Chapter 44

OLIVIA

Who would have thought that I would have enjoyed spending my day with Chandria on the beach side? I was well aware that my day did not start off that good but I was glad that I made a decision to pester Chase's younger sister. That little bitch seemed to have enjoyed spending her time with me too, although she did not tell me about it verbally because her pride was like a gold for her, I could feel that she did not regret ditching her class for me.

I was exhausted but still all smiles when I arrived home. I went to the living room as I heard some noises in there. There I saw Chase sitting comfortably on the couch while reading some of his piled up paperworks which he took home with him. In the center table was his laptop and a cup of coffee on its side.

"Hello there, my dear husband," I greeted him as I walked toward him, and then kissed him on his cheek. He smiled at me and urged me to sit. I settled myself on his side. "What are you doing here?"

"I haven't finished this paperwork yet. I brought it here so I can still spend more time with you," he responded with his husky yet sweet voice.

"So you want to spend more time with me while you work?" I raised a brow and gave him a teasing look.

He chuckled a bit. "Of course. I can always multi-task, my love…"

When he leaned forward to kiss my lips, I automatically closed my eyes and felt the softness of his lips on mine. It was a quick kiss, yet enough for my heart to pound aggressively inside my chest.

I bit my lower lip, and then wrapped my arms around his nape.

"Have you eaten before you start working? Do you want to eat something?" I curiously asked.

Knowing Chase, he was not much of a heavy meal eater. He could go to work even with only a few sips of his coffee and eat one slice of bread on a daily basis but I wanted him to eat more since he needed more energy for his work. After all, it wasn't easy to work as a CEO of their company.

"I haven't eaten yet, baby. I want to get this done first," he responded and turned his eyes back to his papers.

"Alright, I will cook you dinner for the two of us and then I will tell you what happened during my trip with Chandria," I said with enthusiasm. "You won't believe what happened earlier when I fetched her at her school. It was so funny!"

I thought he would be excited to hear my stories about how I spent my day but he only said, "No problem, my love. There are still papers here that I must review but I will make an effort to catch up with you later on. I don't really have the time to sit down and eat dinner. You can go ahead and eat your dinner once you are done cooking. I will try to go downstairs once I feel hungry."

I pouted my lips. Eating dinner would not even take an hour. Was he really so busy that he could not give himself a break so he could talk to his wife for a moment?

"Is that alright, baby?" he asked when he noticed that I did not respond to what he said.

As if I had any other choice. I had to be understandable as his wife. That was also part of this pretense.

"Fine, I guess I can't really eat dinner with you tonight…" I said, trying to sound sad to see if he would change his mind.

However, he did not respond and simply started typing paragraphs on his laptop. In the end, I only took a big breath and kissed him on the cheeks. That seemed to catch his attention because he glanced my way and kissed me on the lips again.

"Thank you, my love…" he uttered with a smile.

"Of course, baby." I remarked and then I stood up to change clothes so that I could cook dinner.

***

While I was in the kitchen, I had the realization that this could be the reality of being the housewife of a billionaire and a CEO of his own company. Of course, he would be extremely busy because, like his father Ernest Maxwell, he could not afford to stop working given that he had many employees who depend on him. His work was not as easy as other jobs out there whereas he could on a day break from his duties.

I could not help but envy Chase as he already found his passion.

"How about you, Olivia?" I muttered under my breath, and then let out a long sigh.

I wished I could also find my purpose in life. Admittedly, it was kind of scary to see myself chasing after money for the rest of my life. I wanted to do something with purpose. I wanted to try new things that would bring out the best in me.

I wanted to free myself from being an impostor too, to live without the fear of getting caught… I wondered when it would happen.

I came back to reality when I took a glimpse at the pasta that I prepared. I let out a gasp when I saw that it had become overcooked.

I winced at myself. Olivia, why aren't you focusing? What's wrong?

I huffed in frustration and finished preparing my food. I did not want to waste any food so even though the pasta became gooey and had an unpleasant taste, I still ate it.

