33

33
Liam
I barely had Alex upright, his drunken form swaying with each unsteady step when Lucas stormed up to me, his face twisted with anger.
Lucas’s jaw clenched as though he were grinding his teeth to dust. I expected him to lash out, to grab my shirt or wrist—that was just who Lucas was. But he didn’t. Instead, he followed me, fury emanating with every stride.
“What makes you think she’d choose you?” he snarled, his voice slicing through the cool night air.
I didn’t glance at him, focusing on getting Alex into the car. Alex kept muttering that he could handle himself. If he was so confident, I let him stagger his way into the car.
“She already did, Lucas,” I said curtly, my tone flat and emotionless.
My words clearly hit a nerve. He stepped closer, his voice rising with frustration. “You think you’re better than me? Going after a woman I was supposed to be with? Arlene and I were meant to happen! How could you stoop so low?”
I turned to face him finally, my expression cold and unyielding. “Supposed to be with?” I mocked, repeating his words. “You can’t accept failure, can you? If you can’t handle that, it’s your problem, not mine.”
His fists clenched, his knuckles turning white. “How did you even meet her? Did you manipulate her? Was it another one of your wicked schemes, Liam?”
I almost laughed at the accusation. Lucas always saw himself as the victim, as though the world was conspiring against him. He’d played that role for years, and I’d let him. “The only wicked scheme I had, Lucas, was denying you the chance to win.”
His fists clenched tighter, a bitter smirk curling on my lips. “I’m still waiting for the day you’ll have the guts to do what you’ve been pretending to be capable of.”
“Don’t push me,” he gritted, his voice thick with contempt.
“I just did,” I replied, raising my gaze slightly to see Daisy standing at the entrance of the grand hall, tears glistening in her eyes. She looked heartbroken, watching her fiancé argue over his ex with me, his older brother, soon to be her brother-in-law. It wasn’t hard to see that Lucas’s frustration only fueled my calm.
“You’ve got your princess watching, Lucas,” I stated, nodding toward Daisy. “Maybe you should worry about her instead of obsessing over Arlene.”
Lucas’s eyes darted to Daisy, his irritation giving way to renewed resolve. He turned back to me, his anger flaring once more. “Don’t deflect, Liam. You’ve always been like this - taking what isn’t yours and acting like you’re untouchable.”
I stepped closer, my voice dropping to a low, menacing whisper. “You must be sick if you think I’m competing with you. Whatever’s mine comes easily. You just saw that.”
Before Lucas could retort, our parents appeared, their presence instantly commanding attention. My father’s booming voice sliced through the tension. “What the hell is going on here?”
“Just a brotherly discussion,” I said nonchalantly, stepping back.
My mother’s eyes flickered between Lucas and me, her lips pressed into a thin line. “This is about Arlene, isn’t it?” she said, her tone dripping with disapproval. “The two of you causing a scene over a woman? Have you no shame?”
But our father seemed oddly entertained. He smirked, his eyes gleaming with approval. “Well, as long as one of you ends up with Arlene, it’s a win for the family. The Gomez connection is too valuable to let slip.”
I stared at him, disgust rising in my chest. “This isn’t about business,” I snapped. “At least, not yours.”
Both my parents looked taken aback, but I didn’t care. I turned back to Lucas, my voice cold and firm. “I’m not going to warn you again, Lucas. Stay away from her. The next time you breathe the same air as her, it’ll be the last time.”
Without waiting for a response, I climbed into the car and slammed the door shut. As I pulled away from the Gomez residence, I caught a glimpse of Lucas and my parents standing in the driveway, their expressions a mix of anger and frustration.
I didn’t understand why Mother always acted shocked by everything. I’d clearly made it obvious that I had no involvement in the Walker’s business.
Alex, however, was oblivious to it all. He began mumbling, his words slurred. “You got the pretty heiress... pregnant... you really did it, didn’t you?” He squinted at me. “Did you forget about the girl with the tattoo? The one you’ve been looking for?”
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel and shot him a warning glare. Alex squirmed in his seat, attempting to shrink away from my gaze. “One more word, and you’ll have to find your own way home.”
It was strange - no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t remember the girl from that night. But I couldn’t deny the same feeling that had stirred in me earlier when Arlene had been so close.
While it hurt that she had a baby, I still couldn’t help but imagine pinning her against the wall, worshipping her body, cleaning every trace of her baby’s father from her.
“Relax,” Alex said with a nervous laugh. “You should be thanking me. I saved the day by giving you that ring, didn’t I?”
Yeah, that.
I slammed on the brakes, the car jerking to an abrupt stop. Alex lurched forward, nearly smacking his head on the dashboard.
He turned to me, his face a mixture of confusion and irritation. “Are you trying to kill me?”
“I can tell you’re extremely sober and clearheaded right now,” I said, turning toward him. “Now tell me why the hell you did that.”
“Did what?” he asked, completely lost.
I scoffed. “Bought that shitty ring and shoved it in my face as a proposal.”
Alex sighed, his drunken bravado fading. “I didn’t have a choice,” he muttered, looking down. “I caught Sheila in bed with her so-called cousin. Turns out, he was a lot more than that.”
“Who?” I asked, trying to place the name.
Alex’s face darkened. “Sheila.”
“Who?” I asked again, bored.
“My fucking girlfriend, boss.”
Now he was just realizing who the boss was.
“Sad,” I replied, genuinely feeling sorry for him. Alex had been through a lot, and I understood how that could break a man.
He laughed bitterly, tears welling in his eyes. “She didn’t even look sorry. Called me a work freak. Said I was too busy to notice their little affair.”
I stared at him, unsure of how to respond. Comforting people wasn’t really my thing. “I’ll call Allen to come get you,” I said, finally pulling out my phone.
“I don’t want to be comforted,” he coughed, turning his gaze away.
“I had no intention of comforting you either.”
Allen answered on the second ring, and I quickly explained the situation. After agreeing to meet us at a nearby location, I hung up and turned back to Alex.
But before I could say anything, he stumbled out of the car, looking far too smug for someone in his condition.
I sighed, resisting the urge to just drive off and leave him behind. But I couldn’t do that, certainly not yet.
As I helped him out of the car, Alex suddenly gagged. Before I could react, he vomited all over me. The stench hit me instantly, and I recoiled, shoving him away. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered, pulling off my jacket and tossing it aside.
Alex looked at me sheepishly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Sorry about that,” he mumbled.
I glared at him, my patience gone. “Pray you forget tonight ever happened,” I said through gritted teeth. “Because if you remember even a single thing, I’ll make sure you regret it.”