The Rival I Fell for

Episode5

CHAPTER 5

POV: EVELYN

THE UNEXPECTED HELP

The next few days were busier than I expected.

Ever since Roman and I started working together, the office had become more active. We spent most of our time reviewing financial records, contacting suppliers and looking for ways to bring back some of our lost clients.

I had to admit that Roman was taking the work seriously.

He arrived early, stayed focused during meetings and always came prepared with something new to discuss. Whenever we disagreed, he explained his reasons instead of simply insisting that he was right.

It was strange seeing this side of him.

I had always thought Roman Bennett was the kind of man who wanted everything done his way. But lately, he had been making an effort to listen to me.

Not that I was ready to praise him for it.

One morning, I was going through some invoices when Roman walked into my office with a file in his hand.

"Evelyn, we need to talk about one of your suppliers."

I looked up.

"What happened now?"

He placed the file on my desk.

"I reviewed some of their recent invoices, and I noticed something unusual."

I opened the file and started checking the figures.

At first, I didn't see anything wrong. The prices looked similar to what we had been paying before, but when I compared them with the older invoices, I noticed the difference.

My eyebrows drew together.

"Wait. These prices have increased this much?"

Roman nodded.

"Exactly. And when I compared them with the current market rates, I discovered that we're paying more than we should."

I continued checking the documents.

"How did I not notice this?"

"You've had a lot to deal with. Sometimes, things get overlooked."

I looked at him.

"Are you trying to make me feel better?"

He shrugged.

"I'm just stating the truth."

I returned my attention to the invoices.

The difference was bigger than I expected. If we continued paying those prices, we would keep losing money without even realising how much it was affecting us.

I sighed.

"So what do we do?"

"We contact them and ask for an explanation. If they can't give us a reasonable one, we'll negotiate a better deal or consider another supplier."

I nodded.

"Fine. I'll arrange a meeting with them."

"I've already contacted them."

My head snapped up.

"You've done what?"

Roman looked at me calmly.

"I sent them an email this morning requesting a meeting. I wanted to make sure we didn't waste any more time."

I stared at him.

"You contacted my supplier without telling me?"

"I didn't make any decisions on your behalf. I only requested a meeting, and I planned to discuss it with you before doing anything else."

I wanted to argue, but I couldn't find a good reason to.

He hadn't signed any agreement or made any promises. He had simply taken the first step towards solving the problem.

Still, I wasn't used to someone moving so quickly without discussing every little detail with me.

"Next time, tell me before you contact anyone," I said.

He nodded.

"Fair enough."

I looked at the file again.

"But good work. This could save us a lot of money."

A small smile appeared on his face.

"Thank you. I'll try not to let the praise get to my head."

I rolled my eyes.

"Don't tempt me to take it back."

He laughed.

For some reason, I found myself smiling too.

It was becoming a habit I needed to stop.

Over the next few days, we continued reviewing the company's records. We discovered other expenses that needed attention and started working on a plan to reduce them.

Roman also helped me prepare proposals for some of our former clients. He suggested changes to our offers and pointed out areas where we could improve our services.

Some of his ideas were better than mine, and I hated how much I had to admit that.

But the most surprising thing was that he never made me feel stupid when I didn't know something.

Whenever I asked questions, he answered them without making a big deal out of it.

I was beginning to understand why people respected him in the business world.

Unfortunately, understanding someone didn't mean I had to like everything about them.

Especially when that person was Roman Bennett.

It was almost six in the evening when I finally closed my laptop.

My eyes were tired, and my head hurt from staring at numbers all day.

I gathered the documents on my desk and placed them inside a folder.

Just as I was about to stand up, someone knocked on my door.

"Come in."

Roman walked in carrying two takeaway bags.

I looked at the bags and then at him.

"What's that?"

"Food."

I stared at him.

"I can see that. Why are you bringing food into my office?"

He placed the bags on the table.

"Because it's almost evening, and I know you probably haven't eaten properly."

I frowned.

"How do you know that?"

He looked at the files scattered across my desk.

"Do you honestly want me to answer that question?"

I followed his gaze and sighed.

"Okay, fine. I forgot."

"Of course you did."

He pulled out a chair and sat down.

"I got something for you. You can eat before going home."

I looked at the food.

"You didn't have to do that."

"I know."

"Then why did you?"

He paused briefly before answering.

"Because I wanted to."

For a moment, I didn't know what to say.

I wasn't used to Roman doing things like this. The Roman I knew would probably make a joke about how disorganised I was before leaving me to figure everything out myself.

But this Roman had brought me food without asking for anything in return.

I looked away and opened one of the bags.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

I took a bite while he checked something on his phone.

We sat quietly for a few minutes before I finally spoke.

"Roman?"

He looked up.

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Why are you helping me this much?"

He put his phone down.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you could have simply given me a few suggestions and left me to handle the rest. But you've been doing a lot more than that."

He watched me for a moment before answering.

"We agreed to work together, Evelyn. I'm not going to sit around and watch the company struggle when there are things I can do to help."

I nodded slowly.

"That's all?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"What else did you expect?"

I looked away.

"I don't know."

He smiled slightly.

"Maybe you should stop expecting the worst from me."

I turned towards him.

"Don't flatter yourself. I still think you're annoying."

He laughed.

"That's fine. I'll take what I can get."

I shook my head, but I couldn't stop smiling.

After we finished eating, Roman helped me arrange the remaining documents before leaving.

I watched him walk towards the door.

"See you tomorrow," he said.

"See you."

He paused at the doorway.

"And Evelyn?"

I looked up.

"What?"

"Don't stay too late tonight."

I pointed towards the door.

"Goodbye, Roman."

