Olivia

Alexander met my brother’s bgaze /bsteadily. “To make her happy. To build a life together. The usual things a man wants with a woman he cares about.”

“And the fact that she works for you doesn’tplicate things?” Nick pressed.

“It did at first,” Alexander admitted. “But we’ve worked through it. Olivia reports to the marketing director, not directly to

me.”

“How convenient,” Nick muttered.

“It is,” Alexander agreed pleasantly. “Full house, by the way.” Heid down his cards, and Ethan groaned.

“That’s the third hand in a row,” Ethanined. “Are you counting cards?”

“I don’t need to,” Alexander replied, gathering the pretzels. “Your face gives everything away.”

An hour into their game, the waiting room door opened, and a nurse appeared. We all froze, and cards suspended mid–air.

“Morgan family?” she said with a reassuring smile. “Dr. Weaver asked me to update you. The surgery is going well. They’vepleted two of the three bypasses with noplications.”

Mom let out a long breath. “Thank you. Do you know how much longer it will be?”

“Probably another two hours, but that’s just an estimate. Dr. Weaver wille to speak with you when it’s finished.”

“Thank you,” Mom said, her voice steadier than I expected.

After the nurse left, Alexander stood. “I should get going. I have some calls to make, and you should have family time.”

“You don’t have to leave,” Mom protested. “You’re practically family now.”

Alexander smiled politely. “That’s very kind, Eleanor, but I do have some work matters to attend to. I’ll check inter if that’s alright.”

“Of course,” Mom nodded. “Thank you foring. It means a lot to Olivia.”

Alexander turned to me. “Walk me out?”

I nodded, ignoring Nick’s raised eyebrow as we left the waiting room.

In the hallway, Alexander pulled me into a quiet alcove near the elevators. “I meant what I said. I’ll check inter. Text me when your father is out of surgery.”

“I will,” I promised. “And thank you again for Dr. Weaver. I know you pulled strings to get him.”

Alexander shrugged as if arranging world–ss medical care was a minor favor. “It was nothing.”

“It wasn’t nothing,” I insisted. “It was… it means a lot.”

He studied my face for a moment, then reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. The gesture was unexpectedly

tender.

“Get some rest if you can,” he said softly. “You look exhausted.”

“Thanks,” I said sarcastically. “Just what a girl wants to hear.”

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Even exhausted, you’re beautiful, Olivia.”

Thepliment warmed me from the inside out. Before I could respond, Alexander leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead.

“I’ll see youter,” he murmured against my skin.

Then he was gone, stepping into the waiting elevator with a final nod in my direction.

I stood there for a moment, my forehead tingling where his lips had touched. This was gettingplicated. The lines between our arrangement and something real were blurring, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

When I returned to the waiting room, three pairs of eyes turned to me expectantly.

“So,” Ethan said, breaking the silence. “That’s Alexander Carter.”

“Yes,” I said cautiously. “That’s Alexander.”

“He seems…” Nick searched for the right word. “Intense.”

“He is,” I agreed.

“But nice,” Mom added. “Very polite. And he clearly cares about you.”

I swallowed hard. “Let’s focus on Dad, okay? We can discuss my love lifeter.”

Nichs leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “Actually, we have some doubts about your love life.”

“Seriously? Now?” I nced at the clock on the wall. “Dad’s in surgery, and you want to interrogate me about my boyfriend?”

“We’re sitting here with nothing to do but worry,” Nick pointed out. “Might as well talk about something else. Like how you suddenly have a CEO boyfriend you never mentioned.”

“Can’t this wait until Dad’s out of surgery?” I pleaded.

Mom patted my hand. “It might help pass the time, dear.”

“Yeah,” Ethan chimed in, shuffling the cards. “You never mentioned dating Alexander Carter. Or anyone, really. Then suddenly, you’re bringing him to family emergencies?”

I sighed, knowing I wouldn’t escape this conversation. “Fine. If you must know, I dated Alexander for a while before I met Ryan. Then Ryan and I got together, and a few months ago, he cheated on me with my friend. Alexander and I reconnected recently.”

“Wait,” Mom said, sitting up straighter. “You dated two men and kept itpletely secret? Wonderful.”

“I didn’t keep it secret,” I protested weakly. “I just didn’t broadcast it.”

Ethan ced a hand over his heart dramatically. “Super secret. I’m your cute baby brother. Didn’t you think about mentioning it to me?”

“I didn’t want to introduce anyone until I was confident about the rtionship,” I exined, sticking to the story Alexander

and I had concocted. “I was going to introduce Ryan, but then I caught him cheating before I could.”

“With your friend. Nick added, his expression darkening. “Who was it?”

“Sophia,” I said, the name still bitter on my tongue.

b“/bWhat a bitch,” Ethan said bluntly.

“Ethan!” Mom scolded, but there was no real heat behind it.

“What? She is.” He turned to me. “So you caught Ryan cheating, dumped his sorry ass, and then… what? Called up your ex- boyfriend, who happens to be your boss?”

23

“It wasn’t like that.” I insisted, trying to remember the timeline Alexander and I had agreed upon. “We ran into each other at apany event. Started talking again. Realized there was still something there.”

Mom smiled softly. “Well, he seems very attentive. The way he looks at you…”

“What about it?” I asked, suddenly self–conscious.

“It’s intense,” Ethan supplied, mimicking Alexander’s serious expression. “Like you’re the only person in the room.”

“He’s just focused,” I said, feeling my cheeks warm. “He’s like that with everything.”

Nick leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Just be careful. Liv. I know you’re a grown woman and can make your own decisions, but the guy is your boss. And he’s obviously loaded. That creates a power imbnce.”

“I know what I’m doing.” I said, more confidently than I felt.

“We trust you,” Mom assured me, patting my knee. “And he seems nice. Very polite. Just don’t rush into anything.”

“I won’t.” I promised, relieved they weren’t pushing harder.

Ethan gathered up the ying cards, shuffling them absently. “For what it’s worth, I think he’s cool. Anyone who can bluff that well in poker has my respect.