Olivia was completely certain that she had entered in the world of the CEO novel that she wrote.
The body she occupied belonged to Trixie, a side character so insignificant that Olivia had nearly forgotten her. In the original draft, Trixie was nothing more than an acquaintance of Celine, the vicious antagonist who never yielded to anyone. Beyond that, there was nothing. No development and no ending.
"My Darling? Are you alright?" Tamara's voice pulled Olivia back.
Olivia blinked and forced a grin. "Oh, I'm fine, Mama. It's okay."
But inside, her heart raced. Tonight's dinner invitation … yes, she remembered.
Tonight was the night when the male lead and female lead would meet for the first time.
The moment of destiny.
The spark that would bind them together despite the cruel gap of social class.
Even though she hated that genre, in her heart, she really liked the characters she had created, especially male character who had a heart as cold as ice.
"Mama, is this invitation only for you and Papa?" she asked cautiously.
"Of course not, dear. The invitation includes you as well."
Her face lit up instantly, joy bursting like fireworks. "Really? Woaaah!"
Yes, she would be there to witness the scene she had written with her own hands. The sweet, fateful meeting of her protagonists. "Ahhh, it's going to be so thrilling to see their romantic encounter! I just can't wait!" Both of her cheeks turned red as she imagined the romantic scene of her main characters' first meeting.
Tamara looked at Olivia with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean, dear?" Tamara found her daughter's behavior somewhat odd. Her daughter had just survived a brush with death, but Olivia acted as if nothing had happened to her. Still, Tamara decided not to think too much about it. As long as her daughter was safe, nothing else mattered.
Olivia immediately realized that she was inside her own CEO novel. "A-ah, nothing, Mama! Okay, I think, I should get ready for tonight!" Olivia dashed upstairs, her steps light, and her heart overflowing.
Now, Olivia was not only thrilled to see her leading characters fall in love at first sight, but also she secretly overjoyed at one more fact that Trixie was a wealthy young lady, spoiled and beautiful, with nothing lacking in her life. Even as a forgotten side character, Trixie had everything Olivia never had in her real world.
***
Olivia's hands trembled slightly as she reached for the handle of the massive ivory wardrobe in front of her. With deliberate care, she opened it. Her breath hitched.
Rows of gowns sparkled beneath the chandelier light hanging neatly. Some still wrapped in protective plastic. Embroidered evening dresses, elegant suits, and ball gowns fit for royalty lined the wardrobe. A faint fragrance of expensive perfume drifted out, delicate and intoxicating.
"So this … this is what luxury smells like," she whispered and almost disbelieving. "I like this smell!"
Her fingers brushed against a cream satin dress. The fabric was impossibly smooth, a painful contrast to the threadbare clothes she had always worn, faded, unpressed, and patched with mismatched thread. The memory stung her, but at the same time filled her with awe.
"Thank you, me," she murmured with a tearful smile. "For creating Trixie. For giving myself this chance to live as her. Not as the poor girl like in my real life."
Unnoticed, tears rolled down her cheeks. To become Trixie, the side character she had nearly forgotten. She felt like stepping into a miracle she never asked for.
She then shifted her gaze to the mirror. A stunning young woman stared back at her. Even with tears streaming down her face, she looked captivating.
Even crying, you are soooo beautiful, Trixie. Truly the luckiest girl alive. Loved by both parents, born into wealth, blessed with everything I never had. And of course, you are just a side character who doesn't play a major role in my story.
***
In that night, Olivia appeared in the cream satin gown, her beauty magnified. She left her hair loose ans cascading down her back like a waterfall.
Woaaah! Even to make this hair looks beautiful, you'd have to hire a professional hair stylist. You're truly so beautiful, Trixie!
"Honey!" Tamara's voice interrupted her daze. Olivia turned. Her mother approached gracefully, clad in a deep navy dress.
"Yes, Mama?"
"Are you ready?"
"Of course! I'm ready!"
***
Two Rolls-Royce Phantoms gleamed under the porch lights of their mansion, paint shimmering in ivory white. Both cars looked identical, just as she had once written them for Trixie.
"Young Lady, please, this way," a chauffeur bowed. Then he led Olivia toward the driver's seat.
"Thank you!" Olivia nodded and followed him into the second car, while her parents entered the first. "Oh, wait! Why do I have to drive it? And also … why are my mom and dad in a different car?
The driver replied without hesitation, "Isn't this your usual request, Young Lady Trixie? You always choose to ride alone, without Mister Theo and Madam Tamara, and of course without me."
Olivia blinked, then quickly recovered. "Ah … right, sorry, I forgot." She said with laugh.
"It's alright, Young Lady. I understand, especially since you just drowned. That must be the reason your memory slipped."
Her lips curved into a wry smile. Of course. That was Trixie's habit, after all.
***
A man with piercing eyes. His gaze was colder than ice and sharp enough to cut through anyone daring to lie in front of him. Dark, glimmering irises radiated authority and a silent threat, requiring no words at all. With just one look, the stuffy, grimy room seemed to freeze, and making anyone in his sight struggle to breathe.
When he opened his mouth to ask about the stolen money, his voice was low but firm, each word carrying an unspoken weight of punishment. His merciless gaze left no room for escape.
"Tell me … where did you hide the money?"
His deep voice thundered across the room. Anyone hearing it would immediately be terrified, including the middle-aged man in front of him already drenched in blood because repeated beatings.
"I-I don't know, Mr. Bryan!" The man stammered. Additionally, both of his hands were tightly bound to the armchair.
