Page 43 of No Mane, No Gain

The elevator dinged, doors sliding open to reveal Chaos’s penthouse. Olive stepped out, her heels clicking against the marble floor. Chaos appeared in the entryway, his brow furrowed in concern.

“What’s wrong?”

She held up her phone, the offending article displayed on the screen. “Care to explain this?”

Chaos closed his eyes for a second and when he opened them they glowed with anger. “I swear this is a lie.”

“Are you sure?” Olive snapped. “Or are you engaged to Vanessa?”

Chaos’s jaw clenched, a muscle ticking in his cheek. “Of course not. This is complete bullshit.”

“Oh really? Because your sister seems to think otherwise. She told me you were just killing time with me until you married Vanessa. And now this article comes out? What am I supposed to think, Chaos?”

She hated the tremor in her voice, the way her eyes stung with unshed tears. Chaos took a step toward her, but Olive held up a hand, keeping him at bay.

“Olive, please. Let me explain.”

“Then explain,” she said, crossing her arms. “Because right now, I’m having a hard time believing anything that comes out of your mouth.”

Chaos ran a hand through his hair, frustration etched in every line of his body. “Tia’s been trying to set me up with Vanessa for years. She’s her best friend, and I think Tia sees it as a way to keep her in the family. I’ve told her repeatedly that I’m not interested, but she won’t listen.”

“And the engagement?” Olive pressed.

“Completely fabricated,” Chaos growled. “I confronted Tia about it earlier. She leaked the story to try to force my hand. I’ve already got my PR team working on a retraction.”

Olive wanted to believe him. God, how she wanted to believe him. But the doubt lingered, a poisonous whisper in the back of her mind.

“Why didn’t you tell me about Vanessa?” she asked, hating how small her voice sounded.

Chaos’s expression softened. He took another step forward, and this time Olive didn’t back away.

“Because she doesn’t matter,” he said quietly. “Vanessa is Tia’s friend, not mine. She’s not anyone special. I didn’t think she was worth mentioning because she’s not a part of my life. You are.”

The sincerity in his voice chipped away at Olive’s defenses. She uncrossed her arms, letting out a shaky breath.

“I want to believe you, Chaos. I do. But your sister... she’s made it clear she doesn’t approve of me. And if she’s going to keep interfering like this, I don’t know if I can do it. I can’t be in a constant battle with her over you. I can’t keep wondering if every gossip article or rumor is true.”

Chaos closed the distance between them, his hands coming to rest on Olive’s shoulders. The warmth of his touch sent a shiver down her spine.

“I know,” he said, his voice low and intense. “And I’m sorry. I should have shut Tia down harder from the beginning. But I promise you, Olive, I put a stop to this. No more interference, no more schemes. You’re the only woman I want in my life.”

Olive looked up into his hazel eyes, searching for any hint of deception. All she saw was earnest determination and something that looked a lot like love.

“You promise?” she whispered.

In answer, Chaos pulled her close, his lips crashing down on hers. Olive melted into the kiss, all her anger and doubt transmuting into a different kind of heat. Her hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer as his tongue swept into her mouth.

When they finally broke apart, both breathing heavily, Olive rested her forehead against Chaos’s chest.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I should have talked to you first instead of jumping to conclusions.”

Chaos tilted her chin up, meeting her gaze. “Hey, no. You have nothing to apologize for. I’m the one who’s sorry. I should have been more upfront about everything.”

Olive nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. “We’re quite a pair, aren’t we? A romance vlogger with trust issues and a tech mogul with a meddling sister.”

Chaos chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest. “Sounds like the plot of one of your books.”

“God, I hope not,” Olive groaned. “Those always have three more dramatic misunderstandings before the happily ever after.”

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