Watch Me Win, Alpha

Chapter 14

Olivia’s POV

Alexander was standing under the shade of a big tree, talking on the phone. His face was calm, but his eyes flickered when he noticed me standing a few feet away.

I pressed my fingers to my forehead, feeling like a complete fool. What was I even doing here?

When he ended the call, I forced a smile and took a slow step forward. “Mr. Green,” I said, my voice small, “you’re right. I underperformed in some situations, and I probably wasn’t ready for this. I apologize for bothering you.”

Alexander raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. “Are you following me just to prove you don’t fit in?” he asked, his tone calm but his words cutting.

His words got me. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My face felt hot. I ended up giving him a weak, awk- ward smile and dropped the act. “Honestly? I did come over to try and convince you,” I said. “But I know I’ve made a bad impression. Today was… not my best. Since you’ve already decided not to hire me, I’ll leave early so I don’t em- barrass myself again.”

Alexander studied me for a long moment, his eyes cool. “Do you really think I rejected you just because of what hap- pened today?” he asked.

I blinked. “What else could it be?”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he tilted his head slightly and said, “Look at what you’re wearing, Olivia. If I agreed to hire you now, everyone would think I’m shallow.”

He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a low, almost amused tone. “And even if I am shallow,” he murmured, “I don’t want the whole world to know it.”

I felt my face go red. My ears were burning. I didn’t even bother defending myself. “Thank you for telling me,” I said quickly. “I’ll leave now. Goodbye.”

Before he could say another word, I turned on my heel and all but ran out of those trees.

When I got home, I stripped off the golf outfit and tossed it into the laundry basket. My reflection in the mirror looked tired and hollow. Am I really nothing without the Hawthrone Group? Without Ethan? The question sat heavy in my chest.

I let out a shaky breath, then sat down at my dresser. For a minute, I just sat there, staring at my reflection, then I picked up my phone, ready to text Rose an apology.

That’s when I saw the missed calls. A bunch from Ethan. A few from Rose. I ignored Ethan’s calls and tapped on Rose’s number instead,

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Chapter 14

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wasn’t feeling well. My blood sugar crashed or something, and I had to leave

was a pause on her end. “Liv, I’m the one who should be sorry. I dragged you into that. You didn’t have to go through all this

shook my head even though she couldn’t see me. “It’s okay, Rose. You’ve done so much for

to Alexander,” she said. “About the outfit, the job. But

a small pause, “I asked Paul for Alexander’s phone number. If

okay,” I interrupted gently. “Honestly, I don’t think it’s meant to be.

“Alright,” she said softly. “I

phone down and just sat in the quiet of my room. My head hurt from all the running around and pretending. My back still throbbed from the strain of the past few

bed, pulling the blanket up to my chin. I didn’t want

wanted

and caught the familiar scent of

spoke softly. “Have you been

busy with Chole or his so-called work. Why did it matter to him

I saw you at the golf course earlier. A woman there… her back looked like

known Ethan was at the golf course. What was he doing there? For a mo- ment, I wanted to admit I’d been there, just to see his reaction. But I didn’t want to drag Rose into

Just stared

searched for something—maybe a

“No,” I said flatly. “I cleaned up the yard this

him made my skin crawl. I wanted him out of

my response and left soon after that. And even if he wasn’t, I was done trying to convince him

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my eyes shut and willed myself to sleep. Let Ethan play his games with Chole. I didn’t care