Page 23

Roxanne

I sit in my car for a long time, simmering with anger and disappointment.

How could Leonard not say a thing when his dear friend started to rant against me?

His bewildered expression can’t compensate for his lack of words.

I don’t understand; he’s one of the most intelligent people I know, yet he’s easily influenced by his feelings for his friend.

It doesn’t make sense. Nobody achieves so much without a ruthless mindset.

No matter what, you have to sacrifice your personal life to reach that kind of success.

Leonard has indeed shown me he cares about things other than his job, but blindly trusting a person who is clearly hostile towards both of us is a rookie mistake he shouldn’t be making.

There’s more to this story, and I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve been blindsided by the same man who shared so many secrets with me.

Professional secrets, not personal ones, but this doesn’t change the reality that he trusted me with those.

I take a deep breath, not sure if I’m angrier about what happened in his office or because I felt excluded from his world as soon as Oliver entered the room.

Before Oliver showed up, we were a team, but afterward, I felt like an annoying spectator of their long-lasting friendship.

I felt personally betrayed, and that thought scares me the most.

I start the car and drive into traffic without any specific destination in mind.

After the turmoil of the past hour, I need a distraction to calm my anger and clear my thoughts.

I take random turns, changing the scenery, which helps to ease my anger.

As I begin to calm down, I start recognizing some of the buildings around me.

The bakery where Leonard took me to eat is just a few yards away.

I park close to the entrance and walk down the sidewalk to reach the place.

Compared to the luxury I’ve experienced recently, it’s a poor neighborhood, but it’s not as run-down as one would expect.

It’s certainly not fancy but everything is well-kept, clean, and the overall vibe is that people enjoy living here.

I reach out to grab the door handle but hesitate, feeling like I’m somehow spying on Leonard’s personal life coming here alone.

It’s a strange feeling, but I dismiss it along with my lingering anger.

The baked goods are amazing here, so why shouldn’t I enjoy them?

I shake my head, smiling at my silly thoughts, and walk in.

It’s still quite early, and the place is not busy, just like the other time we came here for lunch.

The doorbell rings, and the two people behind the counter look up with a smile.

I recognize them from the previous time I was here.

“Welcome! We’ll be with you shortly,” the woman says cheerfully.

I nod and smile at her while peering from behind the customer she serves to decide what to eat.

My mouth waters at the display case in front of me full of savory and sweet pastries to choose from.

I can’t decide what to try first—because there will absolutely be more than one pastry on my plate today.

“What can I get you?” the woman asks me with a genuine smile.

“Difficult question. I want some of everything,” I giggle, and she chuckles.

“Do you trust me?” Her tone is almost conspiratorial.

I nod, intrigued. I take a moment to study the dark circles and fine lines around her eyes. She is not old, but she’s definitely tired.

“Do you have any allergies?” She tilts her head.

“Fortunately, not,” I shake my head.

“I’ll make something up for you.” She winks at me and fills a plate with way too many things to count. She doesn’t hesitate as she chooses sweet and savory delicacies for me.

“Jesus, I don’t know if I can handle all this,” I chuckle when she hands me the plate filled with everything I could possibly want.

“You can. Trust me. And if you don’t, we can give you a box to take it with you.” She chuckles.

“Okay,” I finally agree.

“You’re Leonard’s friend, right?” she asks before I have the chance to turn around and sit at one of the small tables.

I’m surprised she remembers me. It’s been a while since I was here, and it was the only time. Leonard must be very close to them if she pays so much attention to the people around him.

“Yes. Do you mind if I ask you how you met him?” I give in to my curiosity. I know I shouldn’t pry, but, to be fair, she started this conversation.

She smiles fondly like it’s a memory she is glad to relive, like the expression you see on a sister or even a mother.

“He came here because he wanted to buy our shop. But we said no and offered instead for him to try our pastries. He’s been coming here regularly since then.”

“Really? He was trying to talk you down in price, wasn’t he?” I prod, though I’m not proud of it. But this is my only chance to understand him a bit more without asking him or Raphael. He’s so closed off that I’m sure he wouldn’t tell me something like this, even if I insisted.

The woman laughs and shakes her head. “No! On the contrary. He was very generous.” She must notice my confused face because she continues with the explanation.

“He offered way more than what this place is worth, but we explained we were just too attached to it. We wouldn’t sell it for any price, even if we were drowning in debt. It’s a matter of feelings, not money.”

“And he gave up just like that?” I can hear the incredulity in my voice.

She chuckles. “You don’t know him very well if you think he just gives up. He paid off our debt, became a regular customer, and always pays for the homeless peoples’ meals.”

“It sounds like his stubbornness hit you full force,” I say.

She barks out a laugh. “You got that right.”

“Tell me about it,” I murmur, but she hears it and winks at me.

I grab the plate from the counter and sit at one of the small tables next to the window. I dig into the salmon and mushroom pastry and moan.

“This is amazing,” I tell the woman.

