Page 39 of Rivals Next Door

I answered her unasked question. “Swore off love and relationships and became an absolute whore? Yes.”

Charlotte let out a laugh, and I shrugged. I had never denied who I was… who I became after Olivia.

“Your honesty is something I’ll always appreciate, Alex.”

“Don’t be too proud. I’m lying about undergoing a hostile takeover of Olivia’s company purely because of business motives. When in reality, I really just want good old, hardcore revenge…”

Charlotte's jaw slackened and her espresso eyes shimmered with a hint of shock. I saw confusion in them too. “What…?”

I gave her a wry smile. “Oh, that’s right. You don’t know what I’ve been up to lately.” Turning to her, I shuffled to get comfortable. “I feel more comfortable talking to you about this. It’s easier to talk to you and Candy.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “Who’s Candy?”

“A stripper who I sometimes have therapy sessions with.”

Charlotte guffawed.

“I figured if I’m going to do the whole therapy thing, it might as well be with a hot woman who’s willing to show me her tits.”

“Alex!” Charlotte scoffed but laughter swirled in her eyes.

“My mother used to call my name like that a lot,” I joked.

“I bet she did, you scallywag.”

That made me laugh because Mom called me a scallywag often too.

“Alright, tell me about Olivia, the hostile takeover, and the revenge.”

“But you can’t tell Jamie,” I warned her. “I swore to him that I’m not going after Olivia for revenge.”

She folded her arms. “Yeah… something tells me he probably knows you were bullshitting him.”

I glanced at Jamie who was deep in conversation with his future in-laws. “You’re right.” All my friends probably knew I was full of shit when it came to the whole Olivia debacle. “Still, I’ll deny revenge as my true motive until death.”

She snorted. “Why revenge? Because she broke your heart?”

“If it were that simple, I would have let it go…”

I gazed over Charlotte’s head, not really seeing anything. I was too focused on the things Olivia said nine years ago. They were echoing in my mind, taunting me. Those words cut me deeper than any knife ever could. Tuning back into the present, I sighed heavily.

“I thought taking everything from her would make me feel better… validated even.”

“How do you feel now?”

I glanced at Charlotte, and my lips curled into an ironic smile. “Foolish. Immature. The worst part… interacting with her again made me realize that I’m not over her as I thought I was.”

Charlotte’s gentle smile eased a bit of the self-disgust coursing through me. “We’ve all let our emotions get the better of us at some point, Alex. If you’re not getting what you thought you would, why not stop?”

My long, loud exhale fluttered between us. “That would be the logical thing to do, wouldn’t it?”

She nodded.

“Well, it’s been said that I’m crazy and reckless. I must maintain my rep.” I held my glass up and grinned.

“Alex, be serious.”

“I am. I’ve already gone too far. I’m not backing down, not after I told Olivia that I’m going to win. I need to. She needs to see me win.”

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