Chapter 164

Liam’s POV

“I can have the movers there as soon as this afternoon,” Markus said. “I just need to know the date and time Aria plans on leaving.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked. This was probably bait he was dangling, to drag me into another conversation. But where Aria was concerned, I had to be certain. I could always hang up after his motives became clearer.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed about, Liam. You were wrong. Admitting that will help you move forward.”

“You are talking nonsense,” I snapped, even as fear started to rise in my heart. Had something happened with Aria? I’d been working late again, and hadn’t gotten a chance to really talk to her, despite my promise of sitting down with her for a conversation soon.

“Love couldn’t withstand the pressures of reality,” Markus said. “It’s as I told you. Money is the most important thing in anyone’s life, even Aria’s.”

Slowly, the pieces were starting to piece together. “You made her an offer…”

“A cool $5 million. You should have seen her face. The only conditions were that she divorce you. I told her that she could be your mistress, though she didn’t seem particularly fond of that idea.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“You doubt I would offer her that much? I’m no miser.”

He was a miser, hoarding his wealth like an old dragon, but that wasn’t what I was talking about. “She would never accept the money.”

“Ah, but this isn’t just money, is it? It’s $5 million. A sum like that could change her entire life. She would have everything she ever wanted. She’d want for nothing.”

For a moment, doubt crept into my heart. That was a lot of money, more than I could have ever offered Aria, especially since I wasn’t a driver anymore. As president of the team, much of my earnings was tied back into the club.

With me, Aria wouldn’t have to want for much, and I had enough already set aside for the kids, but we’d never live the kind of exurbanite lifestyle that Markus was offering.

My doubts made me silent, and in that silence, Markus continued talking.

“Take over the family business, Liam. I can make you a wealthy and powerful man. With Joanna at your side, you two would be unstoppable. Why, between my wealth and the amount you would be sure to accrue yourselves, you could easily rise to be the richest couple in the entire world, forget just the country’s richest.”

“There’s more important things than money,” I said.

“Maybe,” Markus replied. “But Aria doesn’t think so.”

“You’re lying.”

“The check cleared, son,” Markus said. “You need to accept your loses when you have them. Cut her out of your life and run. She made her decision and chose $5 million over you. Now it’s time for you to choose a better future over an ill-fated life with her.”

The check had cleared…?

No…

I needed to talk to Aria. Now. She would set this all straight.

But, those tiny doubts whispered in my ear again. If Markus had offered her a $5 million check, why hadn’t she told me about it? Surely that would have been important enough news to share with me.

What other reason could she have for keeping it secret, other than her intent to take the money and run?

Was that why she had gone to lunch with that other man – her friend, Samuel? Had she already been planning her next move?

Had her commitment to me truly been worth $5 million?

Gripping the phone as hard as I could, I felt myself spiraling. The thoughts, the worries, they were nearly too much. Everything I’d been working towards, to protect the club, while keeping Aria and the kids… Was it all for nothing?

Or was this just one more of Markus’s games?

I couldn’t trust him, not as my sole source of information.

Again, I needed to speak to Aria.

“I don’t believe you,” I said at last.

I had asked Aria to have trust in me. Maybe I was the hypocrite she accused me of being, if at the first test of honor, I couldn’t give her my own.

Aria had been nothing but faithful to me. If Markus did offer her the check, and she hadn’t told me, there must have been a good reason. I would go to her, ask her about it, and she would tell me.

It would be enough.

I wasn’t going to let Markus drive a wedge between us and isolate me away from the woman I loved or the family I wanted with all of my heart and soul.

“Think about what you are turning down,” Markus said. “She doesn’t want you, Liam. You are making a fool of yourself by chasing her like a lost puppy.”

“I don’t care what you have to say,” I told him. “Even if Aria does leave me, it wouldn’t change a thing. I am never going to accept your legacy. I’m never going to be the man you want me to be. I am a race car driver turned race car president, Markus. That is who I was born to be.”

Markus scoffed, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he said, “We’ll see.”

I slammed the phone down, hoping I would feel some measure of satisfaction from rejecting him so thoroughly once again. Instead, I only felt cold.

And worried.

I couldn’t lose Aria. Not again.

Aria’s POV

Checking my calendar on my desktop, I realized it had almost been a full week since Markus had written me this outrageous check. It was past time for me to rip it into pieces, or curl it into a ball and throw it back at him.

Imagining it filled me with a grim sort of pleasure. He’d thought he could buy me? Well, guess again.

I nearly laughed about it now, but I stopped myself, not wanting to disturb Anthony, who had returned to work. Even with his headphones on, I was cautious of annoying him again.

We’d reached a fragile sort of truce between each other. We stayed to our own sides and focused on our own work. So far, it worked, but the tension felt thick. I knew it wouldn’t take much for us to openly hate each other again.

So I bit back my laughter. Meanwhile, I reached into my pocket, itching to see the check again.

$5 million… I couldn’t risk losing it.

Huh. That was odd. It didn’t seem to be in the pocket where I usually kept it. I tried the other side.

No, that was empty too.

Standing, I rushed to grab my purse. I checked all the obvious places: the inside pockets, my wallet.

It wasn’t anywhere.

Panicking, I upturned my entire purse onto my desk.

“Hey!” Anthony said, lowering his headphones. “What gives?”

“I lost something,” I said. “Something really important.”

I searched through my tissues, my comb, and my mints. God, the check wasn’t anywhere!

Where could it have gone?

I tried to think back. Did I have it this morning?

As hard as I tried, I couldn’t remember.

It couldn’t have just vanished!

Heart racing, I searched through my desk, even looking in the trash.

The $5 million check was totally gone.