Begin Again novel Chapter 26

Liam loosened his tie and rolled up his sleeves, determined to get through the stack of week-long reports piled high on his desk.

He was halfway through when his cousins, whom he shared floor space with, came in.

Julian arranged himself in the armchair in front of the bookcase and turned on the TV to watch the financial markets' afternoon report. Matthew stretched out his long frame on the black leather mid-century couch, the only piece of relaxing furniture in the room because Liam didn't want time wasters hanging around. They were not good for productivity. People only came to his office to state urgent business and leave; his space wasn't inviting enough for a chit-chat.

His cousins were the only two people who often overstayed their welcome.

Two minutes in and Liam was already tired of them.

"If there's nothing urgent, I'd like to finish this before my date with Laura," he pointed at the stack of folders on his desk.

"Why do you insist on hanging on to that viper?" Julian asked as he leaned forward in his seat and scrutinised the latest breaking news, something about insider trading at one of the investment holdings a few blocks away from Anderson Logistics' premises.

"I'm with Jules on this," Matthew sat up and extended his legs out on the glass coffee table, and Liam shuddered inwardly, disgusted at how comfortable he looked.

Maybe he should get rid of the coffee table, too, he thought as he paged through a marketing report. The less he had, the less welcoming his office would be.

"Let her go; she's poison!" Matthew carried on.

"We've been through this; Laura's been so supportive of me," Liam explained as he always does whenever his girlfriend comes up, which was often because both brothers vented their dislike of her every chance they got. They felt she's entitled, selfish and rude, and they hated how she used their family's connections for every little thing.

Liam had stopped his sisters from acting like spoiled princesses. But he allowed Laura to get away with any and everything. If she wanted to close a boutique for a private shopping spree, he let her. If she cried for fifty thousand pairs of shoes, he bought them for her. She needed hair extensions imported from Peru? No problem!

Liam knew he was overcompensating. His therapist had told him this plenty of times. But if overcompensating bought him peace of mind, he was okay with it.

"Now that Eden's signed, you don't need Laura, cut her loose!" Matthew said seriously.

"Whoa! What does Eden have to do with Laura?"

"You've been pining for her for two years. You've found her. Now you can wife her and be happy."

Liam laughed, throwing his head back. His cousins still thought he's in love with Eden. If the idea wasn't so ridiculous, he would have been angered by the suggestion.

He hated Eden. No— hate wasn't strong a word. He loathed her, and the only reason he'd relentlessly searched for her was to destroy her.

"She is beneath me on every level!" Liam gritted his teeth. "I will not trade Laura in for a woman's who's not even half her match.

"Right," Matthew nodded patiently like a doting parent humouring a wilful child.

"Of course," Julian agreed.

"How do you even know that she signed?" Liam asked as he pushed the files away and spun his chair around. Once a day he made it his mission to unwind by watching the panoramic view of the city. It's unparalleled, especially at night, when all the lights set the sky on fire.

"Check the chat; it's blowing up with her photos. Did you know she has a toddler?" Julian asked. "Every male, single and otherwise, from the 15th floor up, has already called dibs on her. They love her librarian aesthetic. I can see why. I mean it's every guy's dream to fuck the local librarian."

"And the only reason the rest haven't is because they're not in our group chats," Matthew's eyes shone with amusement.

Various businesses, startups and corporates occupied the 3rd floor right through to the 14th.

Liam turned around to glare at the brothers. "I don't care who claims dibs on my assistant because she's just that, an assistant meant to serve me and make my life easy."

But he surreptitiously pulled out his iPhone and scrolled through the chat. There were so many photos of Eden and her son; it made him uncomfortable. Thank heavens, the person who'd uploaded the images had the sense to blur out her boy's face.

He reached for his desk phone and buzzed his assistant in.

Gibby was in his office within seconds. "Yes, Mr Anderson?"

"Tell the group chat admins to take down every single goddamn photo of Eden McBride. And block everyone from posting anything for thirty days. If they insist on carrying on like idiots, punishment will be extended by another month. And if they keep pushing, I'll shut down all the chats myself."

"They were simply curious about her, that's all."

"I don't care, that's an invasion of privacy!" Liam roared, slightly disturbed by the tinge of overprotectiveness he suddenly felt out of nowhere. "How would you feel if someone splashed your son's face all over the place?"

"Well, they did block out her boy's face," Gibby pointed out reasonably.

Liam ignored her, his eyes darkening with anger, "It doesn't matter! How did they even get her photos?"