Three

OLIVIA

I spent the next few days working late for a few reasons. First, I was trying to avoid my own thoughts. The audacity of Cyril disrespecting me at my birthday dinner still gnawed at my heart. It wasn’t his philandering that bothered me most - I had grown accustomed to that. It was the way he made it clear he didn’t care about me at all.

I didn’t even know he was back in New York, and he didn’t think it was necessary to tell his wife. It made sense he didn’t remember my birthday - it was just another day to him. I had learned to brace myself for disappointment, but that didn’t make it any easier.

Since that dinner, I developed a method to avoid Cyril altogether. If he couldn’t be bothered with me, I was tired of getting hurt every time he did something careless. I needed to train my mind to let go of him, even if I couldn’t leave the marriage immediately - the circumstances were too complicated. But there was something I could do: work, avoid interactions with him, and try to live life on my terms.

My approach was simple. I didn’t want to go home early and run into him on his way in after partying all night, so I left the house as early as possible in the morning. All he did was go from one party to another, so I knew he wouldn’t be home for dinner either. But I took it a bit further; I left an hour later, and we never had to say a word to each other. I used this time to ensure we still held major stakes in our businesses.

While he was willing to lavish the money his family had left him, I had to ensure the money kept rolling in because our marriage was a marriage of convenience. I thought we were in love - at least I was in the beginning, when he was kinder, easier to talk to, everything I ever asked for. But that honeymoon phase rolled over quickly, and reality hit me in the face.

I could find a way to dissolve our marriage, but that would put our families against one another. I wasn’t ready for the heat that came with that decision. I simply held onto my second reason for staying out late: money. I had always known a life of luxury; my parents gave me everything I needed. But something they also gave me was a good education. I learned how to handle the family business and ensure multiple successful runs, unlike Cyril, who spent his days in college, in and out of parties.

Sometimes I wondered whose bright idea it was to make him the CEO. Everyone knew I ran everything that went on in the company. But I was content with my position. Perhaps it was better for him to be the face of the company. At least if everything went wrong soon, it wouldn’t be my face on billboards and magazines.

“I guess I can count my blessings,” I muttered, staring at the laptop screen for a moment.

“You’ve been at that all day; you’re going to kill yourself. It’s time to go home,” Kate said as she pushed the door open and walked into the office.

“You have a problem with knocking,” I replied, and she chuckled.

“I also have a problem with…” she began, and I rolled my eyes.

“Me spending time in the office? You don’t have to repeat it; I heard you the first time,” I interrupted, turning to look at her.

“So…” She pointed at the door. “Let’s go!” she exclaimed, and I shook my head.

“I’m not done here; something’s not right…” I replied, turning back to the screen.

“You’re the only one in the entire building, you know that, right?” she asked, folding her arms.

“No, I’m not. The security guards are downstairs, and they let you in. So…” I said with a shrug, and she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth.

“You know what I mean. You need to leave now. Whatever you’re doing can wait until tomorrow. You’ve spent the last few days overworking yourself,” she insisted, and I sighed.

“For a good cause,” I said, remembering the third reason for being here past working hours. “We need to seal the deal with Signor Dante. I have to make sure everything’s right.”

“That meeting has been moved to next week; you don’t have to worry about it for a while,” she replied, walking toward the couch to sit down.

I blinked, and tears rolled down my cheeks. She was right. I had been staring at the screen all day, and it was starting to hurt my eyes, but I also needed to finish the details of this contract. Signing this deal was important to my father. It meant we would have another stream of income that had nothing to do with Cyril and his family, and that was something to look forward to.

I wiped my tears with a handkerchief and leaned back to look at her. “I wouldn’t be able to rest if I don’t get this done. That’s not how I function,” I replied, and she chuckled.

“You’re barely functioning as it is. You should see your face. You’re not letting yourself rest. Signor Dante is already all in regarding this contract. Your trip to Singapore…” she started to say, and I sat up.

“Trip to Singapore?” I asked, and she threw her hands up in the air.

“You should check your schedule. There’s a reason I send them every day. This meeting, the last one you’re supposed to have with Signor… It’s happening in Singapore. That’s why I’ve been asking you to get some rest. You’ll need your energy for the trip,” she said, shaking her head as I stared at her in surprise.

“Why do we have to go to Singapore for a meeting, Kate? Why did you agree to that?!” I yelled, and she shrugged.

“The Don wanted you to meet his nephew. We would be dealing with him directly, but he is continents away, and I…” she started, then hesitated when she saw the look on my face.

“Finish that sentence, please. I’m curious. You could have scheduled a call or something. Maybe offered to get him on a plane here. We’d throw a party, give it a theme, and welcome him on board. But you agreed to a trip because?” I interjected again, and she bit her lip before responding.

“I thought you needed the break,” she replied, giving me a knowing look.