Chapter 24:The meet up

The next morning dawned with a crispness in the air that mirrored the tight coil of anxiety in Liam’s stomach. Today, he would face Aria—a confrontation that had been long overdue. He hadn’t slept well, the mix of Charles’s warning and his dinner with Chelsea weighing on his mind. Last night had been a rare respite, a few hours of ease and laughter, but it only made today’s impending tension feel heavier.

As he arrived at the café where he and Aria had agreed to meet, he felt a familiar sense of control slide into place. He was Liam, a man who handled challenges head-on. Yet,...