Page 4 of See You Maybe
His eyes drifted to the man sitting to Richard Armstrong’s left—his son Kyle. Olivia’s ex-husband. Something ugly rose from deep inside Declan. He knew she’d lived a life without him—in fact, his team’s research proved she’d led an impressive one—but, seeing the evidence of that life in front of him was different.
Olivia Rose Adler, CFO, married to Kyle Scott Armstrong, VP.
When Declan saw the line in her dossier, four years ago, he’d wanted to howl—the pain so deep he couldn’t breathe. She was married. He hadn’t been able to bring himself to read Kyle’s information. Declan preferred not to know the details of this man she’d chosen.
It was easier for Declan to think of Kyle as a nebulous entity, not a flesh and blood man that he could imagine her with. Holding her. Touching her.
Declan’s jaw clenched, and he forced himself to relax.
The head of Armstrong’s Research and Development Division came to his feet and nodded at a man by the door to dim the lights for the presentation. Chairs swiveled to watch the slides projected onto the far wall. Declan tuned the man out as he detailed the benefits of XEROS.
Declan already knew what he needed to know about the processer. He was much more interested in watching Olivia where she sat, farther down the table. Indulging himself when no one else would notice, their attention directed the opposite way.
Olivia fidgeted with her papers, and Declan could tell by the twitching lines at the corner of her lips that she was angry. Hurt.
It’s better this way, Declan assured himself. Let Olivia hate him. It would be easier for both of them. Heaviness settled over his shoulders like a blanket.
No matter how much Declan wanted her, he could never have her. A connection to him would put her in danger, making her a target for his enemies. So, he would keep up the charade and pretend that she meant nothing to him even as he ached to claim her as his own. It was the only way to keep her safe.
Stuart wrapped up his presentation with an awkward science joke, and Olivia gave her colleague a smile before she stepped to the end of the table and flipped to her first slide—the financial position of Armstrong Electronics—the only piece that should matter to an equity firm.
Declan wasn’t particularly surprised to learn she’d become the CFO of the small family-run business. Olivia was clever and quick, and he knew all too well how excited and determined she had been to be successful.
Somehow, all Olivia had achieved during those years apart almost made the pain worth it. Validation that the decision they made twelve years ago, to limit themselves to only one week, had been the right one.
Before meeting Olivia, Declan had worked hard to solidify his role in his father’s media empire, needing to prove he was more than simply his father’s son. He knew the position he was poised to take after returning from Ireland would require his full attention and dedication, and that left little room for a relationship.
Olivia had her own ambition. She’d finished her course work on her MBA, and when he last saw her, she was excited about starting her first job—at what he now knew was this same electronics company.
Declan rested his chin on his hand, using his fingers to obscure a smile as he listened. Stiff at first, most likely because of him, Olivia soon relaxed and moved through her presentation with ease, speaking in a clear, confident voice. She was magnificent.
Olivia parried several pointed questions from his team without hesitation, making it harder to hide his smile. He’d seen plenty of people fold under less pressure at these meetings.
She wasn’t lying… exactly, but Declan knew from their research Olivia was presenting the data in the best possible light. His team knew it too. More than one had questioned why he wasn’t going harder at the electronics company—challenging their accounting.
Armstrong Electronics carried massive debt accumulated by buying the warehouse attached to their offices to use as manufacturing space. They had also hired an army of skilled engineers and techs to develop XEROS.
Declan had a well-deserved reputation for being cut-throat in his business practices. He never bought when he could simply take, so a few on his team had asked about the generous purchase price. Declan could buy a similar company and use whatever means necessary to duplicate XEROS, but that would take time. Time was something he didn’t have, because Bloom Capital wasn’t the only corporation interested.
Bloom Communications’ new CEO, and Declan’s former best friend, Chris Keller was also bidding on Olivia’s company.
The price wasn’t about her.
Declan had to get control of XEROS. It was necessary for him in his bid to win over the Bloom Communications board and reclaim his rightful position as CEO of his father’s company.
Yet, as Declan listened to Olivia speak, he wasn’t thinking about getting his revenge on Chris. Instead, he was filled with a deep aching regret for what could have been.
CHAPTER THREE
Atlanta—Present Day
Stuart grinned as they walked to the elevator. As the chief developer, part of the purchase package from Declan’s company had included a hefty bonus for him. Bloom Capital’s offer was generous—too generous—and that had alarm bells ringing in Olivia’s head.
Even if the financial snapshot was completely accurate, and Olivia knew her valuations wouldn’t stand up under closer scrutiny, the number was too high. Not to mention there were far too many perks for those in management positions. Something was wrong with the situation, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was.
Olivia rubbed at her forehead, as the all too familiar throb started behind her eyes. Was she being paranoid? The pressure of the deal, seeing Declan again—it was too much.
Over the last couple of months, Olivia had argued frequently with the Armstrong board, consisting entirely of her ex-in-laws. She’d tried to explain that failure to disclose all of their shareholders was borderline fraud. Technically, they only needed to declare a list of the majority shareholders, which was composed of the Armstrong family. Only a handful of people knew that Richard, his sister, and their children, now held the minority position in the company.