CHASING THE CARPENTER'S HEART のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 41 - チャプター 50

Liam stood before Olivia, perfectly still. Heat surged within his chest, but his face remained composed, cold, and tightly controlled. Without wasting another second, he pressed the call button. He deliberately switched on the speaker. The ringing filled the room, sharp and unwavering. Once. Twice. Three times. Olivia shut her eyes tightly. Tears streamed down her cheeks without restraint. Liam tightened his grip on the phone, his anger burning silently beneath his restraint. Then, a click. The line connected. “Hello? Who is this?” A man’s voice came through, deep, mature, and commanding. Liam brought the phone closer to his lips, his gaze burning with restrained fire. “Liam Connelly,” he said, voice low and firm. “That name shouldn’t be unfamiliar to you, Mr. Harper.” A pause. Then a rough exhale, heavy with warning. “What do you want?” Sebastian Harper responded immediately, his tone sharp and threatening. Liam steadied his breath, forcing calm into the storm inside him.

The pickup truck roared out of the gallery driveway, its engine growling against the quiet afternoon. Liam gripped the steering wheel tightly, jaw locked, his thoughts still tangled in the memory of Olivia’s desperate scream. Beside him, Chatrine appeared far calmer. Sitting upright in the passenger seat, she activated the black tablet resting on her lap, slender fingers moving swiftly across the screen. Her gaze remained sharp and focused, as though Olivia’s cries already belonged to the past. Liam glanced at her briefly, his breathing heavy. “You don’t have to come. I can handle this myself.” His deep voice carried the instinctive firmness of a man unwilling to let the woman beside him walk into danger. Chatrine stopped typing and turned toward him, her stare immediate and piercing. “No. I need to be there.” Her tone was calm, cold, absolute. “This meeting is serious. We need a written agreement to make sure they never interfere with our business again.” Liam fell silent. He

CHAPTER 46 GOING TO SEATTLE The British Airways flight departed Heathrow at 3:40 in the afternoon, London time. From the business class window, Liam watched the sun drifting westward, its light piercing through the clouds like blades of molten gold. He sat stiffly in the wide leather seat, clearly out of place. His body was accustomed to the hard benches of pickup trucks and the rough wooden stools of his workshop, not reclining seats that folded almost flat with the touch of a button. One hand rested awkwardly on the armrest, as though excessive comfort itself made him uneasy. Beside him, Chatrine looked entirely at ease. Her work bag had already disappeared into the overhead compartment, and now her laptop sat open on the tray table before her. Her fingers moved swiftly across the keyboard, revising contract drafts with unwavering focus. “Sleep, Liam,” she said without looking up. Her tone was calm, but carried the quiet authority he had already learned not to challenge. “The f

Chatrine pulled the tailored suit from the wardrobe. A sharply cut navy jacket, an ivory-white shirt, and a dark blue silk tie. She stood before Liam with practiced professionalism, though her eyes still wandered over him from head to toe. “Take your shirt off.” Her voice came out firm, yet a faint blush warmed her cheeks. Liam raised a brow, a crooked grin tugging at his lips. “That sounds dangerous when it comes from you.” “Don’t start.” Chatrine smacked his shoulder lightly, though she was clearly fighting a smile herself. Liam peeled off his shirt, revealing the athletic frame built through years of handling heavy timber. Broad shoulders, a solid chest, lean masculine muscles shaped by hard labor rather than vanity. Chatrine went silent for half a second before quickly handing him the dress shirt. “You look… different,” she murmured. “Different in a good way or a bad way?” Liam asked confidently as he slipped his arms into the sleeves. “Different in a dangerous way.” She a

The moment Chatrine obtained the phone number of Sebastian Harper’s subordinate, the man reckless enough to threaten Liam into selling the gallery, she moved without hesitation. No wasted time, no second thoughts. She immediately handed the number to Tobias Harlot and asked him to trace the unknown contact. Tobias Harlot was more than a genius capable of following digital footprints without leaving a single crack behind. With the power he possessed, he had access to communication networks across the world. As the founder of the century’s largest browser empire, he could reach databases scattered across the globe. Even state and military secrets were hardly beyond his reach. Through Tobias’s hands, information came effortlessly. Within hours, Chatrine had obtained recordings of every conversation between Sebastian Harper and his men. Important corporate files that should have remained sealed inside secured systems were breached with frightening ease. The truth behind Sebastian Harpe