Girl in the Middle

By C. A. Mitchell

She should have seen it coming…

Even though she is fabulously wealthy and beautiful, Olivia always finds herself in conflict with Archie, her lover… why is this?

He wants to marry her, but she will only accept his offer if he signs a prenup. As punishment for her rejection, he takes another to the annual charity ball. Foolishly, she still wants him, and with the aid of her gardener, Jack, she attempts to get him back…
Hold tight and ride this twisted road filled with pitfalls and deceit…

With all things of the heart, it doesn't go as planned… Is Archie only after her money? Is it Jack she loves? Stuck in the middle, she feels like she's being pulled from one to the other. Which one of these handsome guys deserves to win the heart and hand of this beautiful heiress? Or will it all end in disaster? Will one have to be the Sacrificial Lamb and die? Or will their histories catch up with them and destroy their credibility…
Read this gripping story of conflict, control, and lies…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rampart Books Ltd
• Release date: Sep 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9781915778703

Book preview

1

She was five foot six and beautiful, with a sculptured slender body and natural blonde hair. Her hazel eyes shone with a radiance that filled her admirers with longing. She was also rich, privileged, and lucky. But it didn’t mean she was devoid of feelings. Though try telling Archie that. He was angry at her for something she had denied him.

‘What’s wrong with having a prenuptial?’

Olivia’s uncle had demanded that they have one before giving his blessing.

‘A prenup shows you don’t love me. It says that you are still wary of me.’ He shrugged. ‘But hey, what do I care? You love your money more than you love me.’

‘That’s not true.’

‘Isn’t it, babe? I know your uncle put you up to it. I know he doesn’t care for me, as I know he doesn’t want you to be happy.’

‘That’s not true. He wants me to be happy.’

‘Yeah, sure he does,’ Archie smirked. ‘So, what can I do about it if you don’t want to be happy with me?’

‘He wants me to be happy. He wants the best for me.’

‘And for him, that’s obviously not me?’

Archie, thirty-seven, with dark-golden-brown hair, was handsome and with a smile that said California sunshine stood on the top of the world. But it wasn’t so much his looks that attracted her—it was his confidence. He was pure charm, though some would say arrogance. Neither did it bother her if he had been married before and dumped his wife less than six months later.

In those prior discussions with Olivia, before the romance, came the explanation of what went wrong with his first marriage. It wasn’t his fault. His first wife was a bitch. Lindsey knew he was poor when she married him, and that’s what the arguments with him were always about. It wasn’t his fault he was broke. He thought she was in love with him. But she proved him wrong, and it hurt because he truly loved her. But she didn’t want to understand.

Olivia listened to Archie, promising herself that she would not be like Lindsey. She would be an exceptional wife when they married and love Archie unconditionally. But Archie hadn’t finished yet.

His love for Lindsey wasn’t enough. Oh no. Before they married, he told her he didn’t have money to buy her flowers and trinkets, which he had been doing. It was she he had fallen in love with, not her money. He thought she understood he was a man who had pride. What worried her the most was him spending her money? But what other choice did he have? She didn’t want to be seen with a slob. Everything he did, he did it for her.

He bought himself a car, some clothes, a few bits of jewelry, and some holidays. So, okay, she gave him the house in Malibu, but he didn’t ask for it, and neither was it one of those massive jobs. And when he sold it as he had to, he got little for it. So, he was broke. Archie held up his hands as if to show they were empty.

But one thing he had was love. But a prenup. What was that all about except to say she didn’t love him? To him, it also meant she didn’t trust him. Wasn’t it? Because from where he stood, it looked like their marriage was already doomed. And when he married, he would marry for life.

Olivia had heard it all before, and now it made her feel sick with guilt.

‘Choose,’ he said. ‘Choose between your money or me?’

She chose not to marry him. She had chosen her money.

Sitting in her mother’s landscaped garden, she looked at the flowers, most of which her mother had planted even though they had five gardeners. Olivia felt the numbness of hurt. Her mother had married for love, and it had worked. Daddy was as poor as they came, but he loved his wife passionately. And when she died in a helicopter crash, it broke his heart, and he died four months later.

How was mommy able to find love and not her? Olivia leaned on her hand and looked across the flower beds. In this beautiful world, why was there so much ugliness? It should be simple to do what she wanted, which meant marrying the person she loved.

Really, though, would it have mattered if she had married Archie and allowed him to use her money in whatever way he wanted? It was better than being unhappy and lonely and hurt. So yes, Archie was right. He predicted she would be sad without him, and she was. And when she told him she couldn’t marry him unless there was a prenup, he laughed aloud.

