Struck by that thought, Olivia blinked a few times. Cameron was at least smiling despite the underlying look in his gaze—a desperate, wild look as if he knew exactly how miserable the woman next to him was, yet he was determined to act as if things were swell.
It was sad, knowing this woman had killed herself within a year of being married to him. Olivia could tell something was wrong between them, even at this point. She wondered what the problem was, though she didn’t believe any of it was his fault.
Feeling an impulsive antagonism for Sienna Banks, Olivia picked up another picture and was even further angered to see Cameron alone, opening a gift in front of a tree. He’d looked up just in time to get his mug taken, but he didn’t smile. It was a recent shot and Olivia blamed his sober expression on the woman with the straight black hair.
Suddenly wanting to categorize the pictures chronologically so she could see just how much he’d changed through the years, Olivia picked up the box and carried it from the office. She found a spare bedroom and dumped the contents onto the bed. Then she went about sorting the pictures by age. A little thrill of pleasure went through her as she envisioned how pleased Cam would be that she’d gone to the trouble of organizing his mess.
See, she wasn’t totally useless after all. If only Vivian could see her now.
~ ~
Boston knocked on Cameron’s office door late in the morning. His cousin barely glanced up before waving him inside.
"What’s up?"
Boston gnashed his teeth, reluctant to be the bearer of bad news. "There’s a new development on the Shaney deal. We’ve got a new player
butting in and wanting to add their bid."
Cameron frowned and finally turned from his computer. "This late in the game?"
Boston nodded. "Ever heard of Helbrock Enterprise?"
Cameron lifted his eyebrows. "Well, I’ll be damned." He ran his hand over his mouth.
"What?" Boston asked, coming fully inside and sitting in the chair across from him. He hated it when Cam knew information he didn’t.
"Livy’s mom," Cam said. "I pissed her off in Chicago. I don’t think she’s very happy with me at the moment."
Boston sat up. "Helbrock’s your new in-laws?" He paused. Why did he not know that already? He thought Olivia’s last name was—
"Her name’s Roark now," Cameron supplied. "Vivian Helbrock-Donovan-Roark. Livy warned me she’d make a nasty enemy, but I didn’t think the bitch would strike this quick."
"Well, how’s that for a welcome-to-the-family," Boston said. When Cam snorted, he reluctantly added, "She’s got the top bid as we speak."
Cameron’s head snapped up. "Has she voiced an intent?"
Boston shrugged. "Says pretty much what we’re saying; she’s thinking about fixing it up. But she might have the same plan we do."
A shoe-production company, Shaney boasted top-of-the-line engineering equipment that put out a better quality of product in half the time as similar factories. While Cam and Boston had found that to be true, they’d discovered other problems in Shaney Manufacturing that would practically guarantee anyone who bought it would go as bankrupt as the current owners.
But it just so happened that EarnNet already owned a shoe-production manufacturer, and if they could get their hands on Shaney’s machines, they’d make their own company prosper.
Cameron shook his head. "No," he told Boston. "I’ve done a background on her. She doesn’t have anything else in the shoe line. So, I’m sure she just wants Shaney so she can take away my toy. If she wins the bid, she won’t know what to do with it. She doesn’t realize she’s playing with the big dogs now. I’ll bet my life on it."
"Want me to kick her back to the porch and seal this deal with Shaney now?"
It took a minute for Cameron to answer. Rolling his bottom lip between his thumb and forefinger, he finally answered, "No. Roark doesn’t want the company. And it’d probably sink her if she won the bid. I did a little research on her after I met Livy. She couldn’t handle Shaney if she got it. I say we let her win and then watch her flounder."
Boston’s eyes widened in shock. "But we’ve just spent months working to get—"
"I don’t care," Cameron cut in. "We’ll come across another sweet deal later. I want this payback now. I want her to suffer for every heartbreak
she ever caused Livy."
Stunned by the venom in his friend’s words, Boston blinked. He’d been wondering if Cam had been getting serious about his accidental wife, but now he had his answer. It cheered as much as it disheartened him. Cameron had been his best friend for nine years. They’d shared so much, including heartache over women.