All Chapters of RISE OF THE SCORNFUL CRYPTO LORD: Chapter 11
- Chapter 20
66 chapters
11. HIDDEN DEALS
Liam's POVAgain…I sat there in Claire’s office, her words about revealing myself as Harrington Tech’s owner came up once again. Yet, I still made the same plight.No way was I doing that, not with Charles trying to steal a potential collaborator away from me. If those two teamed up, it’d be a disaster for the company, I knew that, but stepping into the spotlight felt like walking into a trap. Dad’s lie about me being some dead friend’s kid still burned, and I wasn’t ready to let Charles know I was the one calling shots here.It was too risky.Claire stood up to leave, her folder tucked under her arm, but I stopped her before she hit the door. “Claire, don’t tell my dad anything about me owning this place, you got that?” I kept my voice firm and made sure I wasn't messing around.She turned, her hand on the knob, and looked at me steadily. “I won’t say a word, Liam.”As she started to walk out, she paused and turned back, her eyes narrowing a bit. “I got informed, you sponsored that
CH 12: ORDERS
Liam's POVI called a meeting right away, and told Claire to get everyone to the boardroom fast, because I was mad about those papers I found, the ones showing slush funds tied to Vivian and two other shareholders.I grabbed the stack I’d saved from the shredder, walked to the boardroom, waited for everyone to sit, then smacked the papers on the table as hard as I could and started talking.“These files prove why the company almost went under, they show money hidden in accounts by Vivian and two others,” I said, looking around to make sure they heard me, nobody spoke.Vivian looked at Christopher, who sat there quietly, Claire didn’t say anything either, and that was what I wanted, to be in charge.“Vivian, I don’t want to hear about keeping evidence, you drop everything you have against Charles, because we can’t let him take over,” I said, keeping my voice clear so she knew I meant it.Vivian tried to speak, but a shareholder, a guy with glasses, spoke first. “Charles has papers too,
13. KNOWING TOO MUCH MAY GET YOU KILLED
Liam's POVThe good feeling from the win was solid and I couldn't believe it myself, but it didn’t last long because Claire was so angry.Every time I glanced her way, her face was blank. I understood why she was upset, but my decision was made and I wasn’t going back on it.She waited until the room had cleared out, until it was just the two of us left near the large window, and then she stepped right in front of me, blocking my path to the door.“What are you planning to do, Liam?” she asked.I didn’t answer her immediately. I just looked past her shoulder for a moment, gathering my thoughts.“Tell me,” she insisted.“You don’t need to know my plans,” I said finally, meeting her gaze.“Please,” she said, and the word sounded strained. “I’m asking you. Just tell me what you’re doing.”I stared at her then, and I let a small, cold smile show. “You picked your family over me, Claire. A long time ago. So you don’t get to know my secrets anymore.”I watched the words land. Her expression
14. A DEAL WITH A DEVIL?
Liam's POVThe quiet in the room felt a little bit clogged up after Elijah’s words. He was not okay with any of this and I could see it on his face. We were both standing there and neither of us knew what to do next.The situation was bad and we were in the middle of it with no clear way out.Elijah spoke again and his voice sounded extremely urgent and I knew he was talking from a place of fear. “You have money now Liam, a lot of money, but that does not matter if this man dies. If he dies we will go to prison. We will stay in jail for a long time for this. Do you understand that?” He said.I was stuck between choices and my mind was busy doing nothing other than remind me of how my heart beats fast.The main thought in my head was that I wanted Michael gone. He knew things he should not know and that made him a problem. But Elijah was right about prison and I knew that too.I did not answer him right away so Elijah said my name again but louder. He said, “Liam,” and the sound cut t
15. CHOICES
Claire's POVI couldn't believe what I had witnessed. Liam had changed overnight, transformed from someone my family bullied and dismissed into someone who could shut them all up in a single meeting.The same man who used to endure my mother's cutting remarks and my relatives' condescending looks had just bought my father's company in full. Even though I admired this new version of him, I couldn't wrap my head around how he had gotten the money.I spent hours searching through news websites and financial reports. There was no mention of major theft anywhere, no cryptocurrency robbery, nothing that could explain such a sudden influx of wealth.So how did he get it? The question consumed my thoughts until Liam dropped another bombshell on me."You'll be the new CEO," he had told me.I stared at him, waiting for some indication that he was joking with my family. But his expression remained serious, his eyes locked on mine with an intensity that made me realize he meant every word.I was
