“Well, look who finally has time to join us.”

Liam shifted his gaze away, responding with a calm “Mm” before reaching for a cue stick.

“Care for a game?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

As he passed by, Liam gave me a slight nod, nothing more than a polite acknowledgment.

I let out a quiet breath, guessing he probably hadn’t heard anything earlier.

Not long after that, he left for an overseas expansion project, and I pushed the whole encounter to the back of my mind.

But now, hearing his slightly raspy voice over the phone brought