Filed to story: Watch Me Win Alpha (Olivia & Ethan)
“Something will,” he assured me as he led me out of the private room.
That was the final straw that shattered my grip on my emotions. My eyes burned with hot tears, and they flowed down my cheeks. I tried to wipe them away so he wouldn’t see, but more just kept coming. Soon, I was silently sobbing into Alexander’s side.
Like a gentleman, he covered me with his suit jacket and led me quickly through the busy restaurant so that no one would see me crying. He gave Gai his keys and instructed her to drive back his car to the office.
Then, he helped me into the passenger seat of my car and then got into
W svam the driver’s side.
As he drove down the busy road, I collapsed into his side and continued to cry. Eventually, my overwhelming emotions began to subside, and my salty tears finally stopped running down my cheeks.
Once I fully calmed down, I realized that I actually felt a little bit better. Sometimes, you just need to cry to get all of your emotions out. It was cathartic in a way
My stomach swooped with horror when I realized that my face was pressed up against Alexander’s hard chest, and my arm was wrapped tightly around his waist. I’d been using him as my own personal pillow.
I froze, and with each second that passed, my embarrassment grew. Should I move my arm immediately or pretend to be asleep?
But Alexander must have noticed that I had stopped crying because his low chuckle filled the car, and he gently patted my head.
“You’re going to have to have dinner with me before you cuddle me like that,” he teased.
My cheeks flushed, and I sat up straight and attempted to fix my unruly hair.
“Are you hungry?” he asked in his deep voice.
I nodded, not trusting my voice just yet.
Alexander took us to a fancy upscale bistro. It wasn’t crowded like the Myst Dining had been, and for that, I was grateful. The server brought us to a private table in the back. After everything that happened in a short amount of time, my nerves were shot, but I did my best to appear calm.
Alexander ordered for both of us, which I preferred since I didn’t even know if I had the ability to speak right now.
I took a sip of my cool water glass, and my teeth were chattering so much that they knocked against the glass.
Alexander raised one of his eyebrows. “I don’t think the glass is edible here,” he joked.
His teasing made my cheeks go even more red. By now, I was pretty sure that they were an unattractive maroon color.
Soon, our meals were served. My eyes widened as I took in the large seafood boil that Alexander had ordered for us. Since I didn’t really feel like talking, I tried to focus on my food, but Alexander seemed determined to get me to speak because he kept serving me the lobster bisque from the large bowl and peeling my shrimp for me.
“Thank you,” I kept muttering out of nervousness.
This was going to be a long meal.
*Olivia*
Since Alexander seemed determined to peel my shrimp for me, I returned the favor for him. Somehow, it turned into a game with who could peel the shrimp the fastest and then put it on the other’s plate. Soon, our dishes became piled high with seafood. I had no idea how we were even going to eat all this food.
Once, Alexander flung a shrimp so fast that it slipped off my plate and onto the floor. A giggle burst past my lips, and that made him smile.
“Your laughter is a welcome sound,” he said.
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 plate. “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 me laugh.
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 non-committal 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 glare at me. “You’ve overstepped, Olivia.”
Then, he stood from the table and walked away without waiting for me.
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.
Gai laid a gentle hand on my shoulder. “How are you?” she asked with concern.
“I’m better,” I answered. “Thank you for coming to help me.”
“Anytime,” she said and smiled.
The pressure in my shoulders relaxed 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.
“Hey, can you please como 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 to come 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 a last-minute business function tonight,” he said, finally revealing the reason he had called me back into the office. “Would you like to accompany me? It would be a great networking opportunity for you.”
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?