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“Olivia, I’m so sorry.” His voice was tense, rushed. “I have to stay late at the office. Something urgent came up.”
“Of course,” I replied, disappointment creeping into my chest. “It’s okay, don’t worry about it.”
“I swear, I’ll make it up to you,” he said, his voice softening. “Please, don’t be upset.”
“Really, it’s fine,” I assured him, even though the sinking feeling in my stomach told me otherwise. “We can reschedule.”
“Thank you for understanding,” he said before hanging up.
I took a deep breath, trying to shake off the melancholy fog settling over me. I changed out of my dress and into something more comfortable—leggings and an oversized sweater. Since he’d be late, I decided to go ahead and order room service too. Once the order was placed, I padded barefoot across the plush carpet and flopped onto the couch in the sitting room of our shared hotel suite, starting to flip through TV channels.
The room service came quickly, and I ate my meal, trying not to stare at the clock. But as the time ticked by, I couldn’t help the way my gut sank. By the time I finished eating and cleaned up, it had been nearly an hour since Alexander called.
Needing a distraction, I grabbed my phone and opened Instagram to mindlessly scroll through pictures. That’s when I saw it: a post from a celebrity-spotting account. Thirty minutes ago, someone had submitted a photo of Alexander and Natalia, that damn supplier that had been chasing him. She was stunning, and I had told Alexander more than once that she was flirting with him. Underneath was the caption,Does gorgeous billionaire Alexander Bennett have a new girl?
In the photo, he was holding the door open for her, his body language attentive. Natalia’s hand was splayed across his chest, her eyes locked on his as they entered a restaurant. There was no one else in the picture—just them.
A cocktail of betrayal and hurt churned within me as I stared at the image. “Un-fucking-believable,” I muttered under my breath. The fact that he had lied to me stung like a slap in the face. He had just told me yesterday that he wouldn’t see anyone else, and now he had been out with her? When I was supposed to be on a date with him?
And as much as it hurt, I could have taken it if he hadn’t made those promises yesterday. If he had let it be a mistake and then gone out with her, it would have hurt. But after what he had promised me? It felt like a punch to the gut.
I tossed the phone aside, anger and pain swirling inside me like a hurricane. All my excitement for our date had evaporated, replaced by an overwhelming sense of loss. How could he have done this to me? With her, of all people?
My chest constricted, and I wrapped my arms around myself tightly, trying to hold back the tears prickling at the corners of my eyes. What was supposed to be our night together had turned into a cruel reminder of how little I truly mattered to him.
I stared at the phone, all the terrible thoughts racing through my mind. Was this what Alexander really thought of me? Was I just a toy to him, a harmless distraction until someone more worthy stole his attention away?
It hurt. It was torture. I couldn’t help but think about the long hours I had spent helping with the negotiations involving Natalia. I had been there, right by Alexander’s side, working tirelessly to make sure everything went smoothly. And now, he was probably laughing with her over drinks about how easily he had played his little assistant.
“Fuck them,” I whispered fiercely, forcing myself to stand up. My body felt heavy, as if I were carrying the weight of my own shattered expectations. I marched into the bedroom, switched into my pajamas, and washed my face clean. I wanted to scrub away the whole night and forget it.
I was so frustrated that I called down to the front desk, asking if they had secondary accommodations for us yet. I didn’t want to be there when Alexander came back. But the receptionist informed me that the hotel was still fully booked, and there was nothing she could do. I groaned out loud as I slammed the phone down and resigned myself to just going to sleep. I didn’t want to know how late he stayed out with her.
As I slipped under the cool sheets, my mind raced with thoughts of Alexander and Natalia together. I clenched my jaw, trying to block out the images of their hands entwined, the way they might have leaned in close to one another, the words he might have whispered in her ear. It was a torment I couldn’t escape, even in the darkness of my own room.
Just when I felt like I couldn’t take it anymore, the door opened, revealing Alexander’s tall frame standing in the l ight of the hallway.
“Olivia,” he murmured, and I tried not to move. Maybe he would think I was asleep. “I brought you some apple crumble from the bakery you like down the street.”
Stay strong, I told myself.Don’t give in over apple crumble.
He sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. “I’m sorry. Work ran late, and since I only had limited time here, I needed to take the opportunity–”
At that, I flipped around, fury pulsing through me. “Don’t fucking lie to me.”
His eyes widened before his lips pressed in a firm line and his eyebrows pinched. “Excuse me?”
“You said you had to stay late at the office?” I gritted my teeth. “I know you were out with Natalia. So don’t fucking lie to me. I already know the truth. You should have just had the decency to tell it to my face instead of going behind my back.”
“Olivia,” he began, his voice low and hard. “It wasn’t like that. It was a business meeting. We want her as a supplier, and she insisted on going to dinner since it was getting late. She said she was leaving tomorrow and wouldn’t be back until after we were gone.”
“You looked really friendly to just be on business.”
He cocked a brow. “I find that hard to believe. I was completely professional all night.” I opened my mouth to argue, and his eyes darkened as his anger started to surface. “You’ve said before she was flirting with me, and I knew it. But you never once saw me act on her advances. If there was any other way I could have secured her business, I would have, but this was my only chance. Still, I didn’t do anything with her. We had a meal and finalized a deal. That’s it.”
I gritted my teeth, not wanting to believe him. “Then why did you lie to me about it? If it was nothing, why couldn’t you tell me that when you called?”
He sighed, throwing his head back in exasperation. “Because I knew it would turn into this. I knew if I told you where I was going to be, you would overreact.”
