Chapter 139

Aria’s POV

“He wasn’t a good father,” Liam continued. “In fact, he’s someone that I’ve come to hate. But I never really thought about the bastard actually dying. Now he wants to inherit the family business and continue his legacy. In the past, I was never good enough, but now suddenly, Markus is desperate.”

I didn’t know what the family business was, exactly, but I wasn’t keen on the idea of losing Liam to it, whatever it was. Just as I didn’t want him back in his father’s clutches, if the man truly treated Liam so terribly.

Then there was the entire issue of Joanna, something that Liam hadn’t brought up again and didn’t seem like he was going to. I wanted to press, but now wasn’t the right time. His father’s failing health was at the forefront of Liam’s mind. Comparatively that was more important than Joanna – even if she had been telling the truth, which was still up for debate.

“What is the family business?” I asked.

“My father runs an investment bank for exceedingly wealthy individuals,” Liam said. “I told him in the past that I don’t know the first thing about finance or investments, but he insisted all I would have to do is sit behind the desk. The other advisors would take care of all that. I just had to oversee them.”

“You are a good boss,” I said.

He smiled slightly, my desired result, even as he shook his head. “If I’m a good boss, it’s only because I’m passionate about racing and our club. Put me in charge of an investment bank? I wouldn’t even know where to begin. And I sure as hell wouldn’t be so passionate. Money’s nice, sure, but I don’t really care about it. We make more than enough for ourselves already. Do we really need more?”

No, we didn’t. I, too, was already pleased with the present amount of money we were bringing home.

Liam sighed, smile fading. “For years, he left me alone. I thought I was free of him. Now that he’s dying… I’ll never forgive him for the things he’s done to my mom and me. But he’s not coming around because he wants forgiveness. He feels no remorse. The only thing he cares about is his money and the preservation of his name and legacy.”

Without fully understanding the situation, the advice I could give was limited. Though I was curious about his mother, I wouldn’t press for more if he was unwilling to voluntarily give up the information. Since he wasn’t explaining already, I decided to leave the matter of his mother alone for now.

Instead, I said, “You don’t have to entertain him at all. You could just ignore him, as before.”

“You don’t understand,” Liam said. “The team’s financial situation, Joanna suddenly there to bail us out… It all feels orchestrated. And the only person who would care enough to want to pull me personally into his debt is Markus. With me on a financial leash, he thinks he’ll be able to control me.”

“He would do that?” I asked. “He would pull all these strings just to bring you back to him?”

“Yes.” Liam looked up, straight into my eyes. “You don’t know Markus. He’s ruthless and doesn’t understand the word ‘no.’ Now that he’s dying, I’ve seemed to become his full focus. What he’s already done is only the start of what I expect he’ll do to bring me back under his thumb.”

“You have to resist him,” I said.

“I will, but it’s not just me I’m worried about. If he keeps pushing like this, the club could suffer. Or he might start coming after you to get to me…”

“Me?”

“He knew about our wedding those years ago, and he knows you work with the team. I’m sure he’s been able to piece together my continuing feelings for you.” Watching me, his eyes suddenly went bright as if he thought of something. “He won’t sway me against you, Aria. I don’t care what he says. You are my wife and the woman I love.”

How could he tell I was worried? Was I showing it on my face? Regardless, I inhaled a deep breath and then exhaled slowly.

Liam wasn’t telling me the full truth about Joanna, but he was revealing so many other things – enough for me to push my Joanna questions to the back of my mind for now.

Liam was suffering a lot right then. His father was dying, which was enough of an issue to work through, but then, with Markus’s final days, he was intent on pushing Liam into things he didn’t want to do.

If Markus truly cared for Liam, he would allow him to be his own man. Though, from what Liam was saying, the only person Markus truly cared for was himself.

“I’m sorry that I’ve given you reason to worry,” Liam said.

“You’ve been going through a lot,” I replied.

“Even so.” Leaving his coffee untouched on the table, Liam pushed himself upright so that he was standing. Then, he came around the table towards me. “Come here.”

I stood as well, intrigued by his siren call. “What?”

“I would like to hold you now, for a moment. If that’s alright.”

It was more than alright.

He held open his arms and I easily fell into them, wrapping my own around his waist as he pulled me closer. With my ear to his chest, I counted his heartbeats. I made it to 56 before he spoke again.

“I will fight to keep my family,” Liam said.

With as tenderly as he was holding me, I believed him.

The next morning, after seeing the kids off to school, I drove into work as per usual.

However, as I approached the club headquarters, I noticed a line of news media vans parked along the road outside the parking lot. A few camera crews were taking different shots of the building.

Security was also out in force, with even police to assist them. They were holding back the reporters, trying to keep them off the property line. As I pulled up to the parking lot gate, one of the security guards checked my ID.

“What’s going on?” I asked him.

“These vultures are relentless,” the security guard said. “We caught a few trying to sneak on property around the back. Be careful today.”

He handed me back my ID, and I drove through the gate, even more curious now than I’d been before. For the reporters to have been so bold as to try to sneak onto the property, they must have had a truly juicy story driving them.

What could it be?

After parking, I headed inside. There were two security guards stationed at the door. One insisted on checking my ID again.

I supposed it couldn’t hurt to be careful, but my curiosity was driving me mad.

“Any idea what the story is here?” I asked the security guard.

“It’s not our business to ask questions,” said the man checking my ID.

The other one, somewhat younger and more excitable, quickly filled in. “I heard some of the questions the reporters were asking before we grabbed them and kicked them out. It involves a scandal.”

“A scandal?” I repeated, my heart picking up speed.

“Yeah,” the security guard said. “Someone accused the team of cheating.”