Chapter 18

Chapter 18

OLIVIA

I blinked, still trying to get my bearings. When I looked up, I realized we had already arrived at Ryan's company.

I hadn’t even noticed the time passing. I’d been lost in my thoughts, still feeling dizzy and out of sorts.

I turned my head to see Ryan, but he wasn’t in the car anymore. Instead, I saw him standing outside by a black car, his back to me, talking to someone I couldn’t see.

“Get out of the car,” she snapped, looking at me like I was taking too long. Rachel’s voice interrupted my thoughts…Again.

I frowned, not appreciating her tone. I didn’t say anything, just opened the car door slowly and stepped out. I didn’t want to argue with her; I just wanted to get inside and figure out what was going on.

Rachel didn't even wait for me to catch up. She walked ahead, her heels clicking sharply on the pavement. "Come upstairs. We have work to do," she called over her shoulder.

I didn’t answer.

My head was still spinning a bit, and I was too tired to argue.

I just followed her, trying to keep my balance.

When we reached the elevator, Rachel was already inside, impatiently tapping her foot.

I stepped in, standing quietly as the doors closed.

She glanced at me every few seconds, but I didn’t look back at her. I was still feeling off, light-headed, and I didn’t want to talk much.

Finally, she broke the silence. “Why didn’t you greet me when you got out of the car?” she asked, sounding irritated.

I didn’t answer at first. I just didn’t have the energy. “I’m not in the mood, Rachel,” I said quietly, trying to keep my voice calm.

She huffed, rolling her eyes. “Well, whatever. Just don’t ignore me next time."

I shrugged, not really caring.

I wasn’t in the mood to deal with her drama.

I was more focused on trying to shake off the lingering dizziness from earlier.

We stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hallway. Rachel stopped in front of a door and opened it. “In here. We’ve got stuff to do,” she said, pushing me toward the chair.

I sat down, still feeling off, my mind wandering back to Ryan.

I could see him outside earlier, but now he wasn’t around. I didn’t know what he was doing with that black car, but I didn’t feel like asking Rachel about it.

She sat down and started talking about a project, but I couldn’t focus on what she was saying. My thoughts were still spinning—Melody.

Oh good Lord, save me.

“Are you even listening?” she snapped.

I snapped my head up, surprised. “Yeah, I am,” I lied, forcing a smile. I didn’t want her to get suspicious.

I took a deep breath, trying to focus as Rachel kept talking. I was still so tired, but the work in front of me was enough to distract my mind from Ryan, even if just for a little while.

"Here’s the list for the week," Dante said, dropping a piece of paper on the table. "You’ll be grouped up. Get to work."

I glanced down at the list. There was a lot to do, but at least it would keep me busy. I picked it up, hoping the hours would go by quickly.

"I’ll do my best," I muttered to myself, my eyes still on the paper.

I heard Rachel’s voice again, but my mind was already somewhere else. It kept wandering back to Ryan. I shook my head, trying to push those thoughts away.

Maybe calling him would help. I pulled out my phone and dialed his number, but it went straight to voicemail.

"Come on, Ryan," I whispered under my breath, feeling a strange mix of frustration and longing.

I tried calling again, but the phone just kept ringing.

My mind was all over the place, jumping from thoughts of Ryan to what my dad would think and then to Melody.

I knew my dad wouldn’t be happy if he ever found out about how I felt about Ryan.

The images of Ryan kept popping into my head, and I couldn’t seem to stop them.

Maybe this was due to how drunk I was last night. Or maybe I'm still drunk.

"Alright, everyone. Time to pair up," Rachel announced, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I quickly looked around, hoping I wouldn’t be paired with someone too difficult to work with.

"Olivia, you’re with Dave," Dante said, pointing to a guy sitting at the table.

I turned to look at Dave. He seemed okay, but my mind was still tangled up in thoughts of Ryan.

How do I tell them Ryan asked me not to speak to other men here in the office?

For fucks sake, I should stop thinking about him, right?

Yes, I should stop and focus on what I want for myself.


I sat back in my cubicle, staring at my phone, hoping Ryan would reply. But he wasn’t online. I sighed and set the phone down, trying to focus on the work in front of me.

A few minutes later, Dante stood up and started walking toward the stairs.

I didn’t think twice. I stood up quickly and followed him.

"Where are you going?" I asked, trying to keep my voice casual.

"Up to Ryan’s office," he said, not looking at me.

That was all I needed to hear. I followed him up.

When I walked into Ryan’s office, he didn’t greet me with his usual smile. His face was serious, tense.

I walked straight to him, not wasting any time. "Ryan, we need to talk," I said firmly.

He looked at me, his expression cold. "What’s going on?"

"I got paired up with a man today," I started, glaring at him. "And those rules you gave me? The one where I’m not supposed to talk to any other men? That’s not going to happen. I’m not following that."

Ryan's eyes narrowed. "You have no say in my rules. Either you follow them, or you don’t work here."

I held my ground. "Let’s not forget who asked me to work here. You. I didn’t just show up on my own. You wanted me here."

He crossed his arms, his jaw tight. "That doesn’t change the rules, Olivia."

I shook my head. "Fine. I’ll follow all your rules. But I’m not going to stop talking to other men. That’s the one rule I can’t do."

Ryan’s eyes flickered but he didn't speak. Typical Ryan.

I continued, "You can’t just call me out like that. It’s going to look suspicious if I'm always around you. Don’t you think so?"

He stayed silent, staring at me.

Just then, Dante quietly stepped out of the office, leaving us alone. From what I've observed so far, I didn't need a soothsayer to tell that Dante is Ryan's trusted man

I didn’t wait for him to say anything more. "Ryan, I need you to understand. If I’m supposed to work here, you can’t make things awkward for me. I won’t pretend there’s no one else to talk to just because of some rule."

Still, he didn’t speak.

I took a deep breath. "I’ll follow all the other rules, but that one—about not talking to other men—it’s not going to work for me."

He stood there, silent, his expression unreadable.

I stared at him, waiting for some sort of response, but his eyes didn’t soften. I
felt my head spin, my vision going blurry.

And before I knew it, my legs gave out, and I slumped to the floor, everything going black.