05

Liam's pov

"I thought she would've told you," Jackson said, his voice low enough for just the two of us. "That’s not a small number."

"It’s not," I murmured, still staring at Avery as she took another sip of champagne. Her polished laughter rang sharp through the air.

My fingers curled around Jackson's suit sleeve unconsciously. Thirty percent of her company. That was a damn empire. She was merging her business into ours before we’d even merged lives.

Before we’d even kissed properly.

Before we’d even held a proper conversation about the future.

What future?

I wasn’t even sure if I wanted a tomorrow that looked like this.

Dad was glowing. He clapped me on the back when Avery made her way down the steps. "You landed gold, son," he whispered. "This is what legacy looks like. This is how empires are built."

Legacy?

Empire?

I felt like a brick in a wall I didn’t choose to be part of.

"Smile," Jackson whispered beside me. "You’re being watched."

I forced my lips to resemble something that might have looked like a smile. Avery reached my side and tucked her arm into mine. "Surprised?" she asked softly.

I nodded. "You didn’t have to do that."

She leaned in, her lips brushing my ear. “

Of course I did, Liam. That’s what power couples do."

"Power couples," I echoed under my breath, the phrase tasting like ash in my mouth.

Avery pulled back just enough to look at me. Her eyes were glinting with excitement, and a subtle sense of pride.

"I meant what I said," she continued, her voice quiet now, just for me. "About the shares. About this.....us."

I glanced at her, studying her calm expression. She wasn’t bluffing. Not like my father, who spun words like silk around his motives. Avery seemed to be the kind who meant what she said. Which made this much worse.

"I know you didn’t choose me," she said after a beat, her tone softening. "I know this isn’t the story you dreamed about when you were a kid, Liam. But I like you."

I froze.

"I like you," she repeated. "And I don’t just mean in the ‘this will benefit my business’ way. I mean in the way that keeps me awake at night wondering if I’m doing too much too fast. Wondering if I’ll ever mean to you what I already feel for you."

I didn’t speak. I couldn't.

Jackson was still beside me. Shaking his head lightly at his sister, like he had envisioned this.

I didn’t dare meet his eyes.

"I know I shouldn’t be confessing this now," Avery continued with a small breathy laugh. "Especially when the party’s still going on, and we’ve barely said two full sentences to each other since the announcement. But I needed you to know. I’m not doing just this for my father or for some deal. I’m doing this because.....I want a chance. With you."

A camera clicked somewhere, snapping a picture of us standing together. Avery’s smile widened effortlessly, trained for the lens.

But mine didn’t. Because my heart wasn’t in it.

And it hadn’t been......ever.

~

The room hushed. Just enough for the voice on the mic to cut through.

"And now," the host announced cheerfully, "the moment we’ve all been waiting for. The exchange of rings."

Applause erupted. My stomach churned.

Avery's fingers tightened around my arm, guiding us towards the small podium where the velvet box waited. I didn't even know what the rings looked like, our father's had picked out everything.

Every part of this night had been orchestrated to perfection, except my feelings.

I could see Jackson in the back of the crowd, sipping on whiskey, gripping the cup painfully tight.

Avery turned to me, beaming widely.

She lifted the ring first. It was platinum, sharply-cut. Worth more than most people made in three years.

Her hands didn’t shake as she slid it onto my finger. "For partnership," she whispered.

I stared down at it.

Then it was my turn.

I opened the other box. Her ring glinted under the lights, custom-cut with a sapphire crest. It slid easily onto her hand, like it had always belonged there. She held my hand a moment longer than necessary.

Then came the kiss.

Avery leaned in. Her lips brushed mine in a soft manner. But I felt repulsed. It didn’t burn.

It didn’t shake me.

It didn’t feel like him.

Jackson’s kiss had ruined me.

One night. One taste of something I wasn’t supposed to want. It had been messy, raw, and had made my nerves come alive. It had gripped my chest like a vice and left my mind blank.

But this?

This was simply curated. Perfectly timed for the cameras.

When she pulled back, the crowd clapped again.

Avery beamed, her arms looping around my waist. "We look good together," she whispered.

I didn’t answer.

Because somewhere beyond the applause, beyond the ring cutting on my finger, beyond the woman holding me like she was already mine, I saw Jackson turn away.

And this time, I felt my chest ache.

~

After the rings were exchanged and the empty kiss, father took the stage, beaming with smiles as he gave the appreciative speech.

The spotlight glinted off his cufflinks as he lifted a champagne flute and started a speech full of legacy, power, and gratitude. Words like vision, empire, merger were directed to the audience.

I didn’t hear the rest.

I slipped away while the crowd’s attention was pinned to his monologue, ducking past a waiter and weaving through the side hallway.

I found him on the bench behind the garden hedges. Jacket off, sleeves rolled up, tie hanging loose. Jackson was sitting forward, his elbows on his knees, running both hands through his hair like he was trying to rip the thoughts out of his skull.

"She doesn't deserve this," he hissed under his breath, not even looking up. "Avery deserves to be happy with a good guy. Not someone who isn't even interested in women."

"Lower your voice." I whispered, looking around. He shot me a look and went back to tugging on his hair.

"This is crazy Liam, because..." His gaze zeroed in on mine. "I want to take you away from my sister."