Chapter 123

They were sitting on the soft wool carpet. Olive placed her hands on the ground, unsure of her sudden queasiness. Elvis let her be for the moment. Olive quickly lay down, her face turned toward the stars. She felt an urge to reach out and grab them.

She turned to look at the diamond ring on her right hand, a sweet smile curving her red lips. A meteor flashed across the sky, followed by a shooting star streaking toward Olive.

She stood up, startled, staring at the shooting star. A strong arm encircled her waist, pulling her into a hug from behind.

“What are you afraid of?” Elvis whispered, kissing her hair.

The meteor exploded with a bang, transforming instantly into a colorful fireworks display. The fireworks rained down, illuminating the entire city of Los Angeles. Olive, speechless, exclaimed like a child,

“Wow! This is super gorgeous!”

Elvis held her close. His lips brushed her ear as he kissed her again. He took out his phone and posted: “Mrs. Augustine, I hope you will grow old beside me. Happy birthday, my queen.”

Meanwhile, Pamela stood outside the six-star hotel, the city ablaze with fireworks. Vehicles and pedestrians had stopped to watch the spectacular display.

“Wow. This is so beautiful.” “Why is it raining fireworks?” “Don’t you guys know that today is President Augustine’s wife’s birthday?”

The pedestrians chatted amongst themselves. Pamela watched the dazzling sky, knowing it was Elvis's doing. She felt cheated, believing she should be the one experiencing this. Bitterness consumed her, driving her to the brink of despair.

She opened her social media account and began scrolling. The top trending news was the revelation at Olive's birthday party. She clicked on Elvis's account. As a prominent Los Angeles dignitary, Elvis had always maintained a low profile, with only a business account. To her shock, she found a personal account—and the only person he followed was Olive.

Pamela read Elvis's post for Olive, her eyes stinging with tears. She tried to open her eyes, but they were blurred with tears. She'd seen many couples' birthday posts, but never one where a man wished for a lifetime with his wife.

A man like Elvis, with his authority and wealth, could have any woman he wanted. He could protect dozens.

Pamela opened the comments section of the trending post:

“So Olive is actually Elvis’s wife! OMG!” “I can’t believe Olive married Elvis!” “With the fireworks and meteor shower, Olive is one lucky girl.” “I can’t imagine what Pamela is going through now.”

The post from Olive's confession had over thirty million views. Pamela continued scrolling, tears streaming down her face.

Why? she thought. Why is this happening to me? I was supposed to be Mrs. Augustine!

Elvis and Olive left the hotel, heading home in Elvis's car. Elvis was driving, his large hands on the wheel. He glanced in the rearview mirror; Pamela's car was following them.

Olive sat in the passenger seat, eating strawberry jam cake. She didn't notice Pamela's car speeding up behind them.

“Mr. Augustine, do you want some?” she offered Elvis a spoonful. He glanced at the cream on her lips.

Olive, in a good mood, leaned over and offered him a bite. Elvis opened his mouth, taking the cake, then immediately changed lanes, speeding away in the Roll Royce Phantom.