Chapter 128 Wait, do you mean
It felt like someone dumped ice water over my head. My whole body went cold.
It finally clicked for me. Liam had been waiting for this moment the whole time. He never wanted me to take this job. But he also knew that if he just asked me to say no, I would never go along with it. So he waited until everyone was here, then he dropped it right in front of them. That way my mom and Mr. Thorne could be the ones to force me out of it.
That manipulative, cold-blooded bastard.
I was so damn angry. I felt like an idiot who had been played.
“Soph?” my mom said, pushing me to answer. She was waiting, nervous.
I pulled in a deep breath. “Yeah, that is true.” The wound was already open anyway. No point in trying to hide it now.
“What? Why?” My mom tightened her grip on her napkin until her knuckles went white. “What made you think you needed a part-time job? Do you need money?”
Yes, I need money. I wanted to scream it at her. I need money for college so I can start my own damn life and not end up as some trophy wife living off an allowance the way she does.
But those thoughts were too harsh to say out loud. And our family lawyer was right there. I could not embarrass her in front of him. So after a long pause, I just forced out a few words. “Yeah, I need money. And I want to make it myself.”
My mom sucked in a sharp breath like she had just heard something insane.
“Sophie,” Mr. Thorne said, joining in on the conversation. “If you want a job, you are welcome to do a paid internship at my company. It would help your resume too.”
“Thank you, sir, but I am fine with what I have,” I said, keeping my voice as respectful as I could even though it came out dry.
Liam was sitting right across from me. He suddenly leaned forward over the table. There was that look in his eyes again, the one I now recognized as pure evil. He gave me a cold smile before he spoke. “Soph, who was it that set you up with that coffee house job again?”
My heart literally stopped. I wanted to grab the knife and shove it into his smug face.
“I found it myself,” I snapped.
“Oh, I do not think that is true at all,” Liam said, his voice like ice. “It was Alex, right? He gave you the interview and put you in danger.”
“What? Are you out of your fucking mind? How dare you accuse Alex ” I was yelling now.
“Alex?” my mom gasped. “Your boyfriend?”
Liam let out a snort. “Yes, her boyfriend. Who, by the way, does not seem to care one bit about Soph’s safety.”
I smacked my hand down on the table and pushed up to my feet. That was it. I had had enough. All the accusations, all the manipulation, all the betrayal.
“So you want to know who gave me this job? Yes, it was Alex. Because he actually gives a damn about my situation and wanted to help me fix it. Unlike someone who says he is proud of me for being strong but then does the complete opposite. You are a fucking hypocrite, Liam Thorne.”
The room went dead silent. Everyone had the same shocked look on their faces. Liam’s expression dropped, his green eyes burning with anger. For one second I actually thought he was going to jump up and hit me, but he just sat there staring at me like I was beneath him.
“Sorry. If you will excuse me.” I forced the words out and walked away from the table.
I stormed out of the dining room, went upstairs, and headed straight into my room.
It was hard to believe we had been kissing and sleeping together just a few hours ago. But this was what our relationship was like, bumpy and hard and toxic. The good moments never lasted, and most of the time we spent cursing and hating each other.
I sat on my bed, not really thinking about anything.
Maybe he would come up and apologize? I was not sure if I would forgive him, but I wanted him to explain everything to me.
But no.
I waited a long time, my nerves on edge. No one ever came to my door.
Maybe he was done with me. Or maybe he just did not give a damn about how I felt. Sadness and anger built up inside me as I pulled out my phone and typed out a message.
“Maybe we should take a break.”
“This is too much.”
I hit send without thinking and regretted it immediately. It was stupid to break up over something like this when we had already gotten through so much together.
But I was also curious how he would react. So I sat there holding my phone, waiting for him to reply.
Another hour went by. Nothing.
Eventually I had to accept that he was not going to text me back at all. My phone slipped out of my hand and hit the floor. I buried my face in my palms.
The next few days were hell for me because I still had not heard from him. No texts, no calls. He did not even show up at the townhouse again.
My pride kept me from reaching out first, but I spent a lot of time just staring at my phone screen, hoping for some kind of miracle where he would call me.
I was pathetic.
He was the evil asshole, so why was I the one suffering?
The only good thing was that my mom and Mr. Thorne had not been affected by my drama. A day later they were back to being sweet and loving with each other. I was a little jealous of how good they were together.
With their anniversary coming up, my mom went crazy with shopping again. The next Saturday morning, she dragged me along to a fitting. I was not interested in any of that, but since my so-called boyfriend was ignoring me, I did not have anything else to do.
“So for the color palette of the party, I am thinking white and beige. I wanted to go with rosy pink, but I was worried people would call it tacky. So I want to play it safe. Do you have anything appropriate to wear, sweetie? Soph, are you listening? Sophie.”
I snapped back to reality and realized I had been staring at my phone again. My mom was standing on a platform in her new evening gown with three designers measuring her all at once. She was pouting at me, clearly annoyed that I was not paying attention.
“You look very beautiful, Mom.” It was a compliment, but it was also the truth. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.
She smiled and turned to the designers. “Can you bring the collection back out? I think my daughter needs something as well.”
“No, Mom, I am fine,” I said right away. Those custom clothes were ridiculously expensive.
But the designers just smiled and nodded, then left the VIP lounge.
My mom stepped off the platform and came to sit next to me. She studied my face for a moment before asking, “Everything okay, sweetie?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“But something is on your mind, right?” Her eyes stayed fixed on me. “Does it have to do with your boyfriend? With Alex?”
It did have to do with my boyfriend. But not Alex.
“Listen, I do not want to tell you who to date. But do you really think Alex is a good choice for you? I mean, I liked him before, but this part-time job thing has really changed my mind about him.”
“Mom, that is enough.” I snapped. “How can you all blame him for this? He was just doing me a favor. He did nothing wrong.”
“I am not blaming him. But your top priority is your college applications and school. You need a boyfriend who understands that. If he comes from one of those families where he has to work part-time jobs just to afford college, then I do not think he is the right fit for you.”
God. How could she say that? She was a small town girl herself. Did she just forget that after she married a billionaire?
“One more word, and I am leaving,” I mumbled, clearly pissed off.
“Okay, fine.” My mom held up her hands. “Since you will not tell me what is bothering you, I will tell you something that is bothering me.”
I sat there in silence, not sure I wanted to hear it.
She sighed, and I could see something uneasy flash through her eyes. “Alexander’s ex is coming to our anniversary party.”
I held my breath without meaning to. “Wait, do you mean ”
“Yes. Alexander’s ex wife. Liam’s mother.”