Overlooked(1)(127)
“Hi, Sebastian.”
There’s a ton of ruckus in his background before I hear a door shut, blocking out the noise.
A heavy sigh precedes his words. “Olivia. Baby, how are you?”
Melting at his choice of words, I savor the sound of his voice for a moment before answering.
“I’m good, how are you?”
“I’ve been better,” he grumbles shortly.
Even though his frustration isn’t aimed at me, I frown wondering what happened to sour his mood.
“Is everything all right?”
Sebastian’s answer is vague. “It will be. Hey, you sound out of breath. What are you up to?” he asks suspiciously.
“Oh, I was just working out. Had a lot of extra energy to burn.”
Expecting him to follow up with a sexy innuendo about how I could better expend the energy, I’m disappointed when he just says, “Oh yeah?”
He sounds distracted and extremely tense. I can hear it over the line despite the thousands of miles separating us.
I’d originally planned to fill him in on my tense encounter with Gavin, but now I reconsider.
He clearly has enough on his plate right now and I won’t add my petty dilemma to the mix.
“Listen, baby. I have some bad news,” he says lowly. “I have to postpone my trip to Tennessee until further notice. Something’s come up with the app and I can’t sneak away until it’s handled. We haven’t really nailed down an end date so there’s no telling.”
“Oh,” is all I manage, my mood immediately deflating.
I was really looking forward to seeing him in a few days. But I can’t say I didn’t see it coming. He’s the CEO of a thriving company and canceled plans were bound to happen.
I just hadn’t counted on it being so soon.
Reality is a bitch.
“Liv, I’m so sorry.”
Biting my lip, I tell him, “Me, too.”
“I’ll make this up to you. I promise,” he swears.
“Don’t apologize. It’s fine,” I say with a lot more understanding than I feel.
We chat for a few moments longer until he has to rush off to another meeting.
Suddenly drained and no longer interested in my workout, I shut off the TV and head for the bathroom.
After my shower, I curl up with some wine and text Winnie. Someone has to hear about my strange confrontation with Gavin today. Since it can’t be Sebastian, she’s the lucky winner.
CHAPTER TWELVE
SEBASTIAN DOWNS
Someone hacked the site.
Every day there’s at least one hacking attempt. I pride myself on having some of the best cyber security in the industry. But this time someone got through the defenses.
I’d already been on edge since returning to California and this just pushed me over the fucking edge.
Hearing Olivia’s voice had been a temporary salve until one of the vice presidents banged on my door, demanding my presence back in the boardroom.
Grudgingly, I’d hung up with Olivia. Walking back into the boardroom, the weight on my shoulders has nothing to do with the chaos at work. The disappointment she’d tried to hide in her voice makes me feel like shit. Not even three days have passed and I am already proving her point by being unavailable.
Plopping down in the chair at the front of the table, I survey my team of executives and hope they have some good news for me.
If not, I may just combust.
In spite of our data being secured by the most thorough encryption measures, some idiot had still been able to hack into the servers and wipe out several features of the app. The desktop version had crashed completely, causing upset customers to flood our phone lines with frustrated complaints and outright angry demands.
Eighteen long hours had passed since the problem was discovered and I’ve been right here the whole time, only stepping away from the mayhem to use the restroom.
Even then, someone usually follows me inside, briefing me on the latest developments.
It’s as if the universe had wanted to humble me after my lavish vacation away from my usual responsibilities.
But, God, I miss Olivia.
After having her within my reach twenty-four seven, having her thousands of miles away is a tough pill to swallow.
With over a decade of experience in the tech field, I’m no stranger to the turmoil that can erupt at a moment’s notice. Behind the scenes, things go wrong a lot more than people realize.
However, I can handle it because in this field you have no choice. You either roll with the punches or get knocked out.
My skin is a lot tougher for it.
What I’m not so adept at handling is this deep-rooted yearning for a woman who effortlessly knocked me off my feet.
Call me a sap, but I miss everything about her.
Everything I liked about her in high school has only been amplified in adulthood.