The Rival I Fell for

Episode4

CHAPTER 4

POV: EVELYN

THE FIRST DAY

The next morning, I arrived at the office with a long list of things I needed to do.

I had barely settled into my chair when my phone rang. I picked it up and checked the screen.

It was Clara.

"Good morning," I answered.

"Good morning to you too. Have you arrived at the office?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to remind you that Roman will be coming in today."

I closed my eyes for a moment.

"Clara, how could I forget? You made sure I knew about it yesterday."

She laughed.

"I'm just reminding you."

"Thank you for the reminder. Now, please let me work."

"You're welcome, boss lady."

I ended the call and dropped my phone on the table.

I wasn't looking forward to the day, but I knew I had to get used to working with Roman. We had agreed to put our differences aside, and I needed to keep my end of the agreement.

At least, I would try.

I opened my laptop and started checking my emails. There were messages from clients, updates from my employees and several documents waiting for my attention.

I was halfway through one of the reports when someone knocked on my door.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Roman walked in.

"Good morning, partner."

I looked up from my laptop.

"Don't call me that."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Why? Aren't we partners now?"

"Business partners. There's a difference."

He smiled as he walked towards the chair opposite me.

"Noted."

He sat down and placed a laptop bag on the table.

I looked at him for a moment before returning my attention to my work.

"You're early."

"And you're surprised?"

"A little."

"Well, I wouldn't want my new business partner to think I'm unreliable."

I gave him a look.

"You're already making things difficult."

He laughed quietly.

"I haven't even started."

I shook my head.

"God, give me patience."

"I'm sure you'll survive, Evelyn."

I ignored him and closed my laptop.

"Fine. Let's get to work."

Roman opened his bag and brought out several documents.

"I reviewed the financial records again last night. I also made a list of the expenses we need to look into first."

I took the documents from him and began reading.

He had arranged everything properly, with notes beside the figures that needed further investigation.

I looked up at him.

"You did all this last night?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

He frowned slightly.

"Because we're supposed to be working together, and I wanted to understand the situation before coming here."

I stared at him for a moment.

I had expected him to show up, make a few suggestions and leave me to do most of the work. I hadn't expected him to spend his own time going through my company's records.

"Well, thank you," I said quietly.

He looked at me as if he hadn't expected those words to come from my mouth.

"You're welcome."

"Don't look so surprised. I know how to say thank you."

He smiled.

"I'll remember that."

I returned my attention to the documents before he could say anything else.

We spent the next hour going through the company's expenses. Roman explained the areas where we could reduce costs, and I shared some information about the decisions that had already been made.

Surprisingly, we agreed on most things.

Whenever I disagreed with one of his suggestions, he listened to my reasons instead of dismissing them. Sometimes, he even adjusted his plans after hearing my explanation.

I had to admit that working with him wasn't as terrible as I had imagined.

But I wasn't going to tell him that.

"So, what do you think?" he asked after we finished reviewing the first set of documents.

I looked at the notes in front of me.

"I think we should contact the suppliers first. If we can negotiate better prices, it will help reduce some of our expenses."

He nodded.

"Agreed. I'll prepare a list of the suppliers we need to contact."

"I can handle the ones I've worked with before."

"That's fine. I'll take care of the others."

I looked at him.

"You're actually making this easy."

He placed a hand on his chest.

"I'm touched."

"Don't ruin the moment."

He laughed, and I returned to my laptop.

For the next few hours, we worked through the records and prepared a plan for the coming weeks. We still disagreed on some things, and our conversations occasionally turned into arguments, but we managed to get the work done.

At one point, Roman leaned over to look at my screen.

"You're entering the wrong figure."

I turned towards him.

"Excuse me?"

He pointed at the screen.

"That figure should be entered under the previous month's expenses."

I checked the document beside my laptop.

He was right.

I quickly corrected it.

"Fine. Thank you."

"That's twice today."

I frowned.

"What?"

"You've thanked me twice today. Should I be worried?"

I threw a pen at him, but he caught it before it reached him.

"You're so annoying."

"And you're so predictable."

I shook my head, trying not to laugh.

I couldn't believe I was spending the day laughing with Roman Bennett.

If someone had told me this would happen a few days ago, I would have laughed in their face.

Around lunchtime, Roman closed his laptop and stood up.

"Let's take a break."

I continued typing.

"You can take a break. I'm busy."

He looked at me.

"Evelyn, you've been sitting here for hours."

"And?"

"And you need to eat."

I stopped typing and looked at him.

"Are you my mother?"

"No, but apparently, someone has to remind you to take care of yourself."

I stared at him.

The words sounded strangely familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had heard something similar.

Before I could think about it, Roman picked up his phone.

"I'll order something. What do you want?"

"Nothing."

