Filed to story: Watch Me Win Alpha (Olivia & Ethan)
To my surprise, Alexander didn’t immediately start yelling. Instead, he calmly sat down in the vacant seat next to me. An unreadable expression crossed his face as his gaze swept down to our clasped hands. I hoped that Alexander could see how tense my body was. I hoped that he didn’t think that I was here by choice.
A tense moment passed as the three of us waited to see who was going to be the first to speak.
“Ethan, is there any point in forcing Olivia to have breakfast with you?” Alexander asked in a cold, calm voice. “Are you that starved for company?”
I bit my lip so I wouldn’t laugh out loud. Relief flooded through me when I realized that Alexander could tell that my ex-husband was making me do this, and I wasn’t having breakfast with him or holding his hand because I wanted to. I wanted to smile because of how well
Alexander knew me.
“I have a question for you, Mr. Green. Why do you want another man’s wife?” Ethan questioned and raised his eyebrows.
My jaw clenched. “Shut up,” I snapped at my ex. I had finally reached my breaking point with him. “I’m not your wife.”
Mustering all of my strength, I was able to rip my hand out of Ethan’s tight grip. As I flexed my fingers, I saw a hint of pride shining in Alexander’s eyes.
“Don’t insult Alexander, or it’s the last thing you’ll do,” I told Ethan.
My ex-husband’s eyes flashed with anger. “You’ve changed so much trying to please Alexander.”
I hit the table with my hands as rage shot down my spine. A few people looked over at us, but I didn’t care anymore about causing a scene. Not when I was seeing red with anger. “You are the most despicable, cold, and selfish person I have ever met,” I hissed in a low, dangerous voice, putting all of my emotions behind my words. “You are nothing compared to Alexander. You are the gum stuck to the bottom of someone’s shoe compared to him. You don’t even deserve to be in the same conversation as him.”
At this point, my chest was heaving, and my eyes were reduced to slits as I stared down my ex.
“You don’t want to push me too far, Ethan,” I said in a threatening tone. “I know as much as Chloe does. I know things that could ruin your life. Maybe you should watch how you treat me.”
A muscle in Ethan’s neck bulged, and he glowered at me. “Watch yourself, Olivia. If you want to play in the big leagues, you might get burned.”
I rolled my eyes. “That doesn’t even make sense,” I snapped.
Alexander chuckled under his breath.
I knew that it wouldn’t be smart to make an enemy out of Ethan. He had connections with powerful, dangerous people. But at that moment, I didn’t care. I had been pushed to the edge too many times by him.
“Look at what you did,” Alexander said to Ethan and gestured to me. “You drove a woman who once loved you to say these hurtful things. You’re pathetic.”
Ethan’s hands clenched on the table. But Alexander wasn’t done yet.
“If you still have any love left for Olivia, you should leave her be,” Alexander continued. “The kindest thing you can do right now is leave her alone. Allow her to find happiness because it isn’t going to be with you.”
Ethan growled at him. “And who will she find happiness with? You?”
*Olivia*
Ethan and Alexander glared at each other from across the table as if they were participating in an old-fashioned western standoff. I rolled my eyes because I could practically see the testosterone wafting off of them.
Then, without another word, Ethan got up from the table and left the restaurant, completely ignoring the tea our server had just brought him.
Once I watched him leave the restaurant, I sighed in relief and collapsed back into my seat. My back was cold from the sweat that had dried during my time with my ex-husband. It seemed like Ethan was becoming more unhinged than usual. When we were married, he was overbearing and domineering, but he wasn’t crazy. Had his time with Chloe driven him off the deep end? Apprehension filled me when I imagined my future encounters with him.
As I contemplated this, I assumed that Alexander would leave, too, but he actually got our server’s attention. I noticed that her eyes widened when she saw that I was sitting with a different man now-especially since Ethan had lied and said that he was my husband-but she thankfully didn’t comment.
“Can we please have two bacon and cheese omelets with a side of fresh fruit and two iced vanilla latte’s?” he asked and set down his cup of tea. “I think we are going to need something stronger than our tea.”
After the server left, I gazed at Alexander gratefully. “Thank you,” I murmured.
I didn’t know what exactly I was thanking him for-ordering breakfast, helping drive Ethan away by his mere presence and sticking up for me, or just staying at the table with me.
But I didn’t have to explain my gratitude. Alexander just nodded in understanding, and we shared a small smile.
After the server brought us our breakfast, I eagerly tucked into my food and sipped on my latte. The caffeine helped with my pounding headache, and the hearty food quieted down my growling stomach. When I reached over to pick up a green grape, I noticed that Alexander hadn’t touched his food, and he was staring at me with an amused expression.
“What?” I asked and picked up my napkin, afraid that I had something on my face.
He leaned forward and steepled his fingers together. “You’re so cute when you get angry. You get a little indentation in your forehead, and your eyes narrow into slits. I also enjoyed you yelling at Ethan. It was nice to be the one that you weren’t arguing with for a change.” He took a long sip of his drink, and the ice cubes rattled against the glass cup. The way his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down made my mouth dry for some strange reason. “I liked teaming up with you against your ex- husband. We should do it again sometime.”
I rolled my eyes at his teasing, but I couldn’t help but laugh and blush as I recalled the fact that he had called me cute.
Then, a heavy weight fell onto my shoulders, as I remembered last night. I put down my fork and cleared my throat. As my pulse quickened, I forced myself to look into his eyes even though that was the last thing that I wanted to do right now.
“Listen, about last night, um, I’m sorry for my…drunken behavior,” I told him.
But even as I said those words, I knew that I would have kissed him even without that shot of whiskey as courage.
Instead of getting mad or making me even more embarrassed, Alexander set his coffee carefully on the table, and he smiled. He seemed to be in a pretty good mood this morning, and it lifted my spirits as well.
“You look beautiful this morning,” Alexander said out of nowhere. had been taking a bite of a strawberry, and his words made me choke. A little bit of the red juice from the fruit dribbled from my mouth. Before I could wipe it off with my napkin, Alexander leaned forward and wiped it off with his warm thumb. As he traced my lips with his finger, a shiver went down my spine. Our gazes were locked together, and it was like he had put a spell over me. I couldn’t think straight. All I could do was look at him.
“I stopped things last night because I didn’t want to take advantage of you.” he murmured, his expression turning serious. “But just so you know. I’m not going to allow you to take advantage of me either.” His words made my stomach swoop. “Our physical relationship won’t progress further unless you decide that you want to be with me.”
I paused as I processed his words. His hand was cupping my face, his thumb now stroking my cheek almost lazily. His gentle touch made it hard for me to think.
“Well, what would happen if someone did take advantage of it?” I asked boldly.
His expression hardened, and he removed his hand from my face. “Then, I would chase them to the ends of the earth.”
My heart stopped beating, and I averted my gaze to my half eaten omelet. My mind spun with confusion. Sometimes, talking with Alexander gave me more questions than answers.
“What omelet did you order?” I asked, clumsily changing the subject.
A knowing look crossed Alexander’s face as if he knew why I changed the subject. But thankfully, he didn’t comment on it. Instead, he laughed and pushed his uneaten omelet my way.
“You can have mine, I’m not that hungry,” he said and picked up his iced latte.
As I took the plate and ate his breakfast, the hair on the back of my neck raised. Even through his laughter and generosity, I could sense that Alexander was still angry with me about last night. As we continued to talk, he made little comments that made me aware that he thought I had taken advantage of the situation last night and that I didn’t want to take responsibility for it.
Shame washed over me as we finished our meal. It felt like there was an ocean of misunderstanding separating Alexander and me, and I had no idea how to bridge the gap.
*Author*
A couple of tables over, Ava, Richard, and Aiden were watching Olivia and Alexander intently. Gai had joined them, and the three had quickly explained the situation to her.
“They look so cute together,” Ava said, relieved that Ethan had left in a huff, and now Olivia and Alexander could enjoy their breakfast together.
But Gai didn’t share her optimism. Inwardly, she was worried that the two might have a falling out soon after all the challenges that they have faced lately.
“I can see the doubt in your eyes, Gai,” Richard said. “But don’t have too little fish in our boss. Alexander is a generous man, and he deserves someone as kind as Olivia.” He paused, and a large smile bloomed across his face. “Honestly, Alexander is one of the best people I’ve ever met.”
Ava turned to him and scoffed. “Damn, has Alexander brainwashed you that easily? Are you like the president of his fan club now?”
*Olivia*
Things between Alexander and me became so awkward that I had to get up in the middle of the meal. “I’m full,” I announced abruptly. “I’m going to, um, take a shower.”
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
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