The CEO's Contractual Wife (Olivia and Alexander) novel Chapter 298

hapter 298

Olivia

When we broke apart, we were both breathing hard.

“I should get back to work,” I said, not moving.

“You should eat something. And sleep.” His hand slid up my spine. “Cornerstone can wait until tomorrow.”

“I don’t have time to wait. The meeting’s on Monday.”

“Then you definitely need sleep. Can’t present to Kevin Harris if you’re falling asleep at the conference table.”

He was right, annoyingly. I glanced at the organized chaos of my research materials, hating to abandon them.

“Come on,” Alexander said, tugging me toward the door. “Food first. Then bed.”

I let him pull me toward the kitchen, my mind already spinning with dual challenges: preparing for Cornerstone and managing the Victoria situation.

In the kitchen, Alexander retrieved the dinner Chef had prepared, reheating it while I sat at the island counter.

“What exactly did Victoria say?” I asked. “About the papers?”

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“That she’d leak them to the media if I didn’t stop investigating her finances.” He set a plate in front of me, and the food was perfectly plated. “She thinks I’m bluffing about the embezzlement evidence.”

“Are you?”

“No. Matteo’s been digging through the Cayman and Pinnacle files. Victoria’s been stealing from Carter Enterprises for years.”

I picked at the chicken. “So we both have nuclear options.”

“Which means neither of us can use them without mutually assured destruction.” He leaned against the counter. “That’s why I need to figure out how she got those papers. If I can prove she obtained them illegally, we might have leverage.”

“Breaking and entering? Hacking?”

“Something like that. Matteo’s reviewing security footage from my office building.” He poured us both water. “Eat You need your strength

I forced down a few bites, tasting nothing. My mind kept circling back to those papers, wondering who’d had access, how Victoria had gotten them.

“Could it have been Penelope?” I asked suddenly. “She has reasons to cause trouble.”

Alexander considered this. “Possible. She and Victoria have been friendly lately”

“Great. So we have two enemies collaborating” I pushed my plate away, unable to eat more. “This just keeps getting better”

“We’ll handle it.” He came around the island, pulling me to my feet. “But not tonight. Tonight, you need sleep”

I wanted to argue, to go back to the study and work until my eyes crossed. But exhaustion was creeping in, making my thoughts sluggish.

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“Fine,” I conceded. “But I’m setting an alarm for six.”

“Seven,” he countered.

“Six thirty”

“Deal.”

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Upstairs, I changed into pajamas while Alexander showered. When he emerged, water still beading on his shoulders, I was already under the covers with my laptop.

“Seriously?” He raised an eyebrow.

Just reviewing one more property profile.”

He plucked the laptop from my hands and set it on the nightstand. “Sleep. Now.”

“Bossy,”

“You like it when I’m bossy.” He climbed into bed, pulling me against him.

I settled into his warmth, my mind still racing with Cornerstone strategies and Victoria contingencies. But Alexander’s hand. traced slow patterns on my arm, gradually calming the chaos in my head.

“We’ll figure it out, he murmured against my hair. “The Victoria thing, Cornerstone, all of it.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

I drifted off with his heartbeat steady beneath my car, pushing away thoughts of Victoria and those papers. Tomorrow would bring its own problems. Tonight, I just wanted this.

Early Monday morning, I pushed through the glass doors of Carter Enterprises while most of Los Angeles still slept. The Jobby sat empty except for security, the marble floors gleaming under fluorescent lights.

My heels clicked sharply as I made my way to the elevator, clutching my laptop bag and a travel mug of coffee. The Cornerstone Resort Group presentation consumed every corner of my mind. Seventeen properties Complete rebrand Eight months. The kind of career–defining work that would prove I belonged at this level, not just because of my last name or who I’d marned

The elevator doors opened on my floor, revealing Dylan already in the conference room, surrounded by fresh coffee and

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“Mrs. Carter He looked up with a grin. I brought the good stuff from that place on Third Street

“You’re a lifesaver.” I accepted the cup, savoring the first sip of perfectly made latte. “Everything ready?”

“Every slide was reviewed three times. Presentation materials organized. Kevin Harris’s profile and background research are on your desk.” He gestured to a neat stack of folders Also pulled comps from their main competitors and flagged the weak points in Cornerstone’s current strategy

I set down my coffee and flipped through the top folder. Dylan had highlighted key sections, added sticky notes with questions, and cross–referenced data points. He was thorough.

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“This is excellent work.”

Team effort. Ava stayed late on Friday, finishing the visual mockups. Marcus compiled the social media analysis. Brandon has the digital strategy ready to go.”

I walked to the windows, watching sunrise paint the city in shades of gold and pink. Somewhere out there, Kevin Harris was probably reviewing his own notes, preparing his own questions.

“Run through the deck one more time,” I said, turning back to Dylan. “I want to catch any last–minute issues.”

For the next hour, we combed through every slide, every data point, every strategic recommendation. Dylan questioned my assumptions, played devil’s advocate, and forced me to sharpen my arguments.

“What if Harris pushes back on the timeline?” he asked. “Eight months is aggressive.”

Then I’ll show him the phased rollout plan. We can start with flagship properties, prove the concept, then scale.”

“And if he wants more customization per property?”

That’s actually our strength. We’re not proposing one–size–fits–all branding. We’re creating a flexible framework that adapts to local markets while maintaining core identity.”

Dylan nodded, making notes. “What about budget concerns?”

“ROI projections show increased revenue within eighteen months. The investment pays for itself.”

We kept going, him throwing scenarios and me batting them away with prepared responses. By nine thirty, my confidence had built from shaky to solid.

“You’ve got this,” Dylan said, gathering up materials. “Harris is going to love the research depth.”

“From your mouth to God’s ears.” I checked my reflection in the window, smoothing my navy suit jacket. Professional. Capable. Ready.

Dylan gathered up his materials. “I’ll make sure the coffee station is stocked. Kevin Harris drinks his black, no sugar, according to his assistant.”

“Good work I turned back to the room, scanning every detail one last time. The presentation materials sat ready on the side table, organized but not overwhelming. The digital displays were cued up, ready to go at the touch of a button.