Exclusively Yours - Episode 39
Subtitle; {Please, Love Me}
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Olivia's POV
Waking up in a tent has its perks, and I absolutely love them. Riccardo greeted me with a morning kiss and his signature smile at six in the morning, allowing me to have my bath before the others woke up.
My husband is simply the best.
Camping in the woods has always been a passion of mine, one I inherited from my camping-loving parents. Being out here in the middle of nowhere brings out the adventurous little girl in me, and I'm determined to savor every moment.
The scorching sun felt like molten lava on my skin, despite wearing a crop top, denim shorts, and my hair tied back in a ponytail.
As I surveyed my surroundings, the cameras capturing every move, I couldn't help but wonder about the origins of this show. All I know is that I'm here to win.
"So, I will need our couples to choose a color from the basket over there, which will be your team for the rest of the show," the host announced enthusiastically into the mic.
He seemed to really enjoy his job.
I glanced at Riccardo to share my favorite color, but he was already ahead of me. Our eyes met, and he nodded, eliciting a small smile from me.
I'm not sure what he's doing to me, but I'm enjoying the feeling.
"All of you have selected your teams. Today's first game is called 'How well do you know your partner?' Are you ready?"
Not really.
Turns out, you don't need years to get to know someone. Forty-five minutes into the game, we had a combined score of twenty out of a hundred. I underestimated how well I knew Riccardo, but he has a way of slowly revealing himself to you without you even realizing it.
Now, we're alone in the tent, waiting for him to break the silence with his usual banter. Finally, he spoke, "I never knew you knew me that well."
Me neither.
In a matter of seconds, he spun me around, my hands instinctively finding their place on his chest. Our eyes locked, and he asked, "Are you falling for me?"
"What if I am?" I whispered.
"Then I'll be the happiest man alive."
"Maybe you need to try harder for that to happen," I teased.
"Challenge accepted, Sunshine."
What he doesn't know is that I've already fallen for him. I can't even lie to myself anymore. How am I supposed to resist him when he's so caring, understanding, and treats a woman right?
That's dàmn near impossible.
☆☆☆☆
Minutes turned into hours, hours into days, and finally, we were at the last game before the finale round when the winner would be announced.
This week has been exhausting. Asia is a nutcase. Just give up already. He's mine. From her silly pranks, tripping me once, to nearly getting me lost in the desert looking for tree branches, she can't seem to give up, and it's annoying. But, setting her aside—difficult since she's always around my husband—I had fun and loved my time here. The last game is a lie detector test where we candidates get to ask questions.
"Where did you two meet?" My biggest enémy asked, and I tried not to lash out, as my husband had asked me to behave.
"It's a yes or no question, Antarctica," I replied with a fake smile.
A stifled laugh rippled through our circle as I watched her frown. "It's Asia."
"That's what I said."
"Alright, Axel, do you love Olivia?" London asked Axel, my best friend, who I knew loved me.
"Yes," Axel replied with a smile.
"Romantically?"
"No," Axel hesitated and cursed under his breath as the machine shocked him.
Asia smirked, Riccardo scoffed, and I noticed a knowing look from him. I turned to Felicity, who seemed to be enjoying the drama.
"It may be a malfunction, right, Axel?" I asked, trying to prove Axel might have romantic feelings for me. "Right?"
"Totally," Axel muttered.
"Asia, do you love Riccardo romantically?" I stared shocked at City but her eyes were on Asia's nervous one. "Do you?"
"He's my childhood friend."
"That wasn't the question, Europe," London interjected. "Answer the question. Do you love your 'childhood friend,' yes or no?"
"No," Asia answered, shocked by the machine.
Riccardo glared at Axel, who mirrored his actions. I wondered why Axel wasn't speaking up or if Riccardo just saw what just happened.
"Olive, are you with Riccardo for his money?" Asia asked.
"No."
"Antarctica, can you get a life?" I snapped, my patience waning.
"I already have one."
"Highly doubt that."
"Yeah? You wouldn't even know what a life looks like because you managed to ensnare a rich man."
I laughed mockingly. "At least, I ensnared him. Can you do better?"
"You are a..."
"Enough, Asia," Riccardo intervened, surprising me by scolding me too. "You too, Olivia."
My gaze automatically flicked to him, shocked that he just said what he said on live TV to me, his wife. "She started it."
"I do not care."
A scoff escaped my mouth, and I rolled my eyes before stomping out, abandoning the whole game. Felicity ran after me, hollering my name and waking all the desert animals I hadn't seen.
"Dàmn, can you walk slower?" she complained. I halted my movement, swiftly turned to face her, and forced her to stop abruptly. "Eishhh, you've got a temper."
"I do not."
"You kinda do. That, however, was pretty dope, you know. I loved every second of how you replied to her. Girl, I love you."
"So, you don't think that was too much?" I whispered so softly that I could barely hear myself, but when she nodded, I knew she did. "Really?"
"Yeah. She deserved everything that happened there."
