Page 17 of Code of Heart
As Chief Operations Officer, Ivy kept the company humming behind the scenes with the accuracy only someone who knew how to anticipate Levi’s every need could pull off. She protected him, not by hiding his struggles, but by building a system around him that let him lead without compromise.
Because of this, allowing such a ridiculous piece of furniture in his office that made her happy was a small sacrifice...one easily covered by a light blanket when she wasn’t there.
Levi leaned on his desk with his head in his hands. Isaac sat back in his chair, his words clipped. “Where do we begin? Maybe with how Levi got into a pissing match with Tyler during the Board meeting…or the fact that he suddenly has this mysteryfiancéethat doesn't exist that Tyler’s now extremely interested in meeting? You know, the one he rightfully suspects to befake? Which stupid event do you want to address first?”
Ivy gasped in surprise as she snapped her attention to Levi, her bronze eyes shining equally with alarm and amusement.
She dramatically tapped a finger against her caramel-colored cheek and huffed out a mix between a deep breath and a laugh. “I’dloveto hear about this fiancée and how you met, since all you do is work and work out.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she added, “I can't wait to meet her. Tell me, how did you know she wasthe one?”
Drawing in a deep breath, Levi looked up at the ceiling in exasperation, his knee nervously bouncing beneath his desk. The five o'clock shadow was more pronounced now than it was this morning, adding to his haggard appearance.
He didn’t know where to begin. Taking his silence as a cue, Isaac recounted what happened during the meeting.
Listening to Isaac, Levi’s face heated again, the wound still fresh. He sank deeper and deeper into his seat until Isaac finished his story. A few beats of silence passed before Levi spoke. “I haven't felt this small since the last time I spoke to my old man,” he said softly.
His relationship with his father growing up, or lack thereof, was a train wreck. Certain scars ran too deep to ever recover from.
This was one of them.
“That's because your father was a piece of shit,” Isaac said gently, his voice laced with understanding. “He and Tyler were cut from the same cloth. Tyler did that to purposely get underyour skin and, unfortunately, it worked—and now you have a different problem to deal with.”
Isaac paused and looked at his friend intently before asking, “What in the world made you say you had a fiancée to begin with? Comments like that never bothered you before, even after the Lana incident.”
Levi sat mutely for another minute, trying to find the right words to explain why he blurted that out—he didn't quite understand it himself.
That was a lie. He knew exactly why he said it.
He had no one to go home to at the end of the day. The thought of being alone in his large estate made him dread the drive back. On many nights, he didn't, opting to work late and on occasion sleep in his office overnight.
“You work too much—you’ve stretched yourself so thin. You need to ask yourself whether any of this is making you happy. Because, as an outsider looking in, I’d say no, and it hasn’t for a long time now,” Isaac said delicately while giving Levi’s appearance a once-over.
Levi opened his mouth to respond when Ivy interrupted, “You need to start putting yourself first and not letting dickheads like Tyler get to you. We know firsthand what a psychopath Lana was and its effect on you.”
Isaac hummed in agreement as Levi scowled at the memory.
“You don't laugh or smile as much as you used to, getting you to come out with us and have fun turns into a hostage negotiation, and your moods have become more volatile. You stopped playing baseball after work, your drum set hasn’t been touched in over a year, and Owen has been whining about not going to concerts anymore. We’ve all noticed it, but when we try to bring it up, you brush it off,” Ivy solemnly added. “I’m surprised you find time to hit the gym at this point.”
Levi sighed. His friends always saw past his defenses even when he wasn’t aware he had built them in the first place.It was annoying at times, but he was also grateful to have friends who cared this much.
He couldn’t think of what else to say other than, “Webuilt this company, andweare the heart and soul of it. It wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for us and Owen—so while I appreciate everything you just said, I need to remind you that we accomplished all that as a team. Thank god Owen isn't here to help bust my balls about it.”
“Oh, I already texted him to amp him up to hear this tale later on,” Isaac quipped.
Levi groaned and sat back in his chair. Of the entire group, Levi had known Owen the longest—they’d been friends since the fourth grade.
“Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise,” Ivy said thoughtfully.
“I’m dying to hear in what possible way you think this ridiculous lie is a positive thing,” Levi retorted dejectedly. This was undoubtedly the dumbest thing he had ever done.
The deadly glare she shot him instantly shut him up.
Then Ivy smugly said, “I know exactly where to find your fiancée.”
Levi got exactly zero work done the rest of the day after Ivy’s horrendous idea.
A goddamn matchmaker.
Her solution was to hire one of the best and most exclusive matchmaking services in the area. To his dismay, Isaac supported the idea. She didn’t allow him to protest before running back to her desk to set it up.
