Page 28 of Rivals Next Door

I blinked. “Yeah, Mom. I’m sorry…” I massaged my temple. “Look, you can’t get worked up about Liam. You’ll risk another stroke, for goodness’s sake.”

“He’s my child, Livy. You’ll never understand until you have one of your own.”

I looked skyward as Mom’s subtle dig into my failure to get married and procreate sunk in. She mentioned it sometimes… not enough to be irritating or overbearing though.

“I guess,” I grumbled.

Suddenly, I felt like a failure at everything. I was losing the company Dad left in my hands, I couldn’t save my brother, I couldn’t reassure my mother, and I couldn’t figure out Alex’s angle. Jesus. What could I do? You know those moments when you felt like your entire life was crumbling? I was experiencing one.

Pressing the heels of my hands into my eyes, I heaved a sigh. “Mom, I have to go. I’ll let you know as soon as I find out what’s going on with your prodigal son.”

“Now isn’t the time for sarcasm,” Mom chided.

“I wasn’t being sarcastic. He’ll pop up…” When he needed money…

Right now, he was probably at some cheap motel, with a woman he barely knew, strung out on whatever drug he got his hands on.

“I’ll find him, and I’ll get him into rehab.” As I did every fucking time like clockwork…

Mom was quiet for a moment and then she sighed. “Okay. I know you’ll take care of it.”

After she hung up, I sent Elena my appreciation for looking into things with Alex for me. I then rested my head on the sofa and stared at the ceiling. Mom’s words replayed in my mind.

I know you’ll take care of it.

Sometimes, I fantasized about a break from my real life where I could just relax, live for myself, and do something that made me happy.

My loud snort echoed around the room. It resonated with skepticism. Olivia Brentwood didn’t get any breaks… I looked around my apartment. It suddenly felt lonely and cold. I’d probably die single and miserable…

The buzzer went off, interrupting my morose thoughts. I jolted upright. The only visitor I’d have at this time—or at all—was Elena, and she was on her way to her date with that news anchor.

Curious, I reached for the intercom system mounted on the wall beside the couch. I pressed the button, activating the video feed, and the screen flickered to life, showing the lobby.

My breath escaped in a whoosh when I recognized the figure standing there. My heart skipped a beat in both trepidation and anticipation.

“Alex…” I muttered.

“Olivia,” his voice came through the speaker. “Can we talk?”

I hesitated, my finger hovering over the button that would grant him access. Part of me wanted to refuse him entry because his mere words seemed to send me into emotional turmoil. Yet another foolishly hopeful part thought that maybe he had a change of heart. He could be here to tell me that he was no longer interested in acquiring my company.

I pressed the button before I could stop myself.

“Come on up,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt.

Before Alex came up, I damn near wore a hole in the foyer’s floor. I was in the penthouse so the elevator ride took a couple of minutes. When I heard the soft ding that announced Alex’s arrival, I almost choked on the rapid fire of emotions that surged through me. The door slid open, and there he was, standing in my private space.

11

ALEX

The moment I saw Olivia, I realized my mistake. I shouldn’t have come here. The sight of her without her armor disarmed me. I stood motionless for a moment, staring at her. Without her power suit, no-nonsense bun, and cool expression, she looked like… my Olivia. The one who let me past the guarded facade she felt forced to keep up…

She looked soft and vulnerable—a stark contrast to the formidable CEO I’d been sparring with lately. It was like staring at a ghost from the past. How many times had we met at her door looking just like this? How many times had I taken one look at her and swept her into my arms to taste her full lips? I pulled in a sharp breath and forced myself to blink away the surge of memories.

She blinked too as if she also had to bring herself back from the past. “What are you doing here, Alex?” She shook her head. “I mean… you said you want to talk. About what?”

Straight to business. Of course. Olivia hated uncertainty and not being in control of a situation. I hated how well I knew her… what she pretended to be, anyway. In the end, I discovered that I didn’t know the real her. That thought helped me gather my wits, and I stepped inside.

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