Chapter 3

"Chloe, quickly, come toast Mr. Thompson."

I hastily poured champagne into a small glass and walked around the table to stand before Liam.

"Mr. Thompson, I toast you."

One glass down.

Liam's brow furrowed slightly.

I poured another. As I raised the glass, Liam abruptly stood up. "Stop drinking."

I ignored him, quickly refilled, and drank two more glasses.

"Mr. Thompson, please, drink at your own pace."

Under the curious gazes of everyone, I returned to my seat.

As the toasts went around, Liam barely touched his drink.

When my colleague Amy raised her glass, she stared at Liam's face for a long, long time, then drunkenly spoke to me.

"Chloe, why does Mr. Thompson look so much like your son?!"

The words dropped like a bombshell, exploding in the private room.

Liam's head snapped up, his eyes like deep wells, dark and scrutinizing, probing for answers.

Amy was about to pull out her phone to show everyone a picture when the door opened.

"Sorry, I'm late."

A striking figure stood in the doorway.

It was Sophia.

I'd almost forgotten she was Liam's secretary now; she wouldn't miss an occasion like this.

"You haven't been drinking, have you?"

"Your medical report said you have slightly high blood pressure; you should be careful with alcohol."

Liam shook his head. "No, I haven't."

Seeing Sophia's authoritative air, Amy sheepishly put her phone away and sat back next to me.

"Who said he was single? That woman practically has 'wife' tattooed on her forehead."

Amy grumbled grudgingly, then raised her glass and downed the rest of her drink.

Sophia took her seat, pausing when she saw me.

In the end, the contract wasn't finalized, but plenty of alcohol was consumed.

Our boss, however, had only been introduced through a connection this time; his true aim wasn't really the contract.

"Mr. Thompson, next time you're doing business, please consider Sterling Corp.!"

Outside the hotel, the wind was biting.

It stung my forehead, and my stomach churned with nausea.

Liam's gaze cut through the crowd, settling on me. A flicker of urgency crossed his usually indifferent expression.

"What's wrong? Stomach ache?"

He bent down, and in front of everyone, picked me up and carried me to his car.

"Mr. Smith, I'm taking your employee. As for the contract, we can discuss it."

With that, before anyone could react, he hit the gas and sped off.

"Chloe... where does it hurt? Here? Or there?"

His familiar voice buzzed in my ears, but I couldn't open my eyelids.

In the smooth ride of the back seat, I lay in Liam's arms, burrowing deeper into his warm chest.

I woke up to find myself in a hospital bed, an IV drip in my arm.

Outside the door, voices clamored.

"Liam, look closely at who's lying in there!"

"You're thirty-six now, not twenty-six! You're past the age of impulsive acts for love!"

"If I hadn't covered up that mess back then, do you think it would have passed so easily? The Thompson family would have been ruined!"

Sophia's hushed voice still reached my ears, every word clear.

"Enough! I know!"

"There are some things I just have to get clear!"

I lay in bed, watching the IV drip. The coldness from the fluid gradually seeped into my heart and lungs.

Liam was the most stubbornly devoted person I'd ever met in our social circle. He'd stop at nothing to marry Sophia.

All his passionate youthful rebellions were for Sophia.

When I was thirteen, he got his wish and married Sophia.