Liam Devereux
The sound of the door slamming against the wall made me look up from my laptop. Sophie stormed into the penthouse, her breath coming in ragged gasps as if she had been running.
I frowned, glancing at James, who had just entered behind her, looking just as confused as I felt.
“Sophie?” I called, my tone sharp with concern.
Before I could say anything else, she fell to her knees in front of me.
“Please, Liam,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I am willing to do whatever it takes. Whatever you want, I’ll do it. Just grant one request for me.”
My eyes narrowed, and I leaned forward. “What request?”
“Lucas.” Her lips quivered as she said the name, and then, like a dam breaking, tears spilled from her eyes. “He is in danger. I’m afraid I’m going to lose him, but I can’t, Liam. You know he’s the only one I’ve got. I can’t lose my only family. Please, save him.”
I inhaled deeply, dragging a hand down my face. This again.
“I already gave you the money,” I said, my voice measured. “What exactly do you want from me now?”
She wiped her tears with the back of her hand before slowly standing up. She looked at me with such desperation that it unsettled me.
I wanted to ignore it. I wanted to remind myself why I had cut ties with the Evans in the first place. But instead, I found my fingers moving on their own, brushing a stray tear off her cheek.
She flinched slightly but didn’t pull away.
“What happened?” I asked, my voice softer this time.
“I got a call out of nowhere about my brother’s accident,” she said, her voice cracking. “They said he had been unconscious for over a week. When I arrived, I found out he wasn’t just in a coma, he needed an urgent transplant too.”
“And?” I prompted.
She took a deep breath, as if trying to steady herself. “The person who told me all this, her name is Benita. She introduced herself as Lucas’s girlfriend.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Benita?”
She nodded. “At first, I believed her. She was by his side day and night, crying for him, taking care of him. She was the one who told me about the medical bills, the transplant, everything. And when I mentioned that I knew you, she pushed me to come to you for help.”
I exhaled sharply.
“So, she was using you,” I concluded.
“Yes. But it’s worse than that,” Sophie said, clenching her fists. “I saw her this morning. She was talking to some guy outside the hospital.”
That caught my attention. My jaw tensed. “What did she say?” I asked, my patience wearing thin.
Sophie swallowed hard. “She told him that Lucas wasn’t going to live. That once she got her hands on the money, she was going to kill him herself.”
I went rigid, but I didn’t say anything.
“She said he had no reason to rush because once she got the money, she would get rid of him anyway,” Sophie continued, her voice shaking. “And if the guy touched her again, she’d call the cops and take all the money for herself.”
James let out a low curse from behind me, but I barely registered it.
Sophie’s eyes burned with panic as she looked at me. “Liam, I think she was planning to flee with the money. And if that’s true, that means Lucas isn’t safe. She’s been pretending to take care of him, but she could hurt him at any moment.”
Everything inside me went cold.
Lucas.
The name alone brought a storm of emotions crashing over me.
Lucas had been my best friend once, my brother in everything but blood. We had built dreams together, made promises. But he had betrayed me. He had stood by when Sophie…
I clenched my jaw. I had told myself I was done with them. Done with the Evans. But now Sophie was here, standing in front of me, begging me to save him.
I wanted to tell her it was not my problem.
“You don’t know what Benita is truly capable of,” Sophie continued, her voice growing more desperate. “I thought she cared about him, Liam. I thought she loved him. But now I realize she’s been waiting for the right time to take everything and disappear. If I do nothing, I’ll lose my brother.”
I exhaled slowly, my thoughts warring against each other.
She took a hesitant step closer. “Please, Liam. I don’t mind extending our contract as long as my brother is alive and back on his feet. That is all I ask of you.”
I stiffened at her words. Extending the contract.
James and I exchanged a look, and he gave me a small nod. Last night, he had sent me a text about forgiving the Evans, about moving on from the past. I had ignored it.
“I don’t know what happened to you,” she said, her eyes shining with pain. “Or why you disappeared without a trace. But this is an opportunity for you to redeem yourself. Save my brother, Liam… or I’ll never forgive you.”
Something inside me snapped. I stared at her, stunned.
“Disappeared without a trace?” I asked, my voice sharp.
She held my gaze, unwavering. “You heard me.”
And then I knew, there was a misunderstanding somewhere. To Sophie, I was the one who left.