Chapter 4 – Olivia
OLIVIA
Once upon a time, I lived like a princess in an expensive apartment overlooking the city. I had everything a girl could ever want. A loving family. More toys than I could count. But one day, the king dethroned the queen, and we lost everything.
After my mother lost her job at Verity Corp, we moved into a shitty apartment. That lasted a few months before we bounced between homes and shelters. My mother had boyfriends who let us crash. None of them were decent. Mostly junkies and alcoholics with wandering eyes.
On the worst nights, I closed my eyes and wished a white knight would save me. I imagined his big, strong arms wrapping around me, whispering I was safe.
Drake cradled me to his chest and held me like an egg about to crack open. If he had let go, I might have shattered into pieces. In his firm grip, I felt loved and special. He didn’t judge my torn, dirty clothing or the smell lingering from my body.
Drake guided us to a black sports car parked outside the bakery. He clicked the key fob and opened the door, which flew upward. “This is me.”
“Wow,” I muttered, staring in awe.
Tate whistled. “Lamborghini Murciélago. Isn’t this the same car Bruce Wayne drove in Batman Begins?”
Drake flashed a smile. “Yes. That’s why I bought it. Murciélago means bat in Spanish.”
Tate laughed. “You remind me of Batman. I bet you have a Bat Cave.”
“I call it the Battle Cave.”
My brother smirked. “Of course you do, Richie Rich.”
I knew little about comic books or what car the character drove. But who didn’t know Batman? Tate collected figurines and comic books as a kid. One Christmas, our mother could afford two presents each. She bought my brother Batman pajamas and a comic book.
“It’s a two-seater,” Drake said to my brother. “You get in first. Liv can sit on your lap.”
I loved that he was already using my nickname like he’d known me for years. Drake was so comfortable around us, which helped my brother and me to lower our guard.
Tate climbed into the passenger seat and rubbed his hand across the dashboard. “Sick ride, man. You’re so lucky.”
Drake placed me on my brother’s lap and slid the seatbelt across my chest. “What’s mine is yours now.”
Before either of us could respond, he shut the door, sealing us inside the expensive car. The sweet scent of Drake’s cologne and leather filled my nostrils. I closed my eyes and committed this moment to memory in case Drake changed his mind about us.
The fancy sports car had little room. So, I rode through Beacon Bay with my head mashed against the roof. With the window open, the saltwater breeze floated in from the bay. I stuck my head out the window and took a deep breath.
It smelled of freedom.
When I turned my head, Drake was staring at me, a smile plastered on his face. He was so handsome and perfect that he took my breath away. It was at that moment I knew he would break my heart.
But I didn’t care.
Drake flew through Beacon Bay and floored the gas up a steep hill that led to Devil’s Creek. Of course, he lived here. All the Connecticut billionaires owned mansions in Devil’s Creek.
My heart raced as Drake stopped at a guarded gate. The glass house beyond the wrought iron stood tall and proud, overlooking the water several hundred feet below the cliff side. You couldn’t see much beyond the high walls.
“My friends call this place the Battle Fortress,” Drake said with laughter in his tone. “But I call it home. And now, you do too.”
Armed men dressed in suits carried guns and blocked the entrance. When they saw Drake, they opened the gate and nodded.
“This isn’t a home,” Tate said in disbelief at the sprawling mansion. “It’s a compound. And why do you need so much security?”
Drake clutched the steering wheel and sighed. “In my line of work, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“What exactly is your line of work?”
Ignoring my brother’s question, Drake rolled down his window to speak to a man with light gray hair. “Ryan, this is Tate and Olivia. They’re moving into the house. Treat them as you would me.”
Hands behind his back, Ryan bobbed his head. “Yes, sir.”
Drake thanked the man and parked in front of the three-story glass-and-metal mansion, which looked like something from an architectural magazine.
Growing up, I rarely had my own bedroom. Only when my mother lived in the high-rise in the city. After that, we bounced between shitty apartments and dilapidated houses. My last foster home was decent, but I shared a room with two other girls.
“This is too modern to be a family home,” Tate said, shaking his head. “It reminds me of Tony Stark’s mansion in the Iron Man movies.”
I nodded. “Yeah, it does.”
Besides the main house, the property included four other buildings. He also had three massive garages full of exotic cars, SUVs, and what I assumed were the vehicles of his employees.
“Will your family be okay with our living here?” I asked, my throat raw and scratchy.
Drake opened his door and put one foot on the ground. “It’s just me. I’m an only child. My mom lives in London with her boyfriend.”
My jaw dropped. “Seriously? You have this place all to yourself?”
“Not anymore.” He exited the car and tapped the hood when we didn’t move from the cramped seat. “Let’s go, you two. It’s just a house. Nothing to fear.”
Drake stood patiently outside the vehicle. Meanwhile, I was having a minor heart attack.
Tate snorted. “Says the rich asshole.”
“Shhh.” I put my hand over his mouth. “Be nice. He doesn’t have to help us.”
“Come on, Liv. Something’s up with him. A guy like Drake does nothing without a reason.”
“Twenty minutes ago, I thought you were dead. If Drake hadn’t come for us, you would have died from dehydration.”
“I’m doing this for you,” Tate said with sadness in his eyes. “But I don’t trust his motives. He wants something.”
“I don’t care.”
