25. Alex
25
ALEX
My hands curled into fists on the bathroom counter. As I stared at my reflection, another wave of guilt hit me. It hit me so hard this time that it almost knocked the air from my lungs.
“Are you really going to do this to her?” I asked myself.
The man staring back at me in the mirror looked as conflicted as I felt. I thought about Olivia still asleep in my bed after our night together. I still wasn’t sure how the hell we got to where we did last night because it was the last thing I wanted. The trust in her eyes when she looked at me, seeing behind her practiced icy demeanor… The way I let her in again… It was a mistake. Of course, that’s what I said the last time we slept together. I’d have to stop using that excuse eventually.
I squeezed my eyes shut as every laugh, touch, and kiss we shared replayed in my mind. All of that played a part in my belief that we could recapture what we once had and that was just crazy. The longer I stared at my reflection, the part of me driven by the hurt of the past refused to let go of the desire for revenge.
Look at me, I was like a wounded animal determined to draw blood. Blowing out a breath, I ducked my head so I wouldn’t see myself. How could I muddy the water and blur the lines between my ex and me to such epic proportions?
“Typical Alex behavior,” I muttered as I gave my reflection another disappointed look. Now, I struggled between helping Olivia and watching her fall. I kept something major from her yesterday when she knocked on my door to gloat about her win .
She hadn’t won a damn thing because she was walking right into the devil’s clutches and the question was, would I stand back and let her? Don Weaver, her new business partner, was going to take her to hell in a handbasket. He was an immoral corporate demon involved in all sorts of shady shit.
Probably the worst part was his unethical medical experiments for profit. The man endangered so many lives to make money under the guise of running a legitimate synthetic biology company. I had to dig to the near depth of hell to find the dirt on Don Weaver because that’s what I did before my name went anywhere near an organization.
What he could hide from the world, he couldn’t from me. That was why I backed out of taking Syn-Genix off his hands just to spite Olivia. I stood back and watched as she walked into the lion’s den, which would eventually lead to her ruin. She’d pretty much be carrying out her own destruction, and I thought I’d be happy watching from the sidelines. I never thought I’d feel this fucking guilty.
My knuckles turned white as I balled my fists tighter. I lifted my head to stare into my tormented eyes, and I steeled myself against the myriad of emotions—resurfacing old ones—that wanted to stop me from carrying out my plan. My big win was almost within reach. It didn’t matter how Olivia lost BioTech. I’d get what I wanted either way—her empire in my hands while she scrambled to pick up the pieces of her life just as I’d struggled to pick up the pieces of mine nine years ago.
I decided to stop torturing myself and turned on the faucet to splash water on my face. It was time to get on with my day. I’d get through the awkward morning I knew would ensue, listen to Olivia go on about beating me when in reality she hadn’t, and then we could go back to being enemies.
Truce over.
However, when I stepped out of the bathroom and saw her sprawled in my bed, guilt kicked me in the nutsack again, and I stifled a groan. She looked so beautiful and peaceful. She had an arm thrown out to the side I’d slept on as if searching for me even in her sleep… like she used to do back in the day. I shook my head and kept walking until I was out of the room. I refused to get sucked back into her web.
A while later, I was lounging in the kitchen. I was focusing on my laptop, catching up on work, and patiently waiting for Olivia to emerge from the bedroom. I knew she was awake because I heard the shower running, but I lost track of how long ago that was. As if thinking about her conjured her up, I heard a soft rustle behind me, and I turned to see her standing in the archway.
I blinked and swallowed hard. The sight of her with her fresh face, bright eyes, tousled hair, and hot little body clad only in my t-shirt nearly knocked me off my seat. The more time I spent around her, the more I saw the woman I loved and I didn’t like it. Seeing her like that wasn’t conducive to my ruthless revenge plan.
“Hey,” she greeted. Her small smile crumbled and her face flushed when all I did was stare at her while scowling severely. “I found a drawer with shirts. I hope you don’t mind. Since I showered, I didn’t want to put on my clothes from last night.” Her blush deepened. “I also made use of your toiletries.”
“That’s fine,” I said, noting her discomfort. It was natural that we’d have this awkwardness between us. I expected it. “So, I guess you’re heading back to your place now?”
Her eyelashes lowered to hide her eyes, but I saw her disappointment. “Are you kicking me out?”
I huffed. Maybe I was. I wasn’t trying to be rude but being around her like this when I wasn’t distracted with sex was unbearable.
She took my silence to mean yes, and she sighed heavily. “I thought you’d at least offer me a cup of coffee before ending our truce.”
My jaw tightened, and I slid off my stool to face her. “Look, Olivia…”
“Not Liv anymore? The truce is really over.”
“Last night?—”
“It’s okay, Alex. I know. It was a mistake like the last time. Let’s just blame it on the alcohol.” Her lips twisted wryly and there was an air of acceptance about her. “We don’t have to make this weirder than it already is. I’ll go.”
I stood in the same spot even after she disappeared because an internal battle raged. Tell her about Don Weaver or not? Hammer the nail into her coffin or rescue her? Those hurtful things she said to me years ago… they still stung…
Olivia appeared again, still wearing my shirt and holding her bundle of clothes. “Is it okay if I borrow your shirt a while longer? I’ll have it washed and?—”
“Yeah, sure. ”
She folded her lips and gazed at me as if wondering what else to say. “Thank you, Alex… for everything.”
My eyebrows shot up, and she blushed profusely.
“That sounded… I don’t mean the sex. I mean everything with my brother and hanging out last night. It was… fun.”
She looked as if she’d keel over from embarrassment so I rescued her. “I know what you meant. No problem.”
