The Other Woman: Realization

The Other Woman: Realization
By Misha

Disclaimer- Not mine. I’m just borrowing them for a little while and will return them when I am finished.

Author’s Notes- This is the first in a three-part series I plan on doing, focusing on Olivia’s feeling towards the MC in Book 1 (and early Book 2) of The Royal Romance. If you read my stories, you know that I portray a close bond between Olivia and Eleanor and this kind of explores how Olivia got to that point. This first part is set after the Chapter 8 of Book 1.

Pairing- Liam/MC, Liam/Olivia

Rating- PG

Summary- After the Lythikos ball, Olivia is forced to confront the reality of Liam’s feelings for Eleanor and change her approach to the American because of it.

Words- 998

Olivia watched the last limo pull away and then turned back to the Chateau to deal with the last few details before heading back to the Capitol for the rest of the social season.

Next up would be the Regatta, she’d already called and made sure her boat was being prepped and that the captain had procured a championship-worthy crew. All she had to do now was show up, which was probably why the Regatta was the event that she was looking forward to the most.

There was less chance for missteps with the Regatta. Less chance for emotion to take over. Olivia pursed her lips as she contemplated the previous night’s ball. It had not gone as she’d planned, kissing Liam had been an impulse and one she regretted. She had wanted to prove…

It didn’t matter what she’d wanted to prove, what mattered was that it hadn’t gone the way she’d planned.

Her secretary was waiting for her when she entered the Chateau. “Everything has been taken care of,” Rebecca assured her and then paused, “I know it’s not my place…”

“Then don’t say it!” Olivia snapped, sure that the other woman was going to bring up the incident on the dance floor.

Rebecca looked appropriately reprimanded, but after a moment forged ahead anyway. “I had to talk to the servants,” she continued, “get them to stop gossiping. We’re all happy for you, but if you are going to see the Prince in private, you have to be discreet about it. You should know that.” Rebecca’s features softened. “Olivia, I have worked with the duchy since before you were born, I want nothing more than to see you as Queen and I am happy you are so close, but… I don’t want to see you waste your opportunity by being indiscreet.”

Olivia barely registered her words or the sentiment behind them, too focused on the first part of what Rebecca had said, about her seeing the prince in private…

“What are the servants saying?” She asked instead, striving to keep the panic from her tone.

“Just speculating about the candles and the wine glasses in the prince’s suite,” Rebecca told her, “it was obvious that he wasn’t alone last night.”

The words were like a knife to Olivia’s heart but she fought to keep her face impassive. “I’ll be more discreet next time,” she said coolly, “alert the driver that I want to head out in the next half an hour please.”

With that Olivia and turned and walked away, waiting until she was alone in her room to let the emotion hit her. Liam had had company in his suite last night. The kind of company he lit candles for and drank wine with.

It had to be her. The American. Eleanor. It couldn’t be anyone else.

Olivia pictured the others suitors, knowing that she had the edge on all of them, even if Countess Madeleine had the Queen in her corner. No, if the season had gone the way it had been supposed to, she’d be feeling pretty triumphant right now.

Instead, she felt like the world was ending and it was all because Maxwell Beaumont had decided to sponsor an unknown American. It should have been a disaster, after all, it was laughable to think that such a woman could actually be a viable suitor and yet…

After three events, Olivia already knew better than to write Eleanor Sloane off as having no chance. She was surprisingly poised and capable, adapting quickly.

But that wasn’t what made her dangerous. It was the way Liam looked at her and now this… The news that Liam, of all people, had been so indiscreet… Liam was never indiscreet. He’d spent his whole life aware that was the world was watching him and trying to live up to their expectations, he also made fairness an art form.

As a child, he’d always tried to be perfectly fair when it came to her and Drake, making sure they both got a say and trying to make them both happy. Not that it had ever worked, Olivia reminisced with a sudden laugh, if there was one thing she and Drake had ever agreed on, it was that they didn’t want to compromise and they didn’t want to share Liam. So for him to favor a suitor like that, even privately…

It meant that he was in love with her, Olivia realized. Liam was in love with the American. He might not know it yet, but she suddenly knew it was true.

The realization brought tears to her eyes, but Olivia blinked them back furiously. She had cried enough over Liam in the past. This wasn’t the time.

She took a deep breath and pulled herself together. She had a regatta to attend and a social season to win. This didn’t change anything, not really. She’d accepted long ago that Liam didn’t love her and had decided that didn’t matter, she loved him enough for both of them. Though that had been easier to swallow when she’d at least had the comfort of knowing he might not love her, but he didn’t love anyone else either.

Still, she’d persevere.

Just because Eleanor had won Liam’s heart didn’t mean that she was going to win the social season. Liam might be infatuated, but his first loyalty was always going to be Cordonia and if Eleanor couldn’t hack it, then she wouldn’t be Liam’s bride and Olivia still had faith in her ability to beat every other woman in the competition.

So, in theory, she should focus on sabotaging Eleanor, but she knew she couldn’t do that. It would be easy, but… It would hurt Liam and she would never do that. At the end of the day, she’d rather have Liam be happy without her than to be the reason for his unhappiness.

Still, she wasn’t giving up or conceding defeat. This was still a competition and she intended to win.

• End