Page 69 of Rivals Next Door

“Liv, trust me when I say our battle isn’t over, but I once told you that I’d beat you fairly, didn’t I?”

She folded her arms and glowered.

I shrugged. “I guess I can’t be as ruthless as I thought I’d be with you. You’re making a big mistake putting your name and business anywhere near Don Weaver. He’s a scumbag, a fucking criminal, and he’s going to take you down with him.”

Her laugh of disbelief rang out. “Are you serious? You’d resort to petty lies just to win?”

I looked skyward and sighed, taking a moment to gather my patience. “Don’t make me regret saving your ass, Liv.”

“Screw you, Alex! You’re trying to scare me away from the only person willing to invest in my company because you’re pissed that he chose to partner with me rather than sell to you. You can’t stand it.”

I snorted my amusement, but the sound also echoed with irritation. “Syn-Genix was in the palm of my hands. I backed out of the deal. Let go of your anger and pride, forget about our whole competition, and ask yourself why I’d do that when I’ve been hellbent on winning this entire time.”

Her eyes narrowed. “How about I ask you, Alex? If you really had Syn-Genix in the bag, why did you let it go?”

“I did some digging…”

Her shoulders dropped, and she tucked her chin into her chest. Shaking her head in acceptance, she muttered, “Of course, you did. What exactly did you find?”

“It seems you have faith in me,” I noted.

“I have faith in your terrifyingly good hacking skills,” she corrected as she glared daggers at me.

My lips lifted wryly. “Right.”

I reached for my laptop that sat on the counter. Spinning it around so that she could see the screen, I pulled up the proof. When I gestured for her to come closer, she looked terrified. It couldn't be of me because she saw that I was willing to put our rivalry aside to help her out.

Each of her steps as she approached was reluctant. I stayed silent as her eyes moved over the screen, taking in everything laid out before her. Her face paled with each horrifying detail.

When she glanced at me, I shrugged. “You can see for yourself that Don Weaver is more than just a savvy businessman who’s portrayed in the media as a hero. The blackmail and insider trading are child’s play compared to the darker shit I found.” I then showed her said darker shit and the little color that was left in her face seeped away.

However, I continued to give her the hard facts. “He’ll ruin anyone associated with him.” I pulled up another document. “Just ask these guys.” I pointed at the screen. “All former partners of Weaver. All are either in prison for money laundering and so on, bankrupt, or dead. Hell, one’s even missing.”

She sucked in a breath. “If this is some twisted game to get me to drop Weaver so you can?—”

“It’s not a game,” I assured her quickly. “This is serious shit, Olivia. I wish I hadn’t even stumbled upon some of it. It’s sickening.”

“You don’t stumble upon anything,” she murmured.

I shrugged. It was true. I suppose I often go looking for trouble.

Olivia’s shoulders slumped. “I didn’t see this coming. I mean, I looked into him and I didn’t find anything suspicious.”

“You wouldn’t. I didn’t exactly do a regular Google search. His unscrupulous tracks are immaculately covered.”

“Why tell me this now? What changed?”

“Nothing. I want to win but not by watching you fall into a trap like this. It’s getting harder for Weaver to do shady shit and get away with it in this advanced digital age. I bet he was just waiting for someone like you to come along to pin his dirt on… like I know he did to his former partners.”

“You listened to me gloat all evening yesterday.” She snorted. “Now, I know why you were so quick to congratulate me.” She fell silent as if deep in thought. Finally, she said. “You mentioned something about not being as ruthless as you wanted with me…”

“Right. That’s why I’m not letting you walk into a situation with Weaver blind.”

“But you considered it.” When her eyes met mine, I almost took a retreating step because of the hurt that I saw in them. “You hate me so much that you almost let me fall into a ditch I’d never get out of.”

Obviously, I didn’t hate her. There was no use pretending that I did anymore. “Look, I just wanted to do the right thing.”

The snort that left her lips resonated with skepticism. “It’s nice to know you at least have a conscience. So, what? Am I supposed to thank you for coming to my rescue again? Thank you for being my hero?”

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