Chapter 48: The Devil Is Blonde

OLLIE

“Ollie, so happy you arrived in time,” Archibald greeted me sweetly. He motioned for me to sit in a chair to his right.

Who would have guessed that in a matter of minutes, I would pass from Darius’s car to a conference room with Archibald?

The room was empty save for the two of us.

I couldn’t help but think about Darius, how he’d held my hand as he drove me to my new apartment in New York City.

Two hours later, he’d kissed me on the steps of my building, telling me that he would pick me up in a couple of hours.

Once he left, I took a taxi to the address where Archibald had set the meeting, and here I was, waiting for Roger to show his face.

“Hi, Ollie.” Blondie stepped into the room wearing tall high heels and a black pencil skirt.

Behind her, a handsome Japanese gentleman in an expensive suit followed her.

He was watching her ass.

Oh, yes. The Japanese guy… I saw him at the Christmas Gala, he was talking to Darius, and from what I saw, they didn’t seem friendly at all.

I frowned. “Seline, what are you doing here?”

“You didn’t tell her?” Seline asked Archer. “I am here to represent my client’s interests with this project. We already secured a percentage. Archer here wants a cut of the cake too.”

What the fuck was she talking about? I turned to look at Archer.

“Seline, always so… edgy. Hello, Saionji,” Archibald greeted them, and the Japanese man nodded.

“I’ll handle them, Ollie,” Archer whispered in my ear and pressed his hand on top of mine.

My head was spiraling. This was going too fast, and I was having trouble keeping up with what was unfolding in front of me.

“Where is Roger?” I blurted.

“I’m representing him in this meeting. It wouldn’t be smart if he came,” Seline explained, sitting in the chair and putting three different envelopes on top of the table.

“Considering your past relationship. Feelings can get in the way.”

I didn’t like his vibe. I felt like I was in a cat-and-mouse game, and I was definitely the mouse.

Saionji just watched and listened to the conversation, and Archibald held my hand under the table, calming my nerves.

“So, what’s new?” Archibald asked casually.

Were they buddies? They sure knew each other well to be this casual.

“The usual. Business. Just without your cousin,” Seline said.

She wasn’t working for Darius anymore? Last time I checked, she was Inkforce’s new CEO and she had a crush on the guy. More than a crush…

She drank a bottle of tequila with me over that topic.

Archer shot her a look. “I told you long ago that you had too much potential to be stuck in his shadow.”

“I know. That ungrateful bastard,” Seline muttered with too much poison in her mouth.

Saionji laughed. “How exciting is this?” He put a hand behind Seline’s chair.

He had a dark sense of humor and gave me the same feeling as Darius. They were both ready to crush anything. Anyone.

“Glad that we’re all here for the same purpose,” Archer began, bringing a brilliant smile to Seline’s lips.

“Mine is to help Ollie. I don’t care about your motivations, Seline. They seem quite unprofessional,” he added.

“Oh, Archer, are you afraid that what I’ve got here in my hands might not benefit Olivia? I am not that bad. You know that I am fair. Business is business.”

“Until it gets mixed with your scheming. I want her project to bloom, not to be a meaningless playground with Inkforce for your selfish goals.”

“The righteous Archibald. Stop faking. I know you want this as much as I do,” she shot back confidently, enjoying herself.

Now the room was getting tense.

“Before we start business, I need a minute alone with Olivia. Thank you, gentlemen.” She dismissed them and watched me with her beautiful almond eyes, her blonde hair falling in waves over her chest.

Archibald and Saionji stood.

Archibald spoke before reaching the exit. “Be smart before signing anything, Ollie. As I said before, she likes to play games.”

They left the conference room, and now I was alone with Seline.

My mind was racing. This meeting wasn’t what I was expecting.

I was expecting a face-to-face with Roger and getting back my company.

Now I was in front of Seline, Darius’s right—or not so much right—hand anymore.

“It’s funny, you know? How all things come full circle,” she said, paying her whole attention to me.

“When I was with Inkforce’s analysts mapping the competition, an upcoming startup popped up, AgiNovel. Analysts believed it had potential but it was too soon to tell, so at the time, I never brought it to the attention of our reports.”

She knew about my company? I didn’t know whether to feel scared or proud.

At this point, I still couldn’t mutter a word. I was too stunned to even speak.

