He was wearing a black button-up shirt with sleeves rolled just enough to show his muscular forearms. His dark hair was perfectly combed, and his signature smirk—the one that had once driven me crazy—was firmly in place.
My pulse skipped. Damn him.
Our eyes locked across the table, and I could see something flickering in his eyes. 
I glared at him back, and he smirked, as if he was suddenly enjoying this.
Darn. His amusement only made me irritated.
Our little staring match was thankfully interrupted when the server arrived with a chilled English sparkling wine, crisp and light with hints of green apple and citrus, served as our apéritif.
With my fork, I ate a little salmon, followed by a sip of wine. My taste buds instantly approved. "This is delicious. It really goes well with the salmon."
Oliver beamed. "It's one of our premium wines and a best-seller."
I lifted a brow. "Oh, wow. I'm impressed."
"Glad to hear it," he said, raising his glass in a silent toast.
Soft chatter, clinking silverware, and laughter filled the room. Oliver kept asking me questions, but my attention kept drifting. 
To him.
And beside him...her. 
Long blonde hair, so silky. Tall. Stunning. Perfect.
She was giggling, her hand lingering on Zeus' arm. And Zeus? As expected, he wasn't stopping her. He seemed to enjoy it too much.
My jaw clenched.
Oliver followed my gaze and leaned closer to me. "That's Ivy Lecter. A model. Her family's been making healthy snacks in England for 25 years. I heard her father sent her to talk to John about a distribution deal."
Looks like she was my competition in securing a distribution partnership with John.
Ivy tossed her hair over her shoulder and leaned closer to Zeus. His signature lazy smirk stayed in place as he murmured something in her ear that made her laugh again.
Oh, please.
I picked up my wine and took a long sip. I wasn't bothered.
I told myself that twice. Maybe three or four times.
Zeus was still the same guy from high school—of course, he hadn't changed. He was always a magnet to women, and he surely enjoyed the attention.
I forced myself to refocus on Oliver, who was engaging and surprisingly funny. We chatted about wine, food, and the trade show. He was a great guy to talk to—charming, confident, and totally straightforward.
Still, my eyes kept on wandering back to Zeus and Ivy.
I hated that.
I hated him.
And most of all, I hated that a tiny, irrational part of me felt like I had a competition. Not just in a partnership deal with John, but for Zeus.
Oh my goodness. What was I thinking? Zeus was my enemy. 
For our main course, we had beef wellington, then dessert. Sticky toffee pudding—a warm, moist sponge cake drenched in toffee sauce and served with a scoop of ice cream. It came with a sweet English Bacchus dessert wine. 
Everyone was savoring their dessert when John discreetly clinked his glass and caught everyone's attention. The chatter subsided as he smiled warmly.
"Before we move on, I'd like to introduce our lovely guest, Zoe Stavrakos," he announced, turning to me with a nod. "She's the founder and CEO of Vital Harvest. Margaret and I had the pleasure of sampling some of their finest selections, and we're very impressed."