Page 51 of Hot Commodity (Banks/Kincaid Family 1)

Unabashedly snooping, Olivia shuffled through the mess. Most shots showed Cameron's childhood, from when he was a baby to when he graduated high school. Others were of family members. She caught sight of Leah, his sister, in many poses. Becoming very curious about his life, Olivia eagerly went through more.

She found a shot of Boston, the lawyer cousin, and paused. He might've only been thirteen or fourteen, but Olivia could tell it was him with his pitch-black hair and urbane demeanor. He was grinning with his arm looped casually around Cameron's shoulder as they stood, dripping wet in swimming trunks on a beach.

Olivia smiled. Cam had been a happy kid. She liked that thought. The snapshots of him as an adult didn't quite reflect contentment, though, especially when he posed in a picture with the black-haired woman. Olivia turned one of those over and was rewarded with a name. Cam and Sienna, it read. One month wedding anniversary.

One month wedding anniversary?

Frowning, Olivia flipped the shot back over. Well, hello. They didn't look like newlyweds, especially solemn Sienna. She had deep violet slashes under her eyes as if she hadn't slept in weeks. She didn't smile, and the look on her face said she just wanted to die.

Struck by that thought, Olivia blinked a few times. Cameron was at least smiling despite the underlying look in his gaze—a desperate, wild look as if he knew exactly how miserable the woman next to him was, yet he was determined to act as if things were swell.

It was sad, knowing this woman had killed herself within a year of being married to him. Olivia could tell something was wrong bet

ween them, even at this point. She wondered what the problem was, though she didn't believe any of it was his fault.

Feeling an impulsive antagonism for Sienna Banks, Olivia picked up another picture and was even further angered to see Cameron alone, opening a gift in front of a tree. He'd looked up just in time to get his mug taken, but he didn't smile. It was a recent shot and Olivia blamed his sober expression on the woman with the straight black hair.

Suddenly wanting to categorize the pictures chronologically so she could see just how much he'd changed through the years, Olivia picked up the box and carried it from the office. She found a spare bedroom and dumped the contents onto the bed. Then she went about sorting the pictures by age. A little thrill of pleasure went through her as she envisioned how pleased Cam would be that she'd gone to the trouble of organizing his mess.

See, she wasn't totally useless after all. If only Vivian could see her now.

~ * ~

Boston knocked on Cameron's office door late in the morning. His cousin barely glanced up before waving him inside.

"What's up?"

Boston gnashed his teeth, reluctant to be the bearer of bad news. "There's a new development on the Shaney deal. We've got a new player butting in and wanting to add their bid."

Cameron frowned and finally turned from his computer. "This late in the game?"

Boston nodded. "Ever heard of Helbrock Enterprise?"

Cameron lifted his eyebrows. "Well, I'll be damned." He ran his hand over his mouth.

"What?" Boston asked, coming fully inside and sitting in the chair across from him. He hated it when Cam knew information he didn't.

"Livy's mom," Cam said. "I pissed her off in Chicago. I don't think she's very happy with me at the moment."

Boston sat up. "Helbrock's your new in-laws?" He paused. Why did he not know that already? He thought Olivia's last name was—

"Her name's Roark now," Cameron supplied. "Vivian HelbrockDonovan-Roark. Livy warned me she'd make a nasty enemy, but I didn't think the bitch would strike this quick."

"Well, how's that for a welcome-to-the-family," Boston said. When Cam snorted, he reluctantly added, "She's got the top bid as we speak."

Cameron's head snapped up. "Has she voiced an intent?"

Boston shrugged. "Says pretty much what we're saying; she's thinking about fixing it up. But she might have the same plan we do."

A shoe-production company, Shaney boasted top-of-the-line engineering equipment that put out a better quality of product in half the time as similar factories. While Cam and Boston had found that to be true, they'd discovered other problems in Shaney Manufacturing that would practically guarantee anyone who bought it would go as bankrupt as the current owners.

But it just so happened that EarnNet already owned a shoeproduction manufacturer, and if they could get their hands on Shaney's machines, they'd make their own company prosper.

Cameron shook his head. "No," he told Boston. "I've done a background on her. She doesn't have anything else in the shoe line. So, I'm sure she just wants Shaney so she can take away my toy. If she wins the bid, she won't know what to do with it. She doesn't realize she's playing with the big dogs now. I'll bet my life on it."

"Want me to kick her back to the porch and seal this deal with Shaney now?"

It took a minute for Cameron to answer. Rolling his bottom lip between his thumb and forefinger, he finally answered, "No. Roark doesn't want the company. And it'd probably sink her if she won the bid. I did a little research on her after I met Livy. She couldn't handle Shaney if she got it. I say we let her win and then watch her flounder."

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