"Better to finish it all…" I said to myself. At first, I was a little bit sad that Chase did not join me for dinner, but the fact that I screwed up the food made me feel a bit relieved. The last thing I wanted was for him to have a stomach issue.

After finishing my dinner, I cleaned up the kitchen and turned off some lights on the first floor.

I went to the living room to check on Chase. He was still there, working so hard.

"I will go upstairs to take a rest, Chase." I walked toward him and sat next to him.

He only nodded in response. His eyes were fixed on his laptop.

"You should have finished all this in your office," I remarked.

"It just so happened that the lights weren't working in my home office. I am not sure why, but I already called someone to come and take a look at it. I hope it will get fixed by tomorrow. Can you please prioritize it tomorrow for me?" he asked.

"Of course. I can handle it." Then I offered him a thin smile.

Chase did not say anything after that short conversation we had about his home office. I was hoping he would ask me about how my day went but no. I decided to go upstairs and went to our bedroom to take a rest.

I had to admit that it was a little depressing though. I knew to myself that I was only acting and I should not get attached with him in any way but since we got married, otherwise happened.

I woke up the next day without Chase beside me in the bed. It was unusual for him to leave without me knowing. As I sat up from bed, I noticed that he left a note on the side table:

Reese, I left early because I need to have a meeting with some of my new investors. I'm sorry if I didn't wake you up. Don't forget to eat some breakfast. I cooked for you. Also, maintenance workers will be coming over to fix the lights in my home office. Please assist him. Have a great day ahead.

"You should have woken me up, Chase…" I uttered under my breath and ran my fingers through my hair.

I got to my feet and started my daily routine. I felt bad that Chase just left without letting me know but I still tried to shove that feeling aside. I went to the kitchen and ate the breakfast that Chase had prepared for me while texting the people who would fix the light in his home office.

It did not take a while for them to arrive. As soon as I heard the doorbell ring, I went to the main door and opened it.

There I saw Mathias. He slightly lowered his head as a form of respect to me.

"Good morning, Madame. The maintenance workers who will fix the light fittings have already arrived," he informed me politely.

"Sure. You can let them in now, Mathias." I offered him a thin smile before he left.

I saw the vehicle of the maintenance workers outside of the main gate. There were around five people who got out of the car. When they set foot on the porch, I immediately greeted them.

I let them in and escorted them inside Chase's home office. One of the maintenance workers was their manager, who checked the lights and discussed a plan with his employees. I simply watched them even though I had no idea about what they were talking about.

Their manager looked like a man in his forties. He walked toward me and spoke.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Mrs. Maxwell. My name is Kenneth Ford, and I would like to formally introduce myself. I feel very privileged to have met Chase's caring wife," he said which made me giggle a little.

Hearing others refer to me as Chase's wife gave me a nice and fuzzy feeling on the inside. We talked for a moment to discuss what he was planning to do with the office lighting. I listened carefully and provided him permission to do anything they had to do in order for the lights to get fixed.

It did not take long before they started working. I prepared some sandwiches and refreshers for them while they worked at Chase's office. After an hour, Kenneth informed me that they were done fixing everything. He also handed me a booklet that contained some information regarding their company.

I let them have their snacks first and then they left afterward. I observed Chase's home office and I could really tell that I was impressed with how quickly they were able to complete their task.

I even double checked the lights and was satisfied to find out that all them were in excellent operational condition. In case Chase had to bring his work over at home, he would be able to work here from now on.

I smiled at that thought.

I went to the living room, recalling that I put the booklet they had provided me before they left.

"Astonished Lighting Company, hmm…" I muttered under my breath as I read the front page.

I could not deny that I got quite intrigued by the companies and businesses that I came across on a daily basis as I would like to study how they operate and for me to know what business I would start up when the right time comes.

Starting from putting notes to knowing how they work with the help of an internet browser, I was getting the giz of the nature of their business and I was gaining some ideas at the same time. So far, providing services was the first time I would like to have when I set up my own business.

I was not sure what kind of business or service it would be but the thought that I would be able to help a lot of people or provide something to them made me more excited and determined. I just hoped I could move forward and advance this effort, so that I would be able to help Chase as well.