Through Rivalry Comes Love

Chapter 1

"Check!" he said, catching the waitress by her arm as she rushed passed him. She smiled and nodded, promising to be right back with it. "You have to be on top of these people or you'll never get any service" he said smugly.

Elena forced an agreeing smile. "What do you think about me coming back to your place with you this evening?" she asked.

His head snapped up from his phone as he looked at her. "You know I love having you over" he said, giving her his signature smile. "But I'm pretty tired and I have an early meeting" he said, shooting her down. "I'll just drop you off at your place and see you tomorrow" he said.

"Oh, okay" Elena said, trying not to sound disappointed. But he didn't seem to notice. His check was handed to him and he was placing his credit card in the holder, handing it back. Elena sat back in her chair and focused on anything but him. She shouldn't have been so bothered by his rejection. It was pretty frequent lately.

The drive back to her place was short and rejecting too. He stayed on his phone the entire time, not even looking at her.

But he loved her. Gregory. Gregory loved her. Elena was sure of it. It was just the price of being in a relationship with the CEO of the company she worked for. He was busy.

When they were parked outside of her building, he ended his phone call. "I'll see you tomorrow" he said, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek. "Goodnight" he smiled.

She smiled as well. He could be sweet when he wanted to be. "I love you" she said.

He smiled again. "Love you too" he told her. Elena got out of the car and waved to him as she walked to the front of her building. As she took out her keys, she saw his car pull out of the lot and back onto the road. She sighed. She loved him.

XXXX

"Goodnight Mr. Salvatore" he heard as he grabbed his bag and his coat.

He looked up to see an elderly woman doing the same, giving him a warm smile as she waved at him. He returned her smile. "Betty, how many times do I have to tell you?" he asked her. "Stefan. Call me Stefan" he said, shutting the door to his office. His brother's decision to hire Betty as their receptionist five years ago had been the smartest thing the elder Salvatore had done. The elderly woman was like a grandmother to everyone, fussing over their lunch and their personal lives. He loved it because quite frankly, he needed someone to do that sometimes.

Betty smiled again, paying him no mind. Her professional manner would always win out. "I'll walk out with you" she said, shutting her computer down. Stefan waited patiently by her desk until she was by his side. "Any plans this evening?" she asked as they walked. "Might you have a special evening planned with someone special?" she hinted.

Stefan smiled. "No, nothing special this evening" he answered.

"A handsome young man like you should have a special lady in your life you know" she told him.

Stefan again smiled. "Work keeps me pretty busy" he said, opening the door for her.

She shook her head disapprovingly. "Rubbish" she said. "A special young lady is exactly what you need so you can learn to have fun and relax" she explained as they made their way to her car. He helped her with her door and waited patiently for her to get in. "You're going to eat dinner tonight, yes?" she asked. Yes, she fussed over him the most because of his single status.

Stefan smiled. "I'm going to my brother's house" he assured her.

When her door shut, she rolled down her window and smiled at him. "Have a good night Mr. Salvatore" she told him, driving off before he could correct her.