His for a year. - Chapter 19: Chapter 19
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“You don't want to let me in?” He asked, still wearing a smile, like he wasn't the same man who'd looked ready to skin me alive hours ago.
I stepped aside, filled with curiosity and confusion.
His steps were unhurried. His navy suit jacket slung over his arm. He didn’t say anything again, just walked over to the long chaise by the balcony and sat, the sheer curtains swaying gently beside him as a breeze drifted through the glass balcony doors.
I followed him behind and sat on a smaller couch opposite, curling my legs under me. I clutched a throw pillow to my chest like a shield.
He glanced at me.
“I’m not here to bite,” he said, one brow slightly raised.
I blinked. “Didn’t say you were.”
He smirked lightly, leaning back. “You were quiet today.”
I shrugged, unsure of what to say. “You were... different. With Leo.”
A flicker of something crossed his face—fondness, maybe even nostalgia. “We’ve known each other since we were kids. Boarding school, summer houses, scandals. Everything.”
He ran a hand through his hair, and then looked right at me.
“I know you felt out of place,” he said. “But you don’t have to be. Leo’s... loud, reckless sometimes, but he’s family.”
I nodded slowly.
He exhaled. “And... I know what happened. With him. The moment. I didn’t miss it.”
My heart stopped for a beat. Why was he so attentive to my movements? “Zade—”
He waved a hand to stop me. “Relax. He told me already. About the whole ‘she’s pretty’ and all that. I saw it too. But I also saw how you looked like you wanted to disappear into his arms.”
I bit the inside of my cheek.
He laughed, “You don’t have to be uncomfortable. Not around Leo. He doesn’t mean harm, and I don’t want you second-guessing your space in a room. You belong. You're my wife.”
I swallowed hard. That last part pierced something in me.
“He’s going to be around a lot. He always is when he’s not on set. But I want you to be yourself around him. No fear, no stiffness.”
Zade tilted his head. “We’ll figure the whole David thing out. Together.”
He stood then, just as calm as when he entered. At the door, he turned briefly.
“You looked really beautiful today, Olive. I totally agree with Leo.”
Then he left.
Just like that.
Leaving me breathless in a room that suddenly felt too quiet, too full of things I didn’t know what to do with.
A sincere compliment from Zade. On a day I wasn’t even trying—no makeup, in my silk nightwear, nude lipstick. He wasn’t flirting. He wasn’t mocking me.
And I didn’t know what to do with that.
I tried to fight the smile spreading across my face like someone was watching—but I failed, miserably.
I slipped under the duvet, my heart still fluttering. Tonight had taken a turn I didn’t expect. It was weird seeing Zade like this, he was more human than usual, but I liked it.
I wished more days could end like this.
_ _ _
I woke up smiling.
I slept like a baby. No dreams. No stress. Just... peace.
All because of one sincere compliment.
What would it feel like if something even better happened between us? If things got more intimate?
I slapped my cheeks gently, waking myself up from my delusion. I shouldn't think that far yet.
I stretched under the covers, staring at the ceiling for a long moment, my cheeks still warm from last night.
My phone lit up with a message.
Zade: “Going to work. Invite your friends over if you want. The house is yours.”
I blinked at the screen, rereading the message.
He wanted me to feel at home. Like I belonged here. I loved whatever influence Leo had on Zade.
Grinning, I grabbed my phone and dialed Aliyah.
“Olive?” she answered on the first ring, suspiciously awake for this early.
“Wanna come over?”
“Come over? To where?”
“The Avner fortress,” I said, dragging the words with a grin.
Her scream was loud enough to make me pull the phone away from my ear.
“What?! Give me thirty minutes! No—twenty! Should I bring Amanda?”
“Definitely, I'm going to text her. Zade said it’s fine.”
“I’m bringing two outfits and heels. I know you have a mirror the size of a building!”
I laughed and ended the call. Then texted Amanda the address and the driver's number with a warning not to faint.
Forty minutes later, the guards were helping them out of the car, jaws already dropping as they stepped in the mansion.
“What in the name of rich people sorcery is this?” Aliyah whispered, eyes bouncing from the white stone columns to the shimmering pool in the distance.
Amanda was speechless, her eyes wide as they stepped into the entryway with its grand chandelier and marble floors.
“Okay, wow,” she finally breathed. “You live here?”
I grinned. “Technically, yes.”
