Page 101 of Rivals Next Door

I grinned with pure relief at the sound of the confidence in her voice. Crisis averted.

Her expression crumbled. “But…”

Oh, no. “But what?” I asked warily. If I had broken her spirit for good, I’d never forgive myself.

“BioTech is still in financial trouble. What can I do about that?”

I mentally wiped the sweat from my forehead. “Princess, you have a rich baby daddy.”

She groaned. “Oh, my God, Alex…”

I smirked. “If you still need an investor or a silent partner… I’m in full support of BioTech’s mission.”

She peered at me through narrowed eyes in that way she did when she was weighing her options. To my satisfaction, she stuck out a hand and said, “In that case, I’m interested in a partnership.”

I chuckled and shook her hand.

“I’ll have to do a thorough background check on you before we sign anything, of course.”

I snorted my amusement. “Of course.” I then gently tugged her into my arms and she fell into them with an airy giggle.

EPILOGUE

OLIVIA

Five months later…

I stepped back from the podium, gave the reporters a wave, and walked off the platform… Well, more like waddled. My eight-month-pregnant belly wasn’t conducive to graceful sauntering. One of Alex’s security guards helped me along the way until I was safely on even ground. He and another stayed close to me as we made our way through the crowded room.

“Ms. Brentwood, can’t you stay and answer a few more questions?” One reporter shouted.

I had just carried out a press conference about my reinstated title of CEO of BioTech as well as the whole mess with Don Weaver.

“She can’t, Todd! She’s heavily pregnant, for goodness’ sake!” Elena bellowed. She glowered at the man named Todd before falling into step with me and the guards.

“You know Todd, I take it?” I glanced at her with mild amusement, ignoring the flashes of cameras and the murmurs of the crowd.

She flipped her wild curls. “Yeah. He’s a co-worker and a pain in the ass. He cannot stand that I’m the one who broke the Don Weaver story.” She squealed with pure glee. “I’m getting a promotion, and I’m just as famous as you are right now, Livy. I’m loving my fifteen minutes of fame.” She turned to smile for a picture.

I sniggered. “I can tell.”

Alex had waited a few more months before giving Elena the go-ahead to do the expose on Don Weaver. He wanted to make sure he had everything so that there was no room for error or for Weaver to find a way to save himself. After his FBI friend assured us that there was enough to put away the unscrupulous character, Elena did her thing.

The story had blown up, capturing the entire nation. Weaver’s treachery was simply astonishing.

When we reached the heavily tinted SUV waiting by the curb, Elena gave me a peck on the cheek. “I’ll see you later, honey. I have a meeting with my boss in an hour… about that promotion.”

“You go, girl,” I said, giving her a high five.

I giggled as she shimmied away singing, “Who’s a badass journalist?”

“You are, Martinez,” I returned with a wink.

Since there were still camera clicks and flashes from a distance, the masses would probably see our insanity on the front pages tomorrow, but I didn’t care. I was learning to adopt Alex’s style of giving zero fucks. Life was just less stressful when you didn’t care too much about what others thought.

The back door of the SUV opened and a hand appeared from inside. I placed mine in it and hopped inside.

Sitting, I blew out a breath. “Goodness, my feet are killing me. I am not leaving the house again until I give birth.”

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