Liam's POVI drove to the warehouse alone despite every instinct telling me this was a setup. Elijah had tried to convince me to bring backup or at least let him follow from a distance but I refused because Michael's message had been clear about coming alone. If there was any chance this was legitimate information about Ashley or my father, I couldn't risk losing it by disobeying the instructions.The warehouse was in an industrial area on the far edge of the city where the buildings were old enough to be abandoned but not valuable enough to be demolished. My headlights illuminated rusted metal siding as I pulled up to the entrance. I turned off the engine while sitting in the car for a moment trying to see if anyone was watching from the shadows.Nothing moved in my field of vision so I got out with my hand resting on the gun I had started carrying everywhere. The warehouse door was slightly open which meant someone wanted me to walk right in without having to announce my presence.I

Liam's POVWhile I was dealing with Michael's confession about Ashley being an imposter seeking revenge, Claire's world was falling apart in a completely different way. She called me three times before I finally answered the phone, still sitting in the safe house trying to process everything I had just learned."The stock dropped forty percent," Claire said without greeting. "Charles has been spreading rumors to investors about management instability. The board just called an emergency meeting for tomorrow morning.""How bad is it?" I asked."Bad enough that we might lose everything all over again," Claire replied, her voice tight with stress. "Can you be there?"I wanted to tell her no because I had too many other problems to handle, but I heard the desperation in her voice that made it impossible to refuse."I'll be there," I promised.The next morning I arrived at the Harrington Tech building still wearing the same clothes from the night before because I hadn't gone back to my hote

Liam's POVI walked out of the bar into the cool night air while my mind replayed the conversation with my father over and over looking for hidden meanings in everything he had said. When I reached my car, I sat behind the wheel without starting the engine because exhaustion suddenly crashed over me like a wave.I realized I hadn't gotten any good sleep since everything began spiraling out of control. Between discovering my real identity, dealing with Ashley's betrayal, protecting Claire from her own family, handling Michael's confession about the twin sister, every day brought new crises that demanded my attention. My body was running on adrenaline that was starting to wear thin.My phone rang while I was sitting there thinking about finding a hotel room where I could sleep for twelve hours straight. The caller ID showed it was from one of the senior Rossi family members. I considered ignoring it but knew that would only make things worse."The council wants to meet tonight," the voi

Liam's POVThe silence between us stretched out until it felt like the air itself was pressing down on my chest. Claire stood there with tears almost running down her face while I tried to figure out how to make her understand why I couldn't tell her everything without making things worse."I need you to listen to me," I said quietly. "Really listen.""I'm listening," Claire replied, her voice tight with hurt."When I married you, it was supposed to be business," I began. "A transaction arranged by your father for reasons I didn't understand at the time. I thought I was doing you a favor, giving you an escape from your family's pressure.""I know that, I was the one who loved you." Claire said. "We both knew what the marriage was supposed to be, expect what you told me.""Listen, but somewhere between signing the papers and now, things changed for me," I continued. "You changed things. The way you fought for your father's company even when everyone told you to give up. The way you def

Claire's POVLiam insisted I stay at his hotel after the shooting. I didn't argue because going back to my apartment with all those bullet holes felt impossible. The idea of sleeping in that bed where we had almost died made my stomach turn with fear.For two days we fell into a strange routine. We left for work together in the morning like nothing had changed between us despite Liam's mention of divorce.In the evening I would drive to my apartment to pack more of my belongings while Rossi guards waited outside to make sure no one attacked me. Then I returned to the hotel where Liam was waiting.We didn't talk about the divorce again.We didn't talk about much of anything beyond surface level conversations about work or what we wanted for dinner. The silence between us felt heavy with all the things we weren't saying to each other.On the third evening, I had just returned from another trip to my apartment with a suitcase full of clothes when there was aggressive knocking on the hote