Page 10 of Convenient Rivals

“Fuck off. You keep away from my brother. I don’t even know why you’re here after what you did.”

“I think you’ll find it was you who did something. And that was after you’d told several of my clients to fuck off. You’ve got your mother to thank that you didn’t get sacked sooner.”

Gregory was feeling uncomfortable. He was in the middle of this verbal spat between the two of them, and he wanted to be anywhere else. Could he slink away without them noticing whilst they continued to share barbs with each other? He took a step back, but didn’t get any further before his brother wrapped his arm around his shoulder.

“Where are you going? We need to talk.”

“He was talking to me,” said Oscar.

“Not anymore.”

Before he could say anything, Barty had spun him round and was steering him away from the party. He didn’t have time to look back at Oscar. His brother was on a mission, and the fact they were going somewhere quiet made it clear his brother wanted one thing – money.

It was Monday morning, and Gregory had been in the office since six o’clock. He’d done something he never had before; he’d said no to his brother when it came to money. What he’d gotten himself mixed up with this time, Gregory didn’t want to know. In the past, his brother had tapped him for a few grand here and there – it was always a loan, even though Gregory knew he was never getting it back. Once he’d asked for twenty grand, and after a guilt lecture from his mother, he’d given him the money. This time, though, he wanted a quarter of a million quid. How much did he think Gregory was worth? He didn’t have that kind of money lying around. It was all tied up in assets, such as the business and flat, which he owned outright. How could he owe someone that much money? Barty had looked genuinely scared, but what could Gregory do?

Now, he wasn’t sure if he’d made the right call. Barty had been adamant that he didn’t want their parents knowing about this, so whatever he needed the money for, it was clearly not legitimate. He couldn’t have anything to do with that, no matter how much his brother begged. So why did he feel so guilty? There was nobody he could talk to about this. His friends would say he did the right thing.

It had just passed eight o’clock and he could hear people arriving. He had a hybrid working policy, but he’d created a welcoming office space so people liked to come in, except on a Friday when the place was deserted. There was a knock on his office door, and it opened before he could respond. It was Hannah, the only person who would do that. Most of the time, his office door was open, and anyone could walk in, but when it was closed, people were expected to knock and wait.

“Sorry to bother you, but Oscar Montgomery is in reception for you.”

What the fuck is he doing here?“Does he know I’m here?”

“Yes, he said he went to your place first.”

Gregory looked at his phone and saw a message from Jason warning him Oscar was likely on his way to the office. A bunch of drooling and aubergine emojis followed. He couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Did he say what he wanted?”

“Just said it was a personal matter, and he’ll wait until you’re available. Your diary is free until ten.”

That was deliberate. Meetings before ten o’clock on a Monday should be a crime. Gregory looked down at his attire. He’d been planning to get changed before his meetings, so he was wearing jeans and hisBack to the FutureT-shirt, which was faded, but it was his favourite movie of all time and he loved wearing it. Paolo had bought it for his twenty-first birthday and it was like a comfort blanket. Why did he care about how he looked? He needed to get it together.

“Fine, I’ll see him.”

“Should I put him in the conference room?”

“No, I’ll see him in here.”

Her eyebrows rose, but she said nothing else, just nodded and left. Gregory had a moment of panic as he looked around his office, checking it wasn’t a mess. He was a bit of a neat freak, but he’d been doing some coding over the weekend and this morning, which meant tidiness and order had gone out the window.

There was a knock on the door. He scuttled behind his desk and took a seat, rolling his shoulders back and trying to look like the CEO he was supposed to be.

“Come in,” he croaked. “Come in,” he repeated, with more edge to his voice.

The door opened and in walked Oscar Montgomery, fully suited and booted and looking like a fucking snack. Ugh, why did this arsehole have to be so hot? Gregory stood up, pulling on his T-shirt, feeling even more underdressed now Oscar was standing in front of him, looking like a real CEO.

“Thanks Hannah, you can close the door.”

She smirked before leaving again.

“Have a seat, Mr Montgomery.”

“Really? We’re doing the ‘mister’ thing, are we?”

“Fine. Oscar. What do you want?”

“There’s the snarky Gregory we all know and love.”

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