Olivia’s POV

    Olivia tried to look busy standing in the parking lot – walking around, smelling the flowers, taking a rest on a bench that she realized toote was for passengers for the local public transport bus. She did all this

    to hide the fact that she was waiting for Julian.

    Her schedule was prettyx today, but she imagined she wouldn’t have to wait long. She had seen Julian

    leave, but knowing most of what had urredst night, that she had pieced together this morning by

    peering out of her room window, she guessed Amber wasn’t going to want to see much of Julian today.

    Olivia had to talk to him, to set up some kind of cover story. She had intended to drug Julian with that

    aphrodisiac to seduce him. When Amber had downed the spike ss of wine instead, Olivia hadn’t truly

    known what to do. So she had fled.

    But what had happened after she left? She imagined Julian and Amber slept together. Though with how

    quickly Amber had escaped this morning, jumping into the car with Chase of all people, Amber was

    willing to guess that the sex had not been all that good, or perhaps not all that sessful.

    Amber seemed too furious to even talk to Julian this morning, and he’d certainly looked like a lovesick fool chasing after her.

    Olivia was certain that she could still salvage this situation, at least if no one suspected her of spiking

    the drink. So long as she was innocent of that, she could still manipte the situation as she needed to.

    Even if Amber and Julian had sex, with how they ended things this morning, it seemed to cause a rift

    between their repairing rtionship.

    Good. Let that tear fester and grow until Amber couldn’t even bear to look at Julian.

    There was still the matter of their child…

    But if Amber wanted Julian gone from her life enough, perhaps she would also prohibit Julian from

    seeing his own child.

    Olivia could move in at that point, giving him a shoulder to cry on, and a warm spot to find his pleasure. If she became pregnant again, and if she could keep the baby this time, maybe she could make this work…

    She’d done it before. She could do it again. Only this time, she’d hold onto Julian with both hands.

    Okay, so it wasn’t a perfect n. But until Chase and Amber became an official item, breaking Julian’s heart so thoroughly he could finally forget her, Olivia could only do what she had to do.

    She waited a few more minutesb, /bthen stood and slowly walked back to the hotel. Just as she was going, Julian turned his car into the parking lot.

    Delighted, Olivia picked up the pace, eager to meet him before he could weasel his way away from her.

    She met him just as he parked and exited his car.

    “Julian! How lucky to run into you,” Olivia began.

    “What do you want, Olivia?” Julian asked, somewhat rudely. He had impatience written all over him, from the way he clenched and unclenched his hands to the way he shifted on his feet.

    “I want to talk about what happenedst night,” Olivia said softly. She tried giving him a small, apologetic smile. It was surface–level only of course. She wasn’t sorry about a damn thing that happenedst night. Well, aside from Amber showing up and ruining everything, but that wasn’t Olivia’s fault.

    “We have nothing to talk about.” Julian turned from me.

    Gods, he was in a mood day. Olivia was going to have to move swiftly and concisely to get what she wanted.

    “I want to mend things,i” /ishe said.

    “We tried thatst night and it backfired spectacrly,” Julian said. He started walking away, back to his hotel room. “Whatever you want, you can tell me on the phone.”

    I hurried to follow him. “Will you answer?”

    He wouldn’t and they both knew it. He didn’t even try to deny it.

    Not looking back, he seemed content with silence.

    Olivia had to act quicker now. They were nearly to his door!

    “Why don’t we go to dinner?” Olivia asked. “I can exin everything…”

    He unlocked his door, stepped inside, and to block Olivia from doing the same. Looking at her coldly, he said, “I already have ns.”

    Then, he closed the door right in her face.

    She scoffed, offended, but he either didn’t care or didn’t hear.

    He’d always been so caring before. When did he turn into such an unfeeling brute?

    Amber truly brought out the worst in him. He needed someone more emotionally steady like Olivia, who could handle the good and the bad.

    That was the beauty of a rtionship without love. Those silly feelings never got in the way.

    He couldn’t be happy being in such turmoil? Couldn’t he see the more logical, more sustainable benefit of a rtionship with Olivia?

    Perhaps he just needed more convincing.

    He said he had ns for dinner. If he was being genuine, then those ns were likely with Amber.

    That was troublesome. Olivia couldn’t let the two of them spend too much time together, for fear that they might actually talk and reconcile their differences. They had quite a few things to wade through, but if they did…

    Olivia couldn’t let that happen.

    Wherever he was going, Olivia would have to go too, and break up whatever little family dinner the two were likely nning on having.

    Olivia was getting pretty good at following people, and she still had the tracker on Julian’s phone…

    Smirking, Olivia couldn’t wait to see the look of Amber’s face when she showed up.

    Amber’s POV

    Anna was taking this event way too seriously, that much was clear. After picking out her own cocktail dress, she’de over to help me pick out what I was going to wear.

    “It’s just a work function,” I argued.

    “That someone else is paying for, for a change,” Anna said. “Come on, Amber. Have some fun…”

    b“/bYou said the same thingst night, and look how that turned out.”

    “Maybe, but Julian isn’t going to be there. It will just be us and the others from the clinic. Well, and Chase,

    but he hardly counts,” Anna said.

    “He’s the one paying,” I pointed out.

    Anna shrugged. “All the more reason to order champagne.”

    Anna’s red cocktail dress and her clear excitement caught the eye of Alice, who, when she realized we

    were going out again, started to pout. “I want to go!”

    “It’s for grown–ups,b” /bI said.

    Anna was no help at all. b“/bbIt /bis a family restaurant…”

    Somehow, ten minutester, we were all in Alice’s room next, picking out an outfit for her.

    In the end, I didn’t think Chase would mind, and everyone at the clinic already loved Alice.

    Admittedly, when Alice was included in the preparations, everything became a little more fun. She and Anna seemed to feed off one another’s excitement, and it was contagious.

    I supposed, a night out with friends could be fun, especially knowing that Julian wouldn’t be there.

    Before long, I was smiling too.

    Chase’s POV

    “A table for two please,” I said to the hostess as I arrived at the restaurant. I couldn’t wait for tonight, to spend a pleasant candle–lit dinner with a beautiful and interesting woman like Amber.

    The bell on the door chimed. I was early, but eager, and turned, hoping to see Amber

    Instead, Julian walked through the door.