I led them upstairs, their reactions getting louder with every turn. When we entered my room, Amanda gasped audibly.
“This is a suite. This is a hotel suite. No—this is a palace!”
Aliyah was already flopping onto the edge of my bed, bouncing lightly. “Olive. You better never complain about anything again.”
I couldn’t stop smiling. For once, it didn’t feel like I was pretending. I was genuinely happy.
Zade had said I belonged.
And for the first time—I almost believed him.
Aliyah sat cross-legged at the foot of my bed, twirling her braids like she was already moving in, her eyes buried in her phone—probably texting her boyfriend. Amanda had kicked off her shoes and was inspecting the gold trim on the bed frame like it might actually be edible.
I perched on the velvet chaise by the window, still giddy from how comfortable it felt having them here.
I leaned forward, grinning. “Guess who I saw yesterday.”
Amanda stopped mid-scroll on her phone. “Is this a trick question?”
Aliyah narrowed her eyes. “A celebrity? Tell me it’s a celebrity. It's definitely a celebrity.”
I wiggled my brows. “Leo Parker.”
Amanda gasped. “Leo freaking Parker? As in six-foot-three, cinnamon voice, sexiest jawline in the universe Leo Parker?”
Aliyah practically jumped off the bed. “The actor? The one with the butterfly tattoo on his arm?! That Leo?”
I nodded like I hadn’t replayed the entire moment twenty-five times in my head since last night.
“He just… walked in, all smooth and loud and gorgeous, and Zade jumped like a puppy seeing its owner after five years. Apparently, they’re childhood friends.”
Amanda clutched her chest like she needed a defibrillator.
“I would’ve been in the ICU by now. Did he say anything to you?”
I giggled. “He said, and I quote, ‘She’s pretty.’”
Aliyah screamed.
“That man could say I look like a broomstick and I’d frame it.”
Amanda shook her head in mock disappointment. “And you survived that? I would’ve exploded.”
I sighed dramatically. “I genuinely wanted to throw myself into his arms. Like, if Zade wasn't standing there, I might’ve just done it. He’s got that kind of energy.”
Aliyah laughed so hard she nearly rolled off the bed. “You would’ve made headlines, ‘Billionaire’s wife caught in a scandal with actor bestie.’”
“In high definition,” Amanda added.
We all cracked up, the kind of laughter that came from deep down, the kind that made your stomach hurt in the best way.
“Wait, wait—” Aliyah wiped tears from her eyes. “What did Zade do when Leo complimented you?”
I pressed my lips together, trying to hide my blush.
“He agreed.”
Amanda and Aliyah stared at me in disbelief.
“What do you mean he agreed?” Amanda demanded. “You mean like… sarcastically or like, genuinely?”
I tilted my head, smiling into my palm. “Genuinely. No teasing. Just, ‘I totally agree with Leo.’”
Silence. Then Aliyah flung a pillow across the room.
“Oh my God, you’re living in a romance novel!” Aliyah squealed, kicking her legs in the air.
“Who even compliments their fake wife sincerely like that?” Amanda added, her voice suddenly back to normal.
“Zade Avner Lloyd, apparently,” I said, laughing.
Amanda narrowed her eyes, suspicious. “You’re catching feelings, Olive.”
I grabbed another pillow. “Shut up.”
“I’m just saying—”
I signalled her to stop because of Aliyah who was too busy giggling to grasp anything we said.
“Don’t just say,” I teased, tossing the pillow at her. “Come see the closet. You’ll forget how to speak.” I quickly diverted from the topic Amanda raised.
They both scrambled up immediately, squealing like kids on Christmas morning as I led them to the walk-in.
The moment I opened the double glass doors, Aliyah's jaw dropped. “This isn’t a closet. This is a boutique.”
They were greeted with shelves of designer bags. Rows of color-coded heels. Drawers that slid out like magic. And the clothes—dresses, blouses, coats—each one looking like it belonged on a runway.
“Are these yours?” Amanda whispered, touching a silk slip with reverence.
I shrugged. “Technically. It was stocked as soon as our wedding was announced.”
Aliyah spun in the middle of the room. “I need to sin. I need to steal. Just one thing.”
I leaned against one of the mirrored panels, grinning like I couldn’t help it.
“You guys are insane.”
Aliyah smirked, holding up a sleek black dress against her body. “No, you’re insane. Living in a mansion. Married to a Greek god. Friends with a movie star. Closet of our dreams. And that man—Zade—he’s watching you like a hawk in a world full of pigeons.”
