Page 1 of Liam
Chapter One
LIAM
Ifumble with my tie for the third time, my trembling fingers refusing to cooperate. The car mirror reflects dark circles under my eyes, a testament to a night spent pacing my penthouse, Mom's hospital report playing on an endless loop in my mind.
Coffee isn't enough to chase away the bone-deep exhaustion, but I've survived board meetings on less sleep.
I step out of my car, the September sun a stark contrast to the chill in my bones. LumiVera Labs looms before me, an unremarkable building.
“I shouldn’t be long, Marcus,” I tell my bodyguard, forcing my voice to remain steady. “You can wait in the lobby.”
The lobby of LumiVera is modest but well-maintained. A young receptionist greets me with a practiced smile, directingme to the elevator. As I ascend to the top floor, my phone buzzes.
Logan
We need to talk about Dad.
I clench my jaw, shoving the device back into my pocket. Not now. Not here.
But the memories keep flooding in, unbidden. I clutch my fists as Ryder’s words echo in my mind, unwelcome and relentless. The ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner seems loud, marking each excruciating second of this nightmare.
“The robbery of your parents wasn’t just a robbery...” Ryder’s voice cracks, his face etched with tension. “It’s much worse.”
In all the time since he transitioned from Cora's bodyguard to her partner, I've never seen him lose his composure like this. It terrifies me.
My younger sister Cora's face drains of color, her hand flying to her mouth to stifle a gasp. She sinks into the leather armchair behind her, looking small and vulnerable.
Time seems to slow, each second stretching into an eternity. I want to reach out to her, to offer some comfort, but I’m frozen in place, my body refusing to obey.
Logan, my oldest brother and, until recently, the CEO of Valeur Tech, stands by the window, his back to us, but I catchhis reflection in the glass. His face is a mask of ice, an expression I’d almost forgotten since he met Sloane.
His voice, when he speaks, is eerily calm, but I know he’s anything but. “What do you mean?”
Lucas paces near the bookshelves, his fingers drumming an erratic rhythm against his thigh. Ava sits perched on the arm of the sofa, her usual sardonic expression replaced by one of genuine concern. Sloane hovers near Logan, her hand resting on his arm in silent support.
All eyes are on Ryder as he reads from the document on his phone. The former bodyguard who became family looks like he'd rather face an army than deliver this news. He meets each of our gazes as he reads, his eyes filled with a mixture of sorrow and determination.
“The report confirms the victim's injuries were...severe,” he says, carefully choosing his words. “There's no doubt about the nature of the assault.”
Cora chokes back a sob, curling in on herself. Ryder pauses, crossing the room to place a comforting hand on her shoulder before continuing. I remember how Mom used to comfort her the same way before that fatal car crash that tore our family apart.
His next words hammer into me, each one a physical blow.
“The victim refuses to provide details about the incident, only stating that she was robbed on the street.”
“No. You’re wrong. It wasn’t her. It’s just a mistake. Someone made a mistake,” I say, shaking my head. “It can’t be true.”
“Liam.” Lucas strides to me and puts his arm on my shoulder, the gesture grounding me. “It’s not a mistake.”
Logan turns from the window, his calm facade cracking slightly. Ryder pauses, his eyes locking with Logan’s. The tension in the room is suffocating. I can’t breathe, can’t think. My tie feels too tight, and I loosen it with shaking hands. Part of me wants to cover my ears, to run from this unbearable truth, but I force myself to stay, to listen.
“This is part of a hospital report that was buried and erased. Zane recovered it.” Ryder’s voice is barely above a whisper now, but in the deathly silence of the room, it might as well be a shout.
“Your mother wasn’t just robbed. She was sexually assaulted.”
The crystal tumbler in Lucas’s hand slips, shattering on the hardwood floor next to me.
The elevator ding jolts me back to the present, and I step out, the sterile hallway of LumiVera materializing around me. I blink, disoriented, my heart racing. The weight of last night’s revelation settles over me again, heavy and suffocating.
