Page 84 of Begin Again, Part 1

Up until that moment, he hadn't decided what he wanted. But now, he knew with absolute clarity, he wanted Eden. He wanted to possess every inch of her and so completely that the only man she'd ever want, and need was him.

"I want you!" he said with conviction, his voice as serious as the look in his eyes. "And I'm going to have you, Princess. Every part of you will belong to me."

"Firstly, Mr Anderson, I'm not a plaything or possession to be had!" Eden yelled, her gorgeous face dark with anger. "Secondly, you don't get to toy with my feelings and bash my heart to pieces. You want me? Work for me! I won't drop my panties for you just because you talk a good game. And whatever this is—" She paused to point at the two of them. "—It's over. It ended over a month ago on the sidewalk of your therapist's office when I cried like an idiot in front of total strangers. I will not be a party to your little infidelity anymore."

"Infidelity?" Liam was floored by her accusations. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I wasn't avoiding you because of the stuff with Linda only. I was trying to respect your relationship by keeping my distance. You're making it very difficult for me to hang on to my morals and the remaining shred of self-respect I still have. And unless your marital status changes, please stay away from me!" She warned him and spun around, rapidly making her way out of the printing room.

Liam chased after her and grabbed her hand, their spat playing out in the hallway.

"What are you talking about? What marital status? This is the second, possibly the third, time this has come up. I need you to clarify your accusations. Break it down for me!"

"I don't have time to break anything down for you! I've got work to do. I need to familiarise myself with the HR documents and the code of conduct you keep reciting every chance you get. And I suggest you learn how to fix a printer and stop wasting my time!"

Eden walked away again before he could even think of a comeback.

Dejected, Liam returned to the printing room and spent fifteen minutes fixing the very same thing that was supposed to make him a hero in Eden's eyes. He wasted five more minutes running through her print job and another two placing the pages of the HR manual, Code of Conduct and Company Protocols documents in the right order, and stapling them for her. By the time he was done, he was irritated and couldn't understand why Eden had to print out the damn documents when she could easily read them on her laptop.

He ran into Julian as he left the printing room. His cousin pointed at the stack of documents in his hands. "What happened to Gibby and Clara? Have they left for the day already?"

"No," Liam shook his head. "These are Eden's."

"You're fetching printouts for her now? When did you become her errand boy?" Julian smirked and carried on his merry way, leaving him fuming at his question.

Yeah, when did he become Eden's skivvy? Liam seethed. And how the hell did fixing the printer become the most important thing to him? And why was he going out of his way to please her?

He was a damn CEO. He rescued struggling businesses and signed multi-billion rand deals for a living. Fixing printers and fetching documents was not his job, and pleasing employees was not in his nature.

"Argh!" He rattled off a long string of colourful words under his breath as he made his way to Eden's office.

She was hard at work, squinting at her screen when he placed the documents on her desk. She barely looked up from her presentation or report.

Liam lingered, waiting, hoping for some acknowledgement. But when it didn't come willingly, he made sure to get it out of her.

"I fixed the printer," he announced, rocking on the balls of his feet, pleased with himself.

"Thanks," Eden mumbled. "I'm sure your staff will be grateful."

"My staff?" Liam scoffed, unable to believe his ears. He did this for her. Why she would bring the other employees into it was beyond him.

"Anyway, I also brought your documents." He added, tapping the stack proudly. "I stapled them myself."

"I can see that." Eden nodded.

"And?"

"And what, Mr Anderson?"

"Aren't you going to thank me?" Liam demanded, annoyed that he'd been reduced to fishing for compliments and praise.

"Hold on, let me look for my gold star stickers." She searched through her desk drawer and came up empty. "Sorry, I think I left them at home for Aiden. Remind me to bring them next time."

"You!" Liam wagged his finger at her. "Leave all that sass at home with your stickers!"

He didn't wait for more of her smart-mouthed comebacks. He turned on his heel and stormed his way to his office, fuming at her cheekiness. This was the last time—he vowed as he plopped down in his seat—the last time he tried to play hero and do something nice for Eden McBride.

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