Chapter 1
Alex
The moment I stepped into the office, my eyes collided with a pair of hazels. The gold-flecked orbs widened as recognition gleamed in them. There she was, Olivia Brentwood, in the flesh. Seeing her again dredged up emotions I had buried for a long time.
She stood up but stayed behind a massive ebony desk. Our gazes remained locked and tension crackled in the air. It was almost suffocating. I steeled myself against the barrage of emotions trying to surface as I advanced into the room and shut the door.
“Alex…” The soft, melodic voice that used to cause a stir in my very soul floated toward me. It held a hint of surprise.
Of course, she was shocked to see me. I never thought I’d see her again either… I’d made sure that I didn’t until now. Her voice still reached a deep part of me, which pissed me off immensely. I never imagined I’d be this rattled when I saw her again.
“Olivia,” I ground out through clenched teeth. Saying her name out loud helped me shove down the irritating pang of longing that hit me in the chest. That was my former, foolish self trying to surface. I wasn’t that guy anymore, and I’d never be again. Olivia made sure of that.
“What are you…?” Her eyebrows furrowed.
I smiled, but there was nothing but bitterness behind it. “Aren’t you going to invite me to sit?” I asked.
As she stared at me, her confused expression transformed into a cool mask. She inhaled, straightened her jacket, and angled her chin upward. It was typical of her to hide behind her poised mask, but I knew she was rattled. Maybe she forgot that I knew her better than she even knew herself.
“What are you doing here, Alexander?”
“So formal…” I mused. “I suppose formality is for the best, considering the reason for this meeting.” This wasn’t a fun reunion after all.
Olivia’s frown deepened. “Meeting… What…?” She shook her head. “Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but I have a meeting with an important client…” She glanced at the gold watch adorning her wrist. “Any minute now.”
I watched her with mild amusement mixed with disbelief. She hadn’t seen me for almost a decade, and yet she could carry on as if we weren’t ex-lovers that had a bitter end. She was still as cold as ice… and still beautiful. Damn her.
Olivia Brentwood was the epitome of wealthy, graceful, and sophisticated. She had changed little in a decade. Her features were still as striking as ever. She had cheekbones that some women considered a gift from heaven. Her perfectly sculpted face gave her a regal aura that commanded attention.
Her skin was still flawlessly luminous and her full lips were still set in that determined line. Her eyes were more mesmerizing than I remembered. They shone with maturity and intelligence. There was wariness in them as she stared at me. She was the same gorgeous, uptight Olivia. Her frigid attitude always melted when she was with me though. When I had Olivia in my arms, she burned with uninhibited passion.
A picture of her lying beneath me with her luxurious chestnut hair spread across my pillow flashed through my mind. She gazed up at me with that seductive curve of her lips that never failed to melt my insides.
I blinked to pull myself out of the past. I hate her now, I reminded myself. I wasn’t here to reminisce about what Olivia and I once had. I was here for one purpose only. Revenge.
“I’m right here, Liv,” I said mockingly. “I’m your important client.” Since she’d yet to offer me a seat, I took one in front of her desk. Sitting back, I looked around the glass-walled office that offered a spectacular view of the city. “I’m here to check out my new digs. It’s nice.”
Olivia blinked slowly and then she tilted her head. “Excuse me?”
“I thought the CEO of BioTech would be much quicker.” I snapped my fingers and grinned. “I’m the one who’s buying out your company. Well… it’s more of a hostile takeover, but why bother with semantics? The point is, BioTech is as good as mine.”
Unadulterated shock flickered across Olivia’s face, and I beamed. “You know, I really like your office. I’m thinking I’ll make this my headquarters.”
“You can’t be…” She inhaled sharply. “You’re the anonymous buyer?”
“Surprise.”
She dropped into her chair, and we proceeded to have another stare down.
“You’re in cyber security,” she noted. “What do you want with BioTech?”
I shrugged. “It has the word tech in it, so…”
Her eyes darkened with irritation, and I had to bite back a chuckle.
