Begin Again novel Chapter 99

"Cancel all my appointments for the afternoon after my 3:00 PM," he told her. "And make sure Ms McBride eats something healthy and takes the medication. If she wants to leave work early, she can."

"I'm sure she'll appreciate that, Sir!" Clara gave him a thumbs up, almost blinding him with her huge smile.

Liam jerked his head at the box and painting. "And take that back to her office. I bought them for her; I have no use for them here."

"I'm on it, Sir!"

The whole time Clara made a show of grabbing the stuff, Liam watched his ex fume on the couch, and he didn't care.

"She brought your blazer back. Looks like she took it for dry cleaning," his assistant said as she unfurled his jacket. "But she creased it when she wrapped the vase with it. Should I get it pressed again?"

"It's okay, leave it there," Liam shook his head, praying Eden's dry cleaning service hadn't ruined it. It was a limited edition Burberry piece. Only five in the world—his included. They'd better not have fucked it up.

"Really, Liam?" Laura waited until they were alone to throw her toys out of the pram. "You bought her a Ming vase and a R250K painting? I know you slept with her once, but who is this woman? What the hell is she to you? Should I be worried?"

"About?" He raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his seat, his hands behind his head.

"About us, of course!"

"There is no us, Laura. We are over. And please don't come back here again without an appointment. In fact, don't come back at all. Don't show up at my house either. If you have to see your mother, meet her elsewhere."

"We can never be over; I know a lot about you, Li!"

Liam was instantly on his feet, towering over her on the couch the minute he heard her threat. "Are you fucking threatening me?"

"No," Laura smiled, arching her back as she brought her lips close to his in an attempt to kiss him.

He moved away, flinching from her touch when she reached up to caress his cheek.

"I know too much about you, darling." She purred in a voice so sultry it belied the threat in her words. "Your weekly therapy sessions. The countless doctors you've seen over the years. Your so sad problem and how Eden's at the centre of it all. Mom told me about her dress and underwear in your closet and your mental breakdown when you wanted to rip her clothes but couldn't. How she broke you, and you've searched for her for two years. Very explosive stuff. It would make for an award-winning exposé on Rock Castle's billionaire playboy, don't you think?"

"Do it," Liam gritted his teeth. "Tell Scandal, sell the story to Dirt. You'll make enough money to pay off your mother's legal fees for breaching our NDA. It won't be enough, of course, to cover even a fraction of my lawsuit. But I'm sure you and your nosey mother won't mind cleaning my floors for free for the rest of your lives."

"You wouldn't." Laura shook her head. But the startled look in her eyes told him she knew he's not fucking around.

"Try me, darling," he said, the menace in his eyes matching the warning in his words. "And just when you think the dust from the lawsuit has settled, I'll come after your license, and believe me when I say I'll make sure you never practice law in this country or elsewhere ever again."

He backed away from the couch, stalked off to the door, and held it open for her.

"Why her?" She asked as she stood facing him on the threshold. "What is it about her that makes you lose your mind like this?"

Liam closed his eyes, frustrated beyond measure. The questions about Eden from everyone were now getting old, very fast.