His words hit me like a blow, leaving me momentarily speechless. I had always believed that if I tried hard enough, I could make up for Joe not having a father in his life.But Joe’s innocent question shattered that illusion. For a moment, I just sat there, struggling to find the right words.I coul
Aria's POVMy heart pounded in my chest, the sound almost deafening as I tried to regain my composure. Liam was too close, his presence overwhelming in the small fitting room.I couldn't let him see how rattled I was, not now, not ever. I needed him gone."Leave, Liam," I demanded, my voice low and
Liam’s POV The silence in the car was unbearable, but I kept my focus on the road. The tension between Sophia and me was at a breaking point, and I knew it was only a matter of time before she let her frustrations loose. “I saw you go into her fitting room!” she finally snapped, her voice shar
Aria’s POV "Mommy!" Joe’s voice broke through the air like a lifeline, and before I could react, he was in my arms, clutching me tightly. His small body pressed into mine, and I dropped to my knees, hugging him back with all the strength I had left. My breath caught in my throat, the fear of los
Aria’s POVSophia stormed into Liam’s office, her heels clicking sharply against the floor, the tension rising with each step. I watched from the chair across from Liam’s desk, arms folded, knowing exactly what was coming."Liam," she began, her voice high-pitched, almost whiny, as she rounded the c
"You believe me?" I asked, my voice quieter now, unsure of how to interpret his unwavering gaze."Of course," Liam replied without a second’s hesitation, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.I felt a jolt of surprise. For all our history, for all the battles we’d fought over the years,
Liam’s POV"What are you doing?!" Aria’s voice was sharp, cutting through the quiet room as she stood up from her chair, her eyes narrowing at me.I didn’t flinch, keeping my tone calm. "We’re still married. What’s the problem?"Aria scoffed, her hands flying to her hips in a dramatic gesture. "You
Aria’s POVBusy bustle of the hospital surrounded us, but Logan’s voice pulled me back to the present. He sighed, glancing at me with a mixture of concern and relief."Joe was worried about you, Aria. That’s why we came to the hospital." His tone was gentle, but there was an edge to it, as though he
Liam’s POVI was afraid to get my hopes up, not wanting to make any assumptions about what Aria was truly implying before she actually said the words. We’d had far too many misunderstandings between us, plenty of which were my fault.From now on, we needed crystal clear communication. No more assump
Liam’s POVI parked out front of the house and then rushed inside. I’d already called the non-emergency police to alert them of the situation. They had promised to send over a few officers to help maintain the peace but they haven’t arrived yet. As such, I felt it was a miracle the reporters did not
Come on, Liam. Figure this out.My next appointment had already canceled, so I had some time to sit there and think. Yet I couldn’t think of one good idea that wouldn’t backfire.Around 3, I thought of Aria and the kids, probably home by now, safe and oblivious to the struggles I was facing here.Th
Liam’s POVAfter receiving Joanna’s message, as well as one from my assistant to tell me most of the other shareholders I had meetings with that day canceled on me, I called Joanna outright.No more games, or passive aggressive messages. If I had to go to the source to stop this madness, then that w
I sat very still for a moment, hating how powerless I was. “Is there no way for me to convince you?”“There isn’t,” Richard said. Glancing at me, he added, “Learn from this, Liam. You are young yet, and you’ll bounce back. When you do, don’t make such stupid mistakes like this again.”“I won’t,” I a
Liam’s POVIn an attempt to stop Joanna’s takeover of the team, I called my assistant and have them make several more appointments that day with various shareholders, starting with those that held the most to those that held the least.I didn’t return to the office, moving instead straight from the
My brow drew together in confusion. “What happened?”At that moment, Rita returned carrying a fresh cup of coffee, which she set down in front of me.Alistair’s entire demeanor changed once more. Shedding his down-to-business persona, he looked up at her with a bright, friendly, and relaxed expressi
Liam’s POVThe Circle Café was a smaller restaurant, opened only for breakfast and lunch and located in one of the corner buildings in the older part of time. It had an eclectic sort of aesthetic, with the paintings of many local artists on the walls for sale. The booths were all different colors an
Liam’s POV“I have a plan,” I said, which such a blatant lie that I needed to rephrase. “I have the beginnings of a plan…”Jackson crossed his arms. “So you have no idea what you are doing.”God, it really did seem that way, didn’t it? He should have spoken to Aria more at length this morning about