Page 46 of Begin Again, Part 2

"Why do you assume I did something wrong?" He gritted his teeth, his gaze following Eden's every move. He couldn't believe how okay and normal she was when his life was in complete chaos. He was so tempted to walk up to her and drag her out of the room so they could have it out.

"It doesn't matter if you're right or wrong," Matthew carried on. "If you want to end this standoff quickly, swallow your pride and apologise."

"I won't." Liam shook his head. Not this time. Even if he didn't know about Aiden, he wouldn't beg Eden for mercy because he did nothing wrong. She chose to allow Laura to get inside her head because she didn't trust him. Finding out about Aiden and knowing she intentionally kept him in the dark for so long drove that point home even more. Her lack of faith in him felt like a punch right in the gut. Without trust, they were nothing.

"Don't say I didn't try," Matthew shrugged and squeezed his shoulder before he drifted off to chat with Lydia's team.

Liam slipped away when he thought no one would notice, wishing he hadn't when he found Laura draped casually on his office couch. The familiar scent of her sickeningly sweet perfume permeated the room, instantly suffocating him.

"Who let you in?" he asked as he picked up the bottle of bourbon and headed to the window.

"Your assistant," she replied, making a show of fixing her hair.

"I thought I was clear at La Famiglia." Liam took a gulp from the bottle and glared at her.

"I know what you said," she announced and took off her shoes. Her sheer-stockinged feet barely made a sound on the glistening floor as she pranced over to him. Pausing in front of him, she continued. "But that's not why I'm here. I thought you might need a shoulder to cry on after finding out what that witch did to you."

"What are you talking about?" Liam asked, but Laura was already on her knees before he could get an answer.

"Get up. This is not appropriate!" he growled, glaring down at her.

"I've cleared it with your PA." Laura reached for his belt and began working his zipper. "She told me you're free for the rest of the afternoon."

"Damn it, Laura—"

The rest of his protest hung in the air as a single tap sounded on the door, and Eden walked in with a black folder in her hand. She took one look at Laura on her knees and her hands on his belt, and smiled, shaking her head sadly.

"I'm sorry, Mr Anderson, I didn't realise you have company," she said softly and spun on her heel. But he stopped her before she could slip out of the room.

"Don't go. Laura was just leaving," he said hoarsely, painfully aware he had just dug an even deeper hole for himself. They'd barely talked since their fight, and now this.

"It doesn't look that way to me," Eden said over her shoulder, slamming the door behind her.

"Christ, Laura!" Liam barked at his ex and pushed her away from him. She stumbled and fell in a clumsy heap at his feet.

"She lied to you, and you still want her?" She spluttered her bewilderment, but his cold, piercing gaze was enough to shut her up.

He swallowed down more of the bourbon, resenting her even more for complicating his already messy evening. Now he didn't have just one, but two issues to work through with Eden.

"When did you find out?" he asked when her words sunk in at last.

"That night at Crush when she fought with her ex. I tried to warn you the last time I was here, but you were adamant he's someone else's kid."

"You knew?" His voice was dangerously soft as he placed the half-empty bottle on his desk. "You knew, and you said nothing!"

"You hate kids, remember? In all the years we were together, you never wanted them. I figured there's no need to tell you since you were so convinced he's not yours," Laura explained.

Liam held up his hand, cutting off her reasons. "Is that why you told Eden about the vasectomy? Is that why you even made up lies about the penthouse, so you could mess with her head and make her believe I wouldn't want my own flesh and blood? Who the hell are you? You knew I had a son, and you kept him away from me? Three months, Laura, three fucking months, and you said nothing?"

"I'm not the one you should be angry with!" Laura shouted. "I don't owe you the truth. But your precious Eden does, and she chose to keep you out for two years. Don't blame me for something she did."

She was right, of course. His fury was misplaced. But he needed an immediate outlet to vent, and Laura was right in front of him.

"She clearly wasn't planning to tell you. If you didn't do a DNA test, you'd still be in the dark." Laura pushed on, encouraged by his silence, blissfully oblivious to how dangerously close he was to snapping her neck off.

He already knew the answer, but he asked anyway, "how did you know about the paternity test?"

She tried to backtrack and save herself. "Well—I mean—I figured you'd do one anyway—"

---