Serena’s POV
I was halfway down the stairs when I heard Eleanor speaking with the security guards. From the terse tone alone, I knew sothing was off.
"What happened?" I asked as Eleanor returned to the foyer, noticing my presence imdiately.
"You’re awake?" she asked, looking surprised.
I shook my head, feeling the exhaustion behind my eyes. They were probably bloodshot from lack of sleep. "Got woken up by the commotion. What’s going on?"
"Your so-called ’good friend’ was here again," Eleanor rolled her eyes dramatically. "Obviously ca with so agenda but made up other excuses instead."
She crossed her arms over her chest, fixing with that look she’s had since we were kids - the "I-know-better-than-you" stare that always made feel like I was missing sothing obvious.
"Serena, don’t you think there’s sothing seriously off about this Olivia person?" she pressed.
I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on. "She has changed since three years ago, I’ll give you that."
"Changed? You’re too damn trusting! Haven’t you noticed how her eyes are constantly following Ryan around whenever she visits?" Eleanor’s voice rose slightly. "All these eager visits to see you... you honestly don’t think she has ulterior motives?"
My sister sighed heavily, clearly frustrated with my obliviousness.
I frowned, genuinely uncertain. Had I missed sothing? Between the baby and recovery, I hadn’t been paying attention to these dynamics.
"If you don’t believe ," Eleanor continued, "call her right now and see if she doesn’t have so favor to ask. I guarantee it."
"If it’s sothing small, I could help her—"
"Oh my God!" Eleanor threw her hands up, rolling her eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck. "I swear, pregnancy really did make you lose all your sense. They say ’pregnancy brain’ lasts nine months, but you’re going on three years of cluelessness!"
Curiosity got the better of . I hesitated briefly before grabbing my phone and dialing Olivia’s number.
She picked up after a few rings, her voice imdiately shifting into complaint mode.
"Serena! I just ca by your place but they wouldn’t let in because you were resting."
"I just woke up," I replied neutrally. "Did you need sothing?"
"Nothing major," she said casually. "Just wanted so advice on gifts for the baby’s one-month celebration. What would be appropriate?"
"Really, the thought counts more than anything," I answered. "No need to spend much."
"Well, I also wanted to share so good news! I just ca from Blackwood Enterprises where I closed a new project deal!"
"Congratulations," I replied flatly.
"It’s all thanks to our friendship, Serena! This is my first major project since returning to New York, and I was wondering..." her voice dropped to a honeyed plea, "could you maybe ask Mr. Blackwood to give so special consideration? You know, put in a good word?"
And there it was - the fox finally showed its tail. I glanced at Eleanor, who was watching with raised eyebrows, clearly having predicted this exact scenario.
"Ryan’s work matters aren’t sothing I ddle with," I said carefully. "Just focus on doing the project well, and I’m sure everything will be fine."
My polite rejection wasn’t well-received. I heard Olivia inhale sharply.
"Serena, aren’t we best friends? It’s just a small favor, just ntioning casually," she pressed, switching tactics. "I just transferred back to New York, and if this project fails, they might push out. Please? Just this once?"
The pathetic act combined with the manipulative tone made my stomach turn. Every word confird what Eleanor had warned about.
"I’ll... see what I can do," I finally said, unable to outright refuse her but having zero intention of bothering Ryan with this.
"I knew you’d help!" Her voice instantly brightened. "Thank you so much, Serena!"
I made up an excuse about Vivian crying and quickly ended the call.
Eleanor’s triumphant "I told you so" expression made want to throw my phone at her.
"See?" she smirked. "Exactly as I predicted. Since when do genuine friends show up this often with hidden agendas?"
"You know what they say - ’Excessive enthusiasm hides selfish intentions.’ Either she’s after sothing shady or she’s up to no good."
I set my phone down with a sigh. "She wasn’t like this three years ago. Back then, she always had my back, followed around everywhere. She even seed insecure because of her modest background." I couldn’t keep the disappointnt from my voice. "It’s sad how much she’s changed."
"Don’t waste your energy feeling sad about it," Eleanor shrugged. "Just keep your distance from now on."
"Yeah," I agreed reluctantly. "I will."
Eleanor then ntioned she needed to investigate sothing in the coming days, promising to share the results later. Despite my curiosity, she remained tight-lipped about what exactly she was looking into.
I was about to press her further when I heard the front door open. Ryan walked in, looking exhausted but imdiately brightening when he saw . He crossed the room in a few long strides.
"How’s my favorite girl?" he asked, dropping his briefcase and wrapping an arm around my waist. The familiar scent of his cologne made my heart skip.
"Better now," I admitted, leaning into his touch. "Though we had an interesting visitor try to get in earlier."
Eleanor snorted. "That Olivia woman again. She’s getting quite persistent."
Ryan’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "Simon ntioned she ca by the office today too. Trying to leverage her connection to you."
"And?" I asked, suddenly curious about how he’d handled it.
"I made it very clear that personal connections don’t influence business decisions at Blackwood," he said firmly. His hand traced small circles on my lower back as he spoke. "And that no woman, business partner or otherwise, could ever compare to my wife."
I felt my cheeks warm at his unexpected declaration.
"On that note," Eleanor announced loudly, "I’ll leave you two alone. So of us don’t need to witness this disgusting display of affection."
But I caught her small smile as she walked away.
When we were alone, Ryan pulled closer, his forehead resting against mine. "I ant what I said. No one compares to you, Serena."
Sothing about the intensity in his eyes made my breath catch. After weeks of sleep deprivation and baby chaos, this mont of connection felt precious.
"Even when I look like a zombie and can barely string together coherent sentences?" I joked.
"Especially then," he murmured, his lips finding mine in a gentle kiss that quickly deepened.
I pulled back slightly, my hands resting on his chest. "I’ve been thinking about planning Vivian’s one-month celebration. I want it to be perfect."
Ryan smiled, brushing a strand of hair from my face. "Whatever you want, it’s yours. Our daughter deserves the best first celebration."
As he held in the quiet of our ho, I tried to push thoughts of Olivia and her sches out of my mind. So friendships weren’t worth saving, especially when I had everything that mattered right here.
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