Olivia froze in place, not sure of what she should do next. She didn't know if she should scream, or simply turn around and disappear from the office completely. However, one thing she knew not to do was act like a wimp she used to.
"Liv, it's been a while—" "What are you doing here?" Olivia interjected sharply, her tone blunt and devoid of any sense of formality. Her arrogance only made Noah smile. Reaching into the depths of his pocket, he pulled out a badge and flashed it right at Olivia's face, "Noah Grant, CEO of Rock Enterprise, it's nice to meet you, Olivia Jones." Now Olivia was even more speechless, if that was even possible. She had heard that Rock Enterprise had been bought, but never in her life did she imagine that it was Noah who had bought it. What was he doing this for? To spite her? Hadn't he done enough already? "I want you out of here this instant. Leave while you still have the chance to avoid embarrassment." Olivia held her ground, her voice steady despite the alarms going off in her head. She definitely needed this dealership, but as long as Noah Grant was involved, she was certain that nothing good would come out of it. Noah's smile widened, as if her defiance amused him. He stepped closer, closing the distance between them. "Embarrassment?" he echoed, his tone dripping with mock surprise. "I think you've got it all wrong, Liv. I'm here to help, not to cause a scene." "And I'm refusing your help, I don't need you to help me with anything. Can't you see? I'm doing quite alright without your help!" She spat at his face, proud of the fact that she could now stand up to him. Ten years ago, he would have called her a failure, a golddigger, and she would have no words for a counterattack. Now, she could defend herself, and he wouldn't be able to insult her anymore. Satisfied with the much she's done, Olivia turned to leave, but Noah's strong hand encircled her arm, stopping her from walking away. "I know you need this deal, I did my research, and I know that your sales are slowly declining. I can help you—" "Is something the matter?" Michael intervened, his brows arched suspiciously. He could tell from a glance that Olivia was uncomfortable, and another glance was all he needed to figure out that it was Noah Grant standing right in front of him. Noah retracted his hands and straightened his coat. The last thing he wanted was to cause a scene. He had come here for Olivia, and he didn't want to make her feel the need to avoid him for good. "There's no problem, we were just discussing how this interview will go, don't you agree, Ms Jones?" Noah said, his tone smooth and composed, as if nothing had ever happened between them. He turned towards Olivia with a knowing look, daring her to contradict him in front of Michael. Olivia took a deep breath before answering, "Yes, we were just discussing about the interview." Michael flashed her a concerned look, but she waved him off with a smile. The last thing she wanted was for Michael to get involved in all of this madness. It didn't matter though, she didn't need the dealership anymore, nor did she want anything to do with Noah Grant. "So when do we begin?" Noah inquired, a little smile forming on his lips. "We don't, the dealership is canceled, Jones and Stones doesn't will be better off—" "Can we have a minute, Liv?" Michael interrupted softly before gently pulling her aside. He understood everything that was happening perfectly even without asking questions. Although he didn't know much about Olivia's relationship with Noah, she had told him a few things, and they weren't very nice. He could tell she wanted to push him away and lose this dealership because of sentimentality. And while that would do a lot of good for her ego, it would only jeopardize their company's stability. They had already invested so much to make this possible, pushing it away wouldn't be a wise decision. "Are you sure you want to call the dealership off? We've invested so much already, it's not going to be a good idea—" "It's Noah Grant, refusing him is always the best idea!" Olivia answered firmly, not letting Michael finish his words. "He's going to do nothing but make things difficult for everyone around him, it's all he ever does." "You're letting your emotions get the better of you, Liv." Michael remarked as he gently cupped her cheeks. "I know he hurt you, but this might be an opportunity we won't get back. We can't miss out on this chance." Olivia stared at Michael for a moment before wiping away the tears that threatened to drop from her eyes. Michael was right, they had already done much to procure this deal, and although it was Noah, it was still unwise to let her emotions be the judge of her business dealings. She turned to get another look at Noah who was standing a few feet away from them. He did seem different, but that meant nothing to her. She was only going ahead with this because she had people to pay, and a company to run. Noah on the other hand kept his eyes on Olivia and her co worker, or rather, her boyfriend. He had heard him call her Liv, and now his hands were on her cheek. Those were boundaries that a normal coworker wouldn't cross. He might not know who this man was, but it was clear that he wasn't just friends with Olivia. He felt his chest tighten at the thought of her loving another man, but he kept his expressions professional. He had come to this city, bought an entire firm all for Olivia. He had come to realize his mistakes, and was here to claim her back. He planned to make her love him one way or another, and some random pretty boy in a suite was not going to be an obstacle in his path.The interview had ended a lot faster than expected, and it was probably due to the fact that it wasn't even an interview. Olivia hadn't said much when Noah yielded and sealed the deal. He was here to impress her—to win her over, and not to listen to her beg for a partnership. "A moment, Liv—""Don't call me that! You don't get to call me that anymore!" Olivia snapped, her fingers pointed at Noah in a threatening manner. Noah raised his hand in submission, not wanting to anger her anymore than this. "I'm sorry, could you spare me a minute, Miss Jones? It's important for our partnership going forward, and I'd like to discuss it with you alone." His eyes slowly trailed towards Michael who had appeared right behind Olivia with a protective stance. Olivia knew very well that whatever Noah wanted to discuss had nothing to do with the just concluded interview, nor did it have anything to do with the partnership of the two companies. He probably wanted to discuss something different, one
