
“You’re sure nothing happened?”
Oliver almost laughed bitterly.
A lot had happened.
Far too much.
But none of it could be explained.
“Nothing important,” he said quickly.
Cassie looked unconvinced, but finally sighed.
“Alright,” she said gently.
“If you ever want to talk, you know I’m here.”
Her hand brushed his arm briefly before she turned and left the office.
When the door closed, Oliver dropped his head back against the chair.
End his relationship with Cassie.
This was going to be bad.
Very bad.
Because if their families’ plan truly went through…
There was only one thing he would have to do.
And Oliver was nowhere near ready for that conversation.
---
Later that afternoon, his phone vibrated on the desk.
A new group message appeared on the screen.
Sender: Mrs. Sterling & Mrs. Sinclair
* Dear children! -
To celebrate this wonderful new beginning, we have reserved a table at The Gilded Vine in Mayfair tomorrow at 8 PM.
A small family dinner to discuss the wedding!
Semi-formal attire.
No one is allowed to be absent!
Oliver stared at the message for a long time.
Marriage.
The word felt like a threat.
He typed a single reply.
Fine.
Then tossed the phone back onto the desk.
---
The Gilded Vine was far too elegant for what was supposed to be a simple family dinner.
Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Dark wooden panels lined the walls, and thick carpets softened every sound in the room.
Their family table sat in the corner.
Oliver arrived almost at the same time as Olivia.
Their eyes met for a brief moment.
Instant hostility.
“Did you arrive late on purpose for dramatic effect?” Oliver asked flatly.
“Did you arrive early to mark your territory?” Olivia shot back.
“Very primate behavior, Sterling.”
Oliver pulled out a chair for her out of habit.
He immediately regretted it.
Their parents were already seated, glowing with excitement.
Liam sat at the end of the table, looking thoroughly entertained.
The wedding discussion began.
Flowers. Music. Guest lists.
Every suggestion was met with sarcasm.
“Navy would be a good color for the groomsmen,” Mr. Sinclair said.
“Appropriate,” Oliver replied.
“It reflects exactly how I feel. Drowning.”
“Champagne for the bridesmaids,” Mrs. Sterling added.
“Perfect,” Olivia said sweetly.
“Alcohol helps people forget trauma.”
Eventually, Mr. Sterling tapped the table gently.
“Children,” he said calmly.
“We understand this is sudden.”
“But it has happened.”
“We will take care of the wedding arrangements.”
“You simply need to attend the fittings… and walk down the aisle.”
Oliver and Olivia looked at each other.
No sarcasm.
No arguments.
Just the same realization.
They had already lost.
“So basically,” Olivia said flatly,
“We just have to show up?”
“Exactly, darling!” her mother replied brightly.
Oliver stared into the red wine in his glass.
The battle was already over.
And they hadn’t even been given the chance to fight it.
---
- Writer
