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?"

Yes, he'd love to know. After seeing Eden's résumé, he'd searched all over the internet for her—he has to know his enemy better than he knows himself. But she'd set her Instagram to private, and she wasn't on any other social media platforms.

"Well, it turns out her friend is a famous vlogger and plays the second lead in a day time soap—"

Liam cut her off as he impatiently waved his hand at her to move things along.

"The friend documents all their lives, and Ms McBride and her son are fan favourites. A few of our staff follow Lydia—that's the friend."

"Thanks for the longwinded update, Gibby. I want the photos gone, and the person who posted them MUST get a warning."

"Whoa! Isn't that a little harsh?" Both Julian and Matthew cried at once.

"Agreed, Sir. Let's remove the photos and have a chat with Nancy. I'm sure she meant no harm; she was only curious about Ms McBride."

"Fine," Liam shooed her away. "Send me the link to the vlog!"

"Which vlog, Sir?" Gibby asked at the door.

"Eden McBride's friend, of course! Lydia what's-her-name."

"On it!" Gibby nodded, but she had a baffled look on her face as she eased out of the office.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Liam!" Julian clucked his tongue and shook his head in a judgy way. "You don't want staff to check Eden out because you want to ogle her all by yourself."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Liam laughed. "This is business. Marketing wants to work with influencers. Lydia is an influencer. We can sign her on."

"That's my department, and I'll handle it," Matthew smiled as he got up and headed for the door. "But thanks for looking out for me. I'll intercept the link from Gibby, and one of my guys will handle Lydia."

"Are we seeing you tonight at Crush?" Julian asked as he followed suit.

"Sure," he nodded. "But I'm bringing Laura."

"I'd best start drinking then," Julian called over his shoulder.

Liam turned off the TV, got up and straightened his couch and coffee table and lined up the Business Insider magazines neatly; this was another reason he didn't like visitors. They always left his office in a mess.

He called Laura from his work phone and changed their plans for the night. As expected, she threw a tantrum. Crush was so beneath her, plus she knew his cousins hated her.

Liam held firm. Either that or he'll ask Gibby to pencil her in anytime next week.

"Fine!" She agreed with a dramatic sigh. "Just so you know, you are still a shitty boyfriend."

"We can always break up again."

It would be their seventh or eighth breakup in two years. Liam was starting to lean towards a more permanent break.

If Laura didn't serve her purpose, he would have cut her loose a long time ago. But Gibby being so close to retirement had slowly begun to wind down from all his engagements requiring a plus-one.

Laura was a perfect plus-one. She looked good on his arm, and as a corporate attorney she can hold down a serious conversation easy. Most importantly, though, she knew his medical condition and had no expectations in that department anymore.

Liam gave her the money and status she craved, and he needed a semi-permanent girlfriend. In all respects, though, she was a glorified escort. One he once saw himself falling in love with.

"Liam, did you hear what I said?" Laura whined.

He didn't because he'd zoned out and was once again glaring at his nemesis' photos in the group chat, annoyed at how pretty she was still after two years. She had no business being so cute. Nancy truly deserved a warning for acting like a groupie and turning a work chat into Eden's fansite.

"Liam?"

"What?" He grunted, forcing his attention back to the woman who can't even hold it for a second.

"Ugh!" Laura drew a long breath on her end. "Talking to you is like talking to a brick wall. I said I need a dress for tonight."

"Sure, buy one. You have the card."

He could argue she already has ten thousand dresses, but he knew when to pick his battles. A dress is hardly something to start a war over.

In a few days, he'll be waging war against a more deserving opponent. He couldn't wait.