Chapter 8 Hidden Debts.
Chloe's POV.
We got back to the penthouse after dinner, and Liam disappeared into his office without a word while I headed to the guest room to change out of that silk dress.
My skin still tingled from his touch in the garden, but I pushed the thought away because focusing on it only made everything feel more complicated. I slipped into sweatpants and a tank top, then sat on the bed scrolling through a threatening text I received from Kim with a photo of Liam and her.
After a few minutes, I got another text from Mia about Mom's recovery from the afternoon surgery. Everything seemed stable so far, but hospitals always had a way of turning calm into chaos.
Before I could open the text, a call entered my phone immediately. My phone rang sharply and suddenly and Mia's name flashed on the screen. I answered quickly. "Mia, what's wrong?"
"Sis, they just rushed Mom back to the OR," Mia said and her voice broke. "She had complications, bleeding or something. They said it's urgent and needs another surgery now, but we need to pay upfront again."
I stood up fast and my heart pounded. "How much this time?"
"Fifteen thousand," Mia whispered. "I tried to explain, but they won't start without it."
"I'll handle it," I said, even though my bank app showed the balance dipping low after today's transfers. "Just stay there with her; I'll be there soon."
I hung up and walked to Liam's office door, knocking hard. He opened it in his tux shirt, unbuttoned at the collar. "Hospital again, Mom's having complications. Please, can you drive me there now?"
He grabbed his keys without answering a question. "Marcus is off to do something; I'll take you." We rode the elevator down in silence and he drove the black SUV himself, speeding through traffic until we pulled into the hospital lot.
At the desk, the nurse looked up. "Family of Mrs. Carter, yes, the surgery's prepped, but payment first."
Liam pulled out his card before I could open my app. "Cover it all," he said flatly and handed it over. The nurse swiped it and nodded, then led us to a private waiting room away from the main area.
Mia jumped up when she saw me and hugged me tight, then turned to Liam and threw her arms around him, too. "Thank you so much for helping."
I pulled her back gently but firmly. "Mia, he's a stranger, don't hug men like that, especially not him." My voice came out sharper than I meant and Mia's eyes widened, but she stepped away nodding. Liam glanced at me but said nothing, just sat down and pulled out his phone like he was checking emails.
We waited two hours until the doctor came out, scrubbing his hands. "Surgery went well, she's stable now, resting in recovery." Relief hit me like a wave and I hugged Mia again. Liam stood. "I'll pull the car around and meet you out front."
In the car on the way back, he kept quiet, but his knuckles were white on the wheel. At the penthouse, we walked in and he poured two glasses of red wine from the bar, then handed me one.
"Sit," he said and nodded to the couch. I took it and sat because my legs felt weak from the day. "About what you said to your sister," he started and sat next to me, close enough that our thighs touched. "You think I'm dangerous to hug."
"It's not that," I said, but my cheeks heated. "She's young and doesn't know better."
He set his glass down and turned to face me, his eyes dark. "But you do." His hand came up to my neck, tilting my head back and he kissed me slowly at first, then deeper until I tasted the wine on his tongue.
I set my glass aside and my hands went to his shirt, unbuttoning what was left. "This is for pulling her away," he murmured against my lips. "Compensation."
I nodded because arguing felt pointless and the wine warmed my blood. He stood and pulled me up, then pushed me down to the rug in front of the couch, soft and thick under my knees.
"On all fours," he ordered and I did, turning away from him. He knelt behind me and yanked my sweatpants down with my panties, exposing me to the cool air. His hands gripped my hips hard and I heard his zipper, then felt him press against me, thick and ready.
"Tell me you want it," he said and teased the tip along my folds.
"I want it," I breathed, pushing back, but he held me still.
"Louder."
"I want it, Liam, please." He used to insert his two fingers and thrust in deep all at once and I cried out from the stretch. He paused, letting me adjust, then started moving slowly, pulling out, then slamming hard in. His hand reached around to circle my clit, matching his rhythm and the dual sensation built fast. "Fuck, you feel good," he groaned and sped up the rug, burning my knees, but I didn't care.
"Don't stop," I begged and he slapped my ass, lightly but stinging, then his fingers harder, which hit just right. Pressure coiled tight and I came clenching around his fingers, moaning his name.
Burying deep and moving his fingers inside me, he removed his fingers some seconds later. I collapsed to the rug, breathing hard. After pulling out his fingers, he then rolled me to face him. "This changes nothing," he said, tracing my lip with his thumb. "It is still a contract."
I nodded, but inside, something twisted because his eyes said something different for a split second. He stood and fixed his pants because his manhood was struggling to breathe there.
Then, I headed to the kitchen for water. I pulled my clothes back on and sat on the couch, sipping the leftover wine, when the doorbell buzzed. Liam answered and Brian walked in carrying a folder. "Late but important," Brian said and they went to the kitchen.
I slipped off the couch quietly and hid in the hallway, pressing against the wall to listen. "Your guard, Marcus, came to me earlier," Brian said low. "The investigator found dirt on Chloe's dad. Abandoned the family years ago, but it turns out he borrowed big from your grandfather back in the day and never paid it back."
Liam's voice came tense. "Connected how?" "Debt to Astor Sr. straight up. Photos receipts the works. He's alive, hiding out in Jersey, probably."
I held my breath and my mind raced back to childhood memories of Dad leaving without a word, bills piling up after. Liam sighed. "Keep it quiet for now. Leverage if she steps out of line."
Brian laughed softly. "You're playing with fire, man. She hears this and the deal blows up."
They clinked glasses and I backed away silently, heading to my room. Leverage again that word from the phone calls. I waited until bedtime and most especially, lights out, then crept to Liam's office. The door unlocked.
I flipped on the desk lamp and rifled through drawers until I found a file labeled Debt to Astor Sr. Inside were old photos of Dad, young and smiling, with a man who looked like an older Liam, probably the grandfather. Loan papers signed amounts circled in red are unpaid.
My hands shook flipping pages, but before I could read the details, Liam's phone buzzed on the desk left behind. The screen lit up with a text from Kim. I know about her dad telling her, or I will. Attached a photo of Dad, looking rough, but alive.
I snapped a photo with my phone quickly, then put everything back and slipped out, heart pounding. Back in bed, I stared at the ceiling, replaying the day of the surgery, the sex, the secrets. Liam's softer side at the hospital clashed with this hidden file and I wondered how deep the connection ran.
Hours later, I couldn't hold it in anymore, so I got up and knocked on the connecting door. It opened and Liam stood there in boxers, rubbing his eyes. "What?"
I held up my phone with the file photo I'd snapped. "This is about my dad; explain."
He pulled me into his room and closed the door, then sat on the bed. "Your father owed my grandfather a lot of money. Never paid and ran off. That's why I chose you to leverage to collect if needed."
My stomach dropped. "You knew all along you used me for an old debt."
He nodded, no apology in his eyes. "Business, Chloe." Then he rolled over, facing away. "Go to sleep; we leave for Paris tomorrow."
I stood there frozen as my phone buzzed again with another text from Kim. A photo of Dad alive and well outside a motel, timestamped today. The message read He's in Jersey, want the address.
I deleted it and went back to my room, staring at the ceiling as questions swirled. If Dad were alive, why hide him and what else was Liam keeping? Paris loomed like a trap and I wondered if I'd make it through without breaking.