It sounded as if we were saying farewell for good when we were going to see each other as early as tomorrow.
“Right. Bye… neighbor.” She gave me a tight smile and hurried out of the kitchen.
It only took me a few seconds to break. “ Goddamnit! ” I took off after her. “Liv, wait.”
She paused at the door, looking back with a mix of hope and hesitation.
“I…” I struggled with the weight of what I wanted to say and with disbelief that I was actually going to cave and save her. Raking my fingers through my hair, I said, “There’s something I have to tell you.”
She searched my face with slight creases in her brow. “Okay…”
“I wanted to beat you… in business, and I’m still going to, but not like this.”
Her hopeful expression melted away leaving only annoyance. “Can we not do this right now? Not before my first dose of caffeine.”
“This isn’t about our rivalry… not really. You can’t partner with Weaver.”
She scoffed. “Last night, I commended you for not being a sore loser. Was I wrong?”
“Liv, trust me when I say our battle isn’t over, but I once told you that I’d beat you fairly , didn’t I? ”
She folded her arms and glowered.
I shrugged. “I guess I can’t be as ruthless as I thought I’d be with you. You’re making a big mistake putting your name and business anywhere near Don Weaver. He’s a scumbag, a fucking criminal, and he’s going to take you down with him.”
Her laugh of disbelief rang out. “Are you serious? You’d resort to petty lies just to win?”
I looked skyward and sighed, taking a moment to gather my patience. “Don’t make me regret saving your ass, Liv.”
“Screw you, Alex! You’re trying to scare me away from the only person willing to invest in my company because you’re pissed that he chose to partner with me rather than sell to you. You can’t stand it.”
I snorted my amusement, but the sound also echoed with irritation. “Syn-Genix was in the palm of my hands. I backed out of the deal. Let go of your anger and pride, forget about our whole competition, and ask yourself why I’d do that when I’ve been hellbent on winning this entire time.”
Her eyes narrowed. “How about I ask you , Alex? If you really had Syn-Genix in the bag, why did you let it go?”
“I did some digging…”
Her shoulders dropped, and she tucked her chin into her chest. Shaking her head in acceptance, she muttered, “Of course, you did. What exactly did you find?”
“It seems you have faith in me,” I noted.
“I have faith in your terrifyingly good hacking skills,” she corrected as she glared daggers at me.
My lips lifted wryly. “Right.”
I reached for my laptop that sat on the counter. Spinning it around so that she could see the screen, I pulled up the proof. When I gestured for her to come closer, she looked terrified. It couldn't be of me because she saw that I was willing to put our rivalry aside to help her out.
Each of her steps as she approached was reluctant. I stayed silent as her eyes moved over the screen, taking in everything laid out before her. Her face paled with each horrifying detail.
When she glanced at me, I shrugged. “You can see for yourself that Don Weaver is more than just a savvy businessman who’s portrayed in the media as a hero. The blackmail and insider trading are child’s play compared to the darker shit I found.” I then showed her said darker shit and the little color that was left in her face seeped away.
However, I continued to give her the hard facts. “He’ll ruin anyone associated with him.” I pulled up another document. “Just ask these guys.” I pointed at the screen. “All former partners of Weaver. All are either in prison for money laundering and so on, bankrupt, or dead. Hell, one’s even missing.”
She sucked in a breath. “If this is some twisted game to get me to drop Weaver so you can?—”
“It’s not a game,” I assured her quickly. “This is serious shit, Olivia. I wish I hadn’t even stumbled upon some of it. It’s sickening.”
“You don’t stumble upon anything,” she murmured.
I shrugged. It was true. I suppose I often go looking for trouble.
Olivia’s shoulders slumped. “I didn’t see this coming. I mean, I looked into him and I didn’t find anything suspicious.”
“You wouldn’t. I didn’t exactly do a regular Google search. His unscrupulous tracks are immaculately covered.”
“Why tell me this now? What changed?”
“Nothing. I want to win but not by watching you fall into a trap like this. It’s getting harder for Weaver to do shady shit and get away with it in this advanced digital age. I bet he was just waiting for someone like you to come along to pin his dirt on… like I know he did to his former partners.”
“You listened to me gloat all evening yesterday.” She snorted. “Now, I know why you were so quick to congratulate me.” She fell silent as if deep in thought. Finally, she said. “You mentioned something about not being as ruthless as you wanted with me…”
“Right. That’s why I’m not letting you walk into a situation with Weaver blind.”
“But you considered it.” When her eyes met mine, I almost took a retreating step because of the hurt that I saw in them. “You hate me so much that you almost let me fall into a ditch I’d never get out of.”
Obviously, I didn’t hate her. There was no use pretending that I did anymore. “Look, I just wanted to do the right thing.”
The snort that left her lips resonated with skepticism. “It’s nice to know you at least have a conscience. So, what? Am I supposed to thank you for coming to my rescue again ? Thank you for being my hero?”
“I’m no fucking hero,” I spat. I was weak to her, that’s what I was, and I was irritated by the fact.
“Well, thanks anyway.” She glowered but then her expression crumbled.
To my shock, her eyes became misty. I never thought she’d allow herself to crack in front of me. Before I could say another word, she wheeled around and rushed out.
“Olivia, wait?—”
The door slammed shut, echoing in the silence that enveloped me. I stood there in a whirlpool of emotions. Undeniable concern for her was one of them. Olivia was tough. She always had been, but seeing that vulnerability, even for a fleeting moment, shook me and heightened my guilt.
A part of me wanted to go after her, but the part that was reluctant to get too close to her again told me to stay put. She probably didn’t want to see me anyway. Letting out a puff of air, I slammed my laptop shut as if the device was the one that caused all this mess.