Filed to story: Watch Me Win Alpha (Olivia & Ethan)
“Mmm,” she murmured softly, stretching her arms above her head in what she hoped appeared to be a natural awakening. “Are we in New York already? I must have been completely out. I’m such a heavy sleeper once I get comfortable.”
The plane door opened, and Mike appeared at the entrance. His face broke into a grin at the sight of them. “How was the flight?” he asked as they made their way down the stairs.
“Oh, it was fine. Quite peaceful, actually. I slept most of the way.” Olivia avoided making eye contact with Alexander.
They soon jumped into the black SUV as Mike drove them back home. When they finally arrived at Alexander’s building, they found Ava
*#288 Vocetuire pacing anxiously near the entrance. Her face lit up the moment she spotted them.
Ava rushed at her best friend, before she’d even gotten a chance to climb down the vehicle. “Olivia! Thank goodness you’re back. I have something really important to tell you, something that couldn’t wait.”
Mike stepped forward at the moment and interrupted the reunion. “Actually, perfect timing! I just ordered some of those expensive ravioli from Alexander’s favorite restaurant. Why don’t we all head upstairs and make it a proper welcome-back dinner?”
Both women’s expressions brightened at the suggestion. “That sounds wonderful, Mike. Thank you.”
Ava nodded eagerly. “Count me in! But Olivia, we really do need to talk,” she added in a low voice, shooting a meaningful glance at her friend.
The four of them made their way upstairs together and headed straight to the dining room for the promise of good food.
Alexander surveyed his plate for a moment, then began transferring several of his ravioli onto Olivia’s plate without a word.
Ava immediately pointed her fork accusingly at Alexander. “Hey, that’s not fair!”
“Tortellini for later. Take these home and stick them in your fridges. They’ll keep for a few days. They won’t be quite as good as when they’ re fresh from the kitchen, but they’re still miles better than anything you’d get at the supermarket.”
Olivia looked down at her now over-flowing plate, then back at Ava. Without hesitation, she began scooping half of the transferred ravioli onto Ava’s plate. “Better?”
Ava beamed and nodded. “Better.”
As they finished their meal, Mike reached into a bag beside him and produced two takeout containers. “Here.” He slid the boxes across to Olivia and Ava.
Both women accepted the containers gratefully. “You’re too generous, Mike. Thank you for all of this,” Olivia said.
As they began gathering their things to leave, Alexander suddenly turned to Ava. “Earlier, you mentioned having something important to tell Olivia. What was it?” It had plagued him since, and he was awfully curious to know what it was about. “If it’s not too private, I’d like to hear it as well.”
Ava froze. She wasn’t sure this was something her best friend would want the Alpha to know. But after a nod of approval from Olivia, she spoke. She glanced nervously between Alexander and Olivia, clearly torn between her desire to share the news and her uncertainty about including Alexander in the conversation.
“It’s about Chloe.” She paused, allowing the words to sink in. “I went to the hospital today. I had this plan, I dressed up like a nurse, with scrubs and everything. The idea was to get some kind of false evidence by having Chloe pretend to be sick.”
Olivia’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe this was what her best friend had been up to. “Ava, that was incredibly risky. What if you’d been caught?”
Ava waved her hand dismissively. She’d perfectly calculated the risk before she ventured on the mission. “That’s not important. While I was there, waiting for the right moment to approach Chloe, I overheard one of the real nurses talking. She was discussing test results with another staff member, and I heard her say…”
Ava paused for dramatic effect, then lowered her voice to barely above a whisper. “She said that Chloe is pregnant.”
Olivia snapped her head up so quickly she had whiplash. What?
“There’s more. I did some additional digging after I left the hospital. The Hawthorne family has been making regular visits to see Chloe and her family over the past few days. They appear to be discussing marriage arrangements.”
Olivia couldn’t believe her ears, but Ava wasn’t done.
“I’m worried that when these two families join forces, Ethan will completely reverse everything he said before. It would be bad for you.”
Olivia was lost for words. Her mouth hung open as she considered Ava’s words.
Ava suddenly huffed in anger. “I couldn’t believe it when I found out. Just weeks ago, Ethan was going on and on about how much he regretted losing you, how deeply he loved you, how he’d made the biggest mistake of his life. And now he’s rushing into marriage with her? The hypocrisy is unbelievable.”
Olivia managed to keep her cool. She was shocked mostly, and worried about what that meant for her. “His marriage has nothing to do with me.”
“But it does. After they’re married, Chole will have even more reason and resources to target you, and…” Ava trailed off as her eyes lit up with a brilliant idea. “Unless…”
She looked between Olivia and Alexander. Yes. That was the answer. “Unless you marry Alexander. It would be the perfect way to spite those two.”
Olivia was once again rendered speechless. However, to everyone’s surprise, Alexander didn’t immediately dismiss the idea.
Instead, he nodded at Ava and said, “It isn’t entirely impossible.”
Olivia stared at him in amazement,
*Olivia*
Ava studied my wide, panicked eyes, and her cheeks reddened with embarrassment.
“I…I’m sorry,” Ava stuttered. “It seems like I’ve put my foot in my mouth. I seem to always be doing that.” Her eyes bounced between Alexander and I like a tennis ball. “Let’s talk about something else.” Ava’s voice was too bright and cheery.
Alexander turned to me like he was waiting for me to say something, but I averted my eyes. My stomach was full of butterflies, and my leg bounced.
“That was a great suggestion, Ava,” his deep voice rumbled from the side of me. “But Olivia isn’t brave enough to marry me.”
My head shot up, and indignation flowed through me. He thought I wasn’t brave?
Our eyes met, and energy sparked to life between us. Alexander raised one of his eyebrows as if waiting for me to prove him wrong.
But I couldn’t. Because at the end of the day, did I have enough courage to marry Alexander after how poorly my first marriage turned out? Even if the marriage was only for show?
Alexander’s jaw clenched, and the awkward silence stretched among the three of us, turning more uncomfortable with each second that passed.
“Is that all it takes to get married…courage?” Ava asked, attempting to break the silence.
I swallowed nervously and peaked over at Alexander. His hands were clenched on top of the table. He gave me one more searching look, scowled, and then rose from his chair. Then Alexander left the room without another word.
I cut my eyes to Ava and nodded in the direction of stairs. She understood, and we hurriedly collected our things.
“Goodnight, Mike!” I called as we rushed down the stairs. “Thanks for everything.”
Once Ava and I were alone downstairs, I gently whacked her arm.
“What was that all about?” I hissed and gestured upstairs “Why would you put me on the spot like that?”
Ava flushed. “I’m so sorry. You know that I always just say the first thing that comes out of my mouth.”
I sighed, dropped my bags on the floor, and rubbed my temples. But Ava’s wide eyes were filled with remorse, and I couldn’t stay mad at her.
“It’s alright,” I said and gave her a small smile. “I know you didn’t have any ill intentions. Just next time, think before you speak.”
Ava nodded and assured me she would.
I did a quick load of laundry and took a shower. Since Ava was spending the night, she played on her phone as I prepared for bed. I sighed in relief as I slipped into the cool sheets of my own soft bed.
Ava came over to sit beside me. The uncertain expression on her face made me slightly nervous.
Right after I shut the bedroom light off, Ava cleared her throat.
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