“When Darius and I came to our… impasse, I knew I wouldn’t go without a fight and AgiNovel came to mind. What a surprise to find this genius who created AgiNovel, Roger Ward.”

“He didn’t create AgiNovel,” I said, my temper gaining the upper hand.

“Oh darling, I know, it was clear that the guy is a gifted software programmer, but he lacks… vision,” she said, almost licking the last word.

“Imagine my bliss when Roger told me who was really behind AgiNovel? Then Archer’s lawyer reached out, and the rest is history.” She leaned on the table and toward me. “History in the making, I hope.”

“Cut to the chase, Seline.” I was getting impatient. “Why are you here? What is this impasse with Darius?”

“But you’re ruining my storytelling.” She pouted.

“I didn’t see it at the moment, maybe because I wanted to please him. He was just blocking my way. Men tend to do that, you know?”

Please whom, Darius? What was this woman talking about?

She must have seen the look on my face because I was about to get the fuck out of that conference room.

“So, what?”

“So AgiNovel is the way.” She said as if Inkforce was her past, placing three contracts on the table.

“I have three options; one of them secures you the same percentage as Saionji,” she explained.

“You can oversee the project for yourself if you care so much about Olivia.”

I frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“Do I have to repeat myself? I already told you I am here representing Roger Ward and AgiNovel.”

She closed her eyes and watched me softly for a second.

“As we are all friends, and Archibald is with you, I feel pressured into offering you an olive branch.” She pierced me with those killer eyes and a fake smile.

“I’ll start with the option that benefits you the most. We acknowledge your part as one of the project owners, and we do business with Saionji and Archibald. Appealing to everyone.”

~Where is the catch?~ That wasn’t as bad as I thought. It was too good to be true.

~Too good to be true.~

Shit was about to hit the fan; I was sure of it.

“Explaining them to you will be fun, because they are not for you. One is for Archibald and the other is for Saionji. I want to warn you that ~someone~ will sign if you do not.”

This woman was infuriating me.

I felt in that moment as if I were crushed to that seat, as if an elephant had just settled comfortably on my chest.

I inhaled sharply, searching for oxygen.

“I don’t want any part in this. I just want my company back.”

Seline’s hands caressed the contracts with her nails.

“Yes. That is a possibility. One I am extending as we are off the record.”

Seline glanced at the crystal wall we had.

Two guys in suits were already shaking Archibald’s hand.

She was calm, which triggered me even more, as if she were actually playing on my team.

“Meaning, Olivia, that once Archibald’s legal team gets involved in this, you will see a different face from me.”

I believed the seriousness in her tone.

No bluff whatsoever. This woman was at the top of the food chain. She knew this and took pleasure in making sure people knew it too.

In a way, I envied her.

She represented everything that I was a failure in. Everything I wanted to become.

She gave me a puzzled look.

“I wonder how much he likes you.”

~How much ~does~ he like me?~

She glanced at Archibald, arms crossed and waiting at the door.

“I will pursue this legally.” I shot back.

This bitch liked to play games all right.

“Ollie, I will be honest with you because I like you. You already know that,” she said with her velvet voice.

She pointed at the closed door. “No evidence proves you were ever part of this project. Trust me, I already cleaned everything that might track Roger back to you. But maybe we can work together.”

“I will never work with you,” I shot back, defiance simmering in my voice.

“Be my guest,” she retorted, a dangerous glint in her eyes. “But should you choose to pursue this legally, just know—we’re fully prepared to bury you under years of lawyers and litigation.”

“Just finish your little speech already,” I snarled, the bitter taste of our standoff hanging heavy in the air.

What were the two other options she had up her sleeve?

“Oh, yes,” she purred, her laughter a silky thread laced with malice, as if she relished the secret she held.

Something in her demeanor struck me like a poison dart—I could sense the deep, unhealed wounds of a woman scorned.

Rage and resentment rolled off her in waves. Darius had toyed with her affections, exposing her vulnerable heart only to cast her aside.

Now it was clear; Seline wanted revenge, and she was determined to drag me into her dark machinations.

“Now, about those other contracts,” she continued, her eyes bright with purpose. “With this one, big money goes to Archer for keeping you sidelined. Do you trust him?”

Seline leaned in, a wicked grin twisting her lips.

“He might take that contract and leave you in the dust without Donald. You see, we’ve known each other for years.”

She was right. My relationship with Archer was barely a month old—how could I possibly place my faith in him?

