Chapter 4

Tiff, with her unnamed, bleary-eyed companion in tow, didn't stay long.

She made a show of fawning over Kyle, proclaimed her excitement for their "fabulous future," and then swept out as quickly as she'd arrived, leaving a lingering scent of expensive trouble.

Kyle was ecstatic, preening under the Millers' suddenly approving gazes. He' d landed the heiress.

Ethan watched him, then glanced at Olivia.

Her face was unreadable, but he sensed a quiet disapproval of Tiff' s ostentatious display.

Once Kyle was distracted, boasting to his father, Ethan turned to Olivia.

"Perhaps we could discuss our... arrangement? In private?"

Olivia met his eyes. "Perhaps we could."

They found themselves in the Millers' rarely used library. It smelled of old books and neglect.

"So," Olivia began, her voice even, "you don' t seem heartbroken to have missed out on Tiffany Sinclair."

Ethan allowed himself a small, dry smile. "Let' s just say I prefer substance over sparkle."

Olivia tilted her head. "An interesting assessment. Most men are blinded by the sparkle."

"I' m an environmental scientist, Ms. Vance. I' m trained to look beneath the surface."

"Olivia, please," she corrected gently. "And you are Ethan."

"Ethan," he agreed.

A comfortable silence settled for a moment.

Then, Olivia surprised him. "You know, Ethan, you' re not what I expected."

"And what did you expect?"

"Someone... quieter. More pliable. That' s the impression the Millers gave."

Ethan felt a flicker of his old self, the one who had been quiet, pliable. "People can change."

"Indeed." Her eyes held his, a spark of genuine curiosity in them. "You defended me, in a way, from Kyle' s less-than-charming remarks. Thank you."

"He was being an ass," Ethan said bluntly.

Olivia laughed, a genuine, warm sound that startled him. It transformed her face, softening the "ice queen" persona.

"He often is," she agreed, the laughter fading into a wry smile. "It' s one of his defining characteristics."

Ethan felt a strange pull towards her, a sense of camaraderie.

"Olivia," he said, deciding to take a risk. "I' d like to propose a business deal."

He remembered, from his first life, a critical period for Olivia' s company, Vance Renewable.

A hostile takeover attempt, orchestrated by a ruthless competitor.

That competitor was Marcus Thorne.

The same Marcus Thorne who had been Tiff' s associate, instrumental in Ethan' s torment.

Ethan knew Thorne' s tactics, his vulnerabilities. He had information that could save Olivia' s company.

"I have information," Ethan said, choosing his words carefully. "Information that could be very valuable to Vance Renewable. Specifically, regarding a potential threat, a man named Marcus Thorne."

Olivia' s eyes sharpened. "Marcus Thorne? We' ve had some... preliminary hostile encounters with his associates."

"He' s planning something much bigger," Ethan stated. "I can help you anticipate his moves, counter them."

"Why?" Olivia asked, her gaze direct. "What do you want in return?"

"Funding," Ethan said. "For an independent environmental research lab. My work was... sidelined in my previous arrangements. I want to reclaim it."

He saw the calculation in her eyes, the weighing of risk and reward.

She was a businesswoman, after all.

"This information you have," she said slowly. "How reliable is it?"

"Let me give you a sample," Ethan offered. He detailed a specific underhanded tactic Thorne had used in the first life to destabilize a smaller company before acquisition, a tactic Olivia wouldn' t yet know about.

He watched her face as he spoke. He saw comprehension, then a dawning respect.

"That' s... very specific," she said, impressed. "And disturbingly plausible."

She was silent for a long moment, then met his gaze.

"Alright, Ethan. You have my attention. Let' s discuss the terms of this... alliance."

They talked for over an hour, not just about Thorne, but about her company, his research.

He saw her passion for renewable energy, her sharp intellect. She saw his dedication, his knowledge.

As they left the library, a sense of partnership, fragile but real, had formed.

This was more than an arranged marriage. This was a chance.