Filed to story: Watch Me Win Alpha (Olivia & Ethan)
*Olivia*
Alexander walked over to Ben’s bedside and carefully set down the flowers. “How are you feeling?”
I stayed as far away from Ben as possible, inching over to the corner of the room. Crossing my arms, I squinted at Alexander, wondering why the hell we were here and what kind of game he was playing. In the back of my mind, I wondered if Alexander had paid someone to beat up Ben. Honestly, I hoped he did after what the other man had done to him.
Ben seemed to have the same thought as me. He narrowed his eyes at
Alexander. “I’m not sure why you’re here, but I know it’s for nefarious purposes,” he said and eyed the chrysanthems warily. “Nobody brings those kinds of flowers to someone that they wish well upon.” He let out a long, slow breath. “I just want you to know that there is no bad blood between us, and I’d like to clear the air.”
Alexander tilted his head in mock confusion. At this point, I could tell that Alexander was playing Ben, and I bit my lip so I wouldn’t smile. My boss approached Ben’s bedside like a lion hunting his prey.
Vindication swirled through me when I saw Ben’s eyes widen with fear.
Good.
He should be scared. He had done a lot of bad things that he needed to beg for forgiveness for.
“I just wanted to tell you how thankful I am for the gift that you gave me last time that we were together,” Alexander said, referring to the fact that Ben had drugged him. “So, I brought you these flowers, and they represent how much I hope for your speedy recovery.”
Translation: Alexander was hoping that Ben would end up in a coffin. Couldn’t say that I blamed him. The vindictive part of me hoping that Ben would end up six feet under, too.
Ben’s face paled, and he looked around for help. But there weren’t any hospital staff in the room. They had all cleared out because of
Alexander’s flowers. In the back of my mind, I wondered if that had been his intention.
“Please, can you just leave,” Ben begged in a small voice. “I just want to heal.”
“Oh, we’re going,” Alexander said and began to back away. “I just wanted to stop in and see how you’re doing.”
Translation: Alexander wanted to ensure that Ben knew that this was far from over and that he could easily gain access to him at all times
Alexander and I walked out of the room, but right after exiting the doorframe, Alexander turned back, and a wicked smile crossed his face. “Oh, by the way, our trip was well photographed.” His eyebrows raised. “Every aspect of our trip. And a few of your…extracurricular activities with a certain actress.”
“No,” Ben uttered, and his hands gripped the white hospital blanket.
“Yes,” Alexander said with a smirk. He crossed his arms and stared the other man down. “But, don’t worry. The pictures are in my possession so that they won’t be printed in a gossip magazine for all of the country to see…espically your wife.”
“What are you going to do with the pictures?” Ben asked, his voice shaking.
Alexander shrugged like he couldn’t care less. “I’m not sure. I’m going to hold on to them for a while. Maybe they will end up in your wife’s email inbox, or maybe they will be splashed across the gossip magazines for everyone to see.” Alexander shrugged like he couldn’t care less either way. “Only time will tell.”
I couldn’t help the smile that bloomed across my face. Alexander was going to torture Ben by hanging the photos over his head, and Ben would be a nervous-wreck just waiting for the day he would release them or send them to his wife.
Ben’s face became red, and at this point, he completely lost his temper. He struggled to sit up in bed, but he could only prop himself a little bit because of his injuries. “You better give me all the copies of the pictures you have!” he snarled. “Or I swear that I will ruin you! You will wish that you’ve never been born!”
Alexander scoffed, unaffected by his threats. “Good luck with that.” Then, he turned on his heel and ushered me down the hallway. While we were walking through the busy hospital, Alexander noticed my curious expression. “Along with the pictures I took on our trip, I also hired a private investigator to catch Ben cheating on his wife.” A disapproving look crossed his face. “Something that he does a lot.”
I snorted. “Wow, I didn’t think this guy could get any worse.” I paused as we waited for a nurse pushing a wheelchair with a young girl in it to pass. “How did you capture the evidence?”