He laughed and walked out.

I sat there for a moment before gathering my things.

I didn't understand him.

One minute, he was the same irritating man I had always known. The next, he was doing things that made it difficult to keep seeing him that way.

And that was beginning to confuse me.

When I got home, I took a shower and changed into comfortable clothes before settling on my bed.

I picked up my phone and opened my anonymous chat.

My best friend was online.

HIM: How was work today?

I smiled.

ME: Stressful as usual.

HIM: Did you eat?

I stared at the message.

Why did that question sound so familiar?

ME: Yes, Mum.

HIM: Don't call me that. I'm trying to make sure you don't forget to take care of yourself.

I laughed quietly.

ME: You're becoming too bossy.

HIM: And you're becoming too stubborn.

I shook my head.

ME: You won't believe what happened today.

HIM: Tell me.

I hesitated before typing.

ME: The man I've been telling you about brought food to my office today.

There was a short pause.

HIM: Your rival?

ME: Yes, him.

HIM: That's unexpected.

ME: Exactly! I don't even understand him anymore.

HIM: What do you mean?

I thought about how Roman had spent the past few days helping me with the company.

ME: He's been helping me a lot. He comes prepared for meetings, checks the records, finds problems I didn't notice and even remembers when I haven't eaten.

HIM: Sounds like he's making an effort.

I stared at the message.

ME: Maybe. But I still don't trust him completely.

HIM: You don't have to trust someone immediately. Just give yourself time to see who they really are.

I read the message twice.

It was easy to talk about Roman with my anonymous best friend because I didn't have to worry about being judged. I could admit that Roman was helping me without feeling like I was giving him too much credit.

ME: What if he's only doing all this because he wants something from me?

HIM: Then time will show you. Don't ignore the good things he does, but don't rush into trusting him either.

I leaned against my pillow.

For once, his advice made sense.

ME: You sound like you know him personally.

HIM: Maybe I just understand people.

I laughed.

ME: Whatever you say.

HIM: So, does this mean you like him now?

My eyes widened.

ME: WHAT?

HIM: I asked a simple question.

ME: No, I don't like him!

HIM: I didn't even say you did.

I covered my face with one hand.

He was so annoying sometimes.

ME: I can't stand him. He's arrogant, irritating and always has something to say.

HIM: You seem to know a lot about someone you can't stand.

I stared at the screen.

ME: Good night.

HIM: Running away from the question?

ME: GOOD NIGHT.

I dropped my phone beside me and laughed.

For someone who claimed to be my best friend, he certainly enjoyed making fun of me.

Still, I was grateful for him.

Talking to him always made my problems feel a little easier to handle.

I picked up my phone again and sent one last message.

ME: Thanks for listening to me.

His reply came almost immediately.

HIM: Always. You know you can talk to me about anything.

I smiled at the screen.

ME: Good night, bossy stranger.

HIM: Good night, troublemaker.

I put my phone down and settled under my blanket.

For the first time in days, I felt a little hopeful about the company.

Things weren't perfect yet, but we were making progress.

And perhaps Roman Bennett wasn't as terrible as I had always believed.

I wasn't ready to say that out loud, though.

Not even to Clara.

Across the city, Roman sat in his apartment with his phone in his hand.

He had just finished reading Evelyn's messages, and he couldn't stop smiling.

He knew she was slowly beginning to see a different side of him, but he also knew he couldn't rush things.

He wanted her to trust him for who he was, not because she felt she owed him anything.

His phone vibrated again.

A message from Daniel appeared on the screen.

DANIEL: Bro, are you still working?

Roman typed a quick reply.

ROMAN: Not anymore.

DANIEL: Then why are you smiling at your phone like that?

Roman frowned at the screen.

ROMAN: I'm not smiling.

DANIEL: Of course. And I'm the president.

Roman laughed and shook his head.

Daniel had always been good at noticing things he wanted to keep private.

ROMAN: Go and find something useful to do.

DANIEL: Is this about Evelyn again?

Roman stopped smiling.

ROMAN: What about her?

DANIEL: Nothing. You just look happier whenever her name comes up.

Roman leaned back on his couch.

He wasn't going to explain himself to Daniel over messages.

ROMAN: Good night, Daniel.

DANIEL: That's what I thought.

Roman dropped his phone beside him and stared at the ceiling.

He knew his feelings for Evelyn weren't going to disappear anytime soon.

He had liked her for longer than she realised, and working with her had only made those feelings stronger.

But there was one problem.

Evelyn still didn't know that the person she trusted online was the same man she argued with at work.

He wanted to tell her the truth, but he was afraid of what would happen when she discovered it.

Would she think their friendship had been a lie?

Would she believe he had only become her online friend to get close to her?

He didn't want her to see his actions that way.

He had never planned for their anonymous friendship to become this important to him. It had started with a simple comment on her post, and somehow, he had found himself looking forward to every conversation they shared.

Now, he was working beside the woman he cared about while pretending not to know things she had only told him online.

It wasn't going to be easy.

But for now, he decided to take things one day at a time.

He picked up his phone and opened their chat again.

Her last message was still on the screen.

ME: Thanks for listening to me.

Roman smiled softly.

He typed a reply, then paused before sending it.

ROMAN: You never have to thank me for being here.

He sent the message and placed his phone down.

He hoped that one day, Evelyn would understand why he had kept his identity a secret.

Until then, he would keep helping her company and showing her the person he really was.

Even if she continued calling him annoying.

Even if she continued arguing with him.

And even if it took time for her to realise that the man she thought she couldn't stand was the same man she trusted with her deepest feelings.

Because Roman Bennett wasn't ready to give up on Evelyn Whitmore.

Not yet.