37

37
Liam
The incessant knock on my office door had been grating against my nerves for the last fifteen minutes.
Whoever was on the other side either had a death wish or was determined to test the limits of my patience.
And I knew who it was. Alex.
“It’s either you get your ass in here, or you get out,” I said sharply, not bothering to raise my head from the contract in front of me.
Allen, seated across from me, smirked, clearly amused by my irritation. “I believe Mr. Hemsworth is here to apologize for last night’s... saga,” he remarked.
I scowled, the memory of Alex’s drunken antics and the stench of his vomit still lingering. I had waited another thirty minutes before Allen came. I had buried myself in the bath for over an hour, just trying to forget.
The door creaked open, and Alex stepped in, looking like a kicked puppy. His hands were clasped together, and he kept bowing repeatedly. “I’m so sorry, sir,” he stammered.
Allen leaned back in his chair, suppressing a laugh. “Do you even remember anything from last night?”
Alex and Allen were my closest people. Both had been with me for more than five years. Alex had been there since I was twenty.
Alex straightened up, his face a mix of embarrassment and confusion. “Not a bit,” he admitted.
“Then why are you apologizing?” I finally looked up, meeting his sheepish gaze.
Alex hesitated, squirming under my scrutiny. “I just... I have a feeling I caused some havoc,” he mumbled.
Allen couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore. “Oh, you did. You really did.”
I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Allen, enlighten him before I lose the will to make him live.”
Allen leaned forward, grinning like a Cheshire cat. “Well, let’s see. You made the boss propose to Miss Gomez.”
Alex’s eyes widened in shock. “That’s not a bad thing, is it? Isn’t that what you’ve been wanting all along?”
Allen and I both stared at him, and his confidence faltered. He quickly added, “I mean... considering everything that happened ten years ago and, uh, the past five years...”
I really should have killed him last night when I had the chance.
Having Arlene this close to me was what I wanted, but there’s no way in hell I’m giving either of them the satisfaction of knowing how that made me feel.
“Enough,” I snapped, cutting him off before he could dig himself deeper. My mind wandered to Arlene, to the way she had stared at me last night—conflicted, guarded, yet undeniably drawn to me.
I was drawn to her. The pull had been so real. If I hadn’t controlled it, I would have had her buried underneath me, screaming my name in ecstasy.
But again, there are two things to it. She’s pregnant, and I still have that woman from Hawaii taunting me.
The woman with the star tattoo haunted my thoughts, a shadowy figure I couldn’t shake.
“Did you get any lead on her?” I asked suddenly, my voice sharper than intended.
Both men looked at me, startled. I could bet they wondered how I could switch from playful to boss mode in seconds.
“Not yet, boss,” Alex said quickly, his eagerness to redeem himself evident.
“How long do I have to wait to unravel this mystery?” I slammed my fist on the desk, the frustration boiling over. “How is it so impossible to find a woman in Hawaii?”
Why did I say I met Arlene in Hawaii?
I thought about it now and wondered if I had alcohol in my system when I walked up to save her last night.
Allen, ever the voice of reason, chimed in. “We’ve got men scattered all over Hawaii and the neighboring cities. We even requested the CCTV footage from that night, but it was wiped clean. It’s like someone powerful erased every trace of her.”
I leaned back in my chair, my jaw tightening. If only I could remember what she looked like.
“Boss, all we have is the star tattoo,” Alex said cautiously.
“And that’s not enough?” I asked, glaring at him.
A knock interrupted my thoughts, and Bianca, my secretary, walked in with a parcel and a note.
“This just arrived for you, sir,” she said, placing them on the desk.
“Who?”
“Miss Arlene Gomez, sir.”
The tension in the room shifted as my mood lifted. My lips twitched into a faint smile as I reached for the note first.
“This is a piece of shit, boy. I will remain afloat even if I get a hundred of these. – A.”
The defiance in her words amused me. Arlene always had a way of keeping things... interesting.
Not to mention, she called me a fucking boy.
Allen reached for the parcel, but I stopped him. “I’ll handle it.”
As I carefully unwrapped the parcel, Alex’s phone chimed. He glanced at the screen and snorted. “Look who was caught not wearing her ultimate engagement ring.”
I froze, my hand midway through opening the package. “Give it to me,” I demanded, holding out my hand.
Alex handed over his phone, and I studied the photo of Arlene, her fingers conspicuously bare.
“She couldn’t wear it because it was obviously cheap,” Allen remarked, rolling his eyes.
Alex bristled. “That ring cost a million dollars!”
“A million dollars?” I shot Alex a glare. “You gave me that to propose to her?”
Allen tried to stifle his laughter but failed. “Miss Gomez has high standards. I’ll have something else sent to her—a ring worthy of her status.”
Then, as if it were an afterthought, Allen added, “For a pregnant woman who might be extra sensitive, a million-dollar ring just doesn’t cut it.”
I stiffened at the word pregnant.
“I need to know who the jerk was,” I muttered. “Arlene and I still need to talk.”
Both men turned to me, Alex looking confused while Allen seemed smug.
“Wait... she’s pregnant?” Alex asked.
Ignoring the question, I tore through the rest of the package, revealing two exquisitely designed jackets.
“Those aren’t your brand,” Allen noted, studying them.
“Exactly,” I replied, running my fingers over the fabric. “Because she won’t remain afloat if she attempts to purchase one of mine.”
I dialed her number without a second thought, and she picked up on the first ring.
“Expecting my call, I see,” I said, leaning back in my chair.
“Liam?” Her tone was sharp, and I imagined her checking the caller ID. She had real good sense.
“I see you’ve been thinking of me,” I drawled. “Got the jackets, but we’ll talk about them when we meet tonight.”
Her silence was palpable. “How did you get my number?” she finally asked.
“I get whatever I want,” I replied, smirking. “Just don’t forget to wear the ring I’m sending to you. We need to convince everyone we’re madly in love.”
I didn’t wait for her response. “See you tonight,” I added before hanging up.
Allen grinned. “Well, I guess that’s a yes to getting something new for Miss Gomez.”
I leaned forward, staring at the jackets she’d sent me. She thought she could outmaneuver me, but she didn’t realize she was playing my game. And I never lose.
“How’s Miss Gomez pregnant?” Alex asked again.
“Get the fuck out,” I blurted, not sparing him a glance.