You Chase Love, I Build My Empire

Chapter 4

For five whole days, I stayed away from the office. I didn't see Damien once.

I curled up on the couch and worked through the stack of messages from my coworkers.

Stephanie: Olivia, how did the plagiarized design end up under your name?

Felix: Olivia, the boss actually brought Bianca into the office. What's that supposed to mean? If you don't come back soon, she's going to walk off with him.

A girl who hadn't even finished college had taken the chief jewelry designer's seat.

Then Sophie, my assistant, called. She could barely contain herself on the other end.

"Olivia, you have to hear this," she said in a rush. "Bianca's been telling everyone she and the boss were childhood sweethearts. I almost died laughing. Everyone in the office knows you and the boss are the real couple.

"And hello, he's eight years older than her. Childhood sweethearts? Give me a break. Now he's covering for a thief and handing your position to a girl who can't open her mouth without lying. Has he completely lost his mind?"

I hung up, and the apartment slipped back into silence.

A text from Damien came through with the restaurant address, not a single word more.

I took my time in the shower, did my makeup carefully, and slipped into a simple dress.

After a moment's thought, I changed into a tailored sheath dress instead.

Damien's mom, Mabel Whitfield, was partial to the same style, and she'd often told me it made me look refined and dignified, the kind of look she liked to see on me.

She could be hard to please, but she was still an elder, and this was a birthday dinner. The least I could do was show up looking the part.

I arrived at the restaurant well ahead of time. Damien hadn't shown.

From a quiet corner, I watched Mabel's group disappear into the private dining room.

A short while later, Damien's car rolled into view. He told the driver to take Bianca home, then leaned in to say goodbye with all the tenderness he used to save for me.

I called out to him. His eyes swept the street, came up empty, and he kept walking on his own.

He used to say, "Olivia, no matter where you are, the second you call my name, I'll find you in a heartbeat."

Back in college, he really could.

Now, I was just another face in the crowd to him.

I caught up in a few quick steps and noticed his hands were empty.

"Weren't you supposed to bring a gift from me for your mom?" I asked. "Where is it?"

He flinched, eyes locking on mine for a beat before he caught himself.

"Oh, right. I meant to pick something up, but Bianca and I lost track of time at the mall. I figured being on time mattered more, so I let it go."

He caught the flicker of surprise and hurt I tried to bury.

"It's fine. My mom won't mind."

But it did bother me.

When his hand reached for the top of my head again, I leaned away.

His hand hung suspended midair, fingers closing on nothing but cold air.

Everyone had already gathered in the private dining room. Only Damien and I were missing.

Mabel's eyes went straight to our empty hands. The delight on her face froze over in a heartbeat.

She smoothed her expression in an instant, swept Damien into a warm hug, and pulled him into the seat next to her.

"Olivia, I heard you designed a necklace for my sister." Damien's aunt watched me like she'd settled in for a juicy show. "Didn't Damien's team finish it up? Why not bring it out and let us all take a look?"

My nerves coiled tighter.

Damien jumped in, his voice easy. "Auntie, who told you that? Olivia's necklace is for a competition entry. Whoever passed that along had their facts off."

The aunt clicked her tongue. "All that time spent on a contest piece, but not a spare minute for her future mother-in-law's birthday gift? Kids these days really don't know what matters."

Heat flooded my face. I sat rigid in my seat, my fingers clawing at my own palm under the tablecloth.

Damien turned his gaze on me. His eyes held a sliver of apology, and nothing else.

Mabel let out a dry laugh. "It's fine. We're all going to be family soon, no need to keep score."

I spent the rest of the birthday dinner sitting on pins and needles.

Damien hailed a car so we could ride home together.

He'd had plenty to drink, but the booze hadn't covered the bluebell perfume still clinging to his skin.

The scent had long since cleared out of our bedroom, yet the picture it called up stayed sharp in front of me.

Damien collapsed onto the bed, then suddenly yanked me down with him, pressing his face into my neck and crushing me hard against his chest.

His hand settled over my hip through the tight silk dress, and a wave of nausea rolled through me out of nowhere.

I slapped his hand away.

He cracked his eyes open just enough to peer at me. "Did you have a good time today?"

Did I have a good time today?

He probably wanted to ask Bianca, I figured.

I sat on the sofa in the quiet living room, opened the shared album, and studied the most recent photo. Then I dialed a number I knew by heart.

"Sorry to bother you at this hour, Professor," I said, keeping my voice steady. "I was wondering, would it be alright if I flew out to Portsworth tomorrow?"

The voice on the other end lit up. "Of course, Olivia. I was actually about to ask if you could come even sooner. You beat me to it."

"Thank you, Professor. See you tomorrow."

I peeled off the fitted silk dress and felt my lungs open for the first time all evening.

Damien's ring went down next to the dress. I snapped a photo and uploaded it to the shared album.

A phone. A plane ticket. An invitation.

Then I set out down a road I'd never walked before.