Chapter 6

The bar was upscale, filled with the low hum of conversation and the clinking of glasses. In one of the private corners, a group of eight friends gathered around a large table, still dressed in their suits from the workday. Some had brought along their girlfriends and wives, who added an air of elegance to the scene, their laughter mixing with the easy banter.

“Look who finally decided to show up,” one of the men called out as William strode in, glancing at his watch with mock disapproval.

“You know we said we’d meet here at 7, right?” another chimed in, grinning as he raised his glass.

William smirked, his gaze sweeping across the familiar faces. “Don’t start,” he replied dryly, pulling out a chair and dropping into it. “It’s been a long day.”

“Oh, we know,” Archie said, his eyes twinkling with a touch of mischief. “Our boy here’s been having a chat with the young and charming Dr. Hawthorne. I bet that was a nice change of pace from the usual, eh?”

William shot Archie a look. “If that’s what you want to call it,” he said, his tone edged with irritation.

Archie’s grin widened. “Oh, come on, mate. She’s been helping out on the case, hasn’t she? She was great when I spoke with her, really knows her stuff. I thought you two would get along just fine.”

“She may know her stuff,” William conceded, though there was a hard edge to his voice. “But getting along is a different story. I wouldn’t exactly call it a ‘nice’ chat.”

Archie raised an eyebrow, his grin fading slightly. “Really? What happened?”

William took a sip of the scotch Archie had slid his way before replying. “She seems to think she has it all figured out. She's disrespectful and highly unprofessional.”

“She’s there to help, isn’t she?” another friend chimed in, glancing around the table. “What’s the problem?”

“She’s there to poke around and play mind games,” William said curtly. “Apparently, Harrington thinks that’ll help the case. I’m just not interested in playing along.”

“Mind games?” Archie’s tone was incredulous, though there was still a hint of amusement. “She’s a psychiatrist, Will. Isn’t that kind of the job?”

“I don’t need her to tell me how to do mine,” William replied, his tone sharp. “If she wants to analyze everyone, fine. But I don’t have time for her psychological assessments.”

"Who knows, maybe she’s finally found the crack in the great William De la Roche,” one of the other men joked, earning a round of chuckles from the table.

William’s smirk returned, sharper this time. “Keep dreaming,” he shot back. “There’s no crack to find. It’s just work, nothing more. She’s there to do a job, same as the rest of us.”

“But from what I hear, she's been also offering her services to you guys,” one of the women said pointing at the two De la Roche & Kingsley LLP, her tone laced with curiosity. “Sounds like a tall order.”

William shrugged, reaching for his drink. “If that’s what Harrington thinks will help the case, then so be it,” he said, taking a sip. “But she’s not going to find anything.”

“Spoken like a man who’s absolutely not worried at all,” Archie quipped, his grin widening. “What was it you said about her earlier, Will? ‘She talks like she’s got it all figured out.’”

William glanced at Archie, his expression unreadable. “I also said I don’t have time for her games,” he replied, his voice cool. “If she wants to play detective, that’s her business. I’m just there to win the case.”

The table fell silent for a moment before one of the women leaned in, her eyes sparkling with interest. “And what’s she like?” she asked. “Dr. Hawthorne, I mean.”

William hesitated, his gaze flickering briefly toward his drink before meeting hers. “She’s… persistent,” he said at last. “And confident.” He paused, as if considering how much more to say. “But we don’t see eye to eye, let’s just leave it at that.”

Archie laughed, clapping a hand on William’s shoulder. “Well, that’s putting it mildly. I think she might be the first person to ruffle your feathers since—”

“Since never,” William interrupted, raising his glass in a mock toast. “And it’s going to stay that way.”

The group broke into laughter again, the tension easing as the conversation shifted back to lighter topics. But even as he joined in, William couldn’t quite shake the lingering thoughts of Margaux—her sharp gaze, her unyielding calm, the way she seemed to challenge him with every word.

For now, though, he pushed it aside. He was here to unwind, and he intended to at least try.

The bar was buzzing with the energy of the evening crowd, and the atmosphere had shifted from the after-work buzz to the livelier pace of a Friday night in central London. It was a tradition for William, Archie, and their friends to meet up for drinks on Fridays, hopping between upscale bars in the heart of the city. It seemed Olivia and her friends had a similar habit; she’d been spotted in the same places more than once now, though they hadn’t interacted much outside the office before.

