Page 96 of Rivals Next Door

My assistant stuck her head around the door. She gazed at me with concern, probably because I shuffled back into the office earlier with vacant eyes and had only grunted at her. My entrance must have resembled a zombie apocalypse survivor. However, she didn’t ask me if I was okay as I expected.

“Mr. Knight, Ms. Brentwood is here…”

She waited expectantly as I just stared at her.

I’d been prepared to talk to her last night, to really let her have it after she kept her pregnancy from me and ignored my existence for weeks. However, after the new piece of information, my brain was in a haze. I didn’t have my shit together.

Scrubbing a hand over my face, I said, “Send her in.”

A moment later, Olivia hesitantly stepped inside and shut the door. We were face to face after three weeks and the myriad of emotions made the tension in the air extra heavy. Her posture was rigid and her shoulders tense as if bracing for the worst. She was trying to keep a calm exterior, but I could see the cracks in the ice princess’s armor.

35

OLIVIA

My heart jackhammered against my ribs as I stepped into Alex’s office. I was a little afraid to close the door, but I did. When our eyes met, I was hit with all the emotions I’d been dealing with for almost a decade. It all came crashing down on me, sending my anxiety through the roof and leaving me exhausted before we even had our conversation.

While I wasn’t ready for this confrontation, it had to be done. It was time to resolve things once and for all for the sake of our unborn child. As I studied Alex, he surprisingly seemed to be in the same shape I was in. He looked utterly troubled, as if he hadn’t slept a wink last night.

“Liv,” he greeted softly.

His tone and use of that name comforted me somewhat. He didn’t sound as cold or furious as I had assumed he’d be. Elena told me how upset he was last night. He’d even threatened to kick her door down if I didn’t talk to him. I half expected him to snarl angry words at me the moment I arrived. I had even braced myself for it.

“H-hi…” I returned lamely. My brave front was quickly crumbling.

“This visit is a surprise,” he said.

He still stood behind his desk, and I was still rooted in front of the door. Maybe I wanted the option of a quick escape in case things got too emotional…

“Well, you threatened to kick my friend’s door down.” My lips twisted in a slight smile. “And I think you’re crazy enough to make good on the threat, so…”

He snorted softly, his amusement barely visible. “So, we’re going to do this here… like a business meeting?”

The underlying hurt in his voice was confusing. Alex was behaving nothing like I imagined.

“I thought it would be a good place to talk…” Admittedly, I thought being in a less intimate space would help keep my ice princess barrier up but that was quickly proving to be a failure.

My shoulders sagged with a long, heavy sigh. “Alex, I’m s?—”

“I’m sorry, Liv.”

“Huh?” I responded dumbly. He was sorry? Shouldn’t he be tearing into me about keeping the baby from him by now?

Alex stepped around his desk and shoved his fingers through his hair. He then looked skyward. I guess he was tired of holding up his cool mask too.

“I’m fucking pissed at you,” he hissed. “But I’m more apologetic about the way everything happened between us. I wish I knew sooner. Why didn’t you tell me?”

I gawked at him. “About the baby?”

He sighed. “Jesus, that too.”

“I’m lost,” I said, taking a hesitant step forward. “Aren’t you… aren’t we…?” Supposed to be in a heated quarrel? I came prepared to face his accusations about getting pregnant on purpose. I even conditioned my mind to listen to him gloat about claiming my company. I expected anger, bitterness, and tears—from me on account of my hormones—not an apology.

He took a step toward me too, his eyes boring into mine. “I learned the truth. Liam told me everything.”

It took a moment for his words to sink in. When they did, I almost swooned from pure shame. Now he knew what a coward I was. “Oh… Oh, God. Why would Liam tell you?” I brushed past him to find a chair because the room was starting to spin.

He scoffed as he wheeled around to follow me. When I sat, he glowered. “Why didn’t you tell me? You know? Like nine fucking years ago,” he growled.

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