LOVE IN SIN AND WAR

Olivia Rodriguez

June 2017

The night air clung to Olivia’s skin as she exited Hotel Dewani’s balcony for a smoke. The cigarette brushed her lips, fire almost catching, when she saw him.

Ethan Reed.The man she hated most in this world.

Her chest tightened as rage flared through her. “What the actual f*ck are you doing here?” she snapped, words cutting sharper than the smoke curling between them.

He froze, cigarette halfway to his mouth, his eyes widening just as much as hers. “Olivia?”

God, she hated that voice. She hated that face.And she hated even more that once upon a time, she had let him touch her.

He had kissed her, mercilessly in the past. He had slid his fingers and also s*ck*d into her wet hole, thrusted inside her, his hands and mouth, rough on her tender breasts and on her skin. 

 And still, after everything, her hatred for him had only sharpened.

She stalked closer, fury pounding through her veins. “What the f*ck are you doing here? You’re the last person I ever want to see.” Her voice shook, not with fear, but with rage.

He straightened, a smirk tugging at his lips. “I paid for this entire hotel—every floor, every suite—mine. Tonight is my party. My betrothal party. I don’t know how the hell you managed to get a room here, Olivia.” His eyes flicked over her with disgust.

Of course. His fiancée’s celebration.And of course, Hotel Dewani had dared to keep a suite for her anyway—because she was her father’s daughter. The daughter of the most feared man in the city.

She took another step, her body practically shaking. “I don’t care why you’re here. Get. The. F*ck. Out.” Her voice rose to a scream.

She lunged at him, ready to shove him, claw him, anything to erase his presence—but his hand shot out fast, catching both her wrists in one iron grip.

She gasped, hating the way his strength dwarfed hers. Hating how tall he was. Hating how her body remembered him.