My laughter faded a little. Because the way she said it? It felt real.
Hours passed like minutes. We tried on heels in my closet, filmed silly videos we swore we wouldn’t post, and talked about everything from old high school drama to Amanda’s disastrous talking stage with a guy who thought “vibes” was a love language.
For a while, I forgot. Forgot the weight of pretending, the contract, the way my heart jumped and stuttered every time Zade looked at me too long. For a while, I was just Olive again. Not Olive Lloyd. Not a bride with secrets.
Just Olive with her girls.
By the time the sun dipped behind the mansion and warm amber light painted the windows, we were sprawled out in the lounge downstairs, too full and too content to move.
“Okay, I never want to go back to my real life,” Amanda mumbled from the plush white sofa.
“Same,” Aliyah yawned. “Let’s just live here. We’ll hide behind the curtains if we hear footsteps.”
“You two are hopeless,” I said, laughing softly.
Their bags were already packed—shopping bags full of snacks from the kitchen, a fluffy towel Amanda swore she accidentally packed, and a few borrowed skincare goodies from my vanity.
A sleek black SUV waited by the front drive. Zade had already arranged for the driver to take them home safely, and I didn’t even have to ask.
We hugged for a long time at the door. The kind of hug where no one says too much, but everything is understood.
“You okay?” Aliyah whispered.
I nodded. “Yeah. Today was... perfect.”
Amanda grinned. “You’re glowing. You better not mess this up.”
I rolled my eyes but smiled. “Goodnight, guys.”
“Goodnight, Mrs. Billionaire,” they sang in unison as they walked out, waving dramatically through the open car window.
And just like that, the house fell quiet again.
My thoughts immediately shifted to Zade. He hadn't said much all day. No teasing. No surprise appearances. Just the quiet echo of yesterday’s words still sitting somewhere deep in my chest.
"You belong. You're my wife."
I curled up on the chaise by the balcony, hoping maybe he’d walk in like before. Maybe say something else that would mess with my heartbeat.
But he didn’t.
And eventually, the breeze lulled me to sleep, the sheer curtains dancing beside me, moonlight casting soft shadows across the room.
I stepped aside, filled with curiosity and confusion.
His steps were unhurried. His navy suit jacket slung over his arm. He didn’t say anything again, just walked over to the long chaise by the balcony and sat, the sheer curtains swaying gently beside him as a breeze drifted through the glass balcony doors.
I followed him behind and sat on a smaller couch opposite, curling my legs under me. I clutched a throw pillow to my chest like a shield.
He glanced at me.
“I’m not here to bite,” he said, one brow slightly raised.
I blinked. “Didn’t say you were.”
He smirked lightly, leaning back. “You were quiet today.”
I shrugged, unsure of what to say. “You were... different. With Leo.”
A flicker of something crossed his face—fondness, maybe even nostalgia. “We’ve known each other since we were kids. Boarding school, summer houses, scandals. Everything.”
He ran a hand through his hair, and then looked right at me.
“I know you felt out of place,” he said. “But you don’t have to be. Leo’s... loud, reckless sometimes, but he’s family.”
I nodded slowly.
He exhaled. “And... I know what happened. With him. The moment. I didn’t miss it.”
My heart stopped for a beat. Why was he so attentive to my movements? “Zade—”
He waved a hand to stop me. “Relax. He told me already. About the whole ‘she’s pretty’ and all that. I saw it too. But I also saw how you looked like you wanted to disappear into his arms.”
I bit the inside of my cheek.
He laughed, “You don’t have to be uncomfortable. Not around Leo. He doesn’t mean harm, and I don’t want you second-guessing your space in a room. You belong. You're my wife.”
I swallowed hard. That last part pierced something in me.
“He’s going to be around a lot. He always is when he’s not on set. But I want you to be yourself around him. No fear, no stiffness.”
Zade tilted his head. “We’ll figure the whole David thing out. Together.”
He stood then, just as calm as when he entered. At the door, he turned briefly.
“You looked really beautiful today, Olive. I totally agree with Leo.”
Then he left.
Just like that.
Leaving me breathless in a room that suddenly felt too quiet, too full of things I didn’t know what to do with.
A sincere compliment from Zade. On a day I wasn’t even trying—no makeup, in my silk nightwear, nude lipstick. He wasn’t flirting. He wasn’t mocking me.
