Chapter 49
Liam’s POV
I was halfway through reviewing a contract when a soft knock echoed on my office door. Before I could look up, my assistant stepped inside.
Her usual brisk and efficient manner was muted, almost hesitant. That wasn’t a good sign.
“Liam,” she started, holding a thin file folder in her hands. “There’s something you need to see.”
I set the contract aside, giving her my full attention. “What is it?”
She approached my desk, her expression serious as she handed me the file. “I did some digging, like you asked... about Joe.”
The weight of her words hit me immediately. I had asked her to look into Joe’s birth records, hoping to confirm what I already suspected.
My stomach tightened as I opened the file, scanning the document inside.
No father listed.
I looked up at her, my fingers tightening around the paper. “No father?”
Ava shook her head. “It’s not just that. The records are... incomplete. There’s no name for the father, and the rest of the details are vague. It’s like someone didn’t want to fill in certain blanks.”
I stared at the document, a whirlwind of thoughts swirling in my mind. The confirmation left me with more questions than answers.
Logan had admitted he wasn’t Joe’s biological father, but this? No name, no trace of who Joe’s real father could be.
“Are you sure this is the official record?” I asked, my voice low, trying to keep my frustration in check.
“Yes,” she replied firmly. “I pulled everything from the registry. This is it.”
I closed the file, setting it on my desk as I leaned back in my chair. The room felt smaller all of a sudden, the walls closing in. I knew I should have expected something like this after my confrontation with Logan, but the reality still caught me off guard.
Who the hell was Joe’s father? And why had Aria kept it a secret? Not only that, but–
Why had she lied?
“Thank you, you can go now,” I muttered, massaging my temples. “I’ll handle it from here.”
She lingered for a moment, watching me with a worried expression. “Is everything okay, Liam? You’ve seemed... distracted lately.”
I forced a small smile, though it didn’t reach my eyes. “I’ve had better days.”
She nodded, clearly knowing not to press further. “If you need anything else, just let me know.”
When she left the room, I let out a long breath, loosening my tie. This situation was spiraling out of control, and now it was seeping into every corner of my life.
I had to pull myself together. I couldn’t afford to let my personal problems affect my work any more than they already had.
The conference room was stifling. Not because of the heat, but because of the tension. I sat across from the client, a heavy silence hanging in the air as they looked over the latest proposal.
I could feel the weight of every eye in the room—my team, the client’s team, even my boss, who sat at the head of the table, his gaze sharp.
The client—an older man with a stern face and an impatient demeanor—finally looked up from the papers.
“I’m not impressed, Mr. Liam,” he said flatly. “This proposal doesn’t meet our expectations. In fact, it’s a step backward.”
My jaw clenched, but I forced myself to stay calm.
“I understand your concerns,” I began, keeping my tone measured. “But I believe we can address these issues with some adjustments. We’ve taken your feedback from the last meeting into account—”
He cut me off with a dismissive wave. “That’s not the point. This isn’t just about adjustments. This is about competence. We’re questioning whether your team is capable of delivering on what was promised.”
That stung, and I saw my boss shift in his seat, his expression hardening. I knew what he was thinking—this deal had been in the works for months, and now it was slipping through our fingers.
And I wasn’t doing a damn thing to stop it.
“I assure you, we are more than capable of delivering—”
“Are you?” the client interrupted again, his voice cold. “Because from where I’m sitting, it doesn’t look that way.”
The silence that followed was deafening. I swallowed hard, my mind racing to find a way to salvage the situation, but nothing came.
My personal life had already bled into my work. I hadn’t been focused. I hadn’t been at my best.
The client stood, gathering his papers. “We’ll be in touch,” he said, though it was clear the deal was as good as dead.
As he and his team filed out of the room, I felt my boss’s eyes on me. He didn’t say a word, but the disappointment was obvious. I didn’t need him to tell me that I’d blown it.
When the room was empty, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. I loosened my tie further, feeling the sweat on the back of my neck. Damn it. I needed to get my head back in the game.
My assistant appeared in the doorway, her expression softening when she saw me. “Rough meeting?”
“You could say that,” I muttered, standing up and grabbing my briefcase. “I’ve had better days.”
Later that afternoon, I found myself outside Aria’s new office. With part of the office building needing to be redone after the fire, the company made a decision to give Aria a more suitable room.
Boxes were stacked in the hallway, some already half unpacked. I hadn’t told her I was coming. I just... showed up.
I knocked on the doorframe, and Aria looked up from where she was sorting through a pile of papers. Her eyes widened in surprise.
“Liam?” she asked, standing up. “What are you doing here?”
I held up the box I was carrying. “Thought I’d help you move in,” I said with a small smile. “Figured you could use an extra set of hands.”
She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know,” I replied, stepping into the office and setting the box down on her desk. “But I wanted to. Besides, someone’s gotta make sure you don’t overwork yourself.”
Aria chuckled, shaking her head. “You sound like Isabel.”
I grinned, leaning against the desk. “She’s a smart woman.”
We fell into a comfortable rhythm after that, unpacking boxes, arranging files, and moving furniture around.
Like we were just two people helping each other out. No tension, no unspoken words hanging in the air. Just... normal.
After a while, Aria handed me a bottle of water, taking a seat on the edge of her desk. “Thanks for this,” she said quietly. “I didn’t expect you to show up.”
I took a sip of water, nodding. “I figured you’d need a hand. Plus, it’s nice to see you in your new office. You’ve earned it.”
She smiled, but there was something in her eyes—something cautious. “Yeah, well, I don’t know. I liked my old office to. Sometimes… change can just be a bit hard for me, that’s all.”
I could tell what she meant without her having to say it. Things between us were still complicated, and she wasn’t sure where I fit into her life now. Hell, I wasn’t sure either.
“Look,” I said, setting the water bottle down. “I know things have been... a mess lately. But I’m trying, Aria. I really am.”
She looked at me for a long moment, then sighed. “I know you are. And I appreciate it. But I can’t—”
“I’m not asking for anything right now,” I interrupted, my voice soft. “I’m just here. That’s all.”
Aria studied me for a second before nodding. “Okay.”
We went back to unpacking, and for the rest of the afternoon, we worked in companionable silence. It wasn’t a solution to all our problems, but it was a start.
One step forward in the middle of everything else falling apart.
