Second Impressions Book 3: Second Chances
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M. C. Capocci
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386K
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Olivia swore she was done with Darius. The heartbreak was too sharp, the memories too heavy. But one Hawaiian wedding has a way of rewriting rules, and suddenly, sheās stuck on an island with the man she canāt seem to erase. Heās fireādangerous, tempting, unforgettable. And then thereās the man whoās safe, steady, and offering her the kind of future anyone would dream of. Olivia tells herself sheās strong enough to resist old mistakes. Darius tells himself heās strong enough to win her back. But the closer they circle, the hotter the pull becomes. Can love that once broke her survive the truth waiting to be revealedāor will this reunion only reopen scars too deep to heal?
Let It Slide
Book 3: Second Chances
OLLIE
āDid you work on your speech?ā Thomas raised his eyebrows.
I ignored him, just as I had been ignoring my bridesmaid duties, while lifting the window shade and looking through the porthole: sea and more sea.
āTwo more hours,ā I said, glancing at my watch. The destination wedding sounded more like destination hell to me. āTwo more hours and we land in Hawaii.ā
My heartbeat increased just thinking of those silver eyes.
Because I was afraid, and not of flying.
I was afraid of being in close proximity to Darius Rothschild.
A whole week around him after everything that happened between us, and now I was with Archer.
Yes, I was now with Archibald Price.
Donāt ruin something good, Ollie.
āSay that to my flat ass. I am not made to fly in economy,ā Thomas growled.
āYou know, for someone so spiritual, you are quite a diva. Not so long ago, you enjoyed eating pop-tarts on the old carpet of my previous crappy apartment.ā
āYour new apartment is still crappy.ā
I gasped. The audacity.
āI will send Sarah the memo.ā I crossed my arms, giving him the side eye.
āNine hours trapped in a tuna can changes a person,ā he explained, unable to rearrange his legs without waking up the granny he had to his right.
For a moment, I felt sorry. He was too tall to fit like a normal person would.
āRemind me again why you refused Sarahās jet. You played me.ā
āBecause it is a Rothschildās jet.ā I rolled my eyes.
I would rather be dead than take the chance of flying with Anna or any of the Rothschilds on our way to Alexander and Sarahās wedding.
āAnd besides, now that I make money, I get to invite you.ā I tapped my friendās hand lightly and smiled at him, knowing he was my prisoner.
Who would swap a private jet flight for an economy flight? Well, no one.
I was selfish and needed his support to avoid a breakdown, even if he was unaware of that.
āWell, thank you for the cheap airplane ticket, honey.ā
āAh, stop being such a crybaby. Look, I know what you can do. You meditate for hours in that cocoon pose, just close your eyes and relax. Relax, Thomas,ā I said, while ignoring the gym rat in the seat in front of us opening a Tupperware full of boiled eggs.
āI have tried,ā Thomas said slowly, his voice full of irritation. āBut you continue making that weird noise with your throat.ā
I touched my neck, feeling my throatādrier by the second.
āTwo more hours and we will be there.ā The baby crying and the teenager that kept kicking the back of our seats were not helping the situation at all.
āHell, this airline is hell!ā Thomas raised his hand and pressed a button, calling the flight attendant, and soon spoke to her.
āWhen will food be served?ā he asked.
āDepends on the package you purchased. Our airline doesnāt provide any complimentary meals, snacks, or drinks,ā she replied.
āCharming,ā Thomas exclaimed. His miserable expression made me feel guilty again. āWhat package did you buy, honey? Let me guess. Is it the cheapest one?ā
āOh, stop it. It is called smart saving,ā I replied, giving the flight attendant our order and my new company card.
āBesides, I am paying my debts.ā
Liar.
I was debt-free because of Darius, but I was not sharing that with anyone. Ever.
āOnly because I feel proud you paid for my ticket, and even though I am in physical painā¦I will let it slide,ā he said. He then read my eyes.
