“I admit I came here to get closer to you. I didn’t plan it the way it happened, believe me.”
This time it’s me wincing, but Liam is not looking at me. He’s watching his fingers flexing, lost in his story.
A story that still makes little sense to me, but that feels genuine. So much for not trusting the man.
“My father did something ten years ago,” he continues. “Something that I still carry with me… It doesn’t matter now, but I want to use your father’s leverage to take my revenge.”
I blink a few times. This is not what I was expecting. “How does Merged come into it?”
“I researched your family and found out the older Lock sister works at Merged. A company owned by my brother, no less. I wanted to know what the connection is.” He looks at me now, and I wish he didn’t, because I don’t want to trust him, but deep down, I know he’s telling the truth.
I shouldn’t trust him, or my intuition on this, but I do.
“There is none,” I say. “It’s just a coincidence.”
“I believe that now. When my brother decided to sell his stake in the firm, I saw an opening.”
God, I would have done the same. The idea isn’t comforting at all. “So you decided to become the partner and seduce me?”
“What happened between us… it just happened. I didn’t plan it. I didn’t force you into anything.” He sighs. “I figured that the daughter who is living freely under an assumed name, one that is not a pawn on Victor Lock’s chessboard, might be the best avenue to help me find out what he has on Sterling.”
“You would have been better off marrying Tee if you wanted to get closer to my father.” I pick up the container and take a sip from it. “But please don’t do it.”
“If there ever was a Lock to marry, I know which one I would go after.”
“Stop.” It hurts to look at him. The last thing I need is for him to pretend we’re more than we are. “So the Merged partnership?”
“That was my pretext for getting to know you. To see if we could be allies. I swear I had no idea I was after the same thing as you.”
And again, I believe him. The soup churns in my stomach. That part got orchestrated by Corm. Who, in retrospect, was protecting his interests. At my expense.
Everyone was acting at my expense.
“All my sleepless nights and stressful, long working hours were so you could get your revenge? Fuck.” I drop the spoon.
“I’m sorry.”
The apology is laced with so much sincere regret, I want to take him into my arms. I want us to get lost in each other. Find each other instead of facing what is dividing us.
But that’s not who we are. Lust blooms between us. But nothing else is allowed. I don’t allow it.
“You couldn’t have known Corm’s distrust would lead to our competition, but since then… you had countless opportunities to come clean.”
“I’m sorry,” he repeats.
“I don’t want your sorry, Liam. Your sorry won’t replace what you cost me. You know why I’m able to work at Merged? Why I’m the estranged daughter? I would have been married off to one of Father’s associates, but I played poker with him and won.”
He frowns, probably thinking I lost my mind.
“Yes, that’s my family dynamic. My father found me a husband, and I dared him to a game of poker. He’s cocky enough to assume I didn’t know how to play. Well, the nights when you’re a prisoner in your own home are long. I learned.
“I played for three years of freedom, and his promise to leave Tee alone until she is eighteen. I wanted to make enough money to take her out of there and cut the ties, which might mean disappearing for good.”
“Fuck.”
I must agree with his summation.
“Yeah, so thank you for your explanation, but I’m no good to you because my father can barely stand me, let alone share his secrets with me.”
