Page 79 of Begin Again, Part 2

But Eden held up her hand. "Listen to me carefully, Laura. This is the last time we meet like this, the last time you try to use your past with Liam and my son's existence to get into my head, and the last time you speak to me."

"Excuse me?" Laura tried to interject, but Eden was on a roll.

"I'm still talking!" She placed her index finger on Laura's lips to hush her up. "Now, the next time we meet, don't even think about coming near me. From now on, you don't exist in my world."

Laura opened her mouth to say something, but seemed to change her mind. They stood there for some time, staring at each other in the mirror, neither unwilling to back away from their standoff.

At last, Laura cursed under her breath as she fished out a lipstick from her bag and quickly retouched her mouth before sashaying her way out of the bathroom. At the door, she turned back briefly to deliver her parting shot. "He's not an easy man to love. Good luck to you. I wish you both well."

"This is not happening," Eden whispered when she was alone as she paced in front of the sink. How did she get here? And where was the awesome night Matthew had promised her?

"Heavens," she closed her eyes and slowly counted from ten, telling herself the last few minutes were just a bad dream. But her mind couldn't be fooled so easily. It kept racing back to her confrontation with Laura and the bullet nestled in her clutch.

Gibby once said Liam had received numerous death threats, but nothing ever came of them. So maybe this incident was nothing to worry about.

No, Eden mentally shook herself. She'd be an idiot to take Aleksei's threat lightly. She pulled out her phone to call Brenda. The nanny picked up after two rings, assuring her everything was okay on their side.

"Brenda, whatever happens tonight, do not open the door if it isn't Liam or me."

"Eden? Is everything okay?"

Eden promised to fill her in when she saw her, but for now, she had to follow her instructions to the T.

"Okay. No opening the door to anyone unless it's you or Mr Anderson."

"Thanks, Brenda. Give Aiden an extra hug and kiss from me," Eden said and hung up. Next, she called Liam to suggest they skip the auction and head home. But his voicemail lady picked up. She was about to try him again when her phone buzzed in her hand.

It was Matthew. "Where are you? The bidding is about to start."

"On my way," Eden replied and cut the call, ruing the day she met Aleksei as she left the bathroom and grabbed a champagne glass from a buffet table outside the dining hall. She downed it in one go, before entering the already packed room with her third glass in her hand.

She sat down between Liam and Matthew and introduced herself to the six unfamiliar faces at their table, all execs from departments she hadn't worked with before.

"Are you okay?" Matthew asked with a worried frown in his eyes.

"Yeah, where were you?" Liam added. He looked just as concerned.

Eden ignored their questions and bounced her leg impatiently, giving away her agitation. "Is there any way we can leave right now?"

"Why? The auction has just started," Liam pointed out. "This is important to Anderson Logistics. And what the hell happened to your arm?"

He jerked his head at the faint bruise Aleksei's fingers had left on her skin.

"Nothing," she said and looked away quickly.

"Princess?" he growled. "Who did this to you?"

Eden pulled out the black case from her clutch and pushed it at him.

"What's this?" Liam asked, his eyebrows shooting up.

"I was told to deliver it to you," Eden said in a low voice, careful not to attract everyone's attention. "Liam, we have to go right now. We have to go home, get Aiden and leave."

He looked inside the box, his whole face darkening as he scanned the room, his jaw clenching when his eyes clashed with Aleksei's three tables away.

"That son of a bitch," he swore violently, startling everyone at their table.

"I'm okay," she gently touched his arm to appease him. "He didn't do anything to me."

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