Bride of the Billionaire Beast のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 161 - チャプター 170

She notified Garrett that she was ready, and an hour later all the equipment she had requested arrived. "Oh, and Mr. Harrington, I'll also be starting tomorrow as your son's assistant, so I'm going to need some special clothes." "How special?" "The kind that'll keep Liam from wanting to leave the office," she replied. "Noted," the man said, and Maxine set to work on the house. Installing surveillance cameras, motion sensors, and a silent alarm system wasn't difficult for someone with her training, but it definitely took time. She worked late into the night, also setting up weapons racks and stashing the guns in hidden spots where they'd be within reach but invisible to Liam. Finally, by four in the morning, the small mansion had been transformed into a fortress she could defend on her own if needed. Not to mention the specialized panic room. Maxine activated all the alarms and felt as safe as she ever had in a wartime trench. Over time, she had learned that the feeling ne

He snapped out of his thoughts to listen as she read through all his appointments for the day—until she got to the last one and saw him pull a face. "What's wrong?" she asked, looking at the names again. "Is there a problem with the Wolf siblings?" "Sort of. Cassian and Caroline Wolf are our competition in Eastern Euridia," he said, thoughtful, arms crossed. "You know this is a logistics company—we move goods around the world. And for that, you need three important things: good ships, good routes, and good ports." Maxine paid close attention—if there was one thing she was good at, it was learning. "Recently, the Wolf siblings won the bid for the port of Brinmouth in West Albaryn. They don't even need it—they're pulling out. But for me, it's the perfect gateway to the Albaryn Passage, and they took it from me." "So?" Maxine asked, curious. "So... I called them to negotiate. Caroline Wolf has a weakness I might be able to exploit, but I need them to give me that port, or a bunc

"All done!" Maxine exclaimed as she slipped the knife back into her purse. "Do you always carry a balisong?" Cassian murmured, mesmerized. "Of course! A girl's gotta protect herself," she laughed, just as Liam came out of his shock and they all headed into the club. A VIP booth and half a bottle of brandy later, they still hadn't reached any kind of business agreement. Maxine was starting to think the Velmarkians really were just trying to screw with Liam's distribution routes. It was obvious Caroline had a very different agenda, but Liam was genuinely focused on that port bid. Still, Maxine was getting annoyed with Caroline's constant groping—but there wasn't much she could do besides try to concentrate while they talked with Cassian. "I can offer you a portion of the bid—that's all I've got," Cassian finally said. "You know that's not enough," Liam replied. "And on top of that, you want to charge me double the bid price for a quarter of the docking space… That's robbery!"

Maxine stood to the side, stunned, watching as Liam finally let go of the guy with a disgusted grunt. The man's face was smeared with blood, and Liam looked like he was on the verge of exploding. Then, without a word, he turned to her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Are you okay?" he asked in a whisper. Maxine could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she stared at the mugger lying on the ground. Liam's face was still burning with fury, and she had no idea he could fight like that. Apparently, Liam Harrington wasn't as helpless as his father thought. "Answer me! Are you okay?!" he shook her slightly, and Maxine nodded silently. Within seconds, Liam had her in the car and they were tearing out of that cursed parking lot, tires screeching across the pavement. They drove home in complete silence. As soon as they arrived, Maxine activated the security system, and while he paced around like a caged bear, she actually cornered him in the bathroom and made him lean over the

Liam hesitated for a moment before answering, but there was no point hiding something she was bound to find out sooner or later. "Eastern Euridia has amazing commercial ports. The main one is Novenhrad, which gives us access to Karevsk without having to sail halfway around the world," he said, pointing to the map. "But there are also other ports that open the way to the poorer countries in the region. That's where we drop off non-conflict materials as donations: school supplies, clothes, vaccines, canned food." Maxine felt a lump rise in her throat as she listened, staring at him like he was a little caterpillar transforming into a butterfly right before her eyes. "Are you serious?" she whispered, stunned. "I thought this was all just about money…" "Oh, it is, make no mistake!" Liam sighed, clearly impatient. "All of this is about money. What people don't understand is that in order to give, you have to earn first! I like helping people—it's honestly a big part of what I do wit