Page 34 of No Strings Attached
Olivia grins up at me before pressing a kiss to my cheek. “Well, that tells me which direction this needs to go then. Fast and easy. I think we can do that."
Elias
I sit at Olivia’s desk in her office, my fingers fiddling with a sleek silver pen, spinning it between my thumb and forefinger. Olivia’s perched next to me, her hand running up and down my arm to calm my nerves. “It’ll be okay,” she says, her brown eyes locked on mine.
I sigh, my fingers pausing on the pen. “I don’t even know why I’m worried,” I tell her. “And I know we should be sitting at the couches and shit, but I really don’t want to be anywhere near him.”
Jamie snorts from the couch across the room. “We both feel the same way, which is why your Alpha chucked a clipboard at Tristan’s neck.”
That memory of Tristan stumbling, red-faced, flashes in my mind. “That made my entire day. Well, that and the squirrel plush. Thank you.
Olivia’s lips quirk, but her eyes are still fierce. “I’m glad you enjoyed that, because Tristan pisses me off. The both of them,to think they could just treat you that way. We could still report them.”
I shake my head, my fingers tightening on the pen. “And what? Nothing would happen. They’re too big in the business.”
She leans forward, pressing her lips to mine. I melt into it, but my nerves still hum. “Baby, I hope you know they will not be walking out of here without me confronting the issue,” she says, pulling back, her eyes blazing. “I can’t just let it lie. I know you don’t want anyone to deal with it, that you just want it to go away, but men like Warren don’t let it just go away.”
“I hate this. Why couldn’t we just do a video call?”
Olivia’s hand squeezes my arm. “Because I need their signatures in person. Reggie will be here too in a few minutes.”
I swallow hard, my throat tight, my honeydew scent souring with nerves. A knock sounds at the office door and Olivia stands, her posture shifting, ready for battle. “Show time,” she says, her voice low, her eyes glinting with determination.
Olivia moves to open the door, and Reggie steps in, followed by Tristan, Warren, and their lawyer—a guy I vaguely recognize but don’t know, his face blank. Warren’s eyes lock onto me, his dark hair slicked back, his smile smug, and I tense, my fingers tightening on the pen.
They sit, Warren on the couch opposite Jamie, his predatory gaze still flicking to me. “So,” he says, his voice smooth but cutting, “the moment he mates you two, you’ve decided to give him the king’s seat, or should I say queen’s?”
I frown, anger flaring at his jab, the way he’s treating my Alphas like they’re beneath him. Olivia steps forward, her blouse hugging her curves, her wavy hair catching the light. “I’m hoping we can have a respectable discussion about Elias’s contract,” she says, her voice firm, her brown eyes blazing, “and that this won’t devolve into petty quips and anger. This isn’t a great situation you’ve put us in, but I will say this is your own fault, not mine.”She gestures to the contract laid out on the table, its pages crisp and heavy. “Now, please.”
Reggie clears his throat, his voice calm but authoritative. “The contract has been rewritten to dissolve the partnership between Mr. Woods and Mr. Hart completely,” he says, adjusting his glasses. “Hart Entertainment and Hallis Films will no longer be associated with Mr. Woods.”
Warren seems unfazed. “This is all a bit much, isn’t it?” he says, his tone dismissive. “We outed his designation, but it’s not the end of the world. We just pivot.”
I lean forward, my voice rough, anger boiling over. “I don’t want to pivot, though. You ruined my whole brand.”
Warren’s eyes narrow at me, his smile twisting into something darker. “You’re an Omega. You shouldn’t have been doing that shit anyway.”
“You mean like riding a bike I didn’t know how to?” I snap. “Or having my goddamn manager tape my hand to the bike so I’d be forced to ride it, and if the bike fell, so would I?”
The words spill out before I can stop them, and my stomach drops as I realize my mistake. I never told Olivia or Jamie about the tape, about Tristan’s stunt. I glance at them, Olivia’s eyes wide, her berry scent sharpening with fury, and Jamie’s hands are clenched, his face pale. “You guys did what to our Omega?” Olivia growls, her voice dangerously low, her hands gripping the edge of the table.
Warren’s dark eyes flick over to me, his smug smile barely hiding his irritation, while Tristan shifts uncomfortably beside him, his tobacco scent grating on my nerves. Warren growls, leaning back in his seat. “It’s not that serious,” he says, his voice dismissive. “He was contracted for a job, and he wasn’t doing it.”
Olivia’s eyes blaze, her hands slamming on the table. “No, no, we’re going to talk about this,” she says, her voice cutting through the room like a blade. “Hearing that you endangeredElias’s life is a very different thing than outing his designation and ruining his brand. Elias agreed to break ties cleanly without any money involved, but I’m going to have to rethink that because you could have fucking killed him.”
Tristan’s face flushes, his hands fidgeting. “This is why I didn’t want to meet like this!” he snaps, his voice rising. “We should have just met with Elias.”
Olivia rounds on him, her berry scent sharpening. “And you’re no better,” she says, her voice low, dangerous. “You purposely didn’t tell Warren about the stipulation in the contract, but I want to know why. What do you gain out of this? Did you think you were going to somehow show up and be Elias’s savior and then rope him into another contract? What’s the game, Tristan?”
Tristan goes white, his jaw tight, and I realize just how fucked up they are—these two men who’ve controlled my life, my secret, my career. My stomach twists, my good hand gripping the pen harder, my chest tight with betrayal. They’ve been playing games, using me, and I’m done. Olivia stands, her posture commanding, her voice steady. “We’ll be redoing the contract nullification and looking for compensation,” she says. “You’re more than welcome to get the police involved.”
An argument erupts, harsh words flying across the room and then I see Warren’s hand jut out, grabbing Olivia by the collar of her blouse, his fingers twisting the fabric. My breath catches, rage surging through me.
I don’t think. I stomp over, my good hand thrusting Warren back into his seat with a force that makes the couch creak. I grab him by the neck, my fingers digging in, and jostle him, my snarl dangerously low. “Don’t youdaretouch my fucking Alphas,” I say, my voice shaking with anger. “You are disrespectful and unprofessional. I was going to forget what you did to me in that fucking car, but I feel like that isn’t fair to whoever else you did it to.”
My hand stays on his throat, his pulse racing under my grip, as I turn to face Olivia and Jamie. “I want to file a fucking police report for assault,” I say, my voice steady despite the heat in my chest.
Warren’s face twists, his eyes narrowing at me. “It won’t go anywhere,” he says, his voice strained but smug.