Tonight, however, as Olivia broke away from her group at the bar, she walked with purpose, her gaze flickering between Archie and William. She seemed to be heading over to greet them both, a bright smile lighting up her face as she approached. Her friends had barely taken the first sips of their cocktails when Olivia, dressed in a much shorter, figure-hugging dress that showed off her curves, made her way over.

“Well, well,” Olivia said as she reached their table, a bright smile lighting up her face. Her eyes moved from Archie to William, who had been mid-conversation with Raph and Kate. “Look who I’ve found outside the office.”

William glanced up, his expression shifting from mild surprise to polite acknowledgment. “Olivia,” he greeted, setting his drink down. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I didn’t expect to see you either,” she replied, her eyes sparkling as she took in the group. “I’ve only just met you all this week, and now I find you here. Small world, huh? Do you guys always hang around here on Fridays?”

“Pretty much,” Archie replied with a grin, already shifting over to make space for her. “It’s kind of a weekly thing for us—blowing off some steam at the end of the week. The center of London is always buzzing, so we find our way to one bar or another.”

Olivia’s eyes glinted with amusement as she glanced at William. “Well, I guess I’ll be seeing a lot more of you then,” she teased. “I come around here with my friends often too. Seems like we have more in common than I thought.”

“You’re more than welcome to join us anytime,” one of the group sitting next to Archie quickly invited, leaning back in his chair with a welcoming smile. “The more, the merrier.”

William’s expression remained neutral, though a flicker of skepticism crossed his eyes. “If you’re here for a drink, don’t let us keep you,” he said smoothly, gesturing toward her friends at the bar. “Looks like you’ve already got company.”

Olivia’s smile didn’t falter, though there was a subtle challenge in her gaze as she turned her attention back to him. “I’ll go back in a minute,” she said lightly. “But I thought I’d come say hi first. Make sure you boys were behaving yourselves.” She looked from Archie to William, her eyes settling on the latter. “I take it you survived the day without too much drama?”

“Barely,” Archie said with a chuckle, his grin widening as he glanced at William. “Our dear William here had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Hawthorne today. You should’ve seen him—he wasn’t in the best of moods afterward.”

Olivia’s eyebrows lifted slightly, her curiosity clearly piqued. “Oh? How did that go?” she asked, her gaze shifting back to William.

“Like any other day,” William replied dismissively, picking up his glass again and taking a slow sip. “Work is work.”

“Come on, Will,” Archie teased, nudging him. “You’re leaving out all the fun details. Don’t act like it wasn’t memorable.”

Olivia tilted her head, her eyes narrowing playfully as she looked at William. “Sounds like there’s more to the story than you’re letting on.”

William’s gaze met hers, and his tone was dry as he replied, “Trust me, there isn’t.”

She laughed, her smile widening. “Well, maybe I’ll have to ask Dr. Hawthorne about it myself, then,” she said. “I’m sure she’d have plenty to say.”

William’s expression remained impassive, though there was a faint hint of annoyance in his eyes. “Feel free,” he replied, setting his drink down. “I’m sure she’d be more than happy to talk about it.”

Olivia’s gaze lingered on him for a moment, as though searching for something just beneath his composed exterior. “Well, I should probably get back to my friends before they wonder where I disappeared to,” she said, glancing over her shoulder at the bar. “But it was nice running into you all. I guess I’ll see you around.” She gave William one last look, as though sizing him up, before turning and walking back toward her group.

As she walked away, Archie’s eyes followed her for a moment before he turned to William, eyebrows raised. “I think she likes you, mate,” he said with a grin. “Always seems to make a beeline straight for you.”

William’s smirk was humorless as he took a long sip of his drink. “Doesn’t matter,” he said flatly, his gaze drifting back to Raph and Kate. “I’ve got enough to deal with.”

Kate gave him a playful nudge. “Come on, William, it wouldn’t kill you to have a little fun now and then.”

“Fun is overrated,” William replied, though the faintest hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Raph chuckled, clinking his glass against William’s. “Well, even if you don’t want to admit it, you’re here now, so you might as well enjoy it.”

As the conversation shifted back to lighter topics, William pushed the brief encounter with Olivia to the back of his mind. But if they were all going to keep running into each other on Fridays, he suspected this wouldn’t be the last time they’d cross paths outside the office. For now, though, he was focused on unwinding—nothing more.