The Billionaire I shouldn't love.

OLIVIA'S POV: "Do I really have to go?" I sighed and pressed tighter against the hugged pillow. "For the tenth time, Olivia..." Audrey looked at me and rolled her eyes, "Yes." She scanned me for a moment before her eyes trailed to the dress she'd selected for me on the bed, "stop being such a whiny kid and get your s**t together, liv..." "I've got my s**t together." I grumbled, turning my face away. I just wanted to be by myself. Was that too much to ask for? No need to risk seeing— "Are you scared you'll see Raymond there?" I looked at her in surprise. How'd she know? "I'm not—" "You can't hide what you're thinking from me, liv." She interrupted and sat on the bed. "We've been friends for what, ten years?" "Thirteen years." I muttered. We stared at each other for a while before she laughed and touched my leg. "See?" She rubbed slowly, "It's over a decade of Oliviology. That's a doctorate with distinctions and the best grades possible." "You should've done a bit of that on your Biology grades." I scoffed and pulled my leg away. "Ugh..." She rolled her eyes, "That damn course." "I... really don't want to, Rey..." I said softly after a short silence. I turned my face as she looked at me. I didn't want to see even a bit of pity on her eyes. "That loser lost you, liv..." She said softly, moving closer. "It's his loss, and—" "I lost." I interrupted, looking at her, eyes getting teary at the point. "I lost, Audrey." I sniffed. Anger swelled up my chest as I thought about the whole thing. "What the hell was I even—" "If you keep beating yourself over a dumbass that cheated on you..." She interrupted in a stronger tone, crawling closer, "then you really lose." I stared at her face for a second. She's always been the most headstrong and supportive person I... "Remember what happened when I found out Pete was cheating on me in seventh grade?" "You—" "I hooked up with his elder brother and broke up with him in front of everyone." She said proudly. "The perfect revenge." "That's just..." I paused and scoffed. The most headstrong, supportive and childish person I knew alright. "f**k Raymond, liv..." "Well, I didn't." I muttered, "that's why he found someone to." "Well, guess what?" She tilted her head and smiled, "I hear they'll be tons of hot guys tonight." "What's that got to do with—" "A lot, pookie." She tapped my nose and winked. "Who knows?" She turned away. "You might get a piece of the Atelier Prince." I scoffed and watched as she stood up. She picked her bag and threw the dress at me. "Gotta meet up with Trent. Be there, liv." "I don't..." "If you don't," she paused and looked at me with a grin, "I'll really arrange some dudes to f**k Raymond up and make this a bigger issue." "You..." "See you later, Miss Simmons." She laughed and walked off. "Shit." I muttered and stared at the dress like it had answers. It didn't. Damn it. _____ I looked around and sighed, taking one more shot of whatever the bartender had poured. I just told him to keep filling the glass. "What's so special about parties?" I grumbled, lowering my head. I hated the loud music. It felt like my head was going to explode anytime soon. And the guys trying to hit on me. "Ugh..." I grunted loudly, turning to the newcomer testing his luck. "I am very occupied right—" I paused, eyes widening as I saw his face. Time seemed to slow down at that moment. "Oh." He chuckled softly, looking at my dress as I spilled some drink in surprise. "I apologize for startling you. I'll leave and—" "N–No..." I stuttered, recovering from the shock. My gaze darted frantically between his face and my dress, unable to look away. He was hot. And I was starting to feel embarrassed. "It's..." I tried to calm myself down, wiping the drink from my dress. "It's a lovely dress." He said suddenly, sitting on the barstool besides me and calling to the bartender. I just stared at him as he gave his order. The bass throbbed through the floor beneath my heels while blue lights swept across his face, catching briefly against the sharp line of his jaw. Such magnificent jawline and hair. I clenched my fist as I tried to defeat the urge of touching his hair. "Here..." He stretched a glass to me with a smile, "since I made you spill yours." I smiled back as I collected it and turned my face away. I stole a peek as I sipped the drink. Well, Audrey wasn't kidding when she said there'll be hot guys. "Tastes good, yeah?" "Y–Yeah..." I replied with a nod and a smile I was a hundred percent sure looked weird. "You don't seem like one to be at places like this." He said, placing his glass down and turning to me. I took a deep breath and stayed silent for a few seconds to steady my thoughts. He'd overwhelmed me a bit. "Why do you think so?" I asked, trying to sound cold. "I don't think you should go assuming—" "You’re pretty," he interrupted softly. The words hit harder than they should have. My breath caught. I stared at him, my fingers curling tightly against the fabric of my dress as though it could somehow steady me. Of all the things I expected him to say, it wasn’t that. His gaze moved over me slowly— not vulgar, not rushed. Observant. And somehow that felt far more dangerous. "Pretty girls like you belong on runways," he continued calmly, like he was stating a simple fact. "Not in places like this." Heat crawled up my neck suddenly. I swallowed hard, forcing my lips apart to answer, but no words came out. My thoughts were a tangled mess, tripping over each other beneath the weight of his attention. His eyes held mine for another second before dropping briefly to my trembling hands. "You'd make a fortune as a model," he said. "And you don’t look like the type that wastes nights hanging around clubs." The way he said it— quiet, certain— made my chest tighten unexpectedly. He looked at me in silence for a few seconds before picking his glass. "I don't make assumptions." He winked and took a sip. I turned my face away sharply and took a gulp from the glass. "Wanna go somewhere private?" I looked at him, surprised. My feet touched the floor before I could stop myself. His eyes trailed down to the movement. He smiled, pushed the glass away, and stood up. "Follow me." Well... Who was I to say no? And that was probably my first mistake.