Haley instantly became the center of attention, all eyes turning in her direction.Her mother's question hit her, chasing away the distraction.Damnit!Everyone gave her confused looks including Lana who'd been the cause of her distraction. In the heat of the moment, she'd forgotten the conversation they were having in the room, even mentioning Liam's surname, Nash.Of course, Haley would never suggest that name to anyone even in her sleep.The last name on her mind, she detested hearing it or someone mentioning it.How could she ever call her nephew that name?Clearing her throat, Haley let out a nervous laughter. She addressed her mother's question, “No, Mum, you heard me wrong. I mean Ash, not Nash… Ash as in Asher.”Haley's lie hit home.Everyone nodded in understanding, the confusion disappearing from their eyes.In fact, her parents looked relieved, and so was her brother.They must have been suspecting the same thing,That she mentioned the Nash Family's name intentionally.
~She paused, her shoulders tensing up. Her back was facing him, and Liam couldn't tell her expression.He could only guess that she looked as shocked as he felt right now.Never did he expect those words to be so easy to say.The words which had been weighing heavily on his heart.He'd thought it'd take decades before he would finally be able to say them.He was sorry!Indeed,He shouldn't have mistreated Haley.Of all people, he shouldn't have distrusted her.The only people whom he trusted happened to deceive him.His mother… his father,And Leah!He shouldn't have pushed Haley away when she so desperately wanted him by her side.Now that she was pushing him away…Liam wasn't himself!He'd never been himself ever since he realized his mistake. He should have protected her from his parents' bullying earlier.If he hadn't turned a blind eye to it from the beginning, it wouldn't have led to this.It wouldn't have led to Haley taking this measure to get his parents off her back.Liam
Liam squeezed the reports, hands trembling, rage coaxing through his nerves.What did his eyes just see?Leah got pregnant earlier than she reported.That filthy woman was pregnant way before they went on that business trip.Yet, she only told him after a few weeks of returning from the trip that she was pregnant, pushing the responsibility onto him. She made him believe he was the only man who had ever touched her.Thinking about it now…Did Liam even touch her?From start to finish, he couldn't remember a single thing.The only thing Liam could remember was waking up next to her.They were both wearing almost nothing, so he concluded something happened between them.Leah affirmed that, crying in grief that he forcefully made a pass at her.So she made it all up!The baby wasn't his.Somehow, Liam was relieved by this revelation. It meant his hands were clean and his morals were intact.However, Who was Leah's baby's real father?It mustn't be his father, right?Desmond and Leah w
…At The City's First Hospital.As Haley left the hospital with her parents, her heart raced wilder than before.Her thoughts were in jeopardy, and so was her calm and cool. Liam!She didn't hear him wrong, did she?That man didn't just apologize to her. 'I'm sorry.’That phrase echoed in Haley's mind, occupying her thoughts.Liam said he was sorry. How unbelievable. Haley must have hit her head somewhere and imagined him saying that. She was too shocked at that spot to even react. If she did, wouldn't she have made a fool out of herself?Liam didn't say that word and she'd imagined it. “What's distracting you, Haley?” Her father's voice, suspicious and confused, broke Haley out of her trance. As they stepped into the parking lot, she almost bumped into the man due to not looking ahead. Haley pulled herself together, feigning calmness. Her parents stared at her suspiciously and she breathed inside, faking a smile. “It's nothing.”After all, the couple had been giving her th
Their plan? He’d been acting all this while? Haley's relief knew no bounds, understanding the meaning behind what he said. Relaxing back on the chair, she let her eyelids close, laughing softly. “You got me there.”“I know, right?” Harry laughed as well. “My acting skill is unrivaled.”Indeed, he was. But he didn't need to be so full of himself. Shaking her head, Haley laughed again. Before she opened her eyes, Harry had resumed driving out of the parking lot. At a slow pace as if stalling time.“You haven't answered my question yet…” He broke the silence, sending her a glance. “What's next?”Their next plan?Haley furrowed her brows. If Harry was indeed acting along then their initial plan would still work. It was just that her parents taking this too seriously made her uncomfortable. What if the couple pushed them both into something they never wanted?“Let's abort it-”“Huh?” Now Harry was the one looking confused, staring at her as if she'd grown two heads.Sighing, Haley
…At NK Enterprises. So many documents rested in front of him, so many signatures to put. The mess of his office astounded him. Amidst these chaotic moments, Liam couldn't believe he had so much work ahead of him; The mountains of workload he'd ignored all in the name of teaching Haley a lesson. He shouldn't have totally abandoned the company. He'd thought branching here and taking a rest in his office would release some of the pent-up frustration and anger,What he didn't expect was walking into so much work waiting for him. A knock came from the door, jolting Liam to the present, and prompting him to look up from the piles of the documents. He'd thought Joye had retired for the day already.Watching the assistant barge in with an anxious look, Liam wondered if he'd found out anything about Haley. Indeed, it must be bad news.The assistant's expression didn't look good. “S- Sir, you can't believe what I saw!” Joye paused for a moment to catch his breath, panting heavily.Dro
Not only were some people gathered, watching the scene, but there was also the restaurant's security.What the hell was going on?Liam got out of his car, accessing the scene. At first, he only recognized Haley, until he got near. A guy dressed in a suit and a guy in a plain white shirt stood amidst the chaos too, gripping each other's collar. Daryl!Liam couldn't recall where he'd seen the other guy before, but he'd never mistake his brother's face anywhere.As the security tried to separate them, Haley looked frustrated, appearing as if she'd break down in fact. Why was his brother fighting that guy?Who exactly was he?And wasn't Haley supposed to be here with another man?Did she come with Daryl like in the past?Did Joye lie to him?As those questions bugged his mind, Liam approached the scene. Before he got there, however, the other guy had unhanded his brother.Looking enraged, he stormed out of the scene, entering a nearby black car and zooming off. As for Daryl, he stay
~One moment, Liam was behaving as if he was turning a new leaf and willing to amend his mistakes,And the next moment, it was as if his dark personality never left him, getting worse, in fact. Haley's vision clouded with so much anger that her body began trembling. Hearing his words, her already bad mood turned worse. When her palm flew to his cheek, she couldn't control herself. The resounding sound of the hard slap echoing inside the car jolted them both back to their senses. Liam's pupils constricted, the frown of his face replaced by a look of horror and disbelief. Glaring at him, Haley's breathing was ragged from too much anger.Damnit!She wouldn't be surprised if someday his actions led to her heart attack.What kind of a stupid assumption was that? “Do you even hear yourself, William Nash?” She gritted out. “I don't like you, why would I try to make you jealous?”Because he wasn't kind to her,Anyone who showed her some kindness was intentionally courting her. He coul