Chapter 54: Princess Hug

Olive returned to the Red Villa and gave Mrs. Samantha the Barbie doll she had bought. Mrs. Samantha, overjoyed, quickly took several pictures and wanted to post them on social media.

“Olly, are you on social media? Give me your handle; I’ll follow you. From now on, Grandma will be your number one fan!”

Olive was surprised Mrs. Samantha was active on social media.

“Grandma, let’s follow each other.”

“My handle is ‘GrandmaWhoIsEighteenYearsOld’,” Mrs. Samantha said.

Olive smiled as she searched for Mrs. Samantha’s account. The old lady had already posted a photo of herself and the Barbie doll, captioned, “Thank you, my Olly.” Olive liked the photo.

“Olly, Grandma has something for you, too,” the old lady said mysteriously, pressing a purse into Olive’s hand.

Olive examined the beautiful purse. It was made of African gold, with “Augustine” embroidered on it.

“Grandma, what’s this?” Olive asked, surprised.

“In this purse,” Mrs. Samantha muttered, “I’ve placed a prayer list of things I want. And a lot of information about Elvis’s child.” Olive smiled faintly; she expected no change of subject from the old lady.

“Thanks, Grandma. I’ll take good care of it,” Olive said.

Two bright car headlights shone through the glass windows. Mrs. Samantha laughed softly.

“Elvis is back!”

Olive, having been away for seven days, rushed to the door. A Rolls-Royce Phantom was parked on the lawn. The driver’s door opened, revealing a tall, handsome figure. Elvis wore a custom-made black suit and tie; he looked impeccably dressed.

Olive watched him approach, his black trousers moving elegantly with each stride. She initially wanted to run out to greet him, but changed her mind, hiding behind the doorframe to surprise him.

Phoebe, her pet, squatted at Olive’s feet, curious. Olive quickly put a finger to Phoebe’s lips, silencing her. Phoebe stopped meowing. Olive leaned against the doorframe, peering out.

She saw Elvis approaching and quickly averted her gaze. He had already seen her, however—a bit of her dress was visible.

Olive waited for him to pass so she could startle him. After several seconds, he hadn't passed, so she poked her head out, but he was gone.

“Huh, where did he go?”

She tiptoed outside to look for him. Phoebe let out a yelp. Olive saw her standing beside Elvis’s leg. He leaned against the wall, hand in his pocket, smiling.

“Looking for me?” he asked teasingly.

Olive felt foolish. She hugged Phoebe.

“I wasn’t looking for you. I was looking for Phoebe.”

She grabbed Phoebe and started upstairs.

Seeing her apparent anger, Elvis scooped her up. Olive struggled, wriggling and wrapping her arms around his neck.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Nothing, just a hug,” Elvis said, tightening his hold and twirling her around.

Mrs. Samantha, hearing the commotion, rushed out. Seeing Elvis spinning Olive, she hit him on the waist.

“Put her down! Put Olive down!”

Mr. Henry also intervened. “Sir, please put her down; it’s dangerous.”

Olive’s face flushed crimson. Under the scrutiny of the household, she felt mortified. Elvis’s strong grip prevented her from falling, but at his grandmother's insistence, he released her.

Olive steadied herself, then quickly fled. Elvis, realizing he had embarrassed her, followed. Olive, still dizzy, ignored him. He took off his jacket and gave it to Mr. Henry.

“Grandma, is dinner ready? I’m starving.”

“Oh, I’ll get it now, son,” Mrs. Samantha replied, heading to the kitchen.

Elvis followed Olive. He smelled her sweet fragrance.

He lowered his voice. “Are you angry?”

He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Who told you you could hide to surprise me? Don’t be angry. I apologize.”

This only annoyed her further. She tried to dodge him, but he removed his hands from her shoulders and possessively grasped her waist.

“Mrs. Augustine, if you’re angry, I’ll…”

Olive scoffed. “I don’t care!”

Elvis immediately picked her up again and carried her upstairs.