by Sadie Grubor
"Olivia, I know this is horrible timing." Heidi's voice draws my dripping face toward her. Disappointment once again gnaws at me.
I'm losing it! Really? I'm disappointed he hasn't barged in after me? What's wrong with me?
Grabbing some paper towels from a dispenser, I pat my face.
"Please, Heidi, I can't—"
"There are things you need to know." Scarlett enters behind Heidi.
"No." I shake my head. "I don't want to know anything else. Please, not right now."
"I owe it to you to tell you everything. Things I didn't know until a few weeks ago." Scarlett's pleading eyes and my exhaustion make me cave.
"Fine," I growl. "What do I need to know?"
I already know enough and hate what I know.
Scarlett launches into a tale of deception I wouldn't believe if I hadn't already seen what Damon's mother is capable of doing.
"Scarlett, I appreciate your love for Damon, and I get it. Mildred not only messed with his head, but set him up, too. However, she didn't force him to lie to me." I point at myself.
"We know." Heidi hugs me. "We just want you to know, to understand, exactly how she has manipulated him and his life. I only hope you see how you change that about him." She gives a sad smile.
"I think she's had enough," Felicity says, putting her six foot — in heels — body between them and me.
Scarlett steps up, almost nose to nose, with Felicity, but a knock at the door silences whatever she is about to say.
"Olivia? Felicity?" Alfonso calls through the door. "Is everything okay?"
Without taking her eyes off Scarlett, Felicity calls back a response.
"Everything will be fine, Al. We're just about to come out."
Heidi places her hand on Scarlett's tense shoulder.
"Come on, Liv." Mercedes wraps an arm around my waist, guiding me to the bathroom door.
My insides clench, sure Damon is waiting to pounce the moment I exit. When Mercedes pulls back the dark wood door, only Alfonso stands there. Disappointment makes another unwanted appearance, but there is also a spark of anger. The anger is directed at the only man waiting for me.
"How could you provide that information without telling me first?" I ask, low and harsh.
Alfonso's brows raise in surprise.
"I thought you would be happy to have a fighting chance against him." His words, too, are low and harsh.
"It's sneaky and low and you know it."
"Olivia, has something changed that I'm not aware of?" His face wrinkles in confusion.
My mouth pops open, but nothing comes out. I don't know what to say.
Nothing has changed. What would have changed? It's not like I've changed my mind. I'm not…I am NOT developing feelings for Damon. It’s hormones.
"Olivia."
His cool, calm, collected voice sends a shiver down my spine.
Turning my head toward his voice, Damon nods, passing by with a suspicious line at the corner of his mouth and a faint twinkle in his eyes. With Heidi and Scarlett flanking both sides of him, they disappear into the elevator, his legal team in tow.
Relief washes away the tightness in my shoulders.
"Well, I didn't expect that," Alfonso muses, drawing my attention back to him. "After the way he looked during the arbitration, I thought he would be a bit more disgruntled."
He shrugs and my spark of anger flickers once more.
"Why wouldn't he be pissed off?" I snap. "You blindsided him with those documents."
Crossing my arms over my chest, I narrow my eyes on Alfonso.
His shoulders fall in defeat.
"Olivia," he rubs his face, "you need to tell me what's going on. I'm using whatever methods I can to make this come out in your favor."
He looks at me, his eyes searching my face for an answer.
"I want to offer a custody deal."
"What? Why in the hell would you decide to do that? We are close to getting full custody and perhaps keeping him out of your life for good." An incredulous look replaces the confusion from before.
"I need this to end, Alfonso. You don't know everything and things could get—"
"What aren't you telling me?" he demands, cutting me off.
"Leave her alone, Al!" Felicity steps close to my side, glaring at her brother. "She's had a shit day and doesn't need more of it from you."
"I'm pregnant," I blurt out while I have the courage. "And he knows it."
"W-what? How did…nevermind, I know how it happens." He rubs his forehead and sighs. "Once his lawyer gets this information…" he trails off.
"I know, which is why I need to end this quickly."
"The elevator is here," Mercedes calls, holding the doors open.
We walk to the elevator, no one saying a word until we reach the car.
I look out the window of the backseat, not truly seeing anything.
"I won't agree to joint custody, but I will agree to long visits to New York. Occasionally." I swallow the lump forming in my throat. "He can also visit Alex here in Pittsburgh, as long as prior arrangements are made and he isn't just randomly showing up. No supervision will be required," I choke on the last words and a tear escapes.
"I'll prepare the change and submit it to his lawyer for review," he mumbles. "Olivia?"
Pulling my eyes from the window, I look at Alfonso in the rearview mirror.
"I'm sorry. If you need anything, let me know, okay?"
I nod, leaning my forehead against the cool glass and closing my eyes.
Alfonso drops us off, promising to let me know when the next meeting will take place. Since I'm changing the proposition, it may come sooner than later.
Damon
Having agreed to think about the decisions I need to make, I take a few days to myself. My mother still attempts to contact me, but I refuse to acknowledge her. She's already created rumors by crying on the shoulder of Blanche Baxtor and a few of the investors. Vincent has already contacted me to discuss gossip of my resignation, which I'm forced to explain without getting too personal.
