Page 1 of Begin Again, Part 2

Chapter

One

DARKEST HOUR

Dazedly, Eden drifted in front of the screen and watched the news anchor report live from the N1, where three Anderson Logistics freight trucks en route to shipping depots in various parts of the country were engulfed in flames. The reasons for the ambush, described by the police as a highly sophisticated attack, were still unclear.

Within seconds, Liam's office door shot open. Matthew, Julian, and the other senior executives stormed in with their assistants and held an impromptu meeting.

For three hours, the room was in stunning chaos as everyone ran around, trying to do damage control. Julian was close to tears as he watched Anderson Logistics' share prices tank on the markets. Matthew had a PR nightmare on his hands. Speculations and rumours about the attack, eerily similar to those that had befallen other logistics companies in recent days, were already spreading like wildfire. Every man and his dog suspected it was linked to the Ivanovs and Rock Castle's underworld. Liam had the daunting task of breaking the horrific news to the families of his deceased drivers. He also had the difficult job of facing the press. The PR team had to draft a stellar press release and arrange a press conference in less than an hour. Eden lingered in the room, but she may as well not have been there because no one asked for her help. Not that she would have known what to do anyway if they had.

Tired of being a useless wallflower, she arranged refreshments, snacks, and all the files needed, as everyone worked well into the night.

Sometime after 8:00 PM, she took a quick body break and called her nanny to let her know she wouldn't be home for a while due to a work crisis. Brenda was a superstar as always, assuring her she and Aiden were okay.

"Give him a kiss for me," Eden said before hanging up.

When she returned to Liam's office, he was freshly showered and suited up, his face still grim. Gibby and a makeup artist fussed over him, getting him camera ready, while speech writers shoved tons of papers in his hands and walked him through the press briefing.

Clara had called in sick, so she missed all the drama, but constantly texted for status updates. After a back and forth of frantic texts, Eden muted her phone and ignored the rest of the messages. She saw no point in stressing her friend out when she was so sick and couldn't exactly help.

At 9:00 PM, everyone headed to the auditorium on the ground floor, where a horde of press agents waited, ready to devour Liam.

Eden never knew how long twenty minutes was until she watched the carnage unfold as the reporters fired questions and demanded answers from Liam faster than she could blink. Surprisingly, he held on to his composure throughout the ordeal, his voice only breaking when he paid tribute to the drivers they lost. Gibby had to rush to the stage with a water bottle and some Kleenex.

Watching in the wings, Eden was devastated for him. She would have loved nothing more than to give him a long hug because if there was ever a time he needed one the most, it was at that moment, at his darkest hour.

"Will he be okay?" she asked when Liam's assistant returned to her seat.

Gibby took her hand and squeezed it. "He'll be fine. But it will take a while for the company to recover. This is just the tip of the iceberg. The next few weeks will be difficult since the investors will be watching us. There might even be a mass exodus of clients."

"It wasn't our fault," Eden said naively, and the look of disapproval was back on Gibby's face.

"Our partners lost millions in stock and supplies. Someone has to cover those losses. And that someone is us, Ms McBride," she explained. "Everyone, the board, investors and clients will be watching Liam closely since this happened on his watch. He cannot mess up or be caught in another shit storm, work-wise or in his personal life."

Startled by her comment, Eden stared at her.

"If word ever got out that he's seeing a therapist, it doesn't matter what the reasons are; it will destroy him." Gibby pressed on. "His future at Anderson Logistics is already uncertain because of his radical leadership. The sharks are constantly circling, and the minute his mental health is questioned, they'll move in for the kill. Don't ever let him make you think his job is easy or that he's comfortable. He's not. He's constantly fighting to prove himself. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Eden replied, even though she didn't. She knew the board disliked Liam. It was an open secret at the office. But she never thought they'd try to remove him because she'd naively assumed the CEO seat was his birthright, and no one could take it away from him. She stared at her feet now, painfully aware she was way out of touch when it came to office politics—

"When I leave, Ms McBride, this will be your job," Gibby said, interrupting her thoughts. "To hold him up when he falters, keep him in line when he goes astray, push him when he wants to give up, and fight alongside him when he goes into battle."

Before Eden could remind her she reported to Matthew, Liam's security detail hurried to the stage to whisk him off before the mob of reporters could crowd around him.

The nightmare of a press briefing was over.

Eden followed Liam's assistant out of the auditorium, and they parted ways at the elevator bank. Gibby's job wasn't done yet. She had to arrange interviews with several morning news shows.

Eden left the building and blindly made her way to her car, barely pausing to chat with Ted and Jim, engaged in a tense discussion about the attack with a few other guards.

She was about to pull out of the parking lot when she realised she'd left her phone in Liam's office. She raced back inside the building, planning to sneak in and out.

She knocked once, stepping inside when she didn't get an answer. Her heart splintered in two when she found Liam on the couch, cradling his face in his hands, his shoulders slumped defeatedly.

He turned at the sound of the door closing softly behind her, his gaze darkening when their eyes locked.

"I forgot my phone," Eden explained, lingering just inside the door, feeling like she'd intruded on a private moment.

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