And hating most of all that their story didn’t start here.  It started years ago, in school.

~~~~~~

September 2011

Greywood University. Her fresh start. Or so she thought.

Olivia had barely been out of her apartment in two days, so she decided to take her car out, drive around campus, and get a feel for the place. 

Roof down, sunglasses on, hair flying wild—she was every inch her father’s daughter, and she knew she looked it.

But at that moment, she was desperate. Her bladder was about to explode, and she couldn’t find the ladies.

She spotted two guys leaning against their expensive cars, laughing like the world belonged to them. Normally, she wouldn’t stop, but she had no choice.

“Hey,” she called, pulling down her shades. “Where can I find the ladies?”

They exchanged a glance, smirks tugging at their lips. One of them leaned forward, tall, sharp-jawed, golden-boy aura written all over him.

“Maybe you should ask those with the actual name—the ladies,” he said. His smirk widened. The other burst out laughing.

Her blood boiled. She knew his type. The kind of guy who thought the sun rose and set on his last name. The kind of boy who thought wealth equaled power.

“Pathetic,” she muttered, glaring.

She flicked the ash from her cigarette, then tossed the half-burnt stick toward him. “Eat that.”

He cursed, jerking back just in time, the cigarette landing inches from his polished shoes.

She rolled her eyes, slammed her foot on the accelerator, and sped away, fury buzzing under her skin.

At night, the campus pulsed with music and laughter—party time. Olivia would never miss it. Parties were half the reason she’d agreed to come to Greywood in the first place. This was her first one as a college student, but far from her first in life.

She pulled up to the glowing venue in her sleek car. Marina was already waiting at the entrance. The daughter of her father’s head maid, Marina had been sponsored into Greywood to stay by Olivia’s side.

Greywood wasn’t just any university—it was the playground of the wealthy and the battleground of the brilliant.

But to Olivia, Marina was more than an attendant; she was her friend, her housemate, her anchor.

“I need drinks that’ll make me feel good,” Olivia declared the moment she stepped out.

Marina was already running to fetch them. She returned with a tall glass, which Olivia downed in one swift gulp. A pleasant sharpness spread through her as her eyes scanned the room.

And then she saw him.

The tall, rude boy from earlier—the one she’d asked about in the ladies—stood across the hall. His eyes lingered on a beautiful girl at his side, and whatever he whispered made the girl laugh so hard it made Olivia’s lip curl. Does she even know he’s an *ssh*l*?

“That guy’s an *ssh*l*,” she muttered to Marina.

“Which guy?” Marina craned her neck, searching.

“The one in the dark jacket.”

Marina’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh wow. Ethan Reed?”

Olivia’s gaze sharpened. “You know him?”

“Of course. Everyone does. He’s the heir to Reed Enterprises. Rich. Powerful. And yes—arrogant as hell.”

Olivia smirked. “Really? Well, I’m the beast’s daughter. If he knew me, he’d show me the respect I deserve.”

Marina burst out laughing, nearly choking on her drink.

Olivia tilted her head toward Ethan and the girl beside him. “So, does he act like an *ssh*l* to her too?”

Marina hesitated, lowering her voice. “I have no idea about that. But she’s his fiancée—now, and probably in the future.”

Olivia’s eyes widened. “Fiancée? That’s absurd.”

“Yes. It’s all for the companies,” Marina explained, almost rolling her eyes. “Those families with empires… It’s always business before love.”

Olivia scoffed, disgust curling her lip. “Eeww. That’s pathetic.”

Just then, Isaac appeared, sliding into their circle. The son of her father’s bodyguard, Isaac had been her friend since childhood—and tonight, her shadow. Technically, he was her “school bodyguard,” but he wore the role lightly, more like a protective older brother.

“It’s boring here,” Isaac said with a grin. “Come on, Liv. Let’s go where the real fun is—where you can actually meet people.”

Marina looked at Olivia, waiting for permission. Olivia smirked, lifting her chin. “Lead the way, Isaac.”

And without realizing it, Isaac led them straight into the circle of friends surrounding Ethan Reed—the arrogant heir she’d already sworn to hate.

She already knew exactly whose circle it was—the group of over-polished heirs and daughters, the kind where every girl’s eyes flicked up and down her body, measuring, sizing, competing.

Olivia wouldn’t have bothered stepping into their orbit if not for Marina. 

Left to herself, she found these gatherings dull to the bone—where every move was weighed, every smile rehearsed, and freedom was just another thing the rich had trained out of their children.

“This is Olivia,” Isaac announced proudly as they approached. Olivia, however, was mid-yawn as she dropped lazily into an empty seat. “And this is Marina.”

Marina followed more gracefully, offering a polite smile as she sat beside her.

Across the circle, Ethan Reed’s eyes flicked up from his fiancée and the man he’d been talking to. For a moment, his expression shifted—something lit behind his gaze, like he was trying to place her face. Recognition hovered, then slipped away as he turned back to his conversation.

Olivia noticed. She caught the hesitation, the way his gaze lingered too long. He didn’t remember her. But she remembered him. Of course she did. He had been her first *ssh*l* in Greywood—and a dump *ssh*l* at that. 

Her gaze landed on a half-finished bottle of alcohol on the table. Without hesitation, she reached for it and handed it to Isaac.

“You shouldn’t be drinking this,” Isaac muttered as he twisted the cap open. His voice carried more duty than authority—he could complain all he wanted, but in the end, he always did what she asked.

Olivia ignored him, taking a long sip straight from the bottle before Isaac quickly retrieved a glass. With a sigh, he poured some into it and handed it back to her. “Here,” he said softly.

She accepted it with a shrug, raising the glass to her lips. Only then did she notice the weight of several stares. The whole circle was watching her, like she’d broken some silent rule.

“Hey, Mark,” a familiar voice drawled. “Look—it’s the Ladies.”

Her head turned, and there he was. Ethan Reed. His mocking laugh lingered in the air, his eyes locked on her with a spark of recognition.

So, he did remember.

“I thought a dumb *ssh*l* wouldn’t,” Olivia shot back without hesitation.

Gasps and murmurs rippled through the girls at the table, like she’d just committed social suicide. Olivia glanced at them briefly, unimpressed, before snapping her attention back to him.

“You don’t seem to know who you’re talking to,” Ethan said coldly. “I could f*ck*ng destroy your life.”

“Oh, wow,” Olivia shot back, her tone dripping with mockery. “Funny thing—you don’t seem to know who you’re talking to. I can ruin your life too.”

Mark leaned toward Ethan, whispering something into his ear. Olivia knew exactly what it was—her name, her family, who her father was.

Ethan only smirked. “I don’t give a f*ck,” he muttered, then lifted his eyes back to hers. “What are you gonna do? Run to Daddy? Have him shoot me dead?” His mocking laugh tore through the group, some of them chuckling along nervously.

Olivia’s fists curled. She sat there a moment, forcing herself not to explode, every second sharpening her fury into something colder. Then, with a steady voice, she said, “Meet me outside.”

“For a fight?” Ethan sneered, sparking more giggles around the table.

But Olivia was already marching out, Isaac scrambling after her.“What are you trying to do?” he whispered, panic in his tone.

“Show me his car,” she ordered.

“No, you can’t, Oliv—”

“Show me his f*ck*ng car!” she snapped, her voice breaking like a whip. “If I don’t do this tonight, I’ll do it tomorrow. He needs to pay.”

“Okay, okay!” Isaac hissed, pointing. “There—Lamborghini, the black one.”

Her heels clicked furiously against the pavement as she stormed toward it. In one swift motion, she slid a knife from the strap beneath her clothes. 

One tire was slashed. Then another. Headlights shattered under the sharp jabs. Scratches carved into the sleek paint like angry signatures.

Breathing heavy, she crouched beside the wreck. “Go get him,” she told Isaac darkly.

“Olivia—let’s just leave—”

“Go. Get. Him.”

Reluctantly, Isaac disappeared and returned moments later with Ethan.

Ethan froze at the sight of his ruined car. His face paled, then twisted in fury. “What the f*ck is wrong with you, you psychopath?”

Olivia straightened slowly, a wicked smile tugging at her lips—

Ethan Reed

June 2017

It was midnight at his engagement party. The music was still thumping inside, laughter spilling through the doors, but Ethan had stepped out to the balcony for a smoke.

And there she was. “Olivia?”

For a second, he thought his mind was playing tricks. He was sure they had gotten rid of each other years ago. But no—there she stood, fire in her eyes, like she’d been waiting all this time.

Before he could even process, she was already clawing at him, screaming at him to get the f*ck out of there. 

He caught her wrists, holding her tiny hands back before she could do real damage. Small hands, but dangerous. She always had been.

Olivia might look delicate, petite even—but her personality was anything but. She could turn psychotic when she wanted to. And why not? She came from a household where violence wasn’t just allowed, it was inherited.

Sometimes Ethan wondered