"Why did you ask that question, City?"
"Why shouldn't I? She's been around you guys like a bee on nectar. I suspected something fishy was going on, and I needed to find out what."
"On live TV?"
"Yeah."
"You're unwéll."
"I know," Felicity nodded. "So, how are you going to get her off your man?"
"I don't need to do anything. Nothing will happen because I know for a fact that my husband, Riccardo, is totally obsesséd with me. And, he wouldn't believe it if I told him about her behavior."
"And Axel, what are you going to do about him?"
"I don't understand," I said, hoping that whatever she said next would clear the doubt in my head.
"He might like you, you know, romantically."
Taking a step closer to her, I asked, "You think?"
"If I say I know, I'd be lying. He has been behaving strangely since your engagement announcement."
I know that. Then I thought it was just because he hatés Riccardo, but now I think it might be more than that.
What could have happened to them to make such a level of animósity show in Axel's eyes? He looked like he could sñap Riccardo's head off and not bat an eye.
This is way more serious than I thought.
"I noticed that too," I pondered, trying to see if any missed clues popped up in my head. "I heard they all attended high school together."
"But Axel was with us," Felicity countered.
"Yeah, I remember that because I was there. I'm talking about the first years of high school; he spent it with them, I know that for sure. Asia said they were friends before something happened between Riccardo and Axel."
"What happened?" I stared at her, her eyes thoughtful as if she was digging into an ancient, long mystery.
"That's what I don't know."
"Do you want to find out?"
"Yeah. Definitely."
"Is that another way of saying FBI mode is on?" She teasingly taunted, winking at me. I chuckled, shaking my head at her attempt to make me say her words. "Come on, say it."
"FBI mode is on."
"Yay."
••
"You're behaving childishly," Riccardo expressed as we got dressed for the after party where the winners would be announced.
I ignored him while trying to figure out how to style my dress with the low-cut satin mini dress I had on. My makeup was perfect, and my hair was on its way to the same road.
"You're really not going to talk to me?" He added, the underlying anger in his voice coming out. "Olivia. Look at me."
I didn't. I held my hair up with a claw clip, letting a couple of strands fall on both sides of my face. I applied my lipstick and I was good to go.
"Fine, I'm sorry, okay? I am sorry. Please, let's not fight." Riccardo waited for a second for me to say something, and when I didn't, he sighed heavily. "Olivia, please, talk to me."
Now, if he said it like that, I'd have to talk to him. God, what is he doing to me? This is so annoying if he has such an effect on me. I want to hate him so much, but I don't.
"Sunshine, talk to me," he begged again, and it was my turn to sigh before facing him.
"You yelled at me."
"I am sorry."
"On live TV."
"I'm sorry."
"In front of everyone present and basically worldwide."
"Sorry, baby."
"All because of Asia. I don't like Asia, and I hate that you don't want to believe me when I tell you that she isn't a good person."
"She is a good person. You are just be misunderstanding her."
But here he goes again, supporting his friend rather than me, his wife whom he claims to love so much. This is frustrating.
"And I'm not?" I snapped.
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't need to."
"Why are you doing this? I'm trying to apologize, and you're changing the subject to get mad at me again."
"Well, I'm not sorry for wanting my husband to trust me over his friend. You're mine, Riccardo, only mine, and I hate sharing. I won't share you with anyone, especially not Asia." His lips twitched into a smile, and I scowled, crossing my arms to glare at him. "Am I amusing you?"
"A little. You just claimed me as yours."
"Aren't you?" I whispered, taking cautious steps towards him. I tilted my head, gazing flirtatiously into his eyes.
"I am," he replied.
"Good."
"Are you mine?"
"I've answered that question before, haven't I?" I traced my fingers along his shirt. "That day in the car..."
"I don't remember," he lied with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Why should I? I'm angry with you," I retorted, pulling him closer by his collar. His large frame almost knocked me over if he hadn't quickly steadied me by my waist.
A faint pout appeared on his lips as his thumb caressed my waist. "But I'm such a good husband."
"Are you?"
"Absolutely. So, say it."
"No,"
"Please?"
"Nope."
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As the candidates of the game show settled into their seats, the host prattled on. I had decided to ignore him, still playing hard to get with Riccardo.
"We have a celebrity guest to announce the winner. Can you guess who it is?" He beamed. "She's a multi-talented person, an award-winning actress, singer, model, artist, author, and producer. Jade Rodriguez!"
A stunning woman in an exquisite dress ascended the stage with grace. Her layered hair rested on her shoulders, her makeup flawless, her figure hourglass, and her smile dazzling.
"Hello, it's been a while, hasn't it, friends?" She spoke into the mic, her eyes shifting from Riccardo to Axel to Asia. "I'm happy to be back."
Axel looked betrayed, Riccardo angry, and Asia indifferent.
She was the one. The cause of their conflict stood before me, smiling at my husband.
"Drama," Felicity gasped in a singsong voice.
Oh no.
TBC 📖✍️
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