His Ex Called and He Ran, His Rival Called and I Ran Straight to Him Chapter 09

His Ex Called and He Ran, His Rival Called and I Ran Straight to Him Chapter 09

Felix’s face darkened with rage.

“Ethan, take your hand off her.”

Instead of moving, Ethan drew me slightly closer.

“Olivia is my date tonight.”

“What position are you speaking from, Mr. Carter?”

Felix forgot the people watching us.

“She’s my girlfriend.”

“Does that give me the right?”

A wave of shocked whispers moved through the ballroom.

Tanya’s face went pale.

During the month I had been gone, Felix had brought her to company dinners, industry events, and private meetings.

Their behavior was openly affectionate.”

Everyone had assumed Tanya was his girlfriend.

Some people even believed an engagement announcement was coming.

Now Felix had publicly claimed that I-the former manager Tanya had replaced-was the woman he was dating.

The whispers grew louder.

“I always thought Carter was careful about his image.”

“So which woman is actually his girlfriend?”

“Wasn’t Tanya Olivia’s best friend?”

“This is better than any show.”

“Ross and Carter have competed for years, and now they’re confronting each other over the same

woman.”

Felix’s knuckles turned white.

“Olivia, come here.”

“Now.”

I knew Ethan had brought me partly because he expected Felix to lose control in public

But I didn’t mind.

Felix had humiliated me in private for months.

I had no desire to protect him from the truth in public.

I shook my head.

“A month ago, my stomach gave out at Skyline Kitchen.”

“You left me at the table and took Tanya to urgent care for a scratch on her finger.”

“Do you remember?”

“You asked who owned the Bentley that brought me to the hospital.”

“It belonged to Ethan.”

“I wasn’t fired.”

“I resigned.”

“You signed the resignation letter yourself without reading it, and Human Resources completed

the process that same night.”

“I work for Ross Group now.’

“And one more thing.”

“We ended our relationship the moment you left me in that restaurant.”

With each sentence, the whispers around us grew louder.

Felix’s expression became darker.

Then he reached the most ridiculous conclusion possible.

“You fell for someone else.”

I looked at Tanya, who was still pressed against his side as though she wanted everyone to forget.

what he had just said.

I smiled.

There was nothing left to explain.

After the gala, Felix became one of the industry’s favorite subjects of gossip.

Plenty of executives had complicated personal lives.

The difference was that Felix’s contradictions had been exposed in front of investors, clients, and

competitors.

Questions about his judgment spread quickly.

The sudden promotion of an inexperienced intern did not help.

Several partners delayed decisions.

Investors became nervous.

Carter Group’s share price began to slide.

I knew Ethan had made strategic use of the situation.

A week later, we sat in a rooftop restaurant overlooking Biscayne Bay.

Ethan handed me a freshly mixed cocktail.

“I increased your commission on the new project by two percentage points.”

“Finance already transferred the payment.”

“Carter Group’s instability cost them their qualification for the final bid.”

“Ross Group secured the contract at a much lower cost.”

“You were a major reason we won.”

He paused.

‘And I owe you an apology for the gala.”

“Putting my hand on your waist without warning crossed a line.”

I opened my banking app.

The row of numbers on the screen was extremely satisfying.

I tried to hide my smile and failed.

“It’s fine, Mr. Ross.”

“I know you were protecting the company’s interests.”

Ethan stopped with the glass halfway to his mouth.

Something quiet and sad moved through his eyes.

“What if it wasn’t only about the company?”

I looked at him.

“Then what was it about?”

“You.”