An emotion flickers across his face, too quick for me to read.“Will you be there with your boyfriend?”
The air goes out of the room.
I should have seen this coming.Of course he’d ask.He knows I’ve been with Chase for years.
“No,” I say quietly.
He’s very still now, watching me with an intensity I can’t quite decipher.“No?”
“We broke up.”
There’s a pause.A long one.His expression doesn’t change—still that same controlled, unreadable mask—but his posture shifts.He’s listening now.Really listening.
“When?”
“A year ago.”
He’s quiet, studying me with those sharp gray eyes, and for a moment he looks thoughtful.Like he’s processing this information and filing it away somewhere important.
“Why?”he asks finally, his voice carefully neutral.
“That’s personal,” I say, strain evident.
“Olivia—”
“It’s personal, Alexander,” I repeat, firmer this time.“And with all due respect, it’s none of your business.”
He doesn’t respond immediately, still watching me with that same unreadable expression.Then he nods once, a slight dip of his chin.“Fine.”Just that.Nothing more.“Then I suppose there’s nothing else to discuss,” he says, straightening.“One month.”
“Yes.One month.”
“I’ll see you after New Year’s.”
“Yes,” I manage.
He moves then, reaching past me for the Donovan files on the desk.His arm brushes mine—just barely, just enough for me to feel the warmth of him through my blouse.The contact is brief, almost accidental, and yet it sends an unwelcome shiver up my spine.
Taking in the silence that usually means he’s done with the conversation, I turn around ready to leave when he says, “One week and a bonus.”
“No.”
“I thought you liked money.”I can hear the scowl in Alexander’s voice, and when I turn around, he’s glowering at me, displeased.
“I do.But my parents will kill me if I don’t stay the full month.”
He leans back.“I’ll fire you.”
“No, you won’t.”I give him a faint smile now.“But you can try.”
His sigh is filled with annoyance.“Fine.But not a day over four weeks.”
I nod.
“If you’re not back to work on time, I’ll come pick you up myself.”
“Sure.It’ll save me an Uber ride.”
He gives me a small smile, his eyes narrowing.It’s a smile I’ve seen when he’s plotting something.Not that I care.I have other things to worry about, like getting to the airport on time.
