Chapter 3

When Liam reached the office, he heard a commotion.

"I heard Liam's getting fired! Skyler came in this morning with a tiny cut on his finger, and Ms. Watson nearly cried over it. When has she ever cared that much about a man?”

“I thought Liam was still her boy toy.”

"He's just a lapdog! He's supposed to be the Sheridan heir, but he can't even compete with an illegitimate one. How embarrassing."

Liam tightened his grip on his coffee mug and walked through the crowd without arguing or showing his anger.

The conversation stopped.

One coworker tried to smooth things over. "Liam, don't be upset. We were only joking..."

Liam gave a faint smile and carried his resignation letter to Stella's office.

"What time are we meeting Mr. Lewis tonight?"

Liam handed her his letter along with the project documents.

Stella finally looked up from her work.

Her voice was quiet. "Nine. Keep your voice down. Skyler's asleep."

Without another glance, she signed the papers Liam handed her.

Her profile looked most like Suzy's. The way she told him to be quiet just then reminded him of Suzy too.

Liam used to nap while Suzy worked.

But Stella wasn't Suzy.

Liam's lashes trembled.

He turned to leave, but as he reached for the door handle, Stella spoke again. "We can go together tonight. It's on my way."

Perhaps she felt guilty about what happened that morning. Her tone was gentler than usual.

Liam paused.

He neither agreed nor refused.

Instead, he opened an app and booked his own ride.

...

That evening, before it was time to leave, Liam received a text from Stella.

"Skyler wants to buy some cupcakes. Go there on your own."

Liam seemed to expect it. He went outside and got into the car he'd booked.

Lunch was the only meal Liam ate that day, and his stomach burned by evening. He thought about asking Stella to excuse him from the meeting, but she would only say no.

Soon, he arrived at the bar's private room.

He was a few minutes late. He could already hear people talking as he approached the door.

"Stella! It's been ages. When did you get that beauty mark by your eye? I heard a new mole can mean cancer. You should get it checked when you can. And who's this?"

A beauty mark that had appeared suddenly?

Liam stopped at the door, his heart jolting.

Stella put an arm around Skyler's shoulders and introduced him to Graham with a smile. "This is my fiancé, Skyler Lawson."

For a moment, Liam forgot to breathe.

Then he gave a bitter smile.

Stella would face tremendous pressure for marrying an illegitimate son.

When Liam once argued with his grandfather over marrying Suzy, he was beaten so badly he nearly broke a bone.

She really did love Skyler.

The two exchanged greetings. Liam finally found a chance to open the door.

"Liam! There you are!"

"Sorry I'm late, Mr. Lewis."

Liam smiled apologetically, though he felt an intense gaze on him.

When he tried to find its source, it vanished.

Graham pulled Liam into the seat beside him and raised a glass. "Since you're late, you owe us three drinks. You know the rules!"

Liam looked uneasily at the strong liquor. He remembered the doctor telling him he had early-stage stomach cancer and turned to Stella for help.

Stella rubbed her thumb against her glass.

The memory of Liam humbling himself to beg Graham for the project flashed through her mind, and anger rose for no reason she could name.

"If Mr. Lewis tells you to drink, then drink. Liam, when did you become so delicate?"

Liam froze.

He forced the corners of his mouth into a smile and took the glass. "Mr. Lewis is right. I'm late, so I owe everyone a drink."

He emptied it.

Someone filled it again, and he kept drinking.

After three glasses, pain churned through his stomach.

Stella grew irritated at the sight and turned away.

Skyler, who was eating strawberry cake, tugged at her hand.

He stared curiously at the liquor Graham had just made Liam drink. "Stella, can I try that? I've never had alcohol. Liam can drink it, and I want to learn too!"

"It's strong. It'll hurt your stomach."

Stella caught his hand on instinct.

Only after the words left her mouth did she remember that Liam, not Skyler, had a stomach condition.

"I knew you cared about me most!"

Skyler swung her arm and rubbed his head against her slender shoulder. Then he noticed her attention had shifted to Liam.

Graham poured Liam drink after drink. His hand wandered over Liam as he leered.

"The Sheridan heir really is handsome! With a face like that, you'd even make a beautiful woman."

Liam's stomach couldn't bear the last drink. He vomited a large pool of dark brown blood.

It splashed all over Graham. He raised a hand to strike Liam, but Stella smashed a bottle against the back of his head. He grunted and collapsed.

"Liam! How do you feel? Someone call an ambulance!"

She held his shoulders and helped him sit upright, unable to hide the panic on her face.

Skyler suddenly cried out, "My face hurts!"

Stella turned and saw that a shard from the bottle had cut him. She let go of Liam and hurried over to comfort Skyler.

"Skyler, I'll take you to the hospital."

Skyler looked at Liam. "What about him?"

"He can manage on his own."

She left Liam behind again.

After vomiting blood, Liam forced himself to call emergency services. Then his eyes closed as dizziness overtook him.

An absurd thought surfaced in his mind: what if Stella was Suzy?

No, Suzy would never have treated him this way.