It Ain't Easy Being Rich

Liam knocked at the door twice, second-guessing himself. After all, the past few days with Olivia had been fantastic.

"Stay strong!" Liam reminded himself and cleared his throat.

A tall brunette with legs for miles answered the door.

"Liam," she said in acknowledgment, opening the door wider.

Before entering room number 2005, Liam looked to his left, to his right, and then to his left again as if he was about to cross the street. Aside from a maid pushing a cart filled with cleaning supplies, the hallway was empty. Quickly combing through his hair with his fingers, Liam walked inside and then instinctively put his hands into his pockets.

"I made you coffee. Black. No sugar. Just as you like it," the brunette announced, pointing towards the table in the living room.

"Thank you, Sophia," Liam said and took a spot on the leather sofa.

Sophia wore a graphite grey skirt suit, quite a contrast to Liam's blue, worn-out jeans and a red Polo T-shirt. She sat down in the armchair next to the sofa, picked up her glasses from the coffee table, and crossed her legs.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked and tilted her head to the side.

Liam wasn't sure what he wanted his answer to be. "No," was his initial reaction. Olivia was a wonderful woman - so beautiful, caring, and kind.

"Yes," he said out loud and rolled his neck. "Let's do this," he added.

"Does she know where you are?" Sophia asked.

"Of course not," Liam answered and snickered. "I told Olivia I was going shopping for something special for her."

"I thought the newlyweds don't leave each other's sides during the honeymoon," Sophia said and looked at Liam.

He was looking around the room, playing with his wedding ring.

"The wedding was beautiful," Sophia added and put on her glasses.

"Uhum," Liam said, pursing his lips. "Enough chit-chat. Let's get down to business," he added, still glancing around.

"Alright then," Sophia said and grabbed the pen and paper from the table. "It will go something like this: I Liam Peters, of 26 Upper Ladue, St. Louis, MO 63124, being of sound mind and body..." Sophia paused and looked up.

"As sound as I will ever be," Liam replied and rolled his eyes.

"...hereby declare this to be my Last Will and Testament," she finished reading the first paragraph.

Liam undid the top button of his Polo shirt. He normally liked it all buttoned up, but at that time, he felt like he had trouble breathing and that the room was abnormally warm.

"Look at you sweating already," Sophia remarked. "The juicy part is only to begin," she added with a smile.

Liam got up and paced back and forth in the room.

"Calm down. It will all be alright. She won't be the wiser," Sophia said, touching Liam's arm. "Here, sit down, and I will make you a cup of green tea. Maybe coffee wasn't a good idea," she added, making her way to the kitchen.

Liam sat down on the sofa and looked out the window. The shore gently embraces every wave that came in. The palms swayed to the rhythm of the tide. It was so peaceful out there.

"It's just a short storm in here today, and then it will be peace for the rest of my life," Liam reassured himself and took a big sip of his coffee.

He could taste the almond extract in the brew. Most people preferred hazelnut, but Liam could never understand it. Hazelnut was the poor man's choice, and he was anything but poor.

After a few minutes, Sophia returned with two mugs in hand.

"One cup of green tea for you..." she said, placing the cup in front of Liam. "And chamomile for me," she added as she returned to her armchair.

"Chamomile? Since when do you drink chamomile tea?" Liam asked as he scratched his jaw.

"It soothes my nerves," Sophia answered and took a sip.

"I wish you 'soothed your nerves' back when-"

"Yea, well, better late than never," Sophia interjected. "Let's go back to drafting your will. Shall we?"

Liam cleared his throat. He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. He wanted to control his restless right leg.

"Olivia won't like this," he said quietly.

"Like I said before: 'She doesn't have to know,'" Sophia said and took off her glasses. "Well, not until it's time for her to find out, of course," she added and put the glasses back on.

Liam nodded slightly, remembering the advice he got from his best friends.

"I'm ready. Let's write my will and testament and keep my wife out of it," he said and straightened his back.

***

"Before you leave..." Olivia called after Liam as he was about to exit the room.

He turned around and saw her disappear into what he presumed was the bedroom. As much as he loved his new wife, he could not help but think about Sophia. She looked so good that day, and he had to admit to himself that he missed her a little. She was sexy AND smart. He considered following her into the room when Sophia came out.

"Take these for Olivia," she said, placing her glasses on top of her head.

Liam looked at the diamond earrings, which were gorgeous. He knew Olivia would love them.

"I can't," he said with sadness.

"Yes, you can. She will love those, and you won't need to go out shopping. She's probably already suspicious what is taking you so long," Sophia said and placed the box of earings in Liam's jeans' pocket.

"Thanks, Sophia," Liam said and Sophia on the cheek, inhaling her patchouli perfume.

***

That night, Liam laid in bed, wondering if he had done the right thing.

"Olivia's a golddigger," his friends insisted.

"Don't let her take all of your money," they warned.

"We signed a prenup," Liam mentioned. "She doesn't care about my money. She loves me for me."

"Have you seen how she looks at that guy?" Liam's groomsman asked during the wedding reception. "Liam, she's 30 years younger than you. Be honest with yourself," he added.

"28!" Liam corrected him as his face reddened.

"A prenup guarantees nothing. If she kills you, all the money goes to her anyway," the groomsman continued.

Yes, he did the right thing.

***

"Mmmmm," Liam smiled as he sipped his coffee.

The almond aroma always calmed him down.

He massaged his temples. He never got headaches.

"What the h-" Liam said as his body weakened, and he began to have trouble breathing.

***

"Olivia? I'm Sophie - Liam's personal attorney," she said, extending her hand out.

"Yes. Hello," Olivia confirmed, shaking Sophia's hand.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Sophia said, placing her glasses slightly higher on her nose.

"Thank you," Olivia answered, sniffling.

"I will try to get through this reading as fast as I can so you can go back to grieving your husband," Sophia said as she took the seat behind the desk.

"I leave all my assets to Liam Jr," Sophia read out and looked up from the will.

Olivia's eyes were wide with surprise.

"Who's Liam Jr?" she asked.

A man in his early 20s entered the room.

"That's Liam Jr," Sophia announced, pointing at the newcomer. "Liam's only son. Our son," she added.