Page 24 of Rivals Next Door

“Mr. Knight owns a significant portion of our shares now… the majority, actually.”

Motherfucker!

“He’s essentially a co-owner of the company as of this morning.” Thomas’ gray caterpillar eyebrows furrowed into lines of concern as he watched me. Perhaps he saw the horror I tried to hide. “It’s up to him now whether we invest in BioTech.”

The room tilted slightly as his words sank in. I turned to Alex, wondering how the hell he beat me. None of the board members knew about my plan to partner with Thomas, so none of them could have blabbed to anyone. I’d been so careful…

The smirk playing on Alex’s lips told me he loved that he now had the upper hand. “How about that? Congratulations, Mr. Knight,” I managed through clenched teeth. “This is certainly… a surprise…”

Alex’s smile widened. “Business is full of surprises, Ms. Brentwood.”

Thomas was oblivious to the tension crackling between Alex and me. He nodded in agreement. “Indeed. Mr. Knight has proposed an ingenious plan for the future of the company. It aligns perfectly with where I hoped my hard work over the years would lead. Amelia reviewed everything, and she’s quite impressed.”

“I bet.” I wanted to tear my hair out.

“Well, Ms. Brentwood, aren’t you going to ask if I’m willing to invest in BioTech?” Alex drawled.

I turned to him with a forced smile that probably looked more like a snarl. “Something tells me you’re not.”

He steepled his fingers and studied me with a smirk. “You’re very intuitive, Ms. Brentwood. I’m not interested.”

Thomas watched us with creased eyebrows and through narrowed eyes. Maybe he finally picked up on the tension in the room.

“Well, then, there’s no point in wasting any more time,” I said. Getting up, I offered Thomas a hand. By some miracle, I was able to keep up my professional smile. “Thomas, I wish things had worked out differently, but thanks for your time.”

He shook my hand as he gave me an apologetic look. “Take care, Olivia.”

“You too.”

Although my professional mask was on, I couldn’t stomach pretending to be cordial to Alex. I didn’t even look at him as I waltzed out of Thomas’ office. I managed to give Roberta a farewell smile and wave, and I kept my composure until I reached the elevators. My cool mask began to slip and by the time I entered the lift, it completely melted away. As the door slid shut, I let out a frustrated growl and stomped my foot so hard, I almost broke the heel of my shoe.

To my dismay, a hand appeared in the elevator and the doors slid back open. I gritted my teeth as Alex stepped in and casually leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. I didn’t dare to look at him because I might lose control of my temper and kick him in the shin. However, I saw him watching me from my periphery.

I told myself I wouldn’t say a word to him, but the longer we stood in silence, the more my fury rose. Eventually, I turned to glare at him. “That smug smirk of yours tells me you’re extremely happy with yourself.”

Alex quirked an eyebrow. The way he looked at me… that quick and subtle way his gaze raked my form from head to toe… made me hot and confused.

“Another successful acquisition… of course, I’m happy,” he said, returning his gaze to the floor indicator.

“You only went after Thomas’ company to obliterate my chance of getting an investor,” I accused.

It could be a huge coincidence that I ran into him here, but I was suspicious. I knew Alex Knight. Despite the changes in him, I bet he was still a mischievous maverick who wasn’t afraid to play dirty. I used to find his bad boy edge hot, but now… it was just annoying.

“You really think you’re that important, huh?” He laughed and the mocking note struck a chord.

I used to be important to him…

“You’re not, Olivia. My focus is on branching out, extending my reach, and making more money…”

“I don’t believe you,” I hissed.

The ding of the elevator announced our arrival, and the doors opened, revealing the underground parking lot.

Alex stepped out, his expression like granite. “Goodbye, Olivia. Good luck with your next potential investor.”

The dismissiveness of his tone left me seething. Instead of behaving in my usual cool manner, I followed him out, my heels clicking against the pavement.

“Alex!” I refused to let him have the last word.

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