āI will return with Sarah, though. Did you book a cheap hotel too? I know about the villa. Olivia Summer, we are staying in the villa with your sister and the whole family for her wedding, right?ā
āYes, yes, we will stay in the beach villa with Sarah and all the Rothschilds.ā I exhaled loudly.
Fuck my life.
āThank God,ā Thomas exclaimed. āDid you fix things with her?ā
Silence. I scratched my neck.
Sarah and I hadnāt exchanged a single word on how we left things. I knew we were off.
I was walking on eggshells with her now.
I interrupted him before he could lecture me. āShe has been busy getting all the wedding stuff.ā
And she had no time to deal with her cray-cray sister, alias me.
āYeah, but you said the same with baby Sophie.ā
Oh, just thinking about baby Sophie brought a smile to my face. The last time I saw the Rothschilds was when I visited the hospital for her birth.
āShe is fine, believe me.ā
āYou mean she is fine with the baby arriving early and pushing all her wedding preparations to the fire?ā
āI assure you, Alexander has ensured she has nothing to worry about. She is basically a real-life princess.ā
āRight,ā Thomas added.
āRight.ā I huffed, grabbing the edge of my seat. Oh, we were beginning to descend, and my time was running out.
āI still think his intention of marrying her before the baby popped was beautiful.ā
āYes, how traditional.ā
āDear, the Rothschilds are traditional,ā he said, emphasizing the last word. āWith a traditional jet.ā He touched the plastic arm support of our economy seats.
I rolled my eyes, knowing he had a point there. We were suffering because of my hurt ego.
āWhat is really bothering you?ā He frowned.
āAlexander doesnāt like me, okay?ā There, I said it out loud.
Could you blame him? Fucking his brother while he was looking to propose to the love of his life.
I tried to bring my head to my hands, but I immediately bumped my head against the seat in front of me. Fucking cheap economy seats.
āThat, just there, itās called instant karma.ā
I just made a face at him and rubbed my forehead.
Delayed karma was coming for me after that day on the boat where I was more than eager to play the role of Dariusās slut.
I wanted to think that he fucked me, but we fucked each other.
No more role-play. I needed to stay away from him. Yes. Away.
āYes, Olivia, hate me.ā
Darius Rothschild wanted me to hate him, and he succeeded. I huffed.
Yes, I did hate him. I hated Darius Rothschild so, so badly. I hated him for hurting me and for publishing my mistakes.
I hated the way he changed me and how he made me his slut.
Argh! Most of all, I hated finding out he cared.
Why did he offer to protect me and Sarah from his father? Why did he have to return my motherās bracelet?
Why did he take care of my medical bills? Why did I have to find out he got me out of debt?
Darius Rothschild had gotten so deep under my skin in ways I couldnāt comprehend, and now was not the time to let that man creep into my life again.
āThat was six months ago, and Iāve kept my distance from every Rothschild ever since,ā I said calmly.
Exactly. I had moved on. I was in balance now. I was dating Archibald Price.
My life was smooth sailing now.
āWell, congratulations on not adding a new one to the bunch in that timeframe. Hooray!ā
I sighed and hit Thomas with my elbow. āI still have one Rothschild who doesnāt hate me.ā
Vivian Rothschild genuinely liked me.
āHuh, I thought your new boyfriend slash business partner was a Rothschild.ā
āHe is a Price,ā I said. āAnd he is not my boyfriend yet. We areā¦ I think we are dating.ā
āDating?ā Thomas clapped in excitement. āOlivia Summer. Please donāt fuck this up by fucking Darius Rothschild again. You already fucked him at your sisterās surprise proposal. If youā¦ Damn it, Ollie, if you fuck this guy at her wedding, you will not only screw this up with Archibald but your relationship with Sarah too, and for good.ā
My heart raced again, and my shallow breathing appeared. Thomas slapped me lightly on the face. āChill the fuck up.ā
Chill the fuck up?