‘So, what I’ve heard about you is right,’ Archie sneered at her, handsome and arrogant, with charm oozing out of every pore. ‘You’re the ice maiden. No one can ever crack your heart. You hold on to your money, babe, as I’m sure it’s going to make you happy.’

Why couldn’t she go against her uncle’s wishes to marry the person she loved? Since she turned twenty-one, she came into possession of a substantial fortune. But now, it meant nothing without him. Rich and alone, she had let him go.

‘If he loves you,’ said Uncle Ben. ‘He will sign the prenup. It’s not a big thing for a man in love.’

Only last night, she had seen him at another charity auction. The same venue where she first met him. He was the guy that everyone wanted to be seen with. And now he was brazenly going out with another debutante. This one was a little younger than herself and quite pretty. She couldn’t help herself watching him with her. And it made her jealous, knowing that this young woman was now getting all his attention.

He was all over the debutante as he had been with her. Couldn’t do enough for her. Stared lovingly into her eyes, intense loving. Oh yes, she had experienced this flattery. He had seen her looking at him. Like a bold peacock, he shrugged his shoulders in an attitude of Que sera sera. She had had her chance with him, but she let it go.

Now, there was no doubt he was a gold digger, but knowing this did not make her feel better. But was he a gold digger? Impossible to believe it even when she could see it for herself.

But she would sooner have a gold digger than no one at all. Because he had made her feel special, loved, and desired, like she was the only one on earth for him. She was wrapped up in his love, comforted, and safe. He would protect her, but from what, he didn’t say.

How did he fall out of love so quickly because he had, which made her wonder, had he ever been really in love with her?

What if she had married him? Again, she replayed this idea. She knew he would keep up to his side of the bargain by attending to her, and being romantic, which he did especially well when he seduced her. She had been a virgin then, and she had given her virginity to him because he was special to her. And because they were going to get married, she had bound herself over to him when she gave her virginity. There was going to be no one else. If only he hadn’t minded the prenup.

She would have married him if her uncle hadn’t stepped in. Stepped in and saved her and made her a lonely heiress. Unhappy, that is what she would always be.

In the garden’s silence and deep in her reveries, something had moved amongst the flowers. The demon of unhappiness had awakened, called by her heartache, and she had come looking for her. A phantom shape dressed in running shadows. The devil’s monster was coming to possess her. Terror grabbed hold of her, and she stood and screamed. Her unhappiness had brought monsters to her.

‘Please, go away,’ she cried, tears running freely down her face. ‘Don’t come to taunt me. You know I’m unhappy—is that what you do?’ She screamed out.

The shape was walking swiftly towards her, taking the form of anxiety on his face. His arms outstretched to her, hurrying now and coming closer. He couldn’t get to her quick enough to take her.

She screamed again and then fainted as consciousness was taken away from her.

Something cool brought her back. Laid across her brow, it made her open her eyes with confusion as a zigzagging world came into focus. Blue eyes with long eyelashes were staring into her eyes, fed with concern and nourished with care.

‘Are you all right now?’ his arm was around her, keeping her warm because her temperature had dropped.

Where was she as nothing was recognizable? Had she been kidnapped? There was always that possibility. Struggling to get up and run away, the horror stories of panic produced ghastly thoughts with consequences.

‘Olivia, isn’t it?’ The man holding her was looking with concern into her eyes.

‘Where am I?’ This place was old and full of dark, torturous weapons.

‘Yes, it must be confusing for you. We were nearer to my shed than to the house. You fainted, that’s all. You will be all right,’ he smiled at her, trying to calm her down.

‘Then, let me go,’ she pushed his supporting arm away.

‘I’m not keeping you. Here, I will help you up. You went out cold, and no one else was around except me. I work for you.’

‘You do?’ she was sitting up in the chair, trying to gauge her bearings.

‘Yes,’ he was still smiling, but now he had taken a step back from her.

‘So, you’re not going to torture me?’ her world had shaken itself back into reality.

‘Why would I want to torture you?’ he laughed, his merry blue eyes dancing and sparkling with humor.

Embarrassed now by her outburst, she looked about his outdoor office and reassured herself that what he said was true. While he, attentive and a little amused, was watching her. It was a garden shed, and she was in her own world. Again, she had embarrassed herself.

‘I thank you for your concern,’ Olivia pushed back her hair self-consciously, now wanting to rush away. But curiosity was detaining her. ‘So, you say you work for me? I’ve never seen you before. What do you do?’