16. THE MAIN MAN
Liam's POVI walked out of the hospital knowing that all my plans would be ruined if I made one mistake. Seeing Benita lying there pretending to be sick and Charles studying my face like he was trying to solve a puzzle made me realize how dangerous this situation had become.Claire's expression when I told her she had to choose between her family and the company kept playing in my mind as I headed back to where I had left Michael.He was still sitting in the same spot where I had told him to wait, looking around nervously and checking his phone every few seconds. When he saw me approaching, his face lit up with that fake smile he always wore when he wanted something.I thought about what Claire had said earlier about making friends with Michael and what Michael himself had said about wanting to be my main man. The more I considered it, the more I realized that if I ever said yes to his request, Michael would know almost everything I was doing.He would be involved in every decision, e
17. DESPERATE MEASURES
Liam's POVI hurriedly left the hotel room and rushed toward the elevator, my hands shaking as I pressed the button repeatedly. The message from Michael kept flashing through my mind and all I could think about was Elijah getting killed because of me. I knew what that message meant and I knew Elijah had been trying to reach out to me with those twenty one missed calls while I was sleeping like an idiot.The elevator seemed to take forever to reach the lobby and when the doors finally opened, I ran toward the exit. The security guard at the front desk looked up as I rushed past him."Sir, is everything alright?" he called out, stepping in front of me.I tried to push past him but he moved to block my path again."Sir, you need to slow down. What's the emergency?""I need to leave right now," I said, my voice coming out more frantic than I intended. "Please just let me go."The security guard studied my face and I could see he was trying to decide whether I was dangerous or just upset a
18. TRUST AND BETRAYAL
Claire's POVI waited for Liam outside the conference room, checking my watch every few seconds and rehearsing what I wanted to say to him about protecting his identity. When he finally walked in, I immediately dragged him to a corner where we could speak privately without anyone overhearing us."I don't care where you got your money," I started, but before I could finish explaining my loyalty to him, he surprised me with something I never expected."I want Elijah to disguise himself as the new owner of Harrington Tech," he said.I stared at him in complete shock. Immediately I knew this was a very bad idea, because that was exactly what had killed my father. Trust had destroyed everything my father worked for.Trust in people who pretended to care about him while they plotted behind his back had cost him his life and nearly destroyed his company."Liam, you can't do this," I said, trying to keep my voice quiet and also carry a sense of urgency. "You're making a huge mistake. You don't
19. FAMILY TIES
Liam's POVI felt fulfilled as I took Claire's hand and walked down the hall with her. The confrontation with Nathan and Lila had gone exactly as I needed it to go and I could see that Claire finally understood she wasn't alone in this fight.Claire kept staring at me as we walked and I noticed this but I didn't stare back at her. I could sense she wanted to say something but was hesitating about how to bring it up.Suddenly Claire stopped walking, which made me stop too since we were still holding hands."You might regret your actions," she said quietly.I smiled and looked at her face, seeing the worry there mixed with something that looked like gratitude."You shouldn't worry about that," I replied. "Everything will be alright.""Are you sure?" she asked. "My family can be vindictive when they don't get their way.""I'm sure," I said, squeezing her hand gently. "Trust me on this."Claire nodded but I could see she was still concerned about what consequences might come from defendi
20. BLOOD AND LEGACY
Liam's POVI was still wishing I had killed Michael that night when the woman turned to me with urgency written all over her face."There's no time," she said sharply, then she turned to Michael with a completely different tone. "Your father wants you home because your grandfather wanted to see you."Then she looked back at me and gestured toward the door."You need to follow me right now."But before we could leave, she pointed at Michael and her voice became cold and strikingly commanding."You stay back because I don't want to be seen with you."I wanted to ask Michael dozens of questions about his family and what kind of people they were and why his sister was treating him like he was some kind of embarrassment, but I could see from her expression that now was not the time for explanations.I was reluctant at first because following strangers to unknown locations seemed like the kind of mistake that could get me killed, but something about the woman's urgency made me think this wa