Chapter 24: Fact or Fiction

Outside in the hallway, when the doors abruptly closed on him, Maxen shifted his attention to the two men in black behind him and decided to take his safety lightly as he casually said, "MIB1, MIB2, do not follow me inside."

MIB1 cleared his throat and gave a curt nod to Maxen who saw his personal bodyguard's jaw tick yet he ignored it. No matter how much MIB1 hid his disdain for all the broken protocols since Olivia entered Maxen's life, which was last night, he can't do much about it since it was his highness's orders to skip those protocols.

Usually, before Maxen could enter an area, his men would first have to clear the area and perform a sweep for possible explosives that might put him in danger. For years, each house that Maxen used to play with his "toys" would be quarantined and no furniture would be left unturned yet last night when Olivia came into the picture, everything changed. Her apartment remained untouched; a living security nightmare.

MIB2 nudged his partner on the arm when he felt MIB1's furious gaze on Maxen's back. When MIB1 shifted his infernal gaze to him, he just shrugged as if saying, "Let it go. It's fine." However, his buddy just silently growled at him.

Meanwhile, inside Olivia's decoy apartment, Secretary Gail warned Yana, letting the little lass off the hook on her first day before opening the door for Maxen. "Pucker up and don't do that again to any future guests." Yana hid behind Secretary Gail's tall frame and watched in awe as the Prince welcomed himself inside.

Yana knew Olivia was a hotshot on a whole different level but she was not informed that she would be meeting the country's Prince on her first day on the job.

"Olivia." Yana watched by the kitchen as Maxen purred to her boss, like an old cat lady calling out to her diva pet while she reheat her madam's cold lunch. She watched his every move as he took off his suit jacket, giving her a chance to ogle at the Prince's greek god-like physique that form on his tailored white dress suit.

"Want to eat supper first before we hit the road?" Olivia offered while she changed her fluffy slippers into strappy stilettos. Maxen, on the other hand, stood rooted in his spot, unable to form out a reply right away as he was half-mesmerized, half-annoyed at her "work-from-home" outfit. The center slit on her tight pencil skirt that revealed her caramel smooth thighs could pass but the top was something debatable.

In his thoughts, he wanted to pull the thin spaghetti strap of her cream tank top that revealed a little of her bouncy cleavage and change it to something that would cover her more. Normally, he'd love his ladies to show a little skin… or more, if he's going to be honest, but everything about Olivia made him throw his rationale out of the window. Maxen screamed the blazing possessiveness in his head yet his face showed nothing but a straightface. He was annoyed that he could not say his thoughts, afraid to be labeled as an overbearing person.

The two ate in silence in the formal dining area, while Yana and Secretary Gail took refuge in the pocket room for the household helpers.

"Why are they so quiet?" Yana whispered to her senior.

"Because they are eating and you don't talk when you have food in your mouth, right?" Secretary Gail schooled the curiosity of the little lass who nodded her apple-shaped head. Their short class was interrupted when Yana heard a little bell chime, a signal for her that supper was over.

Once Olivia and Maxen was out, Secretary Gail called Yana over and gave her two keycards. "These are extra keycards for you to use. You can stay here on the fifty-sixth floor or if you prefer to stay in your own place it's ok as long as you report before six in the morning." Yana was pleasantly surprised that she was offered free lodging that she didn't think she need to think everything through and blurted out, "I'll bring my stuff in tonight, Secretary Gail!"

Outside in the hallway, Olivia huffed when Maxen tried to cover her with his suit jacket.

"Thank you, Max. But I think I don't need an extra layer of clothing," Olivia said, much to Maxen's irritation. She shrugged the suit jacket off her shoulders and hung it over her forearm just to satisfy the little prince who definitely mastered that art of poker face to hide his annoyance. Maxen looked behind him and saw his two innocent bodyguards who were great candidates to take the brunt of his displaced anger so he snapped his fingers and barked at them, "Hey. Eyes on the floor." The two men in black followed suit but was confused when Maxen barked another order within a beat, "You know what, you can walk before us."

Maxen pulled out his hand from his pants pocket when he heard Olivia calling him. He smiled when he saw Olivia put on the suit jacket, saving the two MIBs. However, once Maxen and Olivia got inside his magma red Maserati GT, Olivia threw his jacket to his face.

"I'm never going out with you again you control freak!" Olivia tongue-lashed at Maxen who was dumbfounded in his seat. "This is what I want to wear and you don't have to cover me. I can grab my own coat if I'm damn cold and right now I am not. Can't you see the humidity is killing me?"

Olivia sneered upon seeing Maxen's sorry not sorry face. Of course, what could she expect from a spoiled little prince? Instead of saying sorry, Maxen blasted the AC in the car and revved up the engine, sending a deafening sound that echoed in the underground parking lot.

"Are you cold now?" Maxen asked in a low toneless voice but received an indifferent treatment from Olivia who kept her eyes shut. He covered her legs with his suit jacket before speeding out of the parking basement with his MIBs trailing behind their car.

Olivia was puzzled when she realized they were headed towards the airport. "Are we going to the airport?" she asked, cutting the suffocating silence the entire ride.

"Not really. A five-minute drive, I was told. This place is perfect for your office, security is top notch. I can put in a few of my men if you don't mind. Especially with your line of work," Maxen replied, his eyes glued on the road.

"Oh. So you ran a check on me?" Hearing her question, he pulled over to the side of the road so they could talk properly. He just witnessed her lashing out on him and he's afraid of how far Olivia could go with her anger management.

"Protocols, I'm afraid. But don't worry, I'm gonna hold off my... judgement." Maxen's voice tapered off when he saw Olivia's calm expression. He watched as Olivia propped her arm on the car door armrest, her chin resting on her knuckle as she locked eyes with him.

"And what if I ask you to be my client? Would you say 'yes'?"

"Husband, yes. Client, yes. But not that VIP thing."

Olivia raised a brow at his bold statement. "Wait, I didn't ask you to be my husband."

"But I will ask you to be my wife in the future so the answer is yes."

"Oh my gosh you are... Something. We just met last night. Ha!" Olivia huffed at Maxen who, by the way, looked smug and sexy in the driver's seat. She watched as he started driving back on the road towards their destination.

"Speaking of your job. Do you plan to quit? That's dangerous."

"It's not like I'm out there fighting in combat. I'm just a bank."

"Hmm... a bank. How did you get yourself into that anyway?"

Olivia hissed at his barrage of questions and replied with a question herself, "Ok. What else do you know about me?"

"That you love facts. Now, let's play a game," Maxen said, parking in front of a well lit building that Olivia guessed to be the place that they would inspect later. "I will say something and you decide whether it's a fact or fiction. Are you ready?"

Olivia twisted in her seat to face him and nodded her head in affirmation.

"Fact or fiction: Your mother got into an accident with my Uncle Sebastian, former King of Nisia[1]."

"Fact," Olivia beamed and surprised Maxen with a chaste kiss on his lips just to keep him going on and play his little game.

She knew of the story about her mother working for the former king. Wait? Was Henry Lin jealous of the former king? Olivia kept her question in her magnificent brain.

"Okaaay. Thank you for my reward. But the next one, I don't think will earn me another kiss," Maxen said, propping his elbow on the center console to get a good look of Olivia's reaction.

"Ok. Shoot," Olivia dared, her hazel brown eyes reflected the worrisome look on Maxen's face yet it didn't bother her. She's used to hearing gruesome stories that nothing could shock her anymore. However, the words that left Maxen's mouth was something out of left field.

"Fact or fiction: the Pyxis was behind that murder."