Chapter 49: Shadows
Liam’s POV
The moment Thomas dropped me off at my mansion, I stormed up the driveway, ignoring Marcus’s usual greeting from the security booth. The weight of humiliation pressed down on my shoulders as I punched the code to unlock the door. Immediately the front door threw open.
Inside, the vast emptiness of the house echoed my footsteps. I yanked at my tie, loosening the knot that suddenly felt like it was choking me. My fingers trembled with rage as I made my way directly to the bar in the living room, not bothering to turn on more than the ambient lights.
"Goddamn it!" I snarled, slamming my briefcase onto the marble countertop.
I grabbed a crystal tumbler and the bottle of whiskey, pouring myself three fingers without hesitation. The amber liquid burned down my throat, but I welcomed the sensation. Anything to dull the edge of this day’s disaster.
I paced the living room, my Italian leather shoes clicking against the hardwood floor. With each step, my fury intensified. The phantom meeting in Boston. The humiliation at the airport. The mocking laughter of strangers. All orchestrated by Diane.
My Diane. The woman who once looked at me with adoration now dedicating herself to my destruction.
I drained my glass and poured another, my mind racing through possible countermoves. She thought she was clever, but she had no idea who she was dealing with. I hadn’t built Synergy Sphere by backing down from challenges. I hadn’t climbed to the top of New York’s business elite by showing mercy to opponents.
Holbrook’s warning echoed in my head: "Don’t retaliate. Be the reasonable one."
I scoffed at the memory. Reasonable? After what she’d done? She’d destroyed my car, humiliated me in front of my employees, and now this elaborate scheme—sending me on a wild goose chase and turning me into a public spectacle.
No. Being reasonable wasn’t going to cut it anymore.