Page 6 of The CEO's Sweetheart Deal
"I picked up on that," Cole replies. "Want to tell me why? The real story this time?"
I turn to face him. "What do you mean?"
"You told me years ago that you and Alice had a falling out over business ethics or something, but that it was amiable in the end. But that look she gave you today? That wasn't professional disagreement. That was personal."
I sigh, running a hand through my hair. Cole's been my closest friend since we cut our teeth side by side as assistants at a local firm — the job I took right after Alice and I parted ways.
He’s been there for me through thick and thin, and he deserves the truth. Hell, maybe he even has some advice that could help out.
"We were best friends in college," I begin, returning to my chair. "Inseparable. We took the same classes, studied together,dreamed together. Everyone assumed we were dating, but we weren't. I made sure of that."
"Why?" He asks, leaning forward, hands clasped, asking the question like it’s the most important one of all time.
"Because I was in love with her," I admit, the words still difficult to say aloud even after twelve years. "Too in love to risk ruining what we had. We were building an app together.”
“The one to help farms become organic certified? I didn’t realize that was her.”
“It was her.” I blow out a heavy breath. “I didn’t want to mix business and pleasure. I convinced myself that friendship was enough."
"But it wasn't."
"No." I pick up my abandoned chopsticks and fidget with them. "After graduation, we had plans. Big plans. We were going to go all in on Organic Now.”
I pause, the memories flooding back with surprising clarity — late nights in her tiny apartment, whiteboards filled with our ideas, talk about changing the world for the better.
"What happened?" Cole prompts.
"I finally told her how I felt. I couldn’t keep it in any longer, even though I knew it was probably a bad idea. We'd been celebrating securing our first investor. I had champagne, confidence… and terrible timing."
The scene plays out in my mind like it was yesterday. Alice's shocked expression, the uncomfortable silence that followed myconfession, the way my hopes for a magical first kiss turned into a stumbled apology as I walked out the door.
"She didn't feel the same way," I say flatly.
He frowns. "That's it? She rejected you and you fell out?"
"Not exactly." I stand again, too restless to stay seated. "She said she needed time to think, that she was surprised. She went quiet for a couple days and I freaked out. Got a job, you know, where I met you, and she… she felt like I betrayed her, I guess.”
I stuff my hands into my pockets. No, there’s no guessing. I already know she felt like I betrayed her, and still does feel that way.
"So that was it,” Cole guesses.
“That was it. I was ashamed. Figured a clean break would be best. I turned over my part in the app to her. Said I needed to focus on making money right away instead of waiting for our project to take off – if it ever would.”
“Which wasn’t true?”
“No,” I tell the floor. “It’s that I couldn’t stand to go back there, to look in her eyes…”
“Because you were in love with her. Did that app ever get up and running?”
I shake my head, all too aware of my involvement in that. The work I left her with was a lot – more than one person could shoulder. It’s no surprise Organic Now never took off.
Cole whistles low. "And now you own the company she helped build. That's some cosmic fuckery."
"It wasn't intentional," I say quickly. "Her name wasn't on any of the documents I reviewed."
"Would you have backed out if you'd known?"
The question hangs in the air. Would I have? I honestly don't know.
