A Measly Barrier

Olivia did her best to remain calm, getting worked up wouldn't do her any good, and she definitely didn't want Noah Grant to be the reason for her foul mood that morning. She had better things to worry about, and Noah Grant was the least of them. So why then was she so invested in him? What exactly was his game? What could he be up to? Olivia needed to know.

She knew Noah better than anyone, and she knew for certain that he hadn't just come around to play and have fun. He was definitely up to something, and she couldn't help but feel that she was at the epicenter of whatever master scheme he was cooking.

She swallowed hard, trying to steer her thoughts away from Noah and focus them on the pile of paper before her. She had a lot of work to do, and thinking about her ex husband was not going to get the work done.

Olivia hadn't finished with one of the documents when the door swung open to reveal her best and only friend, Lisa Brown.

"You didn't tell me Noah is in town, what's going on with you two?!" Lisa inquired without even letting Olivia absorb the shock of her sudden visit.

Much like Noah, Olivia and Lisa had known each other from their days as teens, and the three of them were well acquainted with each other. However, unlike Noah, Lisa had actually been there for her friend. She had been the one who pushed for Olivia to file for divorce, and while that had been for selfish reasons, she was still the reason why Olivia worked up the courage to leave Noah Grant for good.

Lisa on the other hand had her reasons for sticking by Olivia's side. Just like every other girl she had been in love with Noah Grant, who wouldn't?! He was from the richest family in the city, and his features were ethereal. Nobody had ever expected him to go for the nobody who had been Olivia, but after their marriage, it became obvious that Noah had only picked Olivia because she was gullible and vulnerable.

He had used her to acquire the wealth of his family, and after that she basically became useless to him. Even without Olivia filing for divorce first, everybody knew that Noah would have eventually done the same. He had merely married Olivia because she submitted, and took abuse like it was nothing.

After the divorce, Lisa had hopped on the opportunity, and had gotten her own turn with Noah Grant. It had been short lived, barely a year before she had to move cities. However, that hadn't stopped her from fantasizing about Noah every day.

She knew Noah would never agree to long distance relationships, not while he had a multitude of ladies waiting for him to be single. But hadn't stopped Lisa from trying all these years. And now that Noah was back in the same town as she was, she couldn't wait to shoot her shot.

Olivia knew nothing of her friend's dark side. The poor lady, although established, still had a kind heart, and Lisa knew how to manipulate it.

"Nothing is up with us, he's just here for business purposes, nothing else." Olivia answered bluntly, brushing the conversation aside as quickly as it came. She wasn't in the mood to discuss that man, all he did was annoy her, even the mere thought of him was enough to make her blood boil.

Hearing that made Lisa more happier than Olivia could imagine. Lisa might be obsessed with Noah, but she had never had any affair with him while he was still in a relationship. It wasn't because of moral righteousness, she just didn't like being the second wheel.

"So...is he gone?" Lisa pressed on before finally settling in front of Olivia's table. Her face fell as she slowly reached out to hold Olivia's shaky ones. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Olivia pulled her hands away from Lisa's grasp, the tension in her body visible as she forced herself to remain calm. The concern in Lisa's voice felt sincere, but there was something about it that didn't sit right with her. She couldn't shake the feeling that Lisa's sudden interest in Noah was more than just friendly concern. Olivia knew that Lisa had always had a thing for Noah, but she never really paid attention to them, she was probably too busy getting beaten or scolded for asking for her husband's love.

"No, he didn't hurt me," Olivia replied flatly. "It was strictly business, nothing more."

Lisa tilted her head to the side, reading through her friend's mask very easily. It definitely wasn't just business, Olivia wouldn't be shaking like that if it was just business, Lisa knew that much. However, she didn't press the conversation any further. The last thing she wanted was for her friend to get mad at her for something trivial, or worse get suspicious of her and Noah.

"Remember I'm here to help if you ever need anything, okay?"

"Okay.." Olivia drawled out before flashing Lisa a warm smile. "I wish I could stay and chat all day, but I've got work to do. Dinner at seven? I'll pay." She offered as compensation. Lisa was a saleswoman, and things weren't really going perfectly at the time. She had lived off Olivia's support for a couple months now, and had seemingly gotten too relaxed to find a new job or even try.

"I'll be there." Lisa whispered before rising from her seat and walking out of the office. She wasn't just going home, she had better things to do than sit at home and wait for Olivia to send her some money. She needed to look for Noah and make him fall in love with her first!

From the information she had gathered, Lisa was now aware that Noah was likely the new owner of Rock Enterprise, and he had come here to sign a deal with Jones and Stones. It was a perfect partnership, a construction company and a cement one working hand in hand, it was no wonder Olivia was so determined to get Rock Enterprise on her side.

Lisa had to commend her friend's brilliant mind, however it wasn't her primary focus. Now that she knew where Noah was, the only barrier between her and him was distance, and she planned to break through that barrier in the next hour or less.