Chapter 166

Chapter 166
Josie's POV

Another week had passed, which meant another day of learning the ropes at Gray Industries. As I stepped out of the elevator, I spotted Natalie with a massive stack of documents in her arms, looking absolutely exhausted.

"What happened?" I asked, confused. "Has the company been this busy lately?"

"Maybe," she said with a helpless sigh. "Your brother keeps piling on assignments like this every day."

"So, you and my brother..." I whispered conspiratorially, glancing down the hall toward Elliot's office. "Any real progress there?"

Natalie rolled her eyes at me dramatically.

"See this?" she said, gesturing to the mountain of paperwork in her arms. "This much progress in just one week. Not enough for me?"

I blinked at her. "Oh."

Natalie proceeded to complain about her intense workload, insisting she'd accomplished more in these five days than she normally would in two weeks.

Looking at her towering stack of documents, then down at the single file in my hands, I suddenly realized my brother had been surprisingly lenient with me. At least he'd given me a whole week to handle just one assignment.

Natalie glanced toward the CEO's office and gave me a thumbs-up, her expression mixing exhaustion with admiration.

"Now I get why you said your brother has married to his job," she said. "The way he's brought Gray Industries back to its former glory in such a short time makes total sense. Anyone that dedicated—working twelve-hour days, even on holidays—they're bound to succeed."

"So, are you still going after him?" I asked quietly.

Natalie, despite everything, showed a stubborn determination.

"Of course," she said firmly. "If I crash and burn, I'll take it like an adult. But quitting halfway? Not happening."

Before we could continue, I caught sight of Elliot coming down the corridor with his assistant Michael, both of them talking business.

My eyes lit up, hoping he might be heading out—which would give Natalie the perfect chance to make her move.

"Elliot, are you going somewhere?" I asked hopefully.

Elliot looked up at me but didn't immediately respond. He turned to Michael and instructed, "Proceed with the plan as discussed," before approaching us.

His eyes studied me for a moment before he replied, "No, I'm not going anywhere. Michael mentioned you arrived fifteen minutes ago but hadn't come up to my office. I thought you might be stuck in the elevator, so I came looking for you."

My excitement deflated instantly. "Oh... I just ran into Natalie and we were chatting for a bit."

I glanced meaningfully at Natalie, silently communicating: Now's your chance, he's free!

Catching my look, Natalie took a step back. "Pursuing someone requires the right timing," she whispered to me. "Stay any longer now, and I'll collapse from exhaustion."

With the look of someone making a hasty retreat, she quickly announced, "I need to distribute these reports. Josie, let's catch up tomorrow!"

Before I could respond, she had pressed the elevator button and disappeared behind closing doors.

I stood there, mouth half-open with unspoken words.

Elliot adjusted his cuffs, giving me a cool sidelong glance. "No one left to chat with? Come with me."

Clutching my file tightly, I reluctantly followed him to his office, where he immediately pulled two more documents from a shelf and handed them to me.

"Review these as well," he instructed matter-of-factly.

I stared at the additional work, my heart sinking.

Several hours later, when I finally left Gray Industries, the sky was already growing dark. Dylan would definitely be wondering where I was. As I headed home, I couldn't help but think about Natalie's determined pursuit of my workaholic brother—and feel a little sorry for her.

Olivia's POV

Maxwell returned on the third day of his business trip, just as expected. I resumed my nightly routine of sitting in his study, letting the sound of his meetings lull me to sleep. After that trip, he rarely left Manhattan.

As the months passed, my belly grew rounder each day. Under Maxwell's careful arrangements, I was getting by well enough, though pregnancy certainly came with its share of limitations.

Before I knew it, summer had arrived.

The temperature rose steadily each day, making the air shimmer with heat. Being heavily pregnant in July wasn't exactly comfortable, and I'd basically given up on leaving the house. The mere sight of sunlight streaming through my floor-to-ceiling windows made me feel like I was melting.

Thank goodness The Willows was close to Whitmore Manor. Since summer break began, Josie had been bringing Cookie over regularly to keep me company. Those visits were the highlight of my increasingly sedentary days.

After Maxwell intervened that night, my sudden onset of pregnancy anxiety had finally settled. My mood had stabilized considerably in the third trimester, and I hadn't experienced another panic episode like that evening.

Late one night, after falling asleep listening to a French business meeting through video call—my new favorite sleep aid—I suddenly woke up around midnight with intense pain rippling through my abdomen.

I jolted awake, cold sweat instantly beading across my forehead.

My first instinct was to reach for my phone to call Maxwell, but I was almost two weeks from my due date. I hadn't expected this now and was completely unprepared. The pain was so intense that I could barely focus on unlocking my phone in the dim light.

As the contractions intensified, I abandoned the phone and propped myself up on my elbows. Biting my lip against the pain, I called out, "Maxwell! Something's wrong!"

My voice came out strangled and panicked—a tone I'd never let him hear before.