LOGINOlivia's POV“Don’t even bother trying to get me to agree to this foolishness,” Liam cut his grandfather off, his voice was like a razor. “You’re talking about human trafficking under the guise of 'legacy.' If you want Evelyn back so badly, find another way. But you aren't touching Olivia.”“Watch that tone with me, boy!” Arthur snarled, pointing his cane at Liam’s chest. “I built this empire! I will not see it dragged into the gutter because of your obsession with a common breeder!”Rachelle stepped up beside Arthur, her eyes darting between me and her son. Liam didn't budge. He looked down at me, a sharp exhale escaping his nostrils, the frustration radiating off him in waves.Before the argument could escalate into a physical fight, a small, high-pitched scream echoed through the marble hallway.“Olivia!”We all turned.Standing by the staircase was little Sophie. She looked tiny in her pink quilted winter coat, her blonde hair was a tangled mess. Her face was blotchy and red, tear
Olivia's POVLiam’s expression shifted. The hardness didn't leave, but a flash of something; amusement? Disdain?, touched the corners of his mouth. He reached out, his hand catching the collar of my coat and pulling me toward him until I was nearly pressed against his waistcoat.“Is that what this is?” he whispered. His breath was warm against my forehead. “You think I’ve spent my morning scrolling through a catalog for a new bride while my father is having a stroke downstairs?”“What else am I supposed to think?” I whispered back. My eyes were stinging. “You’re so cold. You treat people like chess pieces. I just... I need to know.”Liam let out a short, sharp huff of air. He grabbed my coat and forced my arms into the sleeves, his movements were rough but efficient. He began to button the coat for me, his fingers moved down the front of my body with a terrifyingly intimate familiarity.“Listen to me very carefully, Olivia,” he said, his voice dropping into a low, rumbling bass. “The
Olivia's POV“Didn’t you hear what I just said?” Liam's voice was a low, terrifying rasp that made me flinch. “I am not giving you to anyone. Not because I’m a saint, and not because I care about your feelings. You are the mother of my heirs, Olivia. That makes you mine. And I don’t lose what is mine. Now, get your ass up and do as I say. I don’t have time for this back-and-forth.”The gravity of his voice; the absolute, dark certainty of it, forced me into motion. I felt like a puppet whose strings had been jerked. I turned to the sink, my hands trembling as I reached for my own toothbrush. I didn't dare look at him again. I could feel his gaze on the back of my neck, heavy and possessive, watching my every move as I tried to prepare for a day where I was worth more as a trade-in than a human being.“Liam...” I whispered as I reached for the water. “If you take me to the office... what happens to Avery?”He didn't answer immediately. I heard the rustle of his silk robe as he moved to
Olivia's POV“They want us to hand over Olivia.”The sentence didn’t just hang in the air; it suffocated it. Those seven words were a death knell, ringing in my ears over and over until my pulse throbbed with them.Just when I thought the nightmare had reached a highest degree; just when I had held my babies and felt a spark of hope that I could survive this estate, the floor had been ripped out from under me again.Peace was a luxury I apparently wasn't allowed to possess.My legs felt like they were made of ash. I stood there in my oversized grey tee, feeling small and exposed in the middle of Liam’s massive, shadow-drenched bedroom.“What’s going on, Liam?” I whispered. My voice was so thin, so brittle, that I didn't think it would carry past my own lips.But Liam heard me. He always seemed to hear the things I tried to hide. He turned his head slowly, looking down at me from his towering height. His face was cold, but his eyes were a different story. They were turbulent, dark with
Liam's POVAfter the cold shower, I didn't bother with clothes. I threw on a heavy charcoal silk bathrobe, cinching the belt tight, and collapsed onto the bed. I didn't even have the energy to turn off the lights. I was out before my head hit the pillow.When I woke up, the room felt like a tomb. A draft was coming from the balcony door, and the air was crisp. I stretched, my muscles aching, and reached out to the other side of the king-sized bed.Cold. Empty.She hadn't come back. Olivia hadn't even bothered to sneak in while I was asleep. I let out a long, weary sigh and sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I glanced at the Patek Philippe on the nightstand. It was nearly 6:00 AM. Then I looked toward the window; the winter sky was a bruised, heavy purple, the sun was still hours away from making an .I shoved the covers aside, my mind was already turning to the day ahead. I had three board meetings and a legal team waiting to discuss the fallout of the Vaughn breakup. Bothering a
Liam's POVThe day had been a marathon of psychological warfare and boardroom-level family disputes. By the time I stood in that steaming shower, I was beyond exhausted. I wanted the sun to set and stay down, burying the memory of my family’s meltdown over Evelyn under the cold, winter earth.Breaking up with Evelyn Thorne; Vaughn, whatever the hell her name was this week, wasn't a strategic move. It wasn't something I’d mapped out on a whiteboard. I was simply done. I was sick of the schemes, the entitlement, and the way she treated my life like a stage play she was directing.The words had just ripped out of me in front of everyone, and the moment they landed, I felt a weight lift off my chest that I didn't even know I was carrying.But then there was Olivia.This girl was starting to feel like a goddamn narcotic. I knew she was bad for my focus, bad for the "clean" narrative my family wanted, but without her, I couldn't function. I was hooked, and tonight, the withdrawal was making







