Page 73 of Accidental Theirs

Fuck.

I’m going to ruin her good mood, but it can’t be helped. She deserves to know the truth.

Olivia turns as I walk up, her smile fading.

“Dominic? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I need to talk to you.” I put the files under one arm and take her by the elbow to lead her into her office.

“If this is about this quarter, you should know there are a lot more clients paying out at the end of the month?—”

I shake my head quickly. “It’s not about this quarter, Liv. It’s about the last few years.”

“Wh-what are you talking about?”

She goes paler than she already is, and I swallow hard, not sure how to tell her this.

I put down the files on her desk, shuffling through them to find where I’d circled a number with my red pen.

I point at it with my index finger, and she frowns.

“This is what you have for the next six months.”

Her eyes flit to mine. Her pupils contract. “No, it’s not. You missed something. Some of the contracts probably haven’t been inputted?—”

“Everything’s current. I double-checked. Triple-checked.”

Her tongue darts out to wet her lips. “It can’t be. You’re wrong. Check it again.”

I let out a frustrated breath. “I’ve spent the last five hours checking it, Liv. It’s right. I wouldn’t be here telling you this if it weren’t. If I’d known the rumors were more than just rumors.”

Her frown deepens. “Wait, what rumors?”

I look away, hating the fear in her face. “Word around Titan is that Carter Holdings is going under. Titan will dissolve the company, use the merger to gain your contracts and this building.”

“You can’t be serious.”

But I can tell from her face that she knows I am.

She sits down hard in her chair.

“Liv—”

She shakes her head. “I think you should go for now, Dom.”

“Olivia…”

She looks up at me, her green eyes piercing. “Please go. I’ll call you later.”

I run a hand over my face, frustrated. “I can help you. We can work this out, talk to Damien?—”

She shakes her head. “I’lltalk to Damien.”

My throat works as I look down at her.

She’s trying to do this alone.

I know that she must be crumbling inside right now, but she doesn’t trust me enough to break.