He narrowed his eyes.

"You're not eating nothing."

"Roman."

"Evelyn."

We stared at each other.

Finally, I sighed.

"Fine. Just get me something simple."

He smiled.

"See? That wasn't so difficult."

I returned to my work while he made the order.

A few minutes later, he sat down again.

"Can I ask you something?"

I glanced at him.

"Depends on the question."

"Why do you work so much?"

I frowned.

"What kind of question is that?"

"A simple one."

I leaned back in my chair.

"Because this company is important to me. I've worked hard to build it, and I don't want to lose everything I've worked for."

His expression changed slightly.

"I understand that."

I looked at him, surprised by the seriousness in his voice.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then he continued.

"But you can't do everything yourself. Sometimes, you need to let other people help you."

I looked away.

"I know."

"Do you?"

I turned back to him.

"Don't start."

He raised both hands.

"Okay. I'll leave it alone."

I returned to my laptop, but his words stayed in my mind.

I didn't like depending on people. I had always believed that if I wanted something done properly, I had to make sure I was involved in every step.

Maybe that was one of the reasons I found it difficult to accept help.

Still, I wasn't ready to discuss that with Roman.

Not yet.

When the food arrived, we took a short break and ate while discussing the next steps for the company. After lunch, we returned to work.

By the time Roman finally packed his things, we had completed more than I expected.

He stood beside my desk and looked at the documents.

"We made good progress today."

I nodded.

"Yes, we did."

"We'll continue tomorrow. I'll also contact the suppliers and see which ones are willing to negotiate."

"Good. Keep me updated."

He picked up his bag.

"Of course."

He walked towards the door, then stopped and turned around.

"And Evelyn?"

I looked up.

"What now?"

He smiled.

"Try to get some rest tonight. The company won't disappear if you leave the office on time."

I stared at him.

"Why does everyone keep telling me that?"

"Maybe because everyone can see how much you work."

Before I could reply, he walked out.

I sat quietly for a moment, thinking about what he had said.

Then I shook my head and returned to my work.

Roman Bennett was becoming far too comfortable giving me advice.

And the worst part was that some of it actually made sense.

Later that evening, after I returned home, I changed into comfortable clothes and sat on my bed with my phone.

I had been thinking about the day, especially how Roman had behaved.

He had been serious about the work, listened to my opinions and even reminded me to eat.

It was strange.

The Roman I knew was competitive and irritating. He always seemed ready to argue with me, and I had never imagined he could be this easy to work with.

I opened my anonymous chat and saw a message from my best friend.

HIM: How was your day?

I smiled and began typing.

ME: Surprisingly, not bad.

HIM: That's good. What happened?

ME: I started working with the person I told you about yesterday.

HIM: Your annoying rival?

I laughed.

ME: Yes, him.

HIM: And how did it go?

I paused before answering.

ME: He's not as bad as I thought.

His reply came a few seconds later.

HIM: Interesting.

ME: Don't sound so surprised.

HIM: I'm not surprised. I'm happy you're giving him a chance.

I stared at the message.

ME: I didn't say I liked him. I only said he wasn't as bad as I thought.

HIM: I heard you.

ME: Good.

HIM: Maybe you'll discover something else about him if you keep an open mind.

I rolled my eyes.

ME: Why are you suddenly interested in my rival?

HIM: Because you're interested in talking about him.

I laughed.

ME: You're impossible.

HIM: And you're avoiding the question.

I frowned at my phone.

ME: What question?

HIM: Do you think he might actually be a good person?

I thought about Roman's actions throughout the day.

He had come prepared, done his research and listened to my opinions. He hadn't tried to take control of my company, and he had offered to handle some of the work himself.

Maybe there was more to him than I had realised.

ME: Maybe. But don't expect me to admit that to his face.

HIM: I wouldn't dream of it.

I smiled at his reply.

We continued chatting for a while before I finally put my phone down.

I felt lighter than I had the previous night.

The company's problems were still there, and I knew we had a long way to go, but at least we had made some progress.

I turned off the bedside lamp and settled under my blanket.

Tomorrow would bring another day of work with Roman Bennett.

I had no idea what to expect, but I hoped we could keep things professional.

What I didn't know was that Roman was lying in his own room, smiling at his phone as he read my messages.

He was the person I had just told about my day.

The same person who had listened to me complain about my rival without knowing he was the one I was talking about.

He typed another message.

HIM: Good night, best friend. Don't stress yourself too much tomorrow.

I smiled when I read it.

ME: Good night, bossy stranger. You sound just like someone I know.

HIM: Maybe we have more in common than you think.

I laughed softly and put my phone down.

I had no idea how close I was to discovering the truth.

And Roman had no idea how difficult it would be to keep his identity a secret forever.