After another tap on the hood, I took that as a sign Drake was losing patience with us and climbed out of the car.
Even after drinking a bottle of water and devouring a candy bar, my head spun from the lack of sleep and food. But at least I had enough energy to walk on my own. I didn’t want Drake carrying me around his house, not when I smelled like an animal.
As we approached the glass doors, they swung open.
The second we entered the foyer, a woman said, “Welcome home, Master Battle.”
I jumped at the sudden intrusion and bumped into Drake’s shoulder. “What the hell is that?”
“Lovelace,” Drake said nonchalantly, as if having some lady greet you when you entered the house was normal.
“She’s the artificial intelligence that runs the Battle Fortress.
But in the next few years, she’ll be worth more than any supercomputer.
Governments and corporations will pay me billions to license her software. ”
“Two unidentified subjects, one female and one male, have breached the property,” Lovelace said, her soft voice floating through the speakers. “Do you want me to contact security?”
“No, that won’t be necessary,” Drake said to the computer-generated voice. “Pull data on Tate and Olivia Maxwell and create new profiles. Give them full access.”
“Are you sure, Master Battle? They could override the system.”
Drake turned to look at us. “They won’t.”
He didn’t know us, but for whatever reason, Drake had full confidence even after my brother had given him hell over the past few months.
“Creating profiles for Olivia and Tate Maxwell,” Lovelace announced. “Authorizing new users…”
She continued as Drake walked down the long marble hallway, beckoning us to follow.
I strode beside him on shaky legs but was too proud to ask him to carry me again. “What else can Lovelace do?”
“The real question is what she can’t do?”
Once inside a massive kitchen with cabinets up to the ceiling and a vast island at the center, Drake spun around to face us.
“Everything in the house is digital and motion or voice-activated. Lovelace can tell by my footsteps that it’s me.
She can read my heart rate, tell me if something is wrong, call for help, and do many other valuable things.
Once she’s fully optimized, she will know everything about you. ”
I stuffed my hands into my pockets and glanced around the room in awe. “You created her?”
A proud smile tugged at Drake’s full, kissable lips. “She started as a school project during my junior year at MIT. But I decided Lovelace was too valuable to share with the public. I’m keeping her to myself until she’s ready for commercial use.”
Drake was the most intelligent man I’d ever met.
He had the brain of a computer and let nothing stop him from reaching his goals.
Obstacles were nothing more than roadblocks he moved out of his way.
At twenty-one, he was a college graduate, the CEO of a global corporation, and successful beyond my wildest dreams.
Drake opened the refrigerator and removed a container of deli meat. “Do you like hoagies?”
Tate rubbed a hand over his growling stomach. “Our last meal came from a dumpster. We’re not picky.”
My cheeks flushed at his confession. I wanted to crawl under the table and hide. Or better yet, I should have smacked my brother for revealing our dirty secrets to my crush.
“I’ll eat anything,” I said to make things less weird.
Drake disarmed me with a boyish grin and tipped his head at the stools. “I make the best Italian hoagies in Devil’s Creek. Take a seat.”
I settled into the chair beside Tate and watched the smoking hot billionaire layer thinly sliced salami, capicola, ham, pepperoni, and provolone cheese onto an Italian roll and drizzle it with oil. My mouth watered as Tate’s stomach rumbled again.
Drake added lettuce and tomato, smirking as he slid the sandwich toward me. “Wait your turn, Tate. Ladies first.”
I took the plate and sank my teeth into the bread like a savage, moaning as the delicious combination overwhelmed my taste buds.
“I would take smaller bites.” Drake slid a sandwich in front of my brother and looked at me. “Eating too fast can upset your stomach.”
He was right.
I already felt the food trying to reappear, but I choked it down. The last thing I needed was to vomit on myself in front of Drake. So, I took his advice and savored each bite.
As we ate, Drake told us about his family. His mother traveled a lot with her wealthy boyfriend. His dad died last year. He was the CEO of Battle Industries and so damn gorgeous I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
Drake finished the last bite of his hoagie and wiped his mouth. “Let’s talk about the rules of the house. If you’re going to live here and get all the perks, then you need to finish school.”
“I enrolled both of you at Astor Prep,” Drake said with authority. “You start on Monday.”
“Pretty presumptuous,” Tate said, snarling. “How did you know we’d come home with you?”
He rolled his broad shoulders. “I had a feeling.”
“I’m not going to school,” Tate fired back at him. “What about the job you mentioned? As your head of security.”
“You’re not mature enough or ready to fill the position. But one day, you will be. That’s why you must get your act together and earn a high school diploma.”
“Nah.” Tate tossed his napkin onto the counter. “I’m not book smart like you or my sister. When I actually went to school, my grades were shit. There’s no point in waiting to join the Corps.”
Drake rose from the table and grabbed our empty plates. “I had a feeling your grumpy ass would say that. I’ve spoken to the recruitment officer. You can leave for basic training as early as next week. But are you sure about this? Once you sign the contract, you can’t change your mind.”
“I don’t plan on it.” Tate snatched the plates from Drake’s hand and ran them under the water. “Sign me up. I’m ready to go. Just promise me you’ll take care of Liv.”
“Olivia will have everything she needs.” His big blue eyes found mine, and a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. “She won’t want for a thing. You have my word.”
My heart skipped a few beats.
Yep, I was a goner.