Chapter 442: Jealous of Cake

Peter was at work, but his mind was elsewhere. Before Olivia, anytime he would bring a woman back to his apartment and fall asleep prior to calling them a cab, he would secretly pray that they would leave in the middle of the night. At that time, he thought it would be less awkward, but now that he was experiencing it, he hated the feeling.

Peter had slept with women he liked as much as he liked Olivia, but none of them sparked the same desire she had ignited; it was not love, but a need to protect. For whatever reason, Olivia had chosen to give her first time to him, and he had taken it without second thought, but even that was not why he was feeling bitter.

Peter was terrified that Olivia had woken up, panicked, and left. He kept telling himself that he should have waited a full day to touch her, but he was weak. Now, no matter how many texts he sent, or calls he made, no response was given. The feelings he had were only made worse by the fact that he was working with one of Olivia's friends, which, like everything else he did since he woke up, reminded him of the woman.

Unexpectedly nauseated by the red-faced Mina, the blonde man, and the giggling woman who had come to visit, Peter excused himself to the restroom, and that was when he saw Olivia. She looked perfectly fine, and she was laughing at something on her phone, which told him that she had purposefully ignored his calls. Without a second thought he stalked up to her and she turned to face him as if she had seen a ghost.

"So, we share one of the most intimate moments two people can experience, you make me feel things I have never felt, and you couldn't even wake me up before you left? No note or even a text?" Olivia stared at Peter, completely baffled by his outburst. "Nothing to say?" he asked, and when Olivia stayed quiet, he left with a scoff.

Oric quietly listened to the unknown man's outburst, he found his mouth hanging open with each word the man had spoken, and he wondered what the hell Olivia had done to make that person feel the way he felt. Oric had seen that sort of confrontation before, but it was always a woman approaching a man, and usually that man was Connor. Seeing Olivia on the receiving end of that speech, while curious, was also disgusting because he looked at the woman much the way he looked at his own sisters.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't tell your cousin what I just heard." Oric had been sitting off to the side of where Olivia stood, he figured the man must not have seen him before he went on such an explicit rant. "Time is up," Oric said as he dialed Cylus' number.

"Wait!" Olivia replied in a panicky tone. She wondered if she should just let Oric tell Cylus so she could get it off her chest, but she feared for Peter.

For Olivia, Peter was an untouchable man, and she was willing to have it all end that way, but when she found out that he planned to marry a woman who she knew was cheating on him, she could not stand back and watch. It was the same when Cylus was putting pressure on the man; her cousin only agreed to stop so long as she kept her distance.

It was not the first time Olivia been given that ultimatum, because her uncle had given it to her in the past, oddly enough, also about Peter. What she had done last night was something she had wanted to do since that time, but she never had the courage to say anything. However, Olivia was now an adult, and if her uncle threatened to kick her out, she had people she could turn to, starting from Mina.

"I am waiting."

"I will tell you about Willow." Oric set his phone down, suggesting to Olivia that she had his attention. "She has not been with anyone except you." Oric rolled his eyes and picked up his phone, but Olivia started begging. "Please, I am not lying, she told me that she couldn't. She has even gone to therapy for it." Olivia knew she was saying a lot, but Willow had not told her to keep it a secret and she was desperate.

----

When Mina arrived at her boss's office that morning, the first thing she did was bring up Miss Lisa's studio, but before she could say anything more, Director Porter told her that he did not want her to attend. That shocked Mina, but when he told her that Antonio Sylvan was on the guestlist, she knew why he had done it. Although Cylus had been able to negotiate with the man, it did not mean they should take chances.

Peter came into work shortly after she arrived, and Mina could have sworn he was avoiding meeting her eyes. She had believed they were okay after everything that happened, but he seemed to have gone back to being a man who disliked her. Not that she cared, but it did make working with and for the man uncomfortable.

Luckily, what they were working on needed little to no interaction between them. Mina was the first line of review, and she scanned scenes at an agonizingly slow pace looking for anything that would have them scrap the take. Peter did the second review which was where he picked the best scenes and flagged others for a reshoot, and director Porter made the final selection to be brought for editing. It was probably the most demanding thing Mina had ever had to do for the men, but she found it fun in a time-consuming kind of way.

Hours into her work, Mina's eyes became heavy. She closed them, wanting to give herself a break and in the small span of time they were closed, she heard the familiar voice of Connor Boyd. Mina shot out of her seat, almost afraid of how her boss would react, but there was no expression on his face other than mild curiosity.

"Good morning beautiful," Connor greeted, and Mina turned red. She knew Connor did not really like her, but it still felt good to have him doting on her. She did not feel guilty about it the way she felt with Oric, and it was different from the friendly feeling Cylus gave her, but part of her was still weary because of the risqué questions he asked when she was drunk.

"Why are you here?" Mina asked. Although her question could be construed as rude, the surprise in her tone told Connor she was excited.

"Willow told me you like sweets. It's almost lunch so I decided to join you." Mina looked at her boss who nodded in consent. Peter had gone, and he had yet to catch up in selecting scenes. Mina was good at reviewing and she made detailed notes that made it easier for Peter, which allowed them to move faster.

Connor was thrilled when Mina agreed to allow him to join her for lunch, and even more excited when Willow left them to eat in peace. He watched Mina's eyes light up at the choice of finger cakes he had brought for her. When he handed her the hot coffee meant to complement the flavors he had chosen, he watched her smile at him in a way that made him feel… full.

Mina eyed the cakes, carefully trying to pick which one she wanted to start with, and when Connor noticed she was confused, he chose one for her. He watched her lips close around the bite sized morsel and then watched her eyebrows raise in delight. Connor knew it was silly, but he found himself jealous of a pastry.