“I told you to trust me.” She smiles.

I watch as she serves the next customer, and I can’t stop thinking about what she just shared with me. If you had told me this about Leonard a few months ago, I would have been sure it was pure bullshit. Now, I think it’s the most Leonard-like behavior I’ve ever heard.

After working with him, I believe he did something like that for this family.

He hides behind the heartless mogul facade, but he cares about people.

He’s willing to sacrifice his business and personal assets for strangers—because I doubt he used the company’s money to pay off their debts.

He takes care of the meals of an entire community, for Pete’s sake.

So, what happened with Oliver? I feel guilty for having doubted his judgment. Maybe the guy is just an asshole and has nothing to do with the shit that is going on with the company. Maybe he is just stressed, and I’m judging him for the wrong reasons.

Leonard knows him best, and I should at least listen to his explanation. I stand up, ask for a to-go box, and head back to where I can find some answers.

When I walk into the office, Leonard looks up in surprise and I feel a pang of guilt hit my chest. He should know I wouldn’t leave him alone to solve this mess. He should trust me. But maybe I haven’t given him many chances to. Have I?

I show him the box in my hand. “A peace offering.” I try to break the awkward silence between us.

He smiles and asks me to sit across from him at his desk. I open the box in front of us, and we start to dig into the fantastic meal.

“Tell me about Oliver,” I say, and his eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

He takes a deep breath and leans back in his chair.

“We met at college. We became friends over a project we did together. He was with me through all the ups and downs, and he kept being my friend even when I dropped out of college.”

“Was that when you started this company?” I’m curious.

He shakes his head. “That came a few months later. We had an idea but not a solid project at the time, let alone a business plan. He was the one who pushed me to do something with my life when I thought I was making a massive mistake.”

I nod. I’ve second-guessed my career so many times I know the feeling. The only difference is that I didn’t have a dear friend to lean on. I had nobody growing up because I couldn’t tell my parents I was doing something illegal—and they were the only ones I could trust at the time.

“Was it your idea or his for this company?”

“Both. We knew we wanted to make the world a safer place, so we brainstormed ideas. With our expertise in technology and software, this was the natural path we chose.”

“Was he always this… challenging?”

He gives me a tender smile—something I’ve never seen him do. He shakes his head, and his gaze becomes distant, like he’s remembering something that happened when they were young.

“You’re being generous with him. But no. He wasn’t like this. Yes, he is a bit…how can I say, unique. He was peculiar in every way but never so angry. Quite the opposite, he was a chill guy,” he explains, his gaze back on me.

“So, what happened to him? Because the man I met is someone with huge anger issues.” I want to know the extent of his problems and if they will put us in a difficult spot.

He lets out a long sigh. “He had a particularly rough year, both personal and work-related challenges that made him bitter. And I wasn’t there for him.”

His confession comes in a whisper, and I wonder if he feels somehow responsible for what happened to him.

The way he looks down at his hands instead of meeting my gaze is enough to tell me that his friend’s outburst shook him pretty deeply.

This is not the fearless Leonard that I know, and it’s pretty obvious he is out of his depth in this situation.

I reach over the desk, grab his hand, and let him know I’m here for him if he needs me. I may not be the best person to advise him about this, but I’m good at listening.

His surprised gaze lands on mine, and we stare at each other for a long moment like the world around us doesn’t exist. My stomach clenches in a pleasant grip, and my heart stutters in my chest, trying to keep a stable rhythm and miserably failing.

He is always attractive, but the vulnerability in his eyes at this moment makes me want to go around this desk and kiss all the sadness from him. The mere thought is terrifying.

“I’m sorry for how he treated you. I shouldn’t have let it happen. In my defense, it was so out of character for him I was completely stunned into silence,” he admits.

I nod, understanding, especially after his confession.

“I felt like I was suddenly put aside. Like I didn’t exist anymore, and…it hurt,” I say candidly.

He frowns, and his face darkens. The grip on my fingers intensifies, and I realize we are still holding hands. I feel like if I let go, this connection between us will disappear, and I’m not ready for the emptiness that will follow.

“We are a team. I know we started on the wrong foot, but I want you to be certain that no matter what, we are a team,” he states with so much intensity that a pleasant shiver runs down my spine.

“Starting on the wrong foot is a bit of an understatement,” I chuckle. I need this tension between us to dissipate because it is becoming suffocating, and I don’t trust myself when the need to kiss him is so strong I can hardly find a reason why this is entirely wrong.

He laughs, letting go of my hand and breaking the spell holding us captive. “I was trying to be nice.”

“It doesn’t suit the mogul persona.” I wink at him, and his eyes darken with lust.

His gaze is so intense that I have to look down at our meal spread over the desk. I’m sure he can see my cheeks burning with what I hope he interprets as embarrassment, but it’s just pure sexual longing.

It will be a long, tortuous road to the end of this collaboration, and I don’t know if I can resist the impulse to give in to my desire.