And I didn’t know what to do with that.
I tried to fight the smile spreading across my face like someone was watching—but I failed, miserably.
I slipped under the duvet, my heart still fluttering. Tonight had taken a turn I didn’t expect. It was weird seeing Zade like this, he was more human than usual, but I liked it.
I wished more days could end like this.
_ _ _
I woke up smiling.
I slept like a baby. No dreams. No stress. Just... peace.
All because of one sincere compliment.
What would it feel like if something even better happened between us? If things got more intimate?
I slapped my cheeks gently, waking myself up from my delusion. I shouldn't think that far yet.
I stretched under the covers, staring at the ceiling for a long moment, my cheeks still warm from last night.
My phone lit up with a message.
Zade: “Going to work. Invite your friends over if you want. The house is yours.”
I blinked at the screen, rereading the message.
He wanted me to feel at home. Like I belonged here. I loved whatever influence Leo had on Zade.
Grinning, I grabbed my phone and dialed Aliyah.
“Olive?” she answered on the first ring, suspiciously awake for this early.
“Wanna come over?”
“Come over? To where?”
“The Avner fortress,” I said, dragging the words with a grin.
Her scream was loud enough to make me pull the phone away from my ear.
“What?! Give me thirty minutes! No—twenty! Should I bring Amanda?”
“Definitely, I'm going to text her. Zade said it’s fine.”
“I’m bringing two outfits and heels. I know you have a mirror the size of a building!”
I laughed and ended the call. Then texted Amanda the address and the driver's number with a warning not to faint.
Forty minutes later, the guards were helping them out of the car, jaws already dropping as they stepped in the mansion.
“What in the name of rich people sorcery is this?” Aliyah whispered, eyes bouncing from the white stone columns to the shimmering pool in the distance.
Amanda was speechless, her eyes wide as they stepped into the entryway with its grand chandelier and marble floors.
“Okay, wow,” she finally breathed. “You live here?”
I grinned. “Technically, yes.”
I led them upstairs, their reactions getting louder with every turn. When we entered my room, Amanda gasped audibly.
“This is a suite. This is a hotel suite. No—this is a palace!”
Aliyah was already flopping onto the edge of my bed, bouncing lightly. “Olive. You better never complain about anything again.”
I couldn’t stop smiling. For once, it didn’t feel like I was pretending. I was genuinely happy.
Zade had said I belonged.
And for the first time—I almost believed him.
Aliyah sat cross-legged at the foot of my bed, twirling her braids like she was already moving in, her eyes buried in her phone—probably texting her boyfriend. Amanda had kicked off her shoes and was inspecting the gold trim on the bed frame like it might actually be edible.
I perched on the velvet chaise by the window, still giddy from how comfortable it felt having them here.
I leaned forward, grinning. “Guess who I saw yesterday.”
Amanda stopped mid-scroll on her phone. “Is this a trick question?”
Aliyah narrowed her eyes. “A celebrity? Tell me it’s a celebrity. It's definitely a celebrity.”
I wiggled my brows. “Leo Parker.”
Amanda gasped. “Leo freaking Parker? As in six-foot-three, cinnamon voice, sexiest jawline in the universe Leo Parker?”
Aliyah practically jumped off the bed. “The actor? The one with the butterfly tattoo on his arm?! That Leo?”
I nodded like I hadn’t replayed the entire moment twenty-five times in my head since last night.
“He just… walked in, all smooth and loud and gorgeous, and Zade jumped like a puppy seeing its owner after five years. Apparently, they’re childhood friends.”
Amanda clutched her chest like she needed a defibrillator.
“I would’ve been in the ICU by now. Did he say anything to you?”
I giggled. “He said, and I quote, ‘She’s pretty.’”
Aliyah screamed.
“That man could say I look like a broomstick and I’d frame it.”
Amanda shook her head in mock disappointment. “And you survived that? I would’ve exploded.”
I sighed dramatically. “I genuinely wanted to throw myself into his arms. Like, if Zade wasn't standing there, I might’ve just done it. He’s got that kind of energy.”
Aliyah laughed so hard she nearly rolled off the bed. “You would’ve made headlines, ‘Billionaire’s wife caught in a scandal with actor bestie.’”
“In high definition,” Amanda added.
We all cracked up, the kind of laughter that came from deep down, the kind that made your stomach hurt in the best way.
