<b>Chapter </b><b>132 </b>
That made my stomach swoop, and I averted my eyes and started to eat. The chilled seafood paired perfectly well with the hot salty soup. Alexander had ordered well. Our lunch was absolutely delicious.
Throughout the meal, Alexander made small talk about work, the weather, and the meal. I appreciated his constant chatter. It helped calm my shaky nerves.
“I’m stuffed,” I said and put my napkin on my te. “I couldn’t possibly eat another bite.”
“Me too,” Alexander agreed. “We ate so many shrimp, I won’t be surprised if we both turn pink.”
That image made meugh.
When our server came with the check, she automatically handed it to him. When Alexander gave her his card, I handed over mine too and asked her to split the check 50/50.
“I could have paid for the whole meal,” Alexander grumbled and crossed his arms.
I just gave a nonmittal shrug. But I was determined to pay for my share. After Alexander had seen me break down and I stained his expansive dress shirt with salty tears, I had to draw the line in the sand any way I could. Splitting the check was my way of keeping things professional between us. A big part of me was afraid that we had already crossed that line.
Once the server returned with our cards, Alexander continued to re at me. “You’ve overstepped, Olivia.”
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Then, he stood from the table and walked away without waiting for <ol><li>me. </li></ol>
I sighed. We always seemed to take one step forward and two steps back.
We drove back to the office in a stony silence. I fixed my makeup and smoothed my hair.
When the elevator doors opened to our office floor, Gai was waiting for us. She gave Alexander back his keys, and he handed me mine, then Alexander walked away without another word.
I stared at his retreating figure as confusion flowed through me.
Gaiid a gentle hand on my shoulder. “How are you?” she asked with
concern.
“I’m better,” I answered. “Thank you foring to help me.”
“Anytime,” she said and smiled.
The pressure in my shoulders rxed a little from having her on my side.
The rest of my work day dragged on. I was even more exhausted than I was this morning after my breakdown. My eyes kept fluttering closed. I had to keep refilling my cup of coffee just to get through the day.
Finally, the day was over. As I walked out of the office, I made a quick call to Ava asking if she could meet me to discuss something important. She said that she could.
I was in the car garage rummaging in my bag for my keys when my phone rang. My stomach dropped because I had a bad feeling that it was Ethan calling me. But it was Alexander.
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“Hey, can you pleaseo back to the office? I need you for something,” he said.
“Sure thing,” I answered.
My feet dragged as I returned. All I wanted to do was go to sleep in my own bed. I had no idea why he wanted me toe back.
Alexander was in his office, and when I‘ walked in, he was sitting in his chair with a slightly sarcastic smile on his face. “You’re still- technically on the clock, Olivia,” he said.
Confusion washed through me. What was he talking about? My work day was over…
To make matters even more confusing, he stood from his desk and put on his jacket.
“Are you in a hurry to leave?” he asked.
I put my purse down on a chair. “No, I’ll always prioritize you.” I grinned.
Even though I was smiling on the outside, I knew that this was a test. By now, I knew Alexander well enough to know that he liked to design certain tests for people to see how they would react.
“I just received a call that there is ast–minute business function tonight,” he said, finally revealing the reason he had called me back into the office. “Would you like to apany me? It would be a greatworking opportunity for you.”
I paused. Since I’d been gone, there were many household chores and errands that I needed to run. Besides, I was exhausted and was looking forward to getting off of my feet.
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