‘I’m a gardener. It’s a job I love. Now that you are fully recovered, would you like me to escort you back up to the house?’

‘No, no, I will be fine, thank you. So, you’re a gardener here? What is your name?’

‘My name is Jacob, but everyone calls me Jack.’

‘Thank you, Jack. I feel I must have embarrassed myself—’

He interrupted her by holding his hand up. ‘There’s no need to explain. I have this funny feeling it was me who scared you.’ Moving with assuredness, he was holding open the shed door for her. More like he was eager for her to go than trying to detain her.

Now uncertain of herself and covered by the gaze of embarrassment, she smiled, approaching the door with questions.

‘I’m sorry I kept you from your work.’

He nodded appreciatory, still holding the door. Strangely, she realized she had no choice but to go. A strange incident in what had become an unhappy life.

Walking back to the house, the delayed curiosity of the drama was now thumping away in her mind. Why hadn’t she known who he was? But there again, why should she know? It wasn’t often that she strayed out into her mother’s garden.

‘Well,’ Olivia murmured to herself. ‘He was a surprise.’ And he was. He must have been six feet tall, with sparkling blue eyes and a beautiful smile. She calculated his age must be about thirty, and the sun had tanned his complexion, giving him a healthy look.

Once she was out of danger, she appreciated how good-looking he was. He was even more handsome than Archie, something that she didn’t think was possible. This Jack could have been a model or a movie star. So, what was he doing here, working for her and as a gardener? She would find out all she could about him. He was very desirable.

2

If you are rich, you support a charity. It was the penance for being wealthy. And Olivia belonged to several because she was more affluent than most. Anyone can join a charity, especially those looking for a rich purse. People looking for a rich wife or a husband also join charities, and those charities that give the most prestige and money support children or animals. Archie had come calling on her door with all the charm of a rake.

Calling himself a fundraiser, he collected money for charity and promptly took his percentage. It was accepted that the fundraiser could have around ten percent, but with Archie, and because he was so good at collecting money, his cut was forty. With his schoolboy grin and handsome face, he got away with it. How could anybody refuse him?

The most important charity to Olivia was the children’s one, as children are perceived as the future, and Olivia held an influential position on the committee. During the last meeting, they had discussed having a ball, with guests paying as much as possible for their tickets. After all, it was for a good cause, and anything less than twenty-five thousand for a ticket was not shunned in particular, but perhaps was not as warmly greeted as the full amount or more.

And because Archie brought in the most funds for the charity, he wrangled it to sit at the top table alongside Olivia. And she was affected by his handsome face, warm charm, and the easy way he had with her. Without even speaking, he took control. But that was then, and now, this afternoon sitting beside him, even the warm gulf wind iced her out. He would not speak to her until she apologized to him and threw away the idea of a prenup. But even so, he wasn’t going to forgive her straight away. He had his pride to think about.

Sitting beside Archie, Olivia was aware of him, all the while yearning to say sorry to him and that he should forget about everything that had happened. She just wanted things to be as they were before. But she couldn’t. He didn’t show any sign of reconciliation.

Instead, Archie caught another female’s eye, and lazily smiling, he concentrated on her. And for the whole of the evening, this female would feel special. It was what he had done to her. But when his eye chanced to pass her way, his eyes were cold. She had decided. And her punishment was his disapproval. Which was why she wasn’t looking forward to attending this meeting?

One difficult week had passed since she explained to him that unless they had a prenup, she couldn’t marry him. Enough time to regret that she might have made a mistake, and now she was weakening. He must still love her if he was trying to punish her. He was so close to her; they were within touching distance.

‘We need a theme for this fundraising ball,’ called out Deidre, the chairwoman. ‘Does anyone have any suggestions?’

While everyone whispered amongst themselves, searching for ideas about what to call this ball, Olivia’s eyes strayed over to Archie. He had moved to sit three chairs away from her so she could see him better. Confident as always and smiling into the audience. Who was he looking at now? She looked to where he was nodding and where his smiles were going.

She couldn’t believe it, as a gasp of irony escaped her mouth. He had the cheek to bring her here, his new girlfriend already. Was he already in love with her? Or was this still part of her punishment?

‘I have never loved anyone, Olivia, as I love you,’ he had said.

‘Really, Archie?’ she remembered how he looked at her. ‘Do you mean it?’

‘Is the world a circle of love surrounded by a blue sky?’

‘Oh Archie, I have never loved anyone like the way I love you. I will always love you, Archie, always.’

But now, his eyes were for someone else and how her ego took a crash.

