I hadn’t sold it yet. I wasn’t even trying, despite what I had told Liam, who sold the house next door in less than a week. It felt something like an insurance policy, having that house in my back pocket, just in case things went bad with Liam. I wanted to trust in him fully, but when I’d done tha
Aria’s POV The next day, a new batch of invitations was sent out through email with the exact same guest list. Just as Liam predicted, everyone seemed fine with the change. Those that had already RVSP’ed, simply did so again. Those that said no already told me they had other plans. I ordered a n
Logan’s friendship had always been a comfort to me. Even in my darkest moments, Logan had been there to help me out of them. With Liam’s return to my life, he could have more actively fought to stand in the way of our reconciliation. Instead, he was the bigger man and let me choose for myself who I
Liam’s POV Aria had no idea that while she was having her conversation with Logan, Joe was camped out behind the door to the kitchen, eavesdropping. I may or may not have spotted him early on, but decided not to intervene, leaving Joe as a scout of sorts. Yes, I trusted Aria and Logan, but I c
Liam’s POV I forced my body very still, refusing to allow it to give in to the overtly sexy and obviously very drunk woman in front of me. For years, I’d thought about this moment, of holding Aria and having her beneath me in our shared bed once more. But not like this. She was clearly drunk bey
Aria’s POV With a groan, Liam slowly blinked open his eyes. He carelessly rubbed his forehead for a moment, apparently unaware of me in the bed tucked into his side. Yawning, he looked around the room, his face growing more and more confused. Then, he glanced down at me, and startled so fiercely,
What did William care really, in the end? No one was fighting, so everything seemed fine. Even if it was boring. After lunch, Dad asked William to go see if there was any mail yet. William had been complaining a lot, so maybe Dad thought he needed a walk and some fresh air. After, William decided
Liam’s POV When Joe came running out of William’s room, tears tracking down his face, I had no idea what had just happened. I stopped Joe in the hallway. Dropping to my knee, I pulled the crying boy into a tight hug. “What’s going on?” I asked him. “William said he hated me…” Joe said between
I might have understood the high society way of life but that didn’t make me partial to it. The opposite, having to negotiate for everything was exhausting. Everyone was out for themselves. Chuck agreed to keep things quiet until Sunday, but I imagined even that wasn’t entirely selfless.In a few mo
Liam’s POVI’d been on hold for ten minutes before the owner of one of the news outlets finally picks up the phone. I knew Chuck well enough. We’d hung around at the same parties and same events in my younger years, back when I’d been a driver with a partying reputation to uphold.Since I fell out o
Liam’s POV“I sent out the invitations,” Joanna said first thing the next morning in the office.“What? You were supposed to let me see the list first,” I said, surprised and annoyed. Per our previous discussions and agreements, I was supposed to have the final say on the list of invitees.She rolle
Aria’s POVDuring break, I went to the coffee machine in the hallway to get myself a fresh cup. Unfortunately when I went to pour, the pot was empty. Sighing, I grabbed the pot and turned toward the breakroom to use the sink to refill it.Turning, however, I nearly walked straight into Joanna, who I
Watching me, she slowly raises a brow. “If I can make it happen this Saturday, you’ll let me invite whoever I want?”“Within reason,” I said. “I don’t have to tell you why I want to keep this a secret,” I said. If Aria found out about this, it could be the end of everything. I wasn’t going to risk l
Liam’s POVThe next morning, Joanna sat in our shared office avoiding work and creating the official guest list for our engagement party instead. Occasionally, she would throw out a name. Again and again, I would remind her.“I want this to be as small of a party as possible, Joanna.”Again and agai
Liam’s POV Markus’s smile grew, seemingly even more pleased. “Good. You’ve finally seen the truth in things then. Women. Relationships. What do they matter? Legacy, that’s what’s important. You are making the right choice, son. Finally. But then, I always knew you’d come around.” He only could be
Their leaving together could have been a coincidence. Even so, an uncomfortable feeling rose up in my stomach. They looked good together, side by side. Both so attractive, model-like, even though Joanna seemed much happier than Liam. His unhappiness was what gave me the strength to step forward.
Aria’s POV There had to be some kind of misunderstanding. Even if Jackson truly had seen what he said he’d seen, there had to be an explanation. If there wasn’t, then this, combined with those texts Joanna showed me, and the one I had spotted on Liam’s phone last night all added up to only one con