CHAPTER ONE: “You should be a match. Get ready..”

OLIVIA

“Lori, does this look okay?” I ask, trying to mask my anxiety, as she helps me into my engagement dress—accompanied by a set of diamond accessories, that mirrors the heaviness in my chest. 

“Ye–Yes, Miss Olivia. You look beautiful,” she replies, trying to counter my doubt. “Like a princess.” Lori, our housekeeper has been with us since I was ten, always caring and supportive, almost like family.

Again, I glance at myself in the mirror. I do look like a princess, with my curvy body and round breasts accentuated by the slit that ends mid-thigh. The dress fits perfectly, yet I feel like a stranger in my own skin. 

“Okay. Well, It’s just... this whole engagement thing. I haven’t even met him,” I press my temple with the tip of my thumb.

Lori gives me a sympathetic smile. She's a few years older than me and has never been married, but I believe she’d be able to share in my pain.

“I’m certain about him. You're so pretty, with a big heart, who wouldn't be kind and loving towards you? And your father knows best” she assures me.

I sigh as she adjusts the last of my accessories then leads me down the grand staircase to my father’s lavish sitting room.

The room is transformed with elegant floral arrangements, luxurious linens draping the table. My parents are already seated. My mother, Katelyn, looking younger than her fifty years, is conversing with a man whose back is to me. It’s him.

I stand there, frozen, staring at the rearview of the man-my fiancé. Right from where I stand, his aura is magnetic. Commanding. Surpasses even my father's.

Katelyn’s voice cuts through my thoughts. “Olly, must you always push yourself to the limit?”

I turn to her, pressing my lips together. “Come on, Mom, lighten up,” I say, my voice tinged with playful defiance. “Life’s too short to dwell on responsibilities. Besides, what’s a few eye bags and a dull complexion in the grand scheme of things?”

Kateyln sighs, glancing at William, my father.

“Olivia, sit,” he orders.

I sit on the couch farthest from him. I often push their patience, but I don’t see why I should be perfecta Olivia when we pretty much have everything.

William is known for his knack for making connections with both the highs and the lows. When I was born, he took over the Connor Empire after the death of his younger brother, though I’ve never cared to learn why his brother inherited the empire instead of him in the first place.

What gives the Connor Empire that recognition is its connections to nearly every sector imaginable, except for the mining sector, specifically one of the biggest autonomous mines in Melbourne. 

William is all about climbing the social ladder. As he does, he transforms from new money to old money, willing to do anything to secure his place. 

With his numerous connections, he’s become authoritative and controlling even in the family. But I’ve always been stubborn enough to fight for what I want and do things my way—sometimes, at least.

He'd forced me to learn all of these things while I was growing up because, as his only child and heiress, I’m expected to take over one day. I understand that he’s doing everything to protect me, but I just wish I had enough freedom to make some crucial choices for myself.

“Olivia,” he starts. “Tomorrow marks your twenty-fifth birthday, a significant milestone for our family.” He pauses to look at me.

I nod silently, waiting to see where he's driving at.

“It is time for you to fulfill your duties as the heiress to our family’s legacy,” he continues. “Your mother and I have decided you will marry a suitable match to carry on our lineage.”

My eyes roll, “Fine, since it's the eve before my birthday, Ava and I can sit out to pick a ‘suitable match’, I emphasize.

My parents exchange stares as if they have other plans that I know nothing about. 

“What?” I reluctantly ask with arms open. “It’s because I haven’t had a relationship in a long while. To be honest, I can't even think of anyone who matches my interests. Not yet though,” I wink.

Katelyn shakes her head.

“You should be a match. Get ready; he’ll be here by evening tomorrow.” William rises to his feet. 

“What? Dad!” I yell, rising with him. “You never spoke of choosing a husband for me.”

“Olly, do not raise your voice at your father,” Katelyn interjects.

William eyes me and walks off.

“Mom, tomorrow is too soon. You and dad never discussed this with me.”

“We gave you enough time, Olly. But you let irrelevance fuel you, thinking you had more time,” she explains.

“Still mom, still. I'm twenty-four for goodness sake. I can make my own decisions,” I exhale.  

“Twenty-five. Almost,” Katelyn shrug.

“I've accepted my duties, but at least.. All I expected of you and dad is to give me the privilege to choose a man. Someone I'll like. Mom, we're talking about marriage here.” I sigh, turning away from her. “What if I disappoint dad?”

“Look at us, Olly. It’ll be well, eventually,” Katelyn says softly, grabbing my hands.

I knew this day would come but didn’t expect it so soon. I haven’t even had a real boyfriend in all my lazy twenty-four years. Tomorrow, on the eve of my birthday, I will be betrothed to a man I barely know, thrust into a life of obligation and duty without so much as a say in the matter.

I retreat to my room with my father's expectations weighing heavily on my mind like a leaden cloak. Closing the door, it dawns on me that my days of freedom are numbered. But where would I turn if I were to defy my father's wish? My world revolves around the walls of our expansive mansion and estates, with its beautiful gardens and imposing iron gates that keep the outside world at bay.

I collapse on my bed, but the softness of the mattress offers only little comfort against the turmoil raging within me. I may have agreed to the engagement out of obligation, but that doesn't mean I have to surrender my autonomy completely. 

Tomorrow, I will don the veil of a dutiful daughter and future wife, but tonight, I will revel in the brief moments of freedom, savoring each precious second. Perhaps my husband-to-be will have just as much fun.

I rise from the bed with newfound determination coursing through my veins, my burning eyes landing on my phone that I'd left on the vanity.

“Oh, Ava,” I yawn. “I wonder what extravagant plans she has concocted.” My best friend already called me to get ready for a pre-birthday surprise. Knowing her adventurous spirit, it could be anything from a spontaneous road trip to a lavish spa day. “Ah, and sex,” I add with a chuckle, shaking my head at her unpredictable nature.

"My daughter, Olivia Connor," William’s voice, coupled with Lori's touch, snaps me back to reality. I'm unsure how long I've been standing on these steps, reminiscing about yesterday’s events. A day I probably can't have back.

William waves his hand. His creamy skin contrasts with the streaks of grey and blonde in his closely cropped hair. Despite his plump figure, there's an undeniable elegance to his movements.

Both my mother and the young man turn to look at me. A faint gasp escapes my lips at the sight before me. His front view is even more striking than his back, with chestnut brown hair, long enough to be tied but instead cascading down his shoulders. The subtle hint of gold catches the light, framing his intense gaze and long-lashed eyes. 

A crisp white shirt peek out from beneath the suit, adorn with a single white jasmine flower tucked into the chest pocket. Jasmine?

"Olivia, come sit," William instructs.

With nerves eating my insides, I carefully walk down the steps. The young man’s eyes follow my every move.

He then walks up to me to take my hand, his towering presence filling the room, standing at a formidable six feet two. Thereabout. His movements are graceful, reminiscent of a model on the runway, yet there is a controlled tension in every step, like a marionette being manipulated by invisible strings.

“Dad, mom," I nod in acknowledgement, taking a seat beside the young man.

“Lachlan Watson, Son of Nicolas and heir to Crest Excavation. One of the biggest mining sectors in Australia, with a mouth watering net worth,” William finishes with a grin. 

Nicolas, Lachlan’s father, is quite popular in Australia as I’ve only heard his name a few times from William, but now it all makes sense. I’m just as stunned. William has finally caught the big fish. Marriage, it seems, is his chosen strategy to make the connection permanent. By marrying into their family, William will secure the connection he’s been chasing for so long. 

“Quite an introduction, William.” Lachlan’s lips curl into a faint, polite smile.

His voice is deep and smooth, like velvet, with a hint of an accent. “She is beautiful. A little bird,” he smirks, staring at my father under his long eyelashes.

“Nice to meet you," I reply, my voice steadier than I feel.

"I trust your journey here was pleasant?" Lachlan smiles.

His question answered the fact that I stood on those stairs for a while. There’s a brief, awkward silence before Katelyn chimes in. "We’re so thrilled to finally have you two meet. We didn't mean to rush things."

“As if,” I scoff silently.