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
It took Lisa a while but she finally managed to make it to Rock Enterprise. Without wasting any second, she hurried to the receptionist and immediately demanded for Noah's office floor. "Mr Grant is busy at the moment, I am unsure if he is willing to receive visitors." Those were the words the secretary blabbed to Lisa after she had gotten lost twice before finally making it here. She only needed one glance to tell that the lady behind the counter was threatened by her. She was likely infatuated with Noah as well, and clearly didn't want any competition."Noah is an acquaintance of mine, if you don't want to lose your job I'll suggest that you let me see him immediately!" Lisa fixed her gaze on the secretary, her voice cold and authoritative. The woman's initial confidence wavered a little, before she finally yielded."I—I need to call his office first," the secretary stammered, reaching for the phone. Her fingers trembled slightly as she dialed, her eyes darting nervously between Li
Only one out of the two things he had told Lisa was true, but Noah Grant couldn't care less. It was true, he hadn't signed the divorce papers from ten years, but Lisa wasn't the only person who knew of that. His lawyers did so as well, and the next person to find out would probably be Olivia. It didn't matter where she ran to, or whom she decided to be with, she was still legally his wife. "What? Why?!" Lisa inquired, pulling away from Noah's embrace. "You should have signed those papers years ago, what on earth are you waiting for?" "I got lazy, didn't really look at it until now." Noah replied with an air of nonchalance. It was definitely the truth. Olivia had left him after handing him the papers, and he never really bothered to even look at it after that day. He had tossed it into one of his drawers, and had only gone to pick it up a month ago, when he saw her on TV. "Sign them now!" Lisa thundered, angry and disappointed at the same time. "What do you even need them for?! She'
Olivia could sense that something was wrong the very moment she stopped in front of her apartment building. Something was different, the air seemed tensed, and every person around was staring at her as though she was a stranger. They knew who she was, she doubted anybody in the city was unaware of who she was. Yet, they glared at her with such an odd look on their faces. Her eyes scanned the surrounding, searching for something that could be the reason for the sudden attention. Her eyes fell on a few things she hadn't recognized, the most notable being a brand new sports car that rested by the far end of the building. The people who lived in this apartment weren't poor, so seeing a new sports cars wasn't exactly a big deal. Olivia only came to find out the reason why she had been getting those glares when she walked up the stairs and found Noah Grant standing in front of her door.Her heart had almost jumped out of her body, and she felt like turning around and leaving the moment he
A week had passed since Olivia encountered Noah in her apartment, and while they hadn't run into each other in a week now, she had managed to find out why exactly he had come back to taunt her after a whole decade.She hadn't really paid attention to his life after she had left him, but after a couple research, she finally fell upon Noah's problems. His half Brother, Damian Grant, was out to destroy his life. Olivia knew about Damian, the illegitimate son of the Grant family. He had been one of the few people who made life bearable for her while she had still been married to Noah. Since he hadn't been raised and spoiled as a child, Damian was a better human being than Noah, and while he had his own faults as well, he was a lot more tolerable than his half brother. From the article she had read online, she had come to know that Damian had contested Noah's ownership of the family's company. Ten years ago, Damian had been single, but had gotten married three years later, and had a daug
Michael glanced over his phone for the millionth time, expecting Amelia to call anytime soon. He was still going over everything in his head, and the more he thought about it, the more strength drained from his body. He had no idea how to break the news to Amelia or Olivia. But it was necessary he does, he wouldn't be able to cheat on Olivia, he cared for her and genuinely loved her with all his heart. After half an hour of waiting, the long awaited call finally came through, and Michael wasted no second in answering. "Where are you?" He demanded the moment he answered the phone, moving away from places where he could be overheard. "At the airport, you said you'd come pick me up, right? Or should I come straight to your office—""I'm coming to pick you up!" Michael interjected sharply, not letting Amelia finish her words, or the idea of ever visiting him while he was at work. Amelia wasn't the quiet type of girl, she always loved being the center of attention, and Michael was certa
Micheal remained stunned for a good minute, unsure if he was actually staring at the sweet Amelia he used to know. He hadn't seen this part of her, and it had genuinely scared him. "I..I'll drive you home." He managed to squeeze out after a minute of awkward silence between them."No, that's no fun at all. Show me around town, let me get to know your new life." Amelia suggested, a clever scheme to find out the lady who Michael had tried to replace her with. If Michael succumbed to her request, then chances were that she would meet this lady that Michael had fallen in love with. Michael on the hand was quick to catch on to Amelia's plans, and immediately dismissed that idea. "You're exhausted, you should get some rest. We'll save the tour for another day—""I insist! It's my body, I know what's best for me." Amelia interjected sharply. Michael clenched the steering wheel, unsure how to deal with Amelia's stubbornness. He knew what she was up to, and she wasn't doing much to cover he