The CEO's Contractual Wife (Olivia and Alexander) novel Chapter 234

Chapter 234

Olivia

The drive to Carter Enterprises was mercifully traffic–free. I pulled into the underground parking garage, the Porsche’s engine purring to a stop.

Dylan was waiting by my office when I arrived, tablet in hand and looking unusually energetic.

The day passed in a blur of meetings and revisions. Michelle loved our Thompson concepts, Andrew Thompson’s team sent back glowing feedback, and by four o’clock, I was ready to collapse.

“Liv!” Nova popped her head into my office. “Group of us are heading to happy hour at The Terrace. Want to come?”

I glanced at my watch. “I should probably get home.”

“Come on, just one drink. When’s the last time you hung out with us peasants?”

I laughed despite my exhaustion. “Fine. One drink.”

The Terrace was only ten minutes away, tucked into a converted warehouse with exposed brick and industrial lighting that somehow felt sophisticated rather than cold.

The bar was already packed with the after–work crowd, suits mingling with creative types, the buzz of conversation competing with carefully curated indie music. We snagged a high–top table near the back, and Nova flagged down a server before we’d even settled into our seats.

“Four cosmos,” she ordered without consulting us.

“I said one drink,” I protested.

“One round,” she corrected with a grin. “Totally different.”

The server returned quickly with our drinks, the pink liquid glowing in the dim light. I took a sip, letting the vodka burn pleasantly down my throat.

“So,” Vivian leaned forward, “spill. What’s married life really like?”

“It’s good,” I said, meaning it. “Different, but good.”

“Different how?” Alice leaned in curiously, her eyes wide with playful intrigue. “Does he leave the toilet seat up? Steal the covers? Come on, we absolutely need all the juicy details!”

“He’s actually pretty neat. Almost annoyingly so.” I swirled my drink. “Everything in its place, shirts organized by color in the closet.”

“Rich people problems,” Nova sighed dramatically. “Meanwhile, my roommate leaves dirty dishes in the sink for days.”

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“At least you have a roommate who pays rent,” Vivian countered. “Mine is three weeks late and keeps promising ‘next Friday.”

We fell into easy conversation, trading work horror stories and weekend plans. I was halfway through my cosmo when I spotted him across the bar.

James.

He stood near the entrance with another man, both in expensive suits that screamed business meeting. They were deep in conversation, James gesturing with his drink while the other man nodded along.

I looked away quickly, focusing on whatever Alice was saying about her neighbor’s car alarm going off at three in the morning. But I could feel awareness prickling at the back of my neck.

“You okay?” Nova asked, following my gaze. “You look like you saw a ghost.”

“Just thought I recognized someone,” I said vaguely.

James and his companion moved toward the bar and ordered drinks. I angled myself away, hoping he wouldn’t notice me in the crowd.

“Anyone we know?” Vivian craned her neck, trying to see who I was avoiding.

“No, nobody. Just someone from a conference last year.”

The lie came easily, but I felt guilty immediately. These were my friends. Well, work friends, but still.

Alice launched into a story about a disastrous team–building retreat her previous company had organized, complete with trust falls and mandatory karaoke.

I laughed in the right places, sipped my drink, and tried not to think about James standing thirty feet away. He hadn’t approached, hadn’t even looked in my direction. Maybe he hadn’t seen me. Maybe he was too focused on his business meeting.

Or maybe he was following me, and I was being paranoid.

I pushed the thought away.

“Another round?” the waitress asked, appearing beside our table.

I checked my watch. Only 8:30. “Actually, I should probably head out soon.”

“One drink,” Alice protested. “Come on, Liv.”

“Fine. One more.”

Nova ordered for the table while I excused myself to the restroom. The bar had gotten even more crowded, bodies pressed together as I navigated through the night chaos.

In the bathroom, I splashed cold water on my face and stared at my reflection. My makeup was still intact, my hair only slightly disheveled. I looked normal. Felt normal.

Chapter 234

So why couldn’t I shake the feeling that something was off?

I dried my hands and headed back out, weaving through the crowd toward our table. That’s when I spotted him again. James was still at the bar, but his companion had left. He was alone now, scrolling through his phone.

Our eyes met across the room.

He smiled, raised his glass slightly in acknowledgment. I nodded back, polite but distant, and kept walking toward my friends.

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