4 ~ Olive

"You have a visitor ma'am."

That was the first thing I heard the moment I walked into the office that morning.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"Um he's what we call a VIP client." Chloe said in an exaggerated whisper.

"Okay." I said and let her take Arya.

I walked into my office and was met with the whiff of a very familiar cologne. I paused. No way. It couldn't be.

He turned away from the floor to ceiling window and faced me.

"Hello Olive,"

I stood there, frozen, nervous, entranced by the sight of him.

Girl, snap out of it! I yelled in my head.

My face held a composed smile as I said, "Mr Giovanni. What are you doing here?"

He smirked, "Formal are we?"

I said nothing to him as I walked over to my desk, watching as he in turn walked to the chair in front of me.

"Miss Moretti, you look amazing." He complimented me.

"I know." Came my clipped response.

He chuckled. My heart lurched. I had not heard that deep dark chuckle in so long.

"It's been a while." He said.

"Yes it has. What are you doing here?" I asked, keeping my expression as plain as possible.

He hummed and was silent for a bit before speaking again, "You ran off at the function the other day, why?"

I sat down on my seat opposite him. "I didn't want to speak to you. Somehow you still found a way to get to me. How?"

He smirked, "You know I always have my ways."

"Of course you do." I rolled my eyes. "Is there a reason why you want to see me? As you can see," I gestured at my computer and the files on my desk. "I have work to do."

"I'd like to see you in a less formal place." He said.

"Why?"

"I want us to talk."

"Asides business that can apparently be discussed here, there's nothing for us to discuss."

"Olive - "

A knock came through just then, cutting him off. I looked away from him.

"Come in!" I foolishly hollered.

The door came open and Arya ran in. I glared strongly at my assistant who aided her entry.

"Mommy!"

I protectively picked her up, watching as Xander's eyes trailed over her.

"Baby what are you doing her? You're supposed to be with auntie Carmella." I said softly.

"Juicebox." She said innocently. If only she knew what her presence just caused.

Stupid me, I carried her snack bag with me. If only I knew Xander was the one in here... I quickly picked up the bag and gave everything to Carmella and watched them leave. I'd deal with her later. Now I had to take care of Xander.

"That's your daughter?" He asked.

"Yes." I let out quickly.

"You had a child, interesting." He hummed and nodded.

"Yeah." I said, trying to fight how nervous I felt from showing.

Just then he got on his feet and towered over me. "I guess I'll get going now. See you around." He said. I nodded and watched as he left.

I felt my heartbeat increase. I hoped he did not see any form of semblance between Arya and him. I in fact prayed that she would be totally erased from his memory.

~~

"What? You can't hide her forever you know."

I sighed sadly, "I know but I'm not ready for that."

"You should have thought about that before moving back into the same city as your estranged husband."

"You do not have to rub it in." I said with an angry huff.

"Someone has to tell you the truth,"

Maya, my sister in-law, had a way of being blunt and straight to the point. Everyone needed someone like her in their life but now was not the time. I Facetimed her as soon as I settled in at home after the work day to tell her what happened.

"Where's Arya?" She asked when she saw my countenance had changed.

"She's asleep." I said.

"Don't stay awake all night sulking about this."

I nodded. She knew me too well. A little bit of anxiety could cause sleepless nights for me.

My phone buzzed and I saw that I had an incoming call.

"Malik is calling. I have to go now."

"Alright, good night." She said and hung up.

"Hey Malik," I said softly.

"Hey, how was your day?"

"It was good. How was yours?"

"You forgot about my trip didn't you?" He questioned.

I gasped, placing my palm over my mouth. "Oh my, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine."

"I just got so carried away by the happenings of the day, it completely skipped my mind."

"It's alright Olive. How's my girl doing?"

"She's great." I said, instinctively looking towards her room.

"Must be tucked in,"

"You got that right." I chuckled.

"Which means I have you all to myself,"

I chuckled, "What does that mean?"

"That I get to talk to you without interruptions tonight."

I yawned immediately, "I actually feel so sleepy. I had a long day."

"Come on Olive, just a few more minutes won't hurt."

"Okay." I said amid a yawn.

We ended up talking for five more minutes before I faked another yawn so he would let me sleep.

When the call ended, I immediately felt bad for always pushing him away even though he had been nothing but an angel since I first met him.

I checked on my daughter as she laid fast asleep in her crib and headed into my room opposite hers ready to call it a night when flashes of Xander's unexpected visit came to my mind again.

Seeing him up close for the first time in four years was not easy for me. It flooded my mind with all the memories I had tried to keep buried for the last few years.

From the looks of it, there was no sleep for me tonight, I was going on a trip down memory lane.