chapter 17

The annual Business Excellence Summit was one of the most important events of the year.

It was also one of the few occasions where nearly every influential family in the country gathered under the same roof.

The Lux family attended.

The Smith family attended.

The Blackwoods attended.

Which meant trouble was almost guaranteed.

Judith knew this the moment she stepped into the ballroom and saw Liam standing near the stage.

Their eyes met briefly before both looked away.

Things between them had become strange lately.

Not bad at all just unfamiliar.

After the hospital appointment, Liam had started texting occasionally.

Simple messages.

How are you feeling today?

Did the doctor say everything is okay?

Don't skip lunch.

Nothing inappropriate.

Nothing that crossed boundaries.

Yet every message reminded Judith of something dangerous.

The Liam she was seeing now wasn't the Liam she had lived with for three years.

And she wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"You're thinking too hard again."

Ethan appeared beside her holding two glasses of juice.

Judith accepted one.

"You say that every time I'm quiet."

"Because every time you're quiet, you're thinking too hard."

She laughed.

"You make me sound predictable."

"You are predictable."

"Rude."

Ethan grinned.

The smile reached his eyes.

Something about it always made people relax around him.

One of his greatest strengths.

And one of Liam's greatest irritations.

Across the room, Liam noticed Ethan's hand briefly touch Judith's back while guiding her through the crowd.

The gesture was innocent and friendly.

Nothing more.

Yet Liam disliked it immediately.

Victoria noticed.

Of course she did.

"You're staring at them again."

"I am not."

"You are."

Liam took a sip of champagne.

His mother smirked.

"What exactly do you think Ethan is going to do? Kidnap her?"

"No."

"Good. Because that's illegal."

Liam ignored her.

Unfortunately, Victoria wasn't finished.

"Then again, if I had a son who ignored a woman for three years, I'd probably encourage my friend's son to date her too."

Liam nearly choked.

"Mother."

"What?"

"You can't say things like that."

"I just did. You should be thankfulto God for atleast giving you anotherchance with Judith."

The evening continued smoothly until the panel discussion.

Unfortunately, fate had a sense of humor.

Because the organizers seated Liam and Julian beside each other.

The tension was immediate.

The moderator introduced them.

The audience applauded.

Julian smiled politely.

Liam smiled politely.

Neither meant it.

Twenty minutes into the discussion, the topic shifted toward leadership and responsibility.

The moderator turned toward Liam.

"What do you believe defines a good leader?"

Liam answered easily.

"Consistency. Accountability. Taking responsibility for your decisions."

Julian laughed.

The sound echoed through the microphone.

The audience turned toward him.

Liam's jaw tightened.

The moderator looked confused.

Julian smiled pleasantly.

"My apologies."

He wasn't sorry at all.

Everyone knew it.

───

After the event ended, Liam finally cornered Julian near the parking area.

"What's your problem?"

Julian looked genuinely surprised.

"My problem?"

"Don't play games."

Julian's expression cooled.

The friendliness disappeared completely.

"There are no games, Smith."

For a moment neither spoke.

Then Julian stepped closer.

"Want to know my problem?"

Liam remained silent.

"My sister spent three years loving you."

The words landed harder than expected.

Julian continued.

"You didn't cheat on her."

"No."

"You didn't abuse her."

"No."

"That's what makes it worse."

Liam frowned.

Julian laughed humorlessly.

"Because you weren't cruel. You were indifferent."

The accusation hung heavily between them.

Painfully accurate.

And they both knew it.

When Julian finally walked away, Liam remained standing there.

The conversation followed him all the way home.

You weren't cruel. You were indifferent.

For years he had convinced himself that being respectful was enough.

That because he wasn't hurting Judith, everything was fine.

Now he wasn't so sure.

Because neglect came in different forms.

And perhaps he had been guilty of the worst kind.

The kind that happened quietly.

The kind people only noticed after it was too late.