Free Web NovelChapter 13: Agency
"Then what is it?" said Olivia.
"It’s me," said Sean. "Where I am. I’ve got a lot of things to figure out. A lot of things to fix. If I pulled you into that right now it wouldn’t be fair to you."
Olivia was quiet for a long time. She looked out the window at the city. Then back at him.
"You’re not saying never," she said.
"No," said Sean. "I’m not saying never."
Something in her face settled. Not fully. But enough.
"Okay," she said quietly. "I respect that. I don’t love it. But I respect it."
"Thank you for being honest with me too," said Sean.
"Most guys wouldn’t be," said Olivia. "They’d just say yes to keep things going."
"Most guys are idiots," said Sean.
She laughed despite herself. Short and real. "Yeah. They are." She picked up her pastry again. "So what are we then? If we’re not together but we’re not nothing?"
"Whatever feels right," said Sean. "No pressure. No labels. Just real."
Olivia turned that over in her head. Then she nodded. "I can work with real." freeweɓnøvel.com
"Good."
She pointed her pastry at him. "But I’m not giving up on you completely. Just so you know."
Sean smiled. "I wouldn’t expect anything less."
Olivia opened her mouth to respond.
Then her phone detonated.
Not one buzz. Not two. Continuous vibration like the device was fighting for its life. The screen lit up nonstop with the same name.
Manager Kwon (16 missed calls)
Olivia’s expression went from soft to pure horror in half a second.
"Oh no," she whispered.
"Manager?" said Sean.
"My agency manager." She grabbed the phone with both hands. "Oh God. Oh no no no. We have group rehearsal this morning. It started at—" She checked the time and her face went white. "Eight thirty. Sean it is nine twenty."
"Ah," said Sean.
"He is going to kill me." She was already standing, robe slipping off one shoulder as she looked frantically around the suite. "He is going to actually kill me, bury me, and then fire my ghost."
"Calm down," said Sean.
"I am calm." She was very obviously not calm. She was moving at full speed toward the bathroom. "Where is my dress, where is—"
"Bathroom," said Sean.
She disappeared inside. The door closed. Immediately he heard water running. Then the sounds of someone moving at maximum speed. Brush. Tap. Something knocked over. A quiet but very heartfelt curse word.
Sean finished his coffee. He picked up the hotel phone and called down to the front desk.
"Front desk, good morning."
"Can you have my driver pull around to the main entrance? Name is Miller."
"Of course, Mr. Miller. Right away."
He called James next.
"Good morning, sir," said James. Crisp and awake. Like he’d been ready for hours.
"Pull around to the main entrance. We need a drop-off in about ten minutes. I’ll send you the address."
"Understood, sir."
Sean sent James the address of Olivia’s agency building that she’d mentioned during dinner. Then he sat back and waited.
Olivia came out of the bathroom exactly six minutes later. Dress on. Hair pulled back into a fast but somehow still elegant ponytail. Shoes in one hand, phone in the other. She was doing both things at once and somehow managing neither.
"How do I look?" she said.
Sean looked at her honestly. "Like someone who spent the night at the Four Seasons."
"That’s exactly what I was afraid of." She hopped on one foot trying to get her second shoe on. "He’s going to know. He’s going to look at me and immediately know."
"You’re overthinking it," said Sean.
"You don’t know Manager Kwon," said Olivia.
Her phone buzzed again. She looked at it and made a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a groan. "He just sent a voice note. I’m not opening that."
Sean stood up. "James is outside."
Olivia froze mid-hop. "Sean, you don’t have to—"
"I know," said Sean. "Go."
She looked at him for a second. Something warm moved through her expression. The same look from breakfast before the phone destroyed everything.
She crossed the room quickly. Stood on her toes. Kissed him on the cheek.
Her perfume was still there. Soft and warm.
"Thank you," she said quietly. "For last night. For breakfast. For being honest."
"Don’t be late again," said Sean.
She laughed. Already moving toward the door. "No promises!"
The door swung shut.
The suite went quiet.
Sean stood there for a moment. The breakfast table still had food on it. Her coffee cup sat half full. One of the pastries had a single bite taken out of it.
He walked to the window and looked out at the city below. Somewhere down there James was pulling the Rolls Royce around. Olivia was probably in the elevator right now rehearsing her apology speech.
He checked his balance one more time.
$723,480.
Good. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
Sean grabbed his jacket. Straightened his collar. He still had things to do. People to outmaneuver. An empire to start building.
He pulled out his phone and opened his contacts. Stared at Vanessa Chen’s number for a moment.
Not yet.
He put the phone away and called James.
"Drop her off safely," said Sean. "Then come back. We have work to do."
"Understood, sir. Any destination in mind after?"
Sean thought about it. He had nearly three quarters of a million dollars. And he had the memory of a future that hadn’t happened yet.
There were things he knew were coming. Opportunities that hadn’t opened yet. Disasters that could be prevented if he moved at the right time.
But right now he needed a plan. A real one. Not just reactions.
"I’ll tell you when you get back," said Sean.
"Very good, sir."
He ended the call. Looked out at the city one more time.
"Time to become the richest man in the planet"
