Page 76 of Begin Again, Part 1

A collective groan swept through the room. "Do we have to go through everyone?"

Their hearts were set on Lydia, but Liam wanted more options.

Eden spent the next hour mentally preparing her little speech, while the marketing team went through the other eight influencers. She silently rehearsed all the things she'd say to Liam and ran through her long list of reasons for not telling him the truth from the start.

Yes, today, after they were done here, she'd break the news to him, she decided. But as soon as the meeting ended, everyone crowded around her, showering her with praise and compliments. She was their new saviour who rescued them from the bowels of hell.

"You have no idea what the Dragon put us through before you came in." Sarah ranted, her blood-red lips stretching into a frightening gash across her face. It was time she stopped all the Botox and plastic surgery. She was starting to resemble a big cat. But she was still one of the nicest people Eden had met so far in her new department.

"Am I the only one who thought it strange the Dragon calmed down as soon as you came in?" Sarah prattled on, linking their arms like they were old friends. "You should have shown up much sooner!"

"Yeah, we all thought we were going to die." Someone agreed in the background.

Eden laughed, but she knew they weren't exaggerating. She'd felt Liam's wrath plenty of times, and she wasn't even at Anderson Logistics for two weeks.

After appropriate time had passed, she excused herself from the group and headed to Liam's office. Their chat and her long-overdue confession would have to wait, though. Clara nicely informed her Liam had left for the day. Something about an overseas trip.

Eden wondered if it had to do with the call he took in his office yesterday when he summoned her. But she didn't have the guts to ask. Not that it was her place.

"Maybe I can squeeze you in next week when he's back? Will that work for you?" Clara offered.

Eden shook her head. "Thanks, that's okay."

Maybe this was God's will, a sign she shouldn't tell him. She rationalised as she returned to her office to tackle her never-ending reports.

Chapter

Twenty-Six

GUT FEELING

Liam was deep in thought for a large part of their trip to the airport. Once or twice, the brothers tried to draw him into their intense debate. Something about Chloe Lennard, the hottest new thing to hit the world of lingerie modelling.

Julian wanted to hit up her management team for a meet-and-greet and stake his claim before the 1.9 million-plus hot-blooded males in Rock Union moved in on her.

Matthew didn't think he stood a chance.

And Liam didn't have an opinion.

He was in the car with his cousins, racing to catch their flight, but his mind was still stuck in the meeting room where he had left Eden with Sarah and her troops. She looked okay, less tearful when Gibby whisked him off before he could even check on her. But her sadness and hurt earlier had rattled him far more than he cared to admit.

"Dude, where the hell are you? I need you here. You have to pick a side." Julian nudged him a little too hard on the shoulder. "Do I or don't I stand a chance with Chloe?"

Liam glared at him and sighed. "I don't give a shit about Chloe and her underwear."

He had far better lingerie in his closet. He had to return it to its rightful owner at some point. Not now, though. It was still too soon after Linda.

"Come on, are you even listening to me? Lingerie? Model?" Julian snapped his fingers to get his attention. "Why am I not getting a reaction?"

"I heard you the first time." Liam smacked his hand away.

Julian was a little perplexed by his lack of enthusiasm. "When did you get over your lingerie fetish?"

"Since I can't fuck anyone anymore." Liam shrugged and gazed out of the window. "Anyway, I don't care about Chloe. She's average."

"Average?" An incensed Julian continued with his argument, even though nobody was listening to him. "She's a freaking TEN! Her measurements are perfect—"

"So?" Liam cut him off, unable to believe he got roped into their ridiculous conversation.

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