Chương 2: Played

"Olivia, for the past three years, I've kept my emotions for you as hidden as possible. But I can't stand it any longer; I love you, so... can you be my girlfriend?

"Shhh!!!"

*Silence*

Alex finally spoke, disclosing his greatest secret. Although Alex's words seemed confident, he was truly screaming within.

"I did it! Now that I've confessed, Olivia and I will begin dating, and in a few years, we will most likely marry and build a family." Alex couldn't help but become thrilled as he imagined his life in the future; his imagination was going wild.

"Pfttttt"

Olivia's laughter jolted Alex out of his daydream when he was deep in thought.

"What exactly is she laughing about?" Alex thought to himself as he glanced over at Olivia.

He began to have second thoughts about it; shouldn't she be thrilled and say yes?

He began to wonder whether he'd said anything funny in order to make her laugh. Alex looked bewildered at Olivia as she continued to chuckle.

When Olivia observed that he was attempting to figure out what was so amusing, she broke out laughing even harder. "Alex, you are truly an idiot, hahaha~." Olivia smiled at him as she spoke.

"What do you mean, and what did I say that made you laugh so hard?" This time, Alex spoke with a sense of confusion.

"What made me laugh? I laughed only because you asked me out; do you think I'll date you, Alex?" With a smirk on her face, she muttered,

Hearing her comments, Alex's expression darkened somewhat. He had a horrible feeling about this; nothing was going according to plan, and he was right.

Olivia paused her laughter and gave Alex a scornful look that he had never seen her give before, which astonished him.

"Is this the Olivia I'm used to seeing?" He thought to himself that the Olivia he knew would never have such a face; she is a kind-hearted girl who has always been a source of joy and brightness, constantly putting a smile on Alex's face for the previous three years.

Alex had never seen her with a sarcastic face before, so it surprised him. Alex's heart beat faster as he observed her. He was perplexed and a little wounded. He was at a loss for words, and Olivia couldn't help but notice his look.

"Do you know what, Alex? I already feel awful for you, which is why I'm going to let you in on a little secret I've been holding for a while," Olivia grinned as she approached Alex.

She stood in front of him, her head and body slightly extended forward, a mischievous glimmer in her eye, and her hands behind her back. She smiled mockingly as she savored what was going on.

"Alex, do you realize how much I dislike you? You are the last person I want to be with." She seemed to be having a good time, taking joy in watching Alex suffer.

Alex was taken aback by her statements, which made no sense to him; if she disliked him, how could she be so nice to him all the time?

"How come you were so nice to me? If you didn't like me, why did you approach and speak with me?" Alex asked; his voice was slightly shaking.

He was curious as to why she detested him; perhaps there was a reason, and if so, what he had done to deserve her hatred. If there was a mistake, he would try to fix it, and deep down, he hoped it was simply a misunderstanding, but his optimism was dashed by Olivia's next comments.

"Did you believe I treated you well?"

"Haha, Alex, I wouldn't have approached you if I wasn't told to be nice to you."

When Alex heard her words, his head exploded, leaving him stunned. "Told...?"

"I was asked by someone dear to me that I treat you nicely for the time being, and you already know him very well," she said.

Alex started thinking, and only one person came to mind, someone Alex hates to the core.

"James!!"

"Correct," she says happily as she claps her hands.

"You figure it out right away."

"What does James have to do with how well you treat me?"

"Oh, that's the important part; I forgot to mention it, but I'm dating James, and we've been dating for two years."

"What!?" Alex got another shock; he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

As he tried to digest the information he had just received, his mind raced. At the same moment, he was astonished and outraged.

So he was being manipulated the entire time. His hatred for James got even more intense.

When Alex met James, his already challenging life got much worse. In contrast, James is one of the most popular boys in school.

Olivia would be compared to the school's queen, while he would be compared to the king. He had high grades, was athletic, and was so attractive that all the females flocked to him like ants, but most importantly, he was wealthy.

His father was the CEO of a huge firm, thus he came from an affluent household.

In contrast, Alex was an orphan who had no idea who his biological parents were. Being alone made his life tough; he worked many jobs and studied relentlessly, but he was rewarded for his efforts when he was awarded a scholarship and admitted to a prominent school.

His life was previously arranged, but everything went horribly wrong because of James.

Everything happened during his first year in school. Because Alex didn't know anyone at the time and was new to the school, he and James got into a fight. James, who was pompous and vindictive, thought it was preposterous that Alex, a nobody, would dare to confront him, so he tormented Alex. It progressed from tiny acts of violence to major acts of violence over time.

That is why Alex despised James; if Olivia hadn't approached him and helped him, he would have gone insane a long time ago; she was his light that kept him sane; she showed him kindness that he had never felt before, and nobody cared about him except her, but now... Alex is going insane right now, overcome with feelings of anger and rage after being played the entire time.

"Since you already know, please don't call me again, and don't dare to approach me again." She said it coldly and started leaving. Alex felt an intense mix of anger and sadness at that moment.

"Hahaha~" Alex busted out laughing uncontrollably as she departed, and he looked at the sky A tiny tear ran down his cheek.

To Be Continued...