Hidden Heiress Trapped in His Arms

Additional worry

It had to be the stress. The wedding was rushed, and it wouldn't be strange for her body to react this way. Olivia held onto that hope as she moved forward with all the preparations. The wedding was only two days away, and she would finally get the rest she deserved during the planned overseas honeymoon.

She'd begun to imagine all the things she could do there, with relaxation at the top of the list. But her complexion didn't improve, and her body still seemed to rebel against her wishes.

"You don't look too good," her mother said, leaning in when Olivia returned home with Dave to visit her parents at her father's request.

Olivia looked up into her foster mother's green eyes, wondering if she'd need to change her foundation and concealer brand. She'd tried hard to mask her fatigue with makeup, but it didn't seem to be working.

"Is it that obvious?" she asked, leaning back and touching her cheeks with the back of her hand.

"It must be the tension," her mother replied. "Don't worry, I'm here to help with anything you need, and you can always ask your sister to assist."

"I'd be glad to help," Rose said, sitting beside their mother on the large, soft sofa.

"It's not like you could get married in my place," Olivia joked, sitting up and glancing down the hallway that led to her father's study, where her fiancé had been for more than an hour.

"I would, if you don't mind," Rose replied with a smile that was bright but also edged with a seriousness that Olivia took as part of the joke, completely missing the determination in Rose's green eyes.

"How long has it been?" Olivia asked to change the topic, smiling off her sister's joke. She had expected their mother to chime in with the usual questions about when Rose would start dating and bring home a boyfriend, just as she had at Rose's age.

"They'll be out soon," their mother assured Olivia, gently brushing a strand of hair from her face.

Olivia wondered what was taking so long. She'd been visiting home more often lately, usually with Dave. But today's visit was different—the call from her father had come out of nowhere, requesting that she bring Dave with her. It had initially worried her, thinking there might be an emergency, but when she arrived, everything seemed fine.

She hadn't been given an explanation for her father's sudden request, which only deepened her confusion. The stern look on her father's face as he led Dave to the study made her wonder if Dave was in trouble.

"I wonder if Dad's scolding him. He didn't look too happy earlier," Rose said, sharing her concerns. The other women in the room nodded in agreement, likely thinking along similar lines.

Finally, the door to the study opened with the usual creak they had grown accustomed to over the years. Dave emerged, his expression weary and his shoulders slightly slumped. He motioned for Olivia to grab her things, clearly ready to leave. She quickly packed up and said goodbye to her mother and sister before following him, noting his unusually somber mood.

Olivia stayed silent for much of the ride home, the tension between them palpable. It was only when they reached the second set of traffic lights that she felt compelled to break the silence.

"What did my father say to you? You seem... a bit down," she asked, reaching out to lightly touch the back of his hand. She hoped for a simple answer that might ease the worry gnawing at her since her father had requested their visit.

Dave pulled his hand away from her touch, and Olivia felt the tension grow in the car's confined space. She couldn't help but wonder what her father had said to make him so upset.

"Oh... I guess he found out about the prenuptial agreement I spoke to the family lawyer about," she muttered, suddenly realizing she hadn't told Dave about it either.

He turned to her with a hard stare, his lips pressed tight. After a few moments, he spoke, his voice colder than she'd expected. "Who told you to talk to a lawyer about a prenuptial agreement?"

Olivia felt a lump in her throat. She hadn't anticipated this reaction from the man she was about to marry in just a few days. "Your mom suggested it a few days ago. She said she heard I wouldn't be part of my father's inheritance, and that I might need money in the future. She also said she couldn't trust me not to use a divorce to extort money from you," she explained in a rush, trying to defuse the growing tension.

But it only seemed to make him angrier. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, just as a car behind them honked impatiently.

"I never wanted a prenuptial agreement, but I didn't want to cause trouble," she continued, her voice softer now. "I thought it would be easier this way, so we could just be together without any problems." She tried to reach for his hand again, but he swatted it away and let out a harsh hiss.

Olivia stared at her hand, feeling a wave of pain and confusion. It was the first time he'd ever reacted to her like this. Instead of getting angry, she wondered if her father had said something that upset Dave. Should she call her father to find out what had happened? She wasn't as close to him as she was to her mother, but maybe he could shed some light on the matter.

After dinner, when Dave was still fuming, she gathered the courage to dial her father's number, hoping to get some answers that might help her understand what had gone wrong.

"If you don't mind, Dad, could you tell me what you spoke to Dave about? He hasn't been himself for hours," Olivia asked after a brief exchange of pleasantries. She knew her father’s temperament, and it was best to tread carefully.

"Why don't you ask him?" her father replied with a hint of impatience.

She wasn't married to Dave yet, and the idea of calling home to discuss relationship issues when there had never been any before made her hesitate. She felt uneasy sharing the details, especially when things had been so smooth until now.

"Nothing, I just wanted to know what took so much time," she said, choosing her words carefully, hoping not to offend her strict foster father.

"It's nothing for you to worry about. Your fiancé and I are both businessmen, and we were discussing business," he replied with a bit of warmth.

His response only deepened her concern. After ending the call, Olivia felt uneasy. As someone who valued communication in a relationship, she went to Dave's study to talk with him.

She paused at the slightly ajar door, hearing his voice as he spoke to someone on the other end of a phone call. "He wants me to split the money with him or sign a contract, or he's going to call off the wedding," he said, his voice tense.

Olivia moved closer to hear better, but she accidentally pushed the door shut, cutting off the rest of his words. The quiet click of the door kept her from being discovered, but now she couldn't hear anything from the soundproofed study.

Her heart raced as a pulsating headache took over. She hoped she was just overthinking things, but her mind couldn't help but wonder what Dave had discussed with her father, who the person at the other end could be, and why it seemed to threaten their impending wedding.