Finally, I dragged myself out of bed. I put on a blush pink blouse, a ck skirt, and kitten heels.
Even though I had ate start to the day when I got to the office, I realized I had some extra time to go to the coffee shop next door, Five minutester, I had a hot ck coffee in my hand that was more bitter than my life.
When I entered the office, my heart skipped a beat when I saw that Gai‘ s office door was open. That had to mean that Alexander was here. I paused in the middle of the office. I hadn’t expected him to be here so early. Wasn’t he even more tired than I was? I hoped that there wasn’t any leftover tension fromst night between us.
I put my coffee down on my desk andforted myself with the knowledge that I didn’t have to be avable twenty–four–seven for this job. I didn’t think I could do that.
<i>” </i>
As I was sitting in my chair, Gai came up to my desk. “Good mor-
She paused when she got a better look at me. “Olivia! You look exhausted. You’ve been working too hard these past few days.”
I shifted ufortably in my seat. I had done my best to cover up the purple bruises under my eyes and puffy face, but there was only so much makeup could do.
I opened my mouth toin about Ben, but I quickly shut it when I thought about it further. Could I be implicated in the drugging incident if I reported it? Honestly, I probably could be if it was investigated further. If I omitted that part, then it wouldn’t be worth telling because it wouldn’t showcase how horrible that old man had been.
0.00%
11:33
1288 Wouchers
It was better not to bring it up.
Gai leaned against the edge of my desk and filled me in on what happened when I was gone. Apparently, she had to put out a few metaphorical fires around the office when I’d been away.
I took a sip of my coffee and listened to her as best I could. Honestly, I was trying my best to stay awake. But her next question made me perk right up.
J
She grew quiet and cleared her throat hesitantly. “So…did the president give you a hard time during the trip?”
My heart mmed against my chest, and a jittery feeling washed over me. And it wasn’t because of the caffeine I had just consumed.
How was I supposed to answer Gia’s question without lying straight to her face?
*Olivia*
I cleared my throat and took another sip of my coffee. “No, he didn’t,” I answered Gai’s question, hoping that my voice sounded steady to her. My eyes narrowed when I noticed that her shoulders seemed to rx slightly. Had she been nervous, I was going toin? “Does he usually get into trouble when he goes on business trips?”
Gai airily waved her hand. “No, not Alexander. I never have to worry about him. It’s some of the…other’s I worry about.”
“Alexander was the perfect gentleman,” I told her honestly.
He hadn’t been the problem on the trip. It was Ben and the whole fiasco with him.
“Alexander really is a decent guy,” Gai said.
38.56%
<b>11:33 </b>
288 <b>Nouchers </b>
We looked at each other and grinned. I wasn’t sure exactly what aspect of our conversation we were connecting on–and Gai didn’t seem to know either–but it was still nice to connect.
After she left my desk, my morning was hectic, especially since I was sleep deprived. After I got off the phone with an important client, it was time for lunch.
I grabbed my purse and got up from my desk. Alexander and Gai were walking in front of me and talking about work.
My cell phone began to ring, and when I looked at my phone screen, my stomach jolted.
It was Breanna–she used to be my subordinate at the Zenith Group. We used to talk all the time, but after everything that happened with Ethan, we hadn’t kept in touch.
“Hi, Breanna!” I said when I answered the phone.
“Olivia! Hi, how are you?”
“I’m doing well. It’s great to hear from you,” I said and smiled. “How have you been?”
As she chatted about her life, I thought about how great it was to hear from her.
“Listen…would you like to grab lunch with me at Myst Dining at noon?” Breanna asked, her voice sounding a little hesitant for some
reason.
72.45%