Page 29 of Begin Again, Part 1

"Good for her," Liam said. "Children are good motivators."

"My thoughts exactly. She'll take this job seriously, because it means ten times more to her," Gibby agreed. "Anyway, I hope you know what you're doing. Your assistant is like your wife in all respects. You now have two. Good luck with that."

Liam chuckled at her comment. He had no intention of treating either woman like a wife. They'd both know their place. One would do the job she was hired for, and the other would feel his wrath every day.

Gibby glanced at her wristwatch, blanching when she saw the time. "We're late for the Internal Comms meeting!"

She grabbed his laptop, and they raced to the marketing department on the 28th floor, where Liam spent the duration of the meeting floating on air. He was so happy he even signed off on the budget the fun committee had been whining about for the annual family day.

"Are you sure?" The head of the area asked. "You said it's a lot of money before."

"It is," Liam agreed as he grabbed his laptop, preparing to leave. "But we can't skimp on our families. They are the backbone of what we do. We must ensure they're taken care of on that day. But remember, safety first."

Whispers about 'the Dragon being calm today' swept through the room as he headed for the door. He was well aware he was the 'Dragon', a nickname he earned because of his fiery temper. It didn't bother him. What did irk him was the endless nonsense in the work chats. People posting silly stuff—from cooking recipes to photos of their pets and gardens. That shit wasn't good for productivity. He'd make it Eden's problem to shut down all the unnecessary chatter. Let them all hate her.

Yes, Liam smiled to himself as he took the private elevator to the 36th floor. He was brimming with good ideas and impressive plans today.

Back in his office, he took off his tie and rolled up his sleeves to get some work done. The stack of week-long reports piling up on his desk wouldn't miraculously vanish.

He was halfway through when his cousins stopped by. Julian plopped down in the egg chair in front of the bookcase and turned on the TV to watch the afternoon update on the financial markets. Matthew stretched out his long frame on the black leather mid-century couch. It was the only piece of comfy furniture in the room, because Liam hated time-wasters and intentionally made his office less inviting to avoid unnecessary chit-chat. People only stopped by to state urgent business and leave. His cousins were the only exceptions, who often overstayed their welcome.

Two minutes into their visit, Liam was already tired of them. He pointed at the stack of files. "If there's nothing urgent, I'd like to finish this before my date with Laura."

"Why do you insist on hanging on to that viper?" Julian leaned forward, his attention still on the screen, something about insider trading at a brokerage firm a few blocks away.

"I'm with Jules on this." Matthew sat up and placed his legs on the glass coffee table.

Liam shuddered in disgust. Maybe he should get rid of the coffee table, too, he thought as he paged through a marketing report. The less furniture he had, the fewer people would drop by.

"Let her go. She's poison!" Matthew continued.

"We've been through this. Laura's been so supportive of me," Liam explained, like he always did every time his girlfriend came up, which was often since the brothers vented their dislike of her every chance they got. They thought Laura was selfish and rude, and they hated how she used him for every little thing. They couldn't understand why he'd stopped his sisters from acting like spoiled princesses, but still allowed Laura to get away with everything. If she wanted to close a boutique, Liam made it happen. If she cried for fifty pairs of shoes, he bought them for her. She wanted hair extensions imported from Peru? No problem.

He knew he was overcompensating. Linda had told him as much countless times. But if it bought him peace of mind, then so be it.

"Now that Eden's signed, you don't need Laura. Cut her loose!" Matthew said.

"Whoa! What does Eden have to do with Laura?"

"You've been pining for her for two years. You've found her; now you can wife her and be happy."

Liam laughed, slapping his thigh, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He found it amusing that they still thought he was in love with Eden, when in reality he actually hated her. No, hate wasn't strong enough. He loathed her, and the only reason he'd searched for her was to destroy her.

"Eden is beneath me in every way! I refuse to trade Laura for a woman who's not even half her match.

"Right," Matthew nodded.

"Of course," Julian agreed.

"How do you even know that she signed?" Liam asked as he pushed the files away and spun around in his chair. Since taking over as CEO, he'd made it his mission to unwind by watching the view at least once a day. It was breathtaking, especially when the city lights set the night sky ablaze.

"The chat's blowing up with her photos. Did you know she has a toddler?" Julian asked. "Tons of men—and women—have already called dibs on her. They love her librarian aesthetic. I can see why. I mean, it's every guy's dream to bang the local librarian."

Liam turned around and glared at his cousins, making his stance on Eden crystal clear. "I don't care who calls dibs on my assistant, because she's exactly that, an assistant meant to serve me and make my life easy."

But he pulled out his iPhone anyway and scrolled through the chats. There were so many photos of Eden and her son, they made him uncomfortable. Thank heavens, the culprit had the sense to blur her boy's face.

Liam reached for his office phone and buzzed his assistant in.

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