“I’m sorry, I just—”
Natalia raised her hand, silencing Olivia before she could finish her thought. “You came to me. Don’t you think it’s because you knew I’d say yes?” She fixed her clear, forceful gaze on Olivia and smiled. “I’ve seen your work. Sign on with Vixen Enterprises and you will get the recognition you deserve. The recognition that so far, you have not gotten.”
Natalia’s words hit the mark, slamming through her with the force of cold, hard truth. If Pritchard truly valued her, she’d have Cole’s job and she wouldn’t be sitting there having this discussion in the first place.
Ugh. Cole. A wave of nausea rolled through her as she remembered their last terrible fight.
Natalia continued in her calm, steady voice, soothing Olivia’s nerves. Olivia could see why she’d been so stunningly successful. “Vixen is a publicly held company whose board of directors is almost exclusively female. Women do well here without interference. You could also help lead other young women in need of a strong role model. That, my dear, has been one of my own greatest joys working at Vixen, and I believe it’s something you would enjoy, too.”
Olivia squared her shoulders and drew a calming breath. She couldn’t argue with Natalia’s logic, and she really didn’t want to.
And besides, she desperately needed to get away from Cole and the toxic mess that PBA had become for her since news of her “partnership offer” had been announced.
What was she waiting for? All she had to do was say yes.
An hour and a half later, she found herself on a whirlwind tour of the Vixen offices. She matched the quick stride of her escort, nervous energy leaking from every pore on her body. Olivia smiled, drinking in the charged atmosphere of the busy office. It reminded her of her first walk through PBA. She’d been so young and hopeful and the office had seemed ripe with opportunity. Vixen had that same vibe and its own pool of bright-eyed young associates looking to make their mark in the city. Watching them, she could hardly believe how far she’d come.
Vice President. Not in a million years had she expected Natalia to offer her an executive position. It was a dream come true.
And she’d gotten the job without Cole’s help.
…
Cole sat at his desk, arms crossed, trying to figure out where the hell he’d gone wrong. Olivia’s resignation sat in front of him, a glaring reminder that he’d royally fucked up. Again.
She hadn’t even bothered to tell him she was leaving. Jonathan had dropped that bomb, delivering a copy of the resignation letter himself. He hadn’t been pleased. Not that he’d risk the Vixen contract over it. No, that deal would close without a hitch. PBA would make a hell of a lot of money, but they’d lose one of their brightest minds in the process. Filling her shoes wouldn’t be easy. There was no one on the current team who was as experienced, dedicated, or creative as Olivia. Her departure would leave a gaping hole at PBA.
And it was all his fault.
There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that Olivia was leaving because of him. She hadn’t said it, but she didn’t need to. Her actions spoke volumes. She hadn’t uttered a single word to him since their last fight. Hadn’t returned a single phone call, text, or even so much as looked at him in passing. As far as he could tell, she was ignoring his existence altogether. And as much as he hated to admit it, it hurt like hell.
Maybe he should go to her? Try one last time to talk some sense into her? She was packing up her office. It could very well be his last chance to plead his case. If he could just explain himself, maybe she’d understand. No, he’d make her understand. He was just trying to help. To make things right. To give her back what he’d unwittingly taken. What she deserved.
But would she even listen? It was unlikely. Given their history, odds were they’d just end up in another knock-down, drag-out fight, and he was already feeling shitty enough without making a spectacle of himself in front of the entire office.
He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. As much as he wanted to go to her, to beg for her forgiveness, now wasn’t the time. He needed to be patient, give her some time to cool off, and let the dust settle. Then maybe they could try again, because no way was he just going to accept that they were over.