Though he exuded honor, I was painfully aware that in this ruthless game, trust was as elusive as vapor, and business was always business.

I didn’t need to know the details of the third contract. Seline’s agenda was becoming clearer; she aimed to corner me, a sword poised at my back.

“In the last contract,” she pressed, “you and Archer simply cease to exist. It will be Roger and Saionji, ruling alone in this cold, harsh world. It’s utterly ruthless, Ollie.”

“What’s the catch with the first contract?” I interrupted, my breath hitching in my throat.

My heart raced, pounding so wildly I felt the onset of panic. “You’re offering up my rightful shares for what, exactly? What do you want in return, Seline?”

She met my gaze, her silence tantalizing, a predator watching her prey.

I could feel the venom dripping from her words, a concoction of hatred and desperation.

“You want to hurt him,” I said, the accusation slicing through the tension.

“As he hurt me,” she acknowledged, a sick satisfaction etched on her face.

“What if I don’t want to hurt him?” I countered defiantly.

“Your company for a dick? What a dilemma you’ve woven,” she taunted, her laughter rich and mocking. “Already catching feelings for him? You met him barely two weeks ago, and now you’re drooling over him?”

Was I ready to confront that truth?

“You were drooling for him too, last time I checked,” I replied, crossing my arms, leaning back in my chair, defying her, though the poison in my gaze betrayed my conflicted emotions.

“Yes, and I can’t blame you. He had that intoxicating effect on—he played me just as well. But tell me, are you really willing to gamble your bright future for just one night of passion?”

“I won’t. I—I just won’t.”

“I thought you were smarter than this. Why do you care what happens to him? With our resources, you could revolutionize the publishing industry. Doesn’t that thrill you?”

“What is it that you really want?” I asked, breathless, a knot of uncertainty tightening in my chest.

She was right; I barely knew Archer. I couldn’t throw everything away for a fleeting connection.

It had just been a whirlwind fling! A fiery, mind-blowing adventure. Nothing more.

Liar.

“Well, I’m offering you success and innovation,” Seline purred, her voice silky yet sharp. “Join me in taking down InkForce and let your company rise from the ashes.”

I swallowed hard, grappling with her unyielding honesty.

Was it honesty, though? It felt like it.

“I don’t want to do this,” I stated, but my voice wavered, betraying my conflicted desires.

“A part of me knew you would say that, Ollie,” she shot back, dismissing my hesitance with a soft look.

“But Olivia, this is your shot—your project can become a launching pad for something bigger. I’m giving you an opportunity most can only dream of, and it’s extended with an understanding that I know too well what it’s like to be entangled with a man like Darius Rothschild. You might not understand me, as you have only just gotten to know him.”

I felt confused.

“This doesn’t have to be about him,” I insisted, but her chilling smile told me everything.

“It isn’t. It’s about power. Choose your place in this hierarchy—now.”

She was picking the documents up.

“As I said, this offer is only off the record.”

I didn’t need to peek back at Archer’s legal team waiting in the room to know that this offer she was extending was intended to hurt him, yes, but also to help my business.

My chest constricted.

“Wait, we can do this without targeting InkForce.”

Why had those words slipped so easily from my tongue?

“You’re reconsidering?” She stopped, placing the documents back on the table.

“Targeting is not the word,” Seline purred. “Darius has never seen technology as an ally. Innovation is the future, I see you, Ollie. I see your project and its potential. InkForce will soon be a thing of the past.”

I found myself stalling, staring at my hands, consumed by thoughts of Edmund Rothschild and his tempting offer.

Everyone had a price, didn’t they? Perhaps I was no different. Mine was my lifelong dream, my heart’s endeavor.

“I will never work underneath you,” I shot back. “But together…”

The offer was appealing.

The truth of my own words clawed at me.

I was stalling, looking at my fingers, thinking about Edmund Rothschild and his proposal.

I guess everyone does have a price after all. Or at least I did. Mine was my life’s project.

My own words were here to bite me.

~If I ever get a chance to set things on track for me. I don’t think there is anything that could stop me.~

~I’m just done with putting myself last.~

I felt tightness in my chest.

Would Darius do the same for InkForce? Surely, he would make every sacrifice possible for his vision.

Seline saw my defeated face and sighed impatiently.

“Whatever, Olivia. You’re starting to bore me. Accept it or walk out. You have two minutes.”