Chapter 9 Unwanted Competition #2
Feeling strangely hollow.
Because rejecting Marcus hadn't brought relief.
It had brought grief.
Not for the relationship.
For the version of their future that once existed.
For the man Marcus used to be.
For the life Oliver thought they would share.
The realization left him unexpectedly vulnerable.
And for the first time since moving to New York, he wasn't entirely sure how to put himself back together.
Losing Control
Ethan Blackwood had spent most of his adult life mastering uncertainty.
Markets crashed.
Competitors emerged.
Investments failed.
Companies rose and fell.
Risk was part of the job.
The secret wasn't avoiding uncertainty.
It was controlling your response to it.
Unfortunately, nobody had ever taught him how to remain rational when another man threatened something he wanted.
Especially when that man happened to be Oliver's ex-fiancé.
The realization annoyed him more every day.
Monday morning began badly.
Not because of business.
Business was thriving.
The quarterly numbers exceeded expectations.
A major acquisition had closed successfully.
Investors were happy.
The board was happy.
By every objective measure, Ethan should have been in an excellent mood.
Instead, he found himself staring at breakfast while wondering whether Marcus Reed had spoken to Oliver over the weekend.
The thought alone was enough to ruin perfectly good coffee.
"You look miserable."
Helen's voice interrupted his thoughts.
Ethan glanced up.
The household manager stood near the refrigerator holding a clipboard.
"I'm eating breakfast."
"Exactly."
The answer somehow made sense.
Helen studied him carefully.
Years of experience had made her annoyingly observant.
"Work problems?"
"No."
"Board problems?"
"No."
A smile slowly appeared.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
"Oh."
Ethan immediately knew where this was heading.
Unfortunately, stopping Helen once she reached a conclusion proved nearly impossible.
"I see."
"You don't."
"I absolutely do."
He sighed.
"Helen."
"What?"
"Leave it alone."
The smile only grew.
Which wasn't remotely encouraging.
Fortunately, she eventually retreated.
Unfortunately, the damage was already done.
Because Helen wasn't wrong.
The problem wasn't business.
The problem sat twenty feet away preparing fruit for breakfast.
The problem was Oliver.
More specifically, the growing possibility that someone else might get him first.
The thought had become increasingly difficult to ignore.
Marcus remained persistent.
Flowers.
Calls.
Meetings.
Coffee dates.
Apparently the man intended to fight for a second chance.
Part of Ethan respected that.
A much larger part wanted him relocated to another continent.
The contradiction felt deeply unprofessional.
And entirely unavoidable.
The rest of the morning passed in a blur of meetings.
Normally, work distracted him.
Today, nothing helped.
Every spare moment brought unwanted questions.
Was Oliver considering reconciliation?
Did he still have feelings?
Could seven years together really disappear?
The answers remained frustratingly unavailable.
Around noon, Grant Walker accidentally made everything worse.
The Chief of Staff entered Ethan's office carrying several folders.
Routine business.
Nothing unusual.
Then he casually mentioned a restaurant event.
A terrible mistake.
"A restaurant event?"
Grant nodded.
"Wednesday."
Ethan looked up.
The details immediately sounded familiar.
Very familiar.
One of New York's largest hospitality networking galas.
Industry leaders.
Investors.
Restaurant owners.
Celebrity chefs.
The sort of event Oliver would probably enjoy.
Unfortunately.
"What about it?"
Grant shrugged.
"One of the investors mentioned Marcus Reed is attending."
Ethan's stomach tightened instantly.
A reaction he carefully concealed.
"Marcus?"
"Restaurant owner from London."
As if Ethan didn't already know exactly who Marcus was.
Grant continued.
"Apparently he's trying to expand into the American market."
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
The universe clearly hated him.
"Interesting."
The word sounded remarkably calm considering the irritation currently building inside his chest.
Grant nodded.
"He's bringing a guest."
There it was.
The moment everything became significantly worse.
Ethan already knew the answer.
Somehow.
Instinctively.
Still, hearing it felt unavoidable.
"Who?"
Grant glanced down at his notes.
"Not sure."
A pause.
Then:
"Though I heard he invited Oliver."
The irritation immediately transformed into something sharper.
Something uglier.
Jealousy.
Raw and immediate.
Ethan hated it.
The emotion felt beneath him.
Petty.
Immature.
Yet entirely real.
Grant noticed the silence.
His eyebrows rose slightly.
Fortunately, years of executive training prevented further questions.
A skill Ethan deeply appreciated.
After Grant left, the office suddenly felt much smaller.
The city stretched beyond enormous windows.
Normally, the view brought perspective.
Today, it brought nothing.
Because all Ethan could picture was Oliver attending the event.
With Marcus.
Together.
The image refused to disappear.
Throughout the afternoon, it returned repeatedly.
Every time, the discomfort increased.
Not because of the event itself.
Because of what it represented.
Possibility.
Marcus wasn't a stranger.
He wasn't some investor flirting harmlessly during dinner.
He had history.
Seven years of it.
A relationship.
An engagement.
A shared life.
Things Ethan couldn't compete with.
