Chapter 52 Josh’s Warning

Chapter 52 Josh’s Warning
Liam's POV

I lingered outside Mia's building, watching the door she had just disappeared into. I let out a quiet breath. I had just told her goodnight, watched her eyes soften as she smiled at me like I was her whole world.

I wasn't expecting Josh to follow. Boots scuffing against the pavement, he stopped a few feet behind me, hands shoved deep into his pockets, his jaw tight.

"I knew you wanted to say something," I said without turning, my voice low, measured.

Josh exhaled. "Yeah," he admitted. "I did."

I finally looked over, eyes sharp but not defensive, just tired. "So say it."

Josh walked closer, stopping near the driver's side of my car. "Look... I know I'm not in a position to tell you how to handle your relationship. I'm not her brother. I'm not her ex. I'm just... her friend. And maybe that doesn't give me any right. But still..."

"You're worried about her," I cut in gently.

Josh nodded. "She's a good girl, Liam. Better than most. And she's been through hell already. You saw the way she clung to you tonight, like you were the only person left in the world. She's strong, yeah. But even strong girls break."

"I know that," I said quietly. "I won't be the one to break her. I love her, Josh. I know exactly what I feel."

Josh didn't question it. "I believe you."

I raised an eyebrow, surprised. But then Josh added, voice dropping.

"But I wasn't talking about you."

That made me pause, my posture stilling.

Josh continued, slow and steady, every word heavy with intent. "You're not just Liam Alcaraz. You are the son of Rafael Alcaraz. The heir. The future of one of the biggest business empires in the country. And no matter how much you try to protect her... that world?" He gave a bitter chuckle. "It's not kind to girls like Mia."

My jaw tensed. "You think I don't know that?"

"I think you do," Josh said. "But you're trying not to think about it because you want this to work. And I get it. I want it to work too, for her. But Liam, loving her means more than walking her to class or holding her when she cries. It means preparing for everything that comes after the fairytale part ends."

A beat of silence passed.

"I'm not stupid," I murmured. "I know what comes with the name I carry. But I also know what I want. And that's Mia. I'll protect her. I'll fight for her."

Josh gave a small nod, but the look in his eyes didn't soften. "I know you will. But protection doesn't change the whispers. It doesn't stop your world from making her feel like she doesn't belong in it."

My throat worked around the truth in that.

"And even if you try your damn hardest to shield her," Josh said more softly now, "it's going to hurt her anyway. The judgment. The quiet comments about who she is, where she came from, what she's not. That's the kind of pain you can't always fight off."

"I'll deal with it when the time comes," I said, my voice a little more brittle than before. "I'll cross that bridge when I get there."

Josh stared at me for a long moment, then asked quietly.

"And what about her, Liam?"

I stilled.

Josh's voice was firm, not angry, just honest. "What happens to my best friend if she gives everything to you, her heart, her trust, her future, and that bridge collapses underneath her before she ever gets to the other side?"

I couldn't answer. Because in that moment, I realized: Josh wasn't questioning my love. He was questioning my courage.

Josh had already walked away, his footsteps fading into the night. But I just stood there, one hand resting on the car door handle, the other clenched tightly at my side. My breath was shallow. Josh had simply said the truth.

I slid into the driver's seat and shut the door, the silence in the car wrapping around me like a suffocating fog. I didn't start the engine.  Instead, I leaned my head back against the seat and closed my eyes.

I remembered the way she had whispered tonight, "I thought no one would find me."

That haunted me more than I could admit. I could handle pressure. I could handle my father's impossible expectations, the endless game of pretending to be the golden boy my family needed.

But Mia? She wasn't a game. She was real. She was everything the world would try to erase. And the truth was, I didn't know if I was strong enough to stop it.

Not when my father had already made it clear, "You can have fun with girls from the lower class, Liam. But don't confuse fun with future."

My jaw clenched as I reached into the glove compartment and pulled out my father's most recent invitation, a formal gala for Alcaraz Enterprises, an event Mia hadn't been invited to.

I stared at the embossed card for a long moment. Then crumpled it in my fist.

If this was the price of loving her, then maybe I needed to stop asking if I could protect her from the fire. Maybe it was time I learned how to walk through it beside her.

Even if that meant burning everything else down.

"Where have you been, son?" my father asked the moment I entered the dining room.

I froze in the doorway. For a second, I thought I was hallucinating.

My parents, both of them, were seated at the long mahogany dining table. The same table where I'd eaten countless meals alone. But now?

My father sat at the head, reading something on his tablet. My mother stirred her tea absentmindedly, her diamond bracelet catching the light. 

I stepped inside, schooling my expression. "I didn't know you were back from Europe."

My voice was calm, even as something inside me coiled tight.

My father looked up briefly, then returned to the screen. "We landed a few hours ago. Your mother's been calling. You didn't answer."

"I was busy."

"With what? Skipping football practice?" My father's tone was laced with judgment. "Coach called. Said you walked out halfway through."

I sat in my usual place, the leather cushion stiff beneath me. "It was just a misunderstanding."

My father set down the tablet with a thud. "I never wanted you playing in the first place. But you begged your mother. Begged me. We gave in. And now you're wasting time again."

I said nothing, fingers curling against the table's edge. I knew better than to argue now. It would only feed the fire.

There was a pause before my father's next words came, sharp, targeted.

"I also heard you brought a girl here recently."

I stiffened.

"She's your classmate?" my father asked flatly.

"No," my mother cut in, her voice lighter, almost curious. "Is she your girlfriend?"

My gaze flicked between them. I thought of Mia's small smile, her soft voice, the way she looked at me like I was enough.

And I lied.

"No. She's just a classmate. We had a group project."

I hated myself for saying it. For letting the lie hang between us like a blade.

Josh was right. I wasn't ready. And now, I couldn't even say her name in this house.

My mother smiled, pleased. "Good. Because you'll be escorting Stacy to the gala next week."

I blinked. "Stacy?"

"Stacy," she said, as if the name should mean something sacred. "The daughter of Salvador Montemayor. Old family friends."

"I thought she was studying in Paris."

"She was," my father replied, taking over again. "But she's transferring to Suncrest. Begged her parents the moment she heard you were enrolled. They're thrilled. And so are we."

"Thrilled?" I asked slowly, my voice colder now.

"Yes," my mother said brightly. "She's perfect for you. She is beautiful and sophisticated. And her father, well, let's just say aligning with their family solidifies our future. She's the only woman truly suitable for you, Liam."

I felt like choking.

"You've already decided that?"

My father didn't flinch. "We've made plans. It's time you start understanding your role in them."

"My role," I echoed bitterly.

My mother reached for her tea again, unbothered. "At the gala, you'll be introducing Stacy as your girlfriend. Everyone's expecting it."

I laughed, humorless. "Even me?"

My father's eyes narrowed. "Don't push this, Liam. You know how this works. You represent this family."

"And what about what I want?"

"You had your fun," my father said sharply. "Now, it's time to grow up."

My chest burned, not with rage, but with shame.

Because Mia would never belong in this room, not among people who saw love as leverage, who could erase someone like her without blinking. And while I hated them for it, I hated myself more for sitting there, pretending it didn't matter.