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My face warms up as I look at her, and she smiles back with the confidence of a woman who will move the sun and stars to have the chance to work with me. It’s flattering, to say the least, and were it not for Will, I’d say yes in a heartbeat.
But then again… there is no Will. Not really. There’s Bucklow Tech and its stock options. There are Will’s dreams that must be materialized. And there is Asclepius. There is no Will and I. No true reason for me to stick around. Except this is still the hottest tech company on the West Coast. Part of me knows my journey here has yet to reach a conclusion.
“Do you mind if I take some time to think about it?” I ask, not wanting Will to feel the satisfaction of holding on to me after that night. He doesn’t deserve the luxury. And judging by the frown pulling his brows closer, he’s not happy with my answer, so I double down. “I’d like to get closer to finishing Asclepius before I look at my options. I would hate to rush into anything—or out of anything, for that matter.”
“That makes perfect sense,” Lilian concedes politely. “To be honest, I wasn’t expecting a yes right away. But I did want to refresh my offer and remind you that the doors to my building are still wide open for you, Olivia.”
“Thank you, Lilian. I’m humbled by your appreciation.”
“And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a dinner date with a hot lawyer and she’s a stickler for timeliness.” Lilian smiles and gets up.
I listen to the sound of her heels clicking away, never taking my eyes off of Will. As soon as he looks at me, however, the air in the room changes. Electricity crackles between us. I can barely breathe, overcome with anger and anguish and simmering desire—not to mention the vengeful return of that awful nausea. I just can’t catch a break today, dammit!
“Are you considering it?” Will asks me. His expression is carved in stone, but I recognize the darkness in his blue eyes. There are other things he’d rather say right now, yet he cannot. He knows he doesn’t have dominion over me, and it’s killing him.
“What if I am?”
“I thought you were happy here.”
I scoff, crossing my arms. “I’m not sure you understand what happiness looks like. But don’t worry, Will—if I do decide to go work for Lilian, you’ll be the first to know. I won’t have Zara explain the details behind my departure to you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your stock options,” I say, and his jaw damn near drops. “Yeah. At least I have a clear reason as to why you acted like a prick. Good evening.”
For the first time in my life, I turn my back on him and it actually feels good, if only for a second or two, to know that he’s gonna be tossing and turning over this. That much has become obvious in the past few weeks. He’s not indifferent to me. He still looks for me. At me. I can feel him watching me. We wants more, but… he can’t. His stock is more important, and so here I am, walking away and headed straight for the elevator.
With a little bit of luck, I can focus on the ache in my heart and get home before I puke again.
Today just isn’t my day…
* * *
Later in the evening, Rick comes home from physical therapy just as I crawl out of the bathroom, green as celery and groaning like a zombie. How much more can come out of me when I’ve barely eaten anything? I don’t get it.
Rick immediately goes into caring brother mode and drops his bag on the floor, rushing to come help me. “Dudette. What the hell…” he says as he guides me into the living room.
I sink into the sofa, the whole apartment spinning for a good minute before I can answer. “I’ve been sick most of the day… Must be food poisoning or something.” I pause as an unpleasant odor reaches my nostrils. “Oh, God, what is that smell?!”
“What smell?” he asks, and I scowl at his shirt.
“Sweat. What happened to you? Why do you smell so bad? Did Dr. Mason kill you in physical therapy or something? Did he have you on the treadmill?”
Rick is utterly confused. “We only did massage and a bit of walking in the center garden. I overdid it last time, so he didn’t want to overwork me.”
“Ugh…”
“Come on, I don’t smell that bad.”
“You totally do. I’m sorry, it’s such a powerful—”
“Olivia.” Rick’s looking at me, deadpan and straight-faced. “Nausea. Sensitive nose. I’ve seen your appetite fluctuating by the food you leave uneaten in the fridge. Not to mention the frequent peeing. Have you considered taking a pregnancy test?”
My face lights up like a volcano. “Excuse me?!”
“I’m sorry. But since you and Will—”
“Oh my God, I never should’ve told you about that!”
