The Price Of Rivalry

CHAPTER ONE

                             CHAPTER ONE
                
                         Two Worlds Apart

Olivia

Growing up as the youngest in the Carter family, I always knew that life wasn’t going to hand me anything on a silver platter. I watched my parents, Mikeson and Charlotte Carter, work themselves to the bone to build Carter Wave Solutions from nothing but a dream and an empty bank account. Dad used to say that our family came from the school of hard knocks, and boy, was he right. Nothing about our journey was easy.

We didn’t grow up rich. Comfortable, sure, but there were days when I’d see the stress etched on my dad’s face, the long hours he put into his work, the countless sleepless nights. Mom would do her best to keep the household running smoothly, but even she got tired sometimes. They had to

juggle building a company and raising three daughters, Avery, Savannah, and me.

Avery and Savannah were always more focused on family life. Avery, the oldest, married Justin Knowles right after college, and now they have three kids together. She’s content with their cozy little family business, and honestly, I don’t think she’s ever been interested in Carter Wave. Savannah followed in similar footsteps, marrying Ben Guthrie and settling into a quiet life working at our parents’ bakery. I’m proud of them, but I never wanted that for myself.

From a young age, I knew I wasn’t like them. I didn’t dream about weddings or kids, I dreamed about boardrooms, about deals and negotiations. I wanted more. I craved the challenge, the adrenaline that came with making decisions that mattered. I wanted to be the one steering the ship, not just watching from the sidelines.

Dad noticed that about me early on. He’d catch me eavesdropping on his business calls or sneaking into his home office, staring at all those papers I didn’t fully understand. When I was old enough, he’d let me sit in on meetings, teach me the ropes.

He believed in me, and that’s why, when he retired, he didn’t hesitate to hand the company over to me. I became the CEO of Carter Wave Solutions at twenty-five, and every day since, I’ve worked to make sure I deserved that title.

It hasn’t been easy. Being a young woman in a male-dominated industry is like fighting a battle with one arm tied behind your back. But I don’t back down. I never have. Men like to think they can intimidate me, talk over me in meetings, question my decisions, make side comments about my looks or my age. I just smile, shut them down with facts, and move forward. They don’t know who they’re dealing with.

Still, there’s pressure. With my parents retired and focusing on their bakery, and my sisters happy in their little family bubbles, it feels like the weight of our entire legacy is on my shoulders. Carter Wave Solutions is a multimillion-dollar green tech company, and the responsibility to keep it thriving, no, to make it better than it’s ever been, rests with me. I won’t let them down. I can’t.

Some days, I think about what it would’ve been like if I had a brother, someone to share the load, someone who might’ve been more suited for this. But then I remind myself, I am made for this. I’ve worked my whole life to stand where I am today, and no one is going to take that from me.