‘We’ve done a Versailles ball already,’ said a disappointed Dierdre with the suggestion. ‘Doesn’t anyone else have any other suggestions?’

‘What about Cinderella?’ it was Archie. ‘All the girls can dress up as Cinderella and go to the ball to find their prince charming.’ Without looking at her, he knew Olivia was watching him. He was that conceited and arrogant. But then, he turned to her and grinned and then shrugged his shoulders in an attitude that clearly suggested that she had lost out.

‘Does anyone second this suggestion?’ Deirdre looked around the room.

‘Yes, I do.’ Olivia stared at Archie when she seconded his idea.

‘Well done,’ smiled Dierdre. ‘And now, everyone, I think we can start planning our dresses. And the tickets? How much will we charge for the tickets, and remember, it is for charity?’

Archie was still watching her, grinning and nodding. Even if they weren’t going together, he liked to keep his options open.

‘I propose myself as one of the prince charmings. But ladies, it will cost you a fortune—for the charity, of course, to be with me for the night. My price, dear ladies, might be your heart.’

Everyone laughed. They all liked Archie, and he liked and approved of everyone except, unfortunately, her.

‘Can we have a Cinderella for this prince?’ called out Deirdre, challenging the audience of mainly ladies. ‘Can anybody afford him?’

With that look she had recognized before, daring her, seeing how far she would go, he kept his eyes trained on her. And she would have made an offer for him if it hadn’t been for her pride.

‘Please,’ it was the girl in white, her chin pointed at Archie. ‘What is your price?’

Intrigued by the girl in white’s question, Archie considered his answer with mischievous contemplation. ‘Well, this is a charity fundraiser, and we have to think of the children. So, should I price it for my company for the evening or the children who will receive your kindness? Obviously, the children are more important than me, so I ask for a price of one million dollars.’

Was he joking? No, he was not.

One million, a repetition in gasps, went around the room. Who would give his asking price? Or would he be left abandoned by his own conceit?

‘I will give one million to have you as my prince for the evening,’ the girl in white again was staring starry-eyed up at him.

There was a round of gasps followed by applause as everyone’s attention was drawn to this act of desire.

‘One million it is then,’ said Deirdre, smiling wildly at the girl in white.

‘Unless, of course, someone else wants to go any higher,’ he turned his attention and dared Olivia, who grew embarrassed. Turning her eyes away, she knew he wanted her to pay for him. Although a million would be nothing to her, something else was bothering her. Was he forcing her hand, making her the subject of humiliation? But while her heart cried out yes, her head told her to walk away.

‘One million it is then, to the young lady in white.’

People were shaking their heads and smiling at each other. Had she been ruthless, or was she young and passionate? They remembered times when they had been like that.

‘And he’s yours, Andrea. It is Andrea Spencer, am I right?’

A round of applause hit the air. The charity had won and so perhaps had love.

The voice which was running through Olivia’s head was now chastising her. He never loved you. If he loved you, he wouldn’t have done that to you. It was only your money he loved, not you.

The tears were eking to come out from her eyes and onto her cheeks. Humiliated and unhappy, there was a tough battle not to cry. Yet, wouldn’t he love it if she cried for him—here, now, and in public? But two can play that game. You fight for what you want with a temper, aggression, and everything else. And she wanted love, not someone who loved her for what she had and not for who she was. Love was what she wanted, and she would get it. There was no lying down for love, unfrequented.

Dierdre was laughing. ‘Every prince must have a Cinderella, and Cinderellas must find their princes.’

Waiting on the outside of Olivia’s world is a garden full of flowers, and amongst these flowers is a real prince who will find himself going to the ball.

3

Olivia had withstood the gloating and the unsubtle eye contact. She had to resist the way Archie was fawning over Andrea. Watching him kissing her hands and looking at her lovingly was difficult because these were the very things he had done with affection for her. He had dropped her out of his heart as if she had never existed, and it hurt. Yet, her pride demanded that she didn’t walk out but withstood all the painful attacks he made against her. Inside, though, she was brewing up a plan. One day, she would win, and Archie would rue the day.

A man in a shed who worked in her mother’s garden with a little persuasion would come with her to the ball. Olivia only had to be there at the right place and at the right time. He would save her from humiliation and embarrassment, and she would always be grateful to him.

But how would she invite this shy man, a gardener, to the ball?

In the early morning sunshine, Olivia walked into the garden. She was covered with feelings that amounted to why. Why didn’t Archie understand she needed a prenup? And why did she think that there might be time for a divorce? Her heart needed time to heal.

How different the garden looked at this time of day. Preening their petals for the onslaught