The realization lingered heavily.
For perhaps the first time in years, insecurity surfaced.
An unfamiliar feeling.
And one he deeply disliked.
Business competition made sense.
Metrics.
Results.
Performance.
Those things could be measured.
Love couldn't.
People couldn't.
Oliver certainly couldn't.
The uncertainty left Ethan restless.
Dinner that evening only complicated matters further.
Oliver seemed distracted.
Not dramatically.
Subtly.
Enough for Ethan to notice.
Of course he noticed.
The problem with paying attention to someone was eventually learning their moods.
Their habits.
Their tells.
Oliver pushed food around his plate slightly more than usual.
Answered questions a little slower.
Smiled a little less.
Something was bothering him.
The obvious explanation sat between them.
Marcus.
Ethan wanted to ask.
Needed to ask.
Instead, he remained silent.
Because what exactly would he say?
How are things with your ex-fiancé?
Have you forgiven him?
Are you planning to get back together?
The questions felt absurd.
And far too revealing.
So he said nothing.
The silence somehow felt worse.
By Wednesday afternoon, the situation had become unbearable.
Not externally.
Internally.
Ethan spent an entire investor presentation wondering what Oliver would wear to the gala.
The realization horrified him.
He was a forty-year-old CEO.
Not a jealous teenager.
Yet apparently emotional maturity abandoned him whenever Oliver became involved.
The event itself started at seven.
Ethan knew because he checked.
Twice.
Possibly three times.
Not intentionally.
Mostly.
Around six-thirty, he returned to the penthouse.
The kitchen remained unusually quiet.
Oliver wasn't there.
A fact Ethan already expected.
Still, disappointment surfaced immediately.
Helen appeared moments later.
"He left an hour ago."
Of course she knew exactly what he was wondering.
Ethan chose not to acknowledge it.
"Good."
The answer sounded completely unconvincing.
Helen's expression confirmed this.
"He looked nice."
Wonderful.
Truly wonderful.
Exactly the information Ethan didn't need.
Yet immediately wanted.
"What does that mean?"
The question escaped before he could stop it.
Helen smiled.
Far too knowingly.
"It means he looked nice."
Then she left.
Abandoning Ethan to his increasingly unreasonable thoughts.
The evening stretched endlessly.
Work accomplished nothing.
Emails remained unanswered.
Reports remained unread.
Concentration proved impossible.
At one point, Ethan found himself searching online photographs from previous gala events.
A new low.
Undoubtedly.
The images only made things worse.
Elegant venues.
Expensive suits.
Romantic lighting.
The perfect setting for second chances.
The realization felt unpleasant.
A memory surfaced unexpectedly.
Daniel's warning weeks earlier.
If you don't make a move, someone eventually will.
At the time, Ethan dismissed it.
Now the words echoed relentlessly.
Because Daniel had been right.
Marcus was making a move.
Actively.
Confidently.
Without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Ethan remained trapped behind caution.
Professional boundaries.
Fear.
Logic.
All the reasons he couldn't act.
The reasons made sense.
They remained valid.
Unfortunately, none of them made losing Oliver easier.
The possibility suddenly felt very real.
Far more real than before.
Because Marcus wasn't simply a memory anymore.
He was present.
Persistent.
Determined.
And unlike Ethan, he wasn't hiding how he felt.
The comparison stung.
Around ten-thirty, Ethan stood alone beside the penthouse windows.
The city glittered below.
Beautiful.
Distant.
Meaningless.
His reflection stared back from the glass.
Tired.
Frustrated.
Uncertain.
The sight felt unfamiliar.
For years, certainty defined him.
Not today.
Today he felt powerless.
And the reason finally became impossible to ignore.
He loved control.
Loved strategy.
Loved planning.
Yet none of those things mattered when it came to Oliver.
Because feelings couldn't be negotiated.
And opportunities didn't wait forever.
A painful truth settled inside his chest.
He could lose him.
Not hypothetically.
Not eventually.
Really lose him.
Marcus could apologize.
Reconnect.
Earn forgiveness.
Rebuild trust.
People had overcome worse.
The possibility existed.
And Ethan had done absolutely nothing to prevent it.
The realization hit with startling force.
Because beneath jealousy and frustration existed something even more frightening.
Regret.
The potential regret of never trying.
Never speaking.
Never risking anything.
For the first time, Ethan allowed himself to imagine it.
Oliver leaving.
Returning to London.
Building a life with Marcus.
Disappearing from the penthouse.
From his daily routine.
From his evenings.
The image created a sharp ache inside his chest.
One impossible to ignore.
One impossible to rationalize.
One that finally forced him to acknowledge the full truth.
This wasn't attraction anymore.
Wasn't a crush.
Wasn't temporary.
He was in love with Oliver Bennett.
Hopelessly.
Completely.
Dangerously.
And if he continued waiting for the perfect moment to confess, he might discover that moment never came.
Because someone else wasn't waiting.
Someone else was already fighting for him.
The realization settled heavily over the city lights.
And for the first time since meeting Oliver in London, Ethan genuinely feared he was running out of time.
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