Page 30 of The Wolf's Bullied Bride

Clearly not wanting to push it since we were in a public place, Liam let go of a frustrated breath and pulled away.

“See you around then.”

Those two words were so simple, but I sensed something else in them. Regret.

That may have been the case, but to me, he had been clear enough. He didn’t want anything to do with me, regardless of how good the sex was, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Burned by not only his previous treatment of me but also how he selfishly decided I wasn’t good enough for him to pursue, I didn’t need to concern myself over making amends with him.

With his coffee in hand, Liam left the coffee shop, and the moment he left, I let go of a tense breath.

That familiar irritation flared within me and immediately reminded me of how ignorant he was. To think he could get to me and try to pretend like everything was fine. To assume I was even interested in hearing his apology.

He had stepped on me enough, and I was tired of it.

Pulling myself together, I considered my revenge. If I was going to give him a taste of his own medicine, then I needed to focus.

Opening a new browser tab, I got back to it, hunting for any crumbs of information I could find on him.

Grateful I had the choice of working outside of the office, I had spent most of the morning at the coffee shop, searching and wafting through copious, unhelpful articles and information. Some had to do with his lineage and others in his family, but there was virtually nothing on him. It made me wonder if my search had been for nothing.

But as time crept by, my luck seemed to turn around.

The door opened again, and while that wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, the newcomer was exactly the person I needed to speak with.

Joey was a close friend of Liam’s, from what I could tell, and he had been at the opening of the tattoo studio. Apparently, he even lived in the city. Fortunately, he needed coffee, which led him right on my path.

I waited until he was finished ordering and on his way back out again to get up and approach him. I put on my best smile.

“Joey, hi. I saw you at Liam’s grand opening, and I was wondering if I could ask you some questions.”

His brows furrowed in confusion. “What’s this about?”

“I’m actually writing a piece on Liam, and I was hoping to learn more about him. As an entrepreneur, he’s quite the inspiration around town,” I answered, hating even the sound of giving him false credit. “I won’t take up too much of your time.”

Joey studied me for a moment, and then he gave in as his features softened. “That shouldn’t hurt. Why not?”

My smile brightened. “Excellent. I appreciate it.”

“Sure. What do you want to know?” He asked, following me to my table. He took a seat and sipped from his coffee. Quickly, I reached for my recorder and pressed the button.

“To begin, what was your first impression of Liam?”

He considered it for a moment, then nodded his approval to himself. “Well, he had always been a very generous, helpful guy. When I was down on my luck, I met him at the right time.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“He let me crash at his place while I got back on my feet, and he even helped me get a job.” He answered, not thinking anything of my questions.

He piqued my interest. “How kind of him. What kind of work?”

“Construction with one of the biggest companies in the area. It’s funny, actually; I didn’t know he was a shifter until he started lifting solid steel beams without flinching. We had a long conversation after that.”

I managed a chuckle, making a mental note of it. “Did he follow any other career paths before deciding to be a business owner?”

“Technically, he was a business owner before he opened the studio,” Joey said casually, but he tensed out of nowhere, and his eyes widened slightly.

I didn’t miss that reaction.

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