Where the other investors are concerned, her plan is backfiring. Most have reached out to the office and spoken with Hugh. They want to hold a meeting, without my mother, to secure my presence in the company. A few even mention pushing my mother out altogether.
So many things race through my mind and I'm not sure what I'm going to do or how I'm going to officially resign from B.I.G. without causing a problem for the company. I could care less about my mother at this point, but the company and the employees are another story.
I don't protest the divorce petition, but counter with a custody arrangement I'm sure she won't agree to. Part of it is to piss her off, but it's mostly so there is a reason we have to see each other again. She will have to meet with me in order negotiate the custody terms. A piece of paper can dissolve the marriage if she so chooses, but she needs to understand that I won't be out of her life. We are connected until death do us part by the blood that runs in Alex's veins.
After weeks of contemplation about my life, I know one thing for certain — I'm moving to Pittsburgh. I can't be away from them — not this far, anyway — any longer. My career, family, and life in New York are still uncertain. With the move to Pittsburgh, I'll have no choice but to leave the company.
My mind is burdened when I arrive to the arbitration to discuss custody of Alex with my legal team in tow. Heidi and Scarlett insist on being at my side for support. I believe they are also sticking close in hopes of getting a chance to talk with Olivia.
Olivia avoids looking at me, but I watch her. She looks pale and tired. Does she want to end this so badly she would come to this meeting sick?
The moment her counselor presents the manila folder, insinuating it incriminates me, my stomach knots. Finding my mother's signature on the release form doesn't shock me. This is her way of punishing me, hurting me. The familiar rage simmers, but it's different this time.
My legal counsel spars with hers and
I sit back, feeling both vengeful toward my mother and angry that Olivia would take this route. I never thought she would use something like this, something from my mother, against me. Not after the way she boldly stood against her in New York.
Her raspy cry for her lawyer and sudden movement toward the garbage quenches the angry flames. Rushing to her side, I swipe back her hair and rub her back. It's sick, but just touching her sends my body into an animalistic craving. The sudden need to possess everything — her body, soul, and heart — fills me.
The minute the pink box catches my attention, I focus on one string of words — Mother's Comfort significantly reduces your morning sickness symptoms.
She's pregnant. Olivia is pregnant! I want to roar my excitement and rage at her deceit.
Surprising myself, I put on a cool and collected mask. Tossing the box into her lap, I retake my seat. A full-scale plan develops, easing every burden I felt coming in here today.
At the conclusion of the meeting, I try to get Olivia's attention, but she rushes off to hide in the ladies room. Instead of talking things over with her, I decide to implement my newest plan. If she wants to continue deceiving me, then I'll play the game my way.
Excusing myself from the legal team, I step into an empty hallway to make a few calls. First, is to my realtor. Instead of an apartment, I'll need a house for a family. Second, is to my brother. I need a full-scale investor meeting. There will be changes to B.I.G., but it won't be my departure. And the last item to be handled will require a bit more thought, but now that another child is on the way, there is no possibility of her getting rid of me.
Olivia
Morning arrives and I go through the normal motions: eat, dress, bake, eat, nap, take care of Alex, bake, and nap again. My second nap is interrupted when Felicity and Mercedes come down the hall.
"Why are you on the couch?" Ced wrinkles her brow, setting a brown bag on the counter.
Sitting up, I stretch and give a small shrug.
"I brought muffins." Felicity slides onto a stool at the breakfast bar and begins unpacking items.
"From where? Downstairs?" I roll my eyes.
She shrugs and smiles.
"You need to eat," Mercedes says sternly.
"The doctor says I'm fine."
I grab one of the muffins baked this morning and slather it with tons of honey butter.
"She also says you could use some extra calories, given your daily schedule." Mercedes puts a hand on her hip, scowling at me.
"So, Felicity," I change the subject, "how's the new girlfriend, Lorna? You haven't talked about her lately. Are you still dating?"
"Yeah." Felicity shrugs. "She wants to move in together, but it's too soon for that."
"Are you kidding me?" Mercedes chokes on her orange juice. "If you feel connected to someone, I say go for it."
"Some of us are more responsible than you, my friend." Felicity smirks.
"So what if I've lived with a few different guys." She shrugs. "The point is, I take the chance. I live." With a proud smile, she stuffs a muffin top into her mouth.
"I kind of agree with Ced." I watch Felicity from the corner of my eye.
"Well, well, well, Miss Harlow." Felicity grins. "I guess getting knocked up by your stalker husband has loosened you up a bit."
"Shut up," I laugh, but then seriousness washes over me. "Am I an awful person?"
I stare at the marble countertop.
"Why would you think that?" Ced moves swiftly to my side.
"I mean, I didn't tell him about…" I motion to my stomach.
"That would have put his craze-omiter into overdrive. You wouldn't have even made it to arbitration." Felicity places her long bronze arm over my shoulders.
"But he knows now and hasn't done or said anything." I glance up at her. "Maybe I was wrong to keep it secret. It wasn't fair of me to just hold the information."
"What's really going on here, Liv?" Ced, too, puts an arm around me.
