Page 7 of Lovers and Lace

“Thank you for your time, ladies. Vera and I are absolutely certain Delcinia’s future is bright with Sergio at the helm. We’ll send everyone the link to this session recording.” Henry ended the call.

“With all due respect Henry, Vera – what the fuck is this?” Olivia spat out before anyone could say anything.

They all stood, and Olivia backed up toward the door. She was so furious she shook with it.

“Calm down and let me explain,” Sergio said as he approached her. Olivia immediately put her hand up, and he frowned but stopped advancing.

“I can’t believe you’d betray me like this,” Olivia said to Henry and Vera. “I’ve worked my ass off all these years for you, while attending night school online and earning my MBA. To prepare for my transition into management and a stake in the company. All the ideas and plans I shared with you, which you claimed you wanted to implement.” Had they been lying to her about their intentions from the beginning?

“Vera and Henry shared all of it with me. Nothing’s changed. I want to see all your brilliant ideas implemented as soon as possible,” Sergio offered enthusiastically.

Olivia’s jaw fell. Was he insane? “You’ve got to be kidding. I’m not going to work for you. Absolutely not. What would dear old Dad say?” She had a fairly good idea.

Sergio’s lips thinned and his eyes narrowed. Good. She’d pissed him off. It was nothing compared to the outrage she felt.

“Dear, why don’t you close the door and let Henry and me explain?” Vera pleaded.

Olivia had already heard enough. “I’ll close the door on my way out.” She glared at the three of them, fury burning in her gut. “I’m done here. I quit. Thanks for nothing.” She turned with her head held high and slammed the door behind her on her way out of Henry’s office.

Chapter Three

Olivia stared into the night, not paying much attention to the beautiful Manhattan city skyline. She’d come home from Delcinia HQ incensed and heartbroken. The first thing she’d done was change into a purple pair of Delcinia’s prototyped Essence pajamas.

The nearly weightless, silky material had been her brainchild. Nearly as smooth and gentle as actual skin, the lightweight stretch fabric felt like wearing next to nothing at all. It was a key component in Olivia’s expansion plans at Delcinia that would never see the light of day. Unless she brought the product line to market herself, under her own label. It was a huge endeavor to undertake, but worth considering now. She’d worked too long and hard to abandon the idea.

She swiped at the tears that continued to fall. On the phone with her mother a little earlier, when Vera had called a third time, her mother convinced her to answer. Olivia wished she hadn’t. She’d put them on a three-way call, not trusting herself without her mother’s support, only to find out her employer, mentor, and close friend was dying.

Vera had asked them not to share the news with anyone as she and Henry wanted to maintain their privacy about her health as long as they could. They were moving to Laguna Beach in two weeks. Although not happy about it, Olivia understood Vera preferring to spend her last few precious months, at peace and tranquil at their new beachfront property. She couldn’t imagine what Henry must be going through. They had been a quintessential power couple for decades.

Unwilling to argue with a dying woman, Olivia had promised Vera she would put her personal feelings aside and work with Sergio as the new Delcinia owner. There was no way in hell she was going to, however. She had accomplished much on her own, was a millionaire in her own right and had a multitude of options available to her. Fuck Sergio. She had no intention of assisting in his transition as the owner and CEO of Delcinia. He was a big boy and more than capable of running the company himself.

The knock at Olivia’s door startled her. She hoped it was Vera, wanting to hug and cry with her friend in private before she moved to California to live out her last days. When she opened the door to find Sergio on the other side, she didn’t hesitate and slammed the door in his face.

Her anger returned toward Vera and Henry. They had no right to tell Sergio where she lived. Olivia ignored the lightness in her chest and racing pulse, angry that he still had an effect on her.

“Please let me in.”

“Fuck off. You have no right to be here.” How dare he!

“I know. I only want a few minutes of your time. To talk. Then I’ll leave. You have my word. Please.”

Sergio’s word meant absolutely nothing to her now. She decided to let him in and give him a piece of her mind like she should have done years before, then kick him the hell out. Olivia had been young and naïve to the ways of love and men at the time. Not anymore.

Olivia turned away after opening the door and walked back toward the large wall of windows in her living room, fully aware of Sergio following her. She heard him remove his coat and toss it on a chair.

“They had to sell because Vera’s ill. She gave me permission to tell you she’s terminal with probably only a few months left,” Sergio said from right behind her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, the heat of his palm warming its way through her. She stiffened but didn’t move. God, how she’d missed him. His touch. His company. His everything.

She nodded as new tears ran down her cheeks. “I know. I spoke with her earlier.” Olivia wiped her eyes and turned around to face the only man she’d ever loved, the one who had turned his back on her so viciously nine years ago. How could he have left her so easily? Had he cared about her at all?

Sergio ran a hand along her sleeve and she shivered but backed away. He raised his hands as if in surrender. Good, he got the hint, although it tore her apart not to seek comfort in his arms after learning about Vera. It was unexpected, heartbreaking news.

“What kind of fabric is this? It’s…amazing. So light, barely there.”

Olivia scoffed. “It’s a prototype of what I wanted to introduce as Delcinia’s new Essence line of pajamas and loungewear. I told you when we met that I had plans for my future with the company. It’s too late now, though.” Sergio had ruined everything. Again.

“They’d told me about the fabric, but I couldn’t grasp what they described. The line will become a huge success. Well done. Wait a minute. What do you mean it’s too late?” Sergio’s praise did something for her ego, but was he serious? How could he not understand?

She laughed in his face. “You’re serious, aren’t you? After what you did to me? To us on my twenty first birthday?” What arrogance. “At least you waited until everyone had left the party before you dumped me. What an idiot I was. I thought you were going to propose!”

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