An Old Friend III

Olivia paused for a moment, her gaze shifting from Amelia to Michael. She arched a curious brow at him, still unsure if she had heard correctly, or if all this was some sort of prank. Nevertheless, she took Amelia's outstretched hand, a practiced smile playing on her lips as they shook hands.

"It's nice to meet you, Amelia. I hope you enjoy your stay here." Olivia said before turning to Michael a second time. She expected something from him, a sign perhaps, or even a shift in his nervousness. However, Michael stood still, his gaze focused on the ground instead of her eyes.

She didn't push further, she merely turned towards Amelia who had a snarky smile on her face. "Enjoy your tour." She concluded before walking away from the two of them. She had completely forgotten why she needed Michael in the first place, all she could feel right now was anger and betrayal, but she didn't act on those feelings. She wouldn't act on them until she had heard what Michael had to say.

"She's gone now, you can raise your head." Amelia said to the man beside her. He was frozen, his fists clenched, and his breath shaky from rage. Amelia could tell that Michael was not happy with what she had done, but she also knew that he was gentlemanly enough to not cause a scene, especially not at his workplace.

"Why did you do that?" Micheal inquired in a low threatening voice, one that Amelia disregarded promptly.

"You were going to tell her eventually, I just made the work easier for you and saved you from potentially messy conversations in the future," Amelia added, her smile unwavering despite Michael's evident anger.

Michael's gaze snapped up, his eyes blazing with a mixture of frustration and warning. "I didn't remember asking you for help?! I'll handle my problems when how and when I want to!"

Amelia simply shrugged off Michael's annoyance. Her long brown hair brushed over Michael's shoulder as she slipped her arm into the crook of his elbow. "Well, I'm making it our business Michael. Or have you forgotten our past together?"

"Our past?" His frustration grew, but he did well to keep himself from losing his emotions. It hadn't even been up to an hour since her arrival, and she was already getting on his nerves.

"Yes!" Amelia replied sharply. "Our family wants us together, and I want us together as well. We were fine together, we were engaged! We still are."

Michael's face darkened, his eyes glaring down at Amelia with an expression he hadn't used on her before. He had wanted to handle things slowly, but she was making things difficult for him. "Then I'm calling off the engagement now! It's been years, Amelia. Do you even still care about me?"

For a moment, Amelia remained frozen with shock. Her gaze flicked toward Olivia's retreating figure. "Of course you are. The famous and lovely Olivia. So I was right after all. I must admit, I'm intrigued. What's so special about her?"

"She's kind, intelligent, and genuine. Which is more than I could say for you, Amelia," Michael replied with no small amount of irritation in his voice as he began to lead the woman by his side to the exit of the building.

Amelia didn't say much, tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. How could Michael stand and ask her if she cared? Wasn't it obvious enough already?

Michael's eyes narrowed when they reached the large double glass doors and he calmly but firmly escorted Amelia outside. "There is nothing left for you and I, Amelia. If you won't listen, then I am going to make that clear to my family, and to you, once and for all."

The laughter that left her lips sent a shiver down Michael's spine. Looking into her eyes, he could see that she held very little doubt about the next words she said. "We'll see about that, Michael. We'll see."

Michael heaved a sigh before walking back into the building. He needed to find Olivia and explain everything to her as quickly as possible. He would worry about Amelia later.

*

*

Meanwhile, Olivia's emotions rolled through her like a storm. Shs didn't want to believe what she had heard, but then again, Michael hadn't exactly denied it. She had expected him to raise at least a finger in denial, but he hadn't done so.

The man she had only learned how to start liking had kept the fact that he already had a fiance hidden from her? The mere thought of it made her heart crack, but Olivia forced herself to remain calm and composed as she walked swiftly towards her office.

However, just before she could reach the door, she heard the sound of footsteps hurrying towards her from behind. Taking a moment to look back, Olivia felt a sharp surge in her anger as she saw Michael coming towards with an apologetic expression on his face. For a second, she debated within her mind whether or not she ought to bother hearing him out.

That choice was made for her though, as her second of hesitation allowed Michael to catch up to her in the hallway. Luckily for them, there was no one else present to witness anything that happened.

"Olivia, please wait a minute," Michael began but Olivia cut him off sharply.

"Explain what, Michael? How you planned to string me along for fun until your fiance gets back? Is that how little I meant to you?"

Michael's face faltered a little and Olivia could see just how much her words had hurt him. His eyes shifted from hers in remorse, but strangely enough she could not see any guilt in them. But she forced herself to focus, since this was the same sort of behavior that had led her to remain blind to the years of abuse she endured at Noah's hands.

"I never intended for any of that to happen, Olivia," Michael insisted in a low voice after a few seconds. He took a small tentative step towards the woman in front of him and reached out to take her hands in his. "You have to believe me, Liv. The situation is more complicated than it looks, so at least give me a chance to set things right."