"Nothing, I just—"
"Yeah, right," Felicity interjects.
"Spill," Ced demands.
I groan.
"It's just hormones," I state, more to convince myself than them. "But…"
"But, what?" Felicity urges.
"There are these feelings. Like yesterday," I slip out from their embrace and off the stool to start pacing, "it killed me to read those documents and have his business put on display for strangers. I felt sorry for him."
I stop and look at my two best friends. They sit, nodding. There’s no judgment to be found, so I continue to spill my deepest secrets.
"I'm not blind to everything crazy he's done and that does scare me, but not as much as it should. He used extreme measures, but I know what it's like to be at a point in life where extreme is the only way you can breathe…feel."
Isaac flashes into my mind, bringing a tear to the corner of my eye. I'm reminded of how hollow I felt when I lost him and our unborn child. Alex was my extreme moment. My chance to be whole, to breathe and function once more.
"I just can't help how I'm feeling and it's driving me crazy. Every logical bone in my body knows it’s insanity and has to be these pregnancy hormones driving me to coo-coo town."
"Liv, stop and sit. You're making me dizzy with the pacing."
With a deep breath, I retake my seat as Felicity requested.
"I'm losing it, aren't I?"
"No," Mercedes blurts.
Our eyes meet and she smiles.
"I don't think it's just hormones either." She shrugs unapologetically.
"But—"
Mercedes moves to stand directly across from me.
"Look, Liv, I think you two connect on a level because of the pain you've both experienced. You both try to be strong, but the debilitating losses you've both experienced leave a mark. You recognize this in each other and connect on a level like no other."
"She makes a point." Felicity finally enters the conversation. "However, he definitely still has a lot of healing to do. I mean, think about everything he's done. The stalking, barging into your life, threats, scheming, and lying. Those aren't so easy to forget or overlook."
"Yeah, but think about the circumstances," Ced counters.
"I have and I acknowledge them. But still, I don't know how she could even deal with all that crazy without losing her shit, too."
"She is sitting right here," I break into the conversation, reminding them I'm still in the room.
"Sorry." Felicity blushes for a moment.
The ring of my cell phone ends the debate of my situation.
"Hello."
"Hey, Olivia, I wanted to let you know that the papers have been received by Mr. Knyght's team and the arbitrator," Alfonso provides.
"And?" I chew on my bottom lip nervously.
"Damon is requesting forty-eight hours to review the proposal."
"Okay, that seems fair."
Alfonso clears his throat.
"What?" I chew harder, flinching when I break through the skin.
"Damon has some business matters to tend to in New York and will need the upcoming week to handle it. And you have business the following week, so it will be about fifteen days before the next meeting can be arranged and terms finalized."
"Okay," I groan.
"It's the quickest I can get things moving."
"I know, Alfonso. I appreciate all you've done. Thanks." I end the call.
"Do we want to know?" Mercedes leans against the bar.
After a moment, I relay the information to both of them.
Damon
Back in New York, Hugh, Mrs. Shaw, and Scarlett work overtime to help prepare my proposal for the Pittsburgh location. All investors and board members confirm to attend the meeting. I'm sure most of them are concerned I'll be stepping down, when, in fact, I'll be making other adjustments.
My law team is quick to request a forty-eight hour review period for her new proposal. It's unexpected. I didn't think she would propose an arrangement a
s such, but it now provides me with more leverage to bring my plan to fruition.
Goodbye, New York. Goodbye to my mother's involvement with B.I.G. and farewell divorce decree. Pittsburgh looks to hold a bright future for my wife, our children, and my company.
Olivia
Two days pass and I don't hear anything from Alfonso about the custody proposal. On the third day, I call him to find out that he’s been playing phone tag with Damon's legal team and isn’t sure what's going on.
By the time the weekend arrives, I'm exhausted. Alex having been exceptionally energetic for the past few days, I'm thankful for the knock on the door. Thinking its Felicity and Lorna stopping by as planned, I swing the door open without checking.
"Thank Go—" I choke.
"Hello, Olivia." Damon's voice is smooth and sexy as ever.
"You can't be here." I try to shut the door.
"I don't think so." He pushes his way into my home, closing the door behind his entrance.
I step back, but can't help but notice the way his dark jeans and black sweater hug his body in a sexy caress. With a mental slap to my wacky hormones, I growl and prepare to demand his exit.
"Did you plan on ever telling me?"
His question shuts down my demand.
He turns, pinning me with fierce green eyes — eyes flaming with bottled emotions. My breath hitches, remembering him staring down from above as he lazily moved between my thighs.
"Don't lie, Olivia. I know I deserve it, but please don't lie to me."
I remain silent, unsure of what will come out of my mouth.
"You know, when I saw that box, I wasn't sure why you had it. When it finally sunk in, I was assaulted with so many different feelings." He shakes his head. "I wanted to pull you into my arms, kiss you until you couldn't do anything but stay with me."
I open my mouth to apologize, but he puts a hand up.
"Then I wanted to strangle you." His eyes blaze into my mine, the pain crystal clear. "I couldn't believe you would keep something like this from me."
"Damon, I—"
"Let me finish. Please." The plea in his voice silences me once more. "Thank you."