“I knew that Ben was interested in a young actress, so I set up a trap by recommending Ben to fund a movie. Ben agreed when he knew the actress would be in the movie and at the dinner with the director.” Alexander’s jaw clenched. “I had no intention of Ben luring the young woman in the room and attempting to force himself on her. I thought that I could just get evidence of him attempting to cheat. I didn’t want to put that young woman in a situation like that. But my private investigator got there just in time. He beat the crap out of Ben, breaking his leg in the process, and still managed to get the evidence. The young actress was alright,” he assured me when he noticed the worried look in my eyes. “I’m going to personally fund the movie and make sure that the actress has a starring role.”
“Wow.” I breathed out. “I’m glad that Ben’s horrible behavior was photographed, but I’m sorry that the actress had to be put through that situation.”
“Me too,” he agreed.
We were silent as we walked the rest of the way to the busy parking garage. Right before we got to his car, Alexander turned to me. “I’m not going back to the office. I have lunch plans with my friend Duke.”
“Oh, should I take a taxi cab back to the office…” I trailed off.
He grabbed my hand and gave me a flirtatious wink. “No, you’re coming with me.”
This shouldn’t have made me as happy as it did. Alexander drove us to a fancy Thai restaurant. When Alexander told me the name, my stomach stiffened in recognition.
“Have you been there before?” he asked curiously and looked over at me because we were stopped at a light.
“Yes,” I answered evasively. “Once or twice.”
I was quiet for the rest of the ride there. When we pulled up to the restaurant, I bit my lip, and my leg bounced.
Alexander noticed my reaction, and his brow furrowed. “Do you have a history with this restaurant or something?” he asked.
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “Um, no. I’ve just…I’ve had a rude waiter here before. That’s all.”
As Alexander parked at the valet station, he squinted his eyes suspiciously and looked over at me.
My pulse quickened. I knew that he could tell that I was lying.
I prayed that he wouldn’t discover what I was lying about.
*Olivia*
Alexander kept shooting me suspicious glances as we walked into the restaurant. As soon as the hostess saw Alexander, her eyes widened in recognition, and she ran to the right. In less than a minute, she came back with a well-dressed man that I assumed was the manager.
“Mr. Green!” the manager said. “How lovely it is to see you again.” After Alexander and the manager shook hands, he looked at me. When his eyes sparked with familiarity, my heart dropped to the ground. In my mind, I begged him not to say anything, but of course, he did. I had the worst luck.
“Ah! I remember you,” the manager said and picked up my hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it. “You used to dine with Mr. Hawthorne. We still have a private booth for you two in the back. I remember that you two lovebirds would come here every Friday and make googly eyes over your food.”
I cleared my throat and glanced over Alexander, whose eyes had narrowed into slits. The manager looked between Alexander and me, his cheeks reddening in embarrassment.
“Oh, I must have mistaken you with someone else,” the manager said, trying to smooth over the awkward moment.
But the damage was already done. As the manager led us to a private room in the back, I noticed that Alexander was walking as far away from me as possible. The smell of the delicious Thai food and the gold and aqua decor brought back memories that I’d rather stay buried. I shivered when I felt the ghost of Ethan’s hand caressing my cheek.
Alexander glared at me as if he knew exactly what I was thinking about. As we walked across a tiny wooden bridge that went over a koi pond that was in the middle of the restaurant, I admired the colorful fish that were swimming. I had missed them.
“So, if you’re so familiar with this restaurant, can you tell me where the bathroom is?” Alexander asked me, and I knew him well enough to know that there was a slight undercurrent of anger in his voice.
I shrugged. “I didn’t come here that much,” I answered, not wanting to play along with his games.
“Here is our best private room,” the manager said, sweeping his hand into the room like a game show host.
The manager shot me an apologetic grimace for the trouble he had caused, and I gave him a small smile. It wasn’t his fault that he had a good memory.
In the room was a long table since this room was usually reversed for private parties. But there were only three places set at the table. At the head of the table, Mr. Cater-Duke-was already seated. He smiled and stood when he saw us enter.
Duke and Alexander had two completely different styles. Whereas Alexander was in a fitted black suit, clean-shaven, with his dark hair artfully gelled back, Duke was what one could call a ‘hot mess.’ His blonde bread was unruly, his gray dress shirt was wrinkled, and there was always a playful twinkle in his sea-green eyes.
Alexander frowned when he noticed that Duke had a lit cigarette in H hands and that the room had already reeked of smoke.
“We will need a different private room,” Alexander told the manager
“Certainly, sir,” he answered.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
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