Chapter 142

Aria’s POV

At the end of the day, I stopped by Liam’s office to see what time he’d be home for dinner. Yet when I walked into his office, his desk was covered in towers of paperwork. He was leaning over his desk, his head dipped low, his fingers carded through his hair.

“Liam?” I asked.

He lifted his head at once. Seeing me, he exhaled, shoulders slumping slightly. “Aria?”

“It’s 5 o’clock,” I told him. He’d promised he was going to start coming home earlier, to spend more time with the kids and me.

“Is it?” he asked and reached for his cell phone. After checking the time, he sighed. “Oh, Aria, I’m sorry. This day’s gotten away from me.”

“You are staying late?”

“Something’s come up in the financials. I can’t leave until I can figure out where all this money has gone.”

I came further into the room, approaching the desk.

“The accountants are flipping out,” Liam said. “No one can figure out how so much money could just disappear, or who would even have access to steal it.”

“This is what the accountant wanted to talk to you about this morning,” I said, realizing.

“Yes.” Liam sighed again, louder. “Here I thought my father would only hit me with one problem at a time. I should have known he’d bombard me with a barrage of bullshit. I’d barely gotten on top of the cheating scandal and now we have a financial scandal added to it. God knows what else he’s done that we haven’t found yet.”

This, I assumed, was part of Markus’s strategy. By keeping Liam so busy, he was wearing him down. Eventually, Liam might be too tired to fight anymore.

“Since Markus has basically unlimited funds, every time I try to solve one problem, three more mysteriously appear. I feel like I’m drowning.”

“Hey.” Moving around the desk, I came to stand at his side beside his chair. I placed my hand on his shoulder and began to gently massage his upper back. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll find a way to win this.”

He leaned back against my hand, allowing me to add more pressure.

“I hope so, Aria,” Liam said. “This is already so close to being too much. Not that I have any other choice but to fight against it. I’ll never give in. But I’m already feeling the strain.”

“I know,” I told him. I could see it in his stature and the tightness of his voice. It was clear to me that he wanted to come home with me and spend the evening relaxing with his family. But he must have felt that if he gave up his vigilant watch for even a moment, the whole place would topple like a house of cards. “I could stay here and help…”

“No, the kids need someone there,” Liam said.

I wanted to tell him that they needed their father as well as their mother, but I didn’t want to add onto the guilt he was already obviously carrying. So instead, I bit my tongue and held back the words.

Seeing the stress in Liam, I started to wonder about the other things Joanna had said, about Liam’s life being in danger. His stress levels could give him an early heart attack, but I didn’t think that was what she was talking about.

If his father was going to such lengths, perhaps eventually, he would give up himself and wish to end his legacy on his own terms. Liam was a disappointment to him. Would Markus seek to disappear that smudge on his legacy?

I couldn’t stand the thought of it. “Liam,” I said slowly.

Hearing something in my voice, maybe my worry, he looked up.

“Maybe you should hire some personal security.”

He stiffened. “For you and the kids? That’s a great idea.”

“For you, as well,” I said.

Liam looked away, glancing across the paperwork on his desk. “He wouldn’t lower himself to that… I don’t think.”

He didn’t sound totally sure.

“I’ll make a few calls,” he said, after a moment.

Leaning in, I kissed him lightly on the top of the head. “Don’t stay too late,” I told him. “And please check in now and then so I know not to worry.”

“I will,” he said resolutely. Then, after a moment, added, “You might have to remind me. I keep losing track of time.”

With as much paperwork was on his desk, I could understand him getting lost now and again.

“I’ll text you,” I told him. “Make sure to turn your ringer up all the way.”

He reached for his phone to do so at once.

With that, we said our goodbyes, and then I went home.

Liam’s POV

As soon as Aria left, I returned the entirety of my focus to my work. I know my father had taken that money. I just needed to prove it. No court would convict him, but I could at least make it a threat to him. Maybe it would be enough of a hassle for him to put the money back where it belonged.

I was so immersed in the work, that when the phone on my desk started to ring, I nearly jumped out of my skin. As it was past closing time, I felt no obligation to answer the phone. Whoever it was could leave a message and I would get to it when I could.

My priority, for the moment, was resolving this financial issue.

After a moment, the phone stopped ringing, likely sending the caller to voicemail. After another minute, the light on my landline phone started to flash, indicating that the caller had indeed left a voice message.

“Sir?” my assistant said from the doorway.

Looking up from my work, I acknowledged her. “Yes?”

“Did you answer that call?”

We both looked at my phone, where the message button flashed.

“It was your father,” my assistant said. “I patched it through to you.”

“Did he say what he wanted?” I asked.

“He wants to set up a meeting.”

“I’m sure he does,” I grumbled bitterly.

“Sir, if I may…”

I trusted my assistant. She’s been with me for several years. Gesturing for her to come inside, she stepped into my office.

“Speak your mind,” I told her.

“I’m sorry if this isn’t my place. But we are out of our league here. Our resources are too small to compete with what Markus has access to. I’m worried about the team, and about you. I genuinely don’t know how much longer we can hold out.”

I rubbed my forehead, stress building once more. At this rate, I was liable to give myself some kind of medical condition.

I knew my assistant was right, even though I didn’t want to admit it. I wanted to fight my father to the bitter end, but there were far too many people who were going to get caught in the middle.

If we could reach some kind of understanding…

I had no idea what that could be, but there had to be some kind of middle ground. I didn’t want the team to collapse, and I certainly didn’t want my father to start sending people to threaten my family, friends, or employees.

With a sigh, I lifted the phone. “I’ll talk to him,” I said. “I’ll agree to a meeting.”