Aria’s POV When Liam and William returned from the doctor, William went straight to his room. I stood, hoping to stop them both, but William just skirted around me and dashed away. Liam ran a hand down his face, looking stressed. “He wouldn’t say a word to me the entire time. He barely said anyt
Liam’s POV Only with knowing that William was safe did I feel like a vital part of myself had been restored to me. All throughout our desperate search, I had struggled and suffered, knowing that my kid was out there somewhere, without his dad, needing me. And I couldn’t find him. It was not a fe
Aria’s POV “Don’t worry about it, Aria,” Liam said. “Did you want to talk about something?” I had plenty that I wanted to talk about, more so now that I was so suspicious over whatever that phone call could have been. But, I had to press down on those personal feelings, at least for now. Willi
Aria’s POV At work, I could start to see the physical evidence of the club expansion. Construction crews with cranes had set up on one side of the building. They’d even torn down one of the walls in the hallways I usually walk down, to prepare for the new addition to the building. Likely in anti
Determined, I opened my phone and called his number. The phone rang three times before he picked up. “Aria? Is everything okay?” He sounded rushed and stressed. “Yes, I just –” “Unless it’s an emergency, I have to go,” he said. It wasn’t exactly an emergency, and it didn’t feel right to lie
Aria’s POV The day of the parent-child sports day, I arrived at the school at 10am, wearing my sneakers and exercise gear. William and Joe were both in their gym clothes, excitedly waiting for me. Some of the day’s events were set to take place inside the school’s gymnasium, but most of them wer
Aria’s POV When I awoke the next morning and checked Liam’s room, he was gone again. I truly had no idea how he could keep up this pace. With a sigh, I turned from his room and went to help the kids get ready for the day. Once the kids were off on the school bus, I got into my car and drove to t
Aria’s POV Joanna stepped up to the microphone. “Thank you. As I’m sure things have been run with some measure of success around here, I want to confirm that I have no intention of disrupting that process. In fact, I only wish to increase the output of that success.” “I don’t like the sound of t
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
“We don’t lie to each other, remember?” I prompted. “I want the truth, Liam.”“You’re right,” he said and pushed a hand through his hair. “I wasn’t going to lie to you, but I’ve been doing a hell of a job avoiding the truth. I’m sorry, Aria.” He sighed. “The truth is… I got a weird call from one of