“Wait, wait—” Aliyah wiped tears from her eyes. “What did Zade do when Leo complimented you?”
I pressed my lips together, trying to hide my blush.
“He agreed.”
Amanda and Aliyah stared at me in disbelief.
“What do you mean he agreed?” Amanda demanded. “You mean like… sarcastically or like, genuinely?”
I tilted my head, smiling into my palm. “Genuinely. No teasing. Just, ‘I totally agree with Leo.’”
Silence. Then Aliyah flung a pillow across the room.
“Oh my God, you’re living in a romance novel!” Aliyah squealed, kicking her legs in the air.
“Who even compliments their fake wife sincerely like that?” Amanda added, her voice suddenly back to normal.
“Zade Avner Lloyd, apparently,” I said, laughing.
Amanda narrowed her eyes, suspicious. “You’re catching feelings, Olive.”
I grabbed another pillow. “Shut up.”
“I’m just saying—”
I signalled her to stop because of Aliyah who was too busy giggling to grasp anything we said.
“Don’t just say,” I teased, tossing the pillow at her. “Come see the closet. You’ll forget how to speak.” I quickly diverted from the topic Amanda raised.
They both scrambled up immediately, squealing like kids on Christmas morning as I led them to the walk-in.
The moment I opened the double glass doors, Aliyah's jaw dropped. “This isn’t a closet. This is a boutique.”
They were greeted with shelves of designer bags. Rows of color-coded heels. Drawers that slid out like magic. And the clothes—dresses, blouses, coats—each one looking like it belonged on a runway.
“Are these yours?” Amanda whispered, touching a silk slip with reverence.
I shrugged. “Technically. It was stocked as soon as our wedding was announced.”
Aliyah spun in the middle of the room. “I need to sin. I need to steal. Just one thing.”
I leaned against one of the mirrored panels, grinning like I couldn’t help it.
“You guys are insane.”
Aliyah smirked, holding up a sleek black dress against her body. “No, you’re insane. Living in a mansion. Married to a Greek god. Friends with a movie star. Closet of our dreams. And that man—Zade—he’s watching you like a hawk in a world full of pigeons.”
My laughter faded a little. Because the way she said it? It felt real.
Hours passed like minutes. We tried on heels in my closet, filmed silly videos we swore we wouldn’t post, and talked about everything from old high school drama to Amanda’s disastrous talking stage with a guy who thought “vibes” was a love language.
For a while, I forgot. Forgot the weight of pretending, the contract, the way my heart jumped and stuttered every time Zade looked at me too long. For a while, I was just Olive again. Not Olive Lloyd. Not a bride with secrets.
Just Olive with her girls.
By the time the sun dipped behind the mansion and warm amber light painted the windows, we were sprawled out in the lounge downstairs, too full and too content to move.
“Okay, I never want to go back to my real life,” Amanda mumbled from the plush white sofa.
“Same,” Aliyah yawned. “Let’s just live here. We’ll hide behind the curtains if we hear footsteps.”
“You two are hopeless,” I said, laughing softly.
Their bags were already packed—shopping bags full of snacks from the kitchen, a fluffy towel Amanda swore she accidentally packed, and a few borrowed skincare goodies from my vanity.
A sleek black SUV waited by the front drive. Zade had already arranged for the driver to take them home safely, and I didn’t even have to ask.
We hugged for a long time at the door. The kind of hug where no one says too much, but everything is understood.
“You okay?” Aliyah whispered.
I nodded. “Yeah. Today was... perfect.”
Amanda grinned. “You’re glowing. You better not mess this up.”
I rolled my eyes but smiled. “Goodnight, guys.”
“Goodnight, Mrs. Billionaire,” they sang in unison as they walked out, waving dramatically through the open car window.
And just like that, the house fell quiet again.
My thoughts immediately shifted to Zade. He hadn't said much all day. No teasing. No surprise appearances. Just the quiet echo of yesterday’s words still sitting somewhere deep in my chest.
"You belong. You're my wife."
I curled up on the chaise by the balcony, hoping maybe he’d walk in like before. Maybe say something else that would mess with my heartbeat.
But he didn’t.
And eventually, the breeze lulled me to sleep, the sheer curtains dancing beside me, moonlight casting soft shadows across the room.
End of His for a year. Chapter 19. Continue reading Chapter 20 or return to His for a year. book page.