Yes, that man was Bryan Baldwin. A CEO infamous for being cold, ruthless, and heartless. Rumors of his cruelty spread far and wide. People said that he had accepted the CEO position to conceal his true work as a top-tier mafia boss.
"Aaaah, so you don't want to tell me where money is, huh?" Bryan rose from his chair, he was glancing at one of his guards with narrowed eyes.
It looked like a warning.
Confess the truth or lose a finger ... and sometimes several fingers.
"Get the knife! Let's have some fun."
The man's fear intensified. "N-No, Mr. Bryan! P-Please, don't do this to me! I've been honest to you. Trust me," he pleaded. "I've always been loyal to you. I would never betray you, Mr Bryan."
Bryan paused, his jaw tightening.and chin lifting slightly. Signifying his dominance. "Prove it," he said, then he staring into the man's eyes. "Tell me where the money is, and I will believe you."
"I've told you, I don't know, sir! I was set up!"
"What? Set up? By whom?" Bryan tried to look calm, although he was angry because he lost his money.
The man froze, his eyes wide with terror. His pupils tremble and shrinking as if refusing to accept that death could come to him at any moment. His gaze glistened with tears, running down his cheeks. Behind those eyes was a silent plea, a mixture of desperation and helplessness.
At that moment, one of Bryan's guards came to the room. He approached to him and whispered.
Bryan's eyes widened before narrowing slowly. "Are you telling the truth?" Bryan asked.
"Yes, Mr.Bryan."
Immediately, the CEO's gaze returned to the helpless man before him. His hand reached for the knife that his guard was holding. "Give me that knife! Now!"
The guard nodded. Then, handing the blade to Bryan.
"S-Sir, please, don't cut my fingers!" The man's sobs broke out as the knife moved closer to his left thumb. He resigned himself, then closing his eyes with fear.
The knife moved swiftly, then cut through the rope.
Then came a "sreeeeekkk" sound that pierced the silence in that room.
After that, the knot that held him tightly snapped.
His eyes shot open. He counted carefully. "M-My fingers … all ten. They are still here."
Bryan stood with his back to the man. "I'm sorry, Sandy," he said. Then, he turned to one of his bodyguards. "Take care of Sandy's treatment. Bring him to the hospital immediately. I need to leave now."
"Yes, Sir!"
After that, he walked slowly out of the room, his footsteps still echoing even after he was gone.
The middle-aged man was bewildered. "W-Why did Mr. Bryan let me go?" he asked the guard. "What happen to him?"
One of a guard answered, "because the person who stole Mr. Bryan's money has been caught. The thief was hired by Mr. Bryan's enemy … The Panther."
Relief came over the man. The tight feeling in his chest disappeared as soon as he knew the truth.
***
The city's street were quiet that night, the workers having returned home. There were street lights with warm white light stood neatly in a row along the road.
A sleek black car glided smoothly along the avenue. Its long, sturdy body and dark tinted windows concealed the driver completely. No one could guess who was behind the wheel.
Drrrt! Drrrt! Drrrt!
A smartphone vibrated inside the car. A deep-voiced man picked it up. "Hello, Papa … what's up?"
"Bryan, where are you now?" a worried male voice asked.
"I'm on my way home, Papa."
"Hurry up, everyone's waiting."
"Ya." Bryan Bryan paused for a moment. Then, he took a deep breath. "Is there Mama too?"
"Yes, your mom is here! She comes."
Bryan smiled. He was happy because his mother was also present in that dinner.
Bruk!
Bryan's car stopped suddenly. In front of him, a middle-aged man in torn clothes was lying in the middle of the road.
Bryan knew that it was a trick because that place was famous for scammers pretending to be accident victims.
He then stepped out from his car. "Hey! Are you blind? You stop in the middle of the street!" he barked. He then stared at the man closely. And now he was sure that the man was just trying to trick him, because his face was exactly the one circulated by the police and the locals.
"I'm hungry, sir! I haven't eaten since yesterday," the man pleaded.
"Aaah, it's you!" Bryan then grabbed the man by his shirt, planning to take him to the police. "Hungry, huh? Fine, I'll take you to the cops, free meals there! But before I take you to the cops, I'll give you a lesson first so you don't deceive anyone."
The man's eyes widened when he heard the word "cops". "No, sir! Don't take me!" he begged.
Bryan clenched his fist. He was preparing to his strike.
Meanwhile …
Inside Olivia's car, she saw a man raising his hand to hit someone who looked like a homeless man. Her car screeched to a stop. Olivia jumped out quickly and rushed toward them.
Then …
Bam!
Bam!
Bam!
Olivia's punches rained down on Bryan's head. "Run, sir! Run!" She kept hitting him until Bryan's grip, once ironstrong, then loosened.
The man finally escaped, while Bryan was relentlessly beaten.
Bryan's anger flared. He grabbed Olivia's hand.
Their eyes met. An accidental, electrifying stare.
"Let go of me!" Olivia shouted, but Bryan held tight.
"Look what happened because of you! That man now got away. If you hadn't interfered, I'd have taken him to the police."
"What's wrong with him? Just because he's homeless, you think you can hit him and bring to the police?"
"Homeless, you say? He's a con artist who extorts passersby here by pretending to be an accident victim."
"Nonsense! That's just your excuse!"
Bryan released his grip on Olivia. Arguing with this woman was pointless, especially with his dinner party starting soon. "Fine, do as you like!" he said, then he was turning and walking toward his car.
"Hey!" Olivia yelled.
But Bryan ignored her, driving off at full speed.
"Crazy man! I hope I never meet that arrogant jerk again."
***