Page 28 of Liam
“Exactly,” Aleria says, her eyes lighting up. “If we can break it down into smaller sub-problems, like a reverse algorithm?—”
“Then we can optimize from the bottom up,” I finish, thrilled at the rush of being perfectly in sync.
Our ideas flow into each other, words overlapping as we build toward a solution. The puzzle’s mess of symbols and variables slowly starts to make sense, our combined efforts turning it from a mess into a strategy.
“It’s like quantum entanglement,” Aleria says. “Our thought processes are?—”
“Tangled up and causing all kinds of trouble?” I cut in with a smirk.
She blinks, then laughs—a deep, warm laugh that catches me off guard, making my chest do something strange.
“Will wonders never cease? The great Liam Valeur, secret science nerd.”
“Keep it quiet,” I whisper back. “We wouldn’t want to ruin my hard-earned reputation as a soulless corporate automaton.”
We solve the puzzle in record time, our earlier tension forgotten in the thrill of intellectual cooperation. Without thinking, I grab her hand, pulling her with me toward the judge’s table as we sprint to submit our answer.
We slam our solution down on the judge’s table, both breathing hard from the sprint. The judge looks it over, his expression inscrutable. The seconds stretch into an eternity as we wait, my hand still clasped around Aleria’s.
“Not bad, right?” I say, trying for casual.
“Not bad at all,” the judge finally says, giving us a slow nod.
“We have our winners!” the announcer shouts.
I pull Aleria into a tight hug, feeling her body stiffen against mine. But then, bit by bit, she eases into my hold, and the years between us fall away. Her face is tucked close to mine, and for a moment, it feels like we’re back to where we were before.
When she pulls back, our eyes lock. There’s a spark there, something fierce and unspoken simmering between us. Her gaze clings to mine, her breath coming just a little quicker.
She’s close enough that I can see the faint flush on her cheeks, the stray curl that’s fallen across her temple. I lift a hand without thinking, pushing the curl back. My thumbbrushes her cheek, light as a whisper, then drifts down, barely grazing her lower lip.
Her breath catches. For a second, she just stares wide-eyed, and I can feel the thud of her pulse racing beneath my fingertips. My own pulse hammers in response, each beat pulling me closer to her, erasing whatever thin line we’d drawn between us.
Her phone buzzes.
Aleria’s face drains of color as she checks the caller ID. She steps away, but not far enough to escape my hearing.
“Yes, Mr. Johnson, I understand.” Her voice is low, a tremor betraying her tension. “No, I haven’t forgotten about the rent... I promise I’ll have it in a couple of days. Please, just a little more time.”
The desperation in her voice twists something in my chest. As she ends the call, her shoulders slump, as if the weight of her financial burden has become physical.
I feign interest in a nearby tree, but curiosity and an unexpected surge of concern gnaw at me. The urge to help, to fix this problem as I would any business issue, is almost overwhelming.
“Everything okay?” I ask, my attempt at casual falling flat.
Aleria’s head snaps up, her eyes narrowing as they scan me from head to toe. Her gaze lingers on my clothes and the designer watch on my wrist before flicking to my bodyguard, Marcus, hovering nearby.
“It’s fine,” she snaps, her voice sharp. “Not that it’s any of your business, Valeur.”
The use of my last name stings more than it should. We’d been making progress, hadn’t we?
“Maybe I can help,” I offer before I can stop myself, immediately regretting the words as her expression hardens into something fierce and proud.
“No, you can’t, and I said it’s none of your business,” she repeats, her words dripping with venom. “You wouldn’t understand. You haven’t struggled to pay rent a day in your life.”
“Your salary should be more than enough to cover your expenses.”
She hesitates, conflict warring in her eyes before she finally relents. “My parents' business is struggling. I've been sending them money to help, if you must know. Some of us don't have trust funds to fall back on.” Her chin lifts defiantly.
