Page 71 of See You Maybe

“Kill me now,” he muttered, doubling the amount he normally poured.

Luke extended his glass, and Declan splashed a liberal amount into it. “Your date was pretty pissed when you disappeared.”

“I know.” He’d gotten several angry texts and a phone call the next day about how he’d embarrassed Fiona by disappearing. What could he tell her? She hadn’t even crossed his mind that night.

“I know you have a plan. You always do,” Luke said, taking a swig of his drink. “But that woman is a truly horrible individual. Cara told us stories from when she and Fiona were in the same social circles. I’m not talking about the normal bullshit either.

“Did you know she put a young woman in the hospital for spilling a drink on her at a party? Fiona broke a vase over her head, and kicked her repeatedly in the head. Or that there are rumors about her helping cover up more than one sexual assault for male friends?”

Declan inhaled sharply. “No, I didn’t know that. I’m assuming her father kept it quiet?”

“You know how that shit works in your world.”

He did. It’s what he was trying to protect Olivia from. But what did it mean if someone from that world was already coming after her?

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Atlanta—Present Day

“This is going to be epic,” Kyle crowed. Stuart beamed, and Richard leaned back in his seat, a peaceful expression on his face, his hands folded in front of him on the table. Olivia wished she could share their satisfaction with the final deal that had been struck with Bloom Communications, but her nerves were strung tight.

This will be over soon. Kyle will be gone, and life will calm down.

“I’m going straight to the dealership. There is a Lamborghini I want to order,” Kyle continued, already mentally spending his new fortune.

Chris Keller had been extremely generous, and the purchase included large signing bonuses to each of the C-suite execs and most of the management level employees.

Olivia should be happy. So, why did it feel like the other shoe was about to drop?

One word.

Declan.

Olivia had seen the way Declan and Chris looked at each other at the gala. And how Declan’s mood had instantly turned when they ran into each other the week before Christmas and she mentioned the board had voted. It was more than just professional rivalry. The competition between the two men was personal and had everything to do with Declan’s desire to regain his family's business.

“What’s wrong with you?” Kyle’s sour expression appeared in front of her. “This is a time to celebrate, and you look like the miserable bitch you are.” He leaned closer so that her nose was filled with his cologne, and she fought the urge to gag. “One of the best things about this deal is that I won’t have to see your frigid ass at the office every day.”

“Kyle. Come sit by me.” Her former father-in-law called, and when Kyle turned to face his father, his features were arranged in a smile. Richard’s eyes landed on her face, and Olivia forced her lips into a smile.

She hadn’t hidden the truth from the older man for so many years to let him know now just what a monster he'd raised. What was the point?

Melissa, her receptionist, popped her head in the door of their third-floor conference room. “Bobby just texted from the first floor. They’re in the elevator.”

This was it.

Olivia nodded at the lawyers who were placing the packets of documents in front of each chair. Kyle’s eyes gleamed, and Olivia took a deep breath, letting it out with a slow exhale.

Stuart patted her on the arm as he passed her to take his seat. “You did it, Olivia! It all worked out for the best.”

She nodded, wishing she felt the same happiness and relief the rest of the people in the room were experiencing.

Relax, Olivia. All that’s left are the signatures.

She discreetly shook out her hands and gave Melissa a nod. With a grin, her receptionist opened the doors wide, and a phalanx of Bloom Communications representatives strolled into view.

The look of triumph on Chris’s face was undeniable, and it only made her nerves draw tighter. This deal was too good to be true. Neither of the bidders had pressed her about the valuation or asked for a demonstration of a prototype.

It didn’t matter, Olivia assured herself. Her employees would keep their jobs instead of being laid off as Declan had proposed, and Richard could spend his final years fishing on the lake.