“Come on, Liv. You used to love my teasing.”
“Don’t call me that,” she snapped.
“Okay… So, how do you know what field I’m in? Been keeping up with me?”
Her eyebrows furrowed “Please, Alex, every move you make ends up in the business and tech blogs. You’re quite popular around here. It was hard not to keep up.”
I grinned. Of course, I knew that. I just wanted to hear her say it. The satisfaction of having her know how successful I’d become felt good. She had to be astounded that I made it this far… surpassed her even. My eyes narrowed on her face, but Olivia could be difficult to read… except when I was driving her wild in bed.
Stop it, Alex.
I couldn’t afford to get distracted by the past.
“You’ve done well too, Olivia.” I knew her weakness, and I latched on to it. “But not good enough.” She’d always been hard-pressed about succeeding in a male-dominated sphere and about living up to her father’s expectations.
The slightest hint of dismay flashed in her eyes. I would have missed it had I not been watching her closely. I was being a dick, but I wanted her to feel every disappointment I felt nine years ago.
“This meeting is over, Alex. You can go now,” Olivia hissed.
I laughed. She hadn’t lost the arrogant spark that came with being a Brentwood. Apparently, she still thought that people should ask “how high” when she said “jump” because of her last name. Her attitude must have gotten worse since she became the head of the Brentwood empire. I’d take great pleasure in taking her down a notch. Actually, I was going to take her all the way down to zero. Seeing her snooty demeanor and the way she looked down her nose at me… I was going to enjoy every minute of destroying Olivia Brentwood.
“I’m the one who’s entitled to give orders here,” I said. “This is my company, after all.”
Her derisive snort made me grit my teeth. “I haven’t sold it to you, Alexander. When I agreed to meet with theanonymousbuyer, I never said I’d hand my company over. I said we could discuss terms.”
“You don’t have a choice but to hand BioTech over to me.”
Her stare was icy. Ice Princess… that’s what I used to call her. She could freeze a man’s balls off with that stare.
“I have options,” she bit out.
“Your dwindling bank account says you don’t,” I countered.
Her throat bobbed and her long, thick black lashes lowered to hide her eyes. Her show of worry lasted only a second before she was back to being the Ice Princess. That sliver of uncertainty was enough to satisfy me though.
“I have time to save BioTech,” she said.
“Not nearly enough.”
“Don’t underestimate me, Alex.”
“I never have.” Standing up, I straightened my tie. “You can’t win this one. However, if you insist on prolonging your torture and failure, who am I to stop you? Go ahead and scramble to save yourself in the limited time you have. It’ll be fun to watch. I’ll be back to boot you out of my office soon. Take care, Liv.” I used the moniker because I knew it would annoy her. On cue, her eyes flashed with fury.
Before she could wield that sharp tongue I knew she had, I walked out and closed the door. A tiny smile played on my lips as I basked in my moment of gratification. However, my smile and my delight quickly faded because a realization hit me. I still felt a flicker of something when I saw Olivia.
That wasn’t supposed to happen. Everything I once felt for her was supposed to be dead. I’d been certain of it when I set out on my mission for revenge. My friends told me I was crazy. They said I was playing a dangerous game that would end badly. After what I felt trying to surface in Olivia’s office, were they right?
I took a moment to consider. No. Shaking my head, I walked away. On my way through the office, I smiled at Olivia’s assistant. The woman glowered at me, and my smile widened. She wasn’t happy with me because I’d ignored her protest and barged into her boss’s private office.
I made my way to the parking lot and hurried to my car. Inside, I stared at the colossal building that housed BioTech. It would be mine soon, and I couldn’t wait to see the look of defeat on the CEO’s face.
The man she looked down on and tossed aside years ago had risen to dethrone her. However, the longer I stared at the structure of the Brentwood empire, the harder it was to keep thoughts of the past at bay. Memories of Olivia and how fast I fell for her swamped me…
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