Derisive Look

One. Two. Three. Four. Four gulps. Maxen listened as Olivia drank a glass of water, eagerly anticipating her reply to his invitation. He was steps away from his bedroom door, ready to wake up his entourage of servants to prepare for his special guest when he heard Olivia heave a sleepy sigh. Left with no choice, he dragged his feet back and unceremoniously slumped on his king-sized bed.

Inside Olivia's room, she buried herself under the duvet after blasting the air conditioner, dropping the temperature of her room a few degrees colder. She closed her eyes for a second and felt the bed pull her body, cocooning her to its soft, fluffy and warm embrace. With her phone sandwiched between her pillow and her ear, she slurred a reply to Maxen, "But it's only two in the morning, Max. That's far from sun up." She covered her mouth with the back of her hand to suppress the yawn that threatened to escape her mouth but failed anyway.

Maxen scratched his head when it registered to him how ridiculous he was for asking such a question. Hearing Olivia's muffled yawn, he decided it was time to end their three-hour phone call but before he could say goodnight, his mouth betrayed his mind and blurted out another invitation, "Any plans later for dinner? I can pick you up after work. We can come home together." Maxen abruptly stood up from his bed again as doubt crippled his being. He walked over the window, disappointment written all over his face while he watched the lights and the people who were still working on their graveyard shift from the neighboring office buildings. The heavy silence that hung in the air doubled his pain while he waited for Olivia's verdict.

On the other half of the penthouse suite floor, Olivia could not contain her laughter that it turned out into a snort. Luckily, she covered her face with the duvet just in time to mute the demeaning sound from her mouth. She thought, how could she tell him that the place she brought him earlier that night was her temporary office that's why there's no way he could pick her up and drop her home? So she cleared her throat and came out clean to him and said, "I'm currently working from home because my assistant is having a hard time finding the office space with my specifications."

"I see. I know a few places. Do you want me to show you around?" Maxen hissed after saying his recent offer. He realized that he sounded like a pushy girlfriend all night, making offers left and right throughout their phone call. He kicked his left leg in the air, annoyed, for he knew Olivia would once again deny his offer.

The truth is, Olivia had been refusing everything that Maxen offered the whole night not because she didn't want his help but because she didn't trust herself at all. Her head repeatedly told her to say goodnight and go to sleep three hours ago yet here she was, absorbed to their random conversations from her years in England and the places she visited in the past, to the point that she stave off her drowsiness.

"I think that's a wonderful idea. But first, let's get some sleep," Olivia replied. She smiled with her eyes closed upon hearing Maxen happily grunt across the other line that was followed by some shuffling noises which she assumed as his highness finally tucking himself to bed.

"Goodnight, Olivia," Maxen said as he glued his eyes on the ceiling that emit a soft warm glow from the lightstrip that ran across its perimeter.

"Good night, Max."

He could not help but let out a chuckle at how fast Olivia ended the phone call like the speed of light before he could speak another word. He peeled his phone away from his ears and saw for himself the glaring truth that Olivia had indeed ended the call, making him shake his head. He pushed his weight on his elbow as he propped his phone on the wireless charger by the bedside table and grabbed the remote next to it, turning off the lightstrip, letting the deafening silence and darkness calm his heart to sleep.

The sun was barely peeking out of the horizon, its rays painted the atmosphere in an ombre hue of pink and blue, yet Maxen peeled off from his bed a minute before the clock struck five in the morning as if he didn't sleep late last night. This habit had to be attributed to his years in the military which has trained him to wake up at that time of the morning. So every day he would wake up at the same time and start his day with his bodyweight workout to keep his body toned but not that beefy, enough for his arms and thighs to look swell and tight in his fitted suits.

From his bedroom, Maxen walked to the grand open floor plan of his penthouse suite. The water from the raised indoor pool sparkled as sunlight filtered through the floor to ceiling window. Across the living room was the kitchen that only Maxen could use.

Maxen scooped up his beauty, a medium-sized cat with striking black spots and streaks, who busily played with a yarn on the rug in the living room floor. A servant in waiting by the kitchen handed him a bottle filled with fresh milk and he started feeding his pet.

The pocket door in the kitchen slid open and out came Jack, all ready for today's packed schedule. He closed the door behind him which leads to the servants' quarters that had its own bedroom, toilet, and kitchen for, well, the servants to use.

"Clear my evening schedule," Maxen said, cradling his beauty in his arms as he fed it with milk. Jack raised his brow when Maxen turned and walked towards the U-shaped gray sectional sofa in the living room.

"Tonight's gala is sponsored by the Lee Family, your highness. I'm afraid you cannot not attend this event," Jack's voice albeit modulated gave off a hint of warning to Maxen who lay his beauty on the sofa when it finished its meal.

"Then add a plus one for me just in case."

"And the name is..."

"Olivia"

"Oliviaaa…" Jack waited for Maxen to say the family name but all he got was a derisive look from Maxen as if he's not doing his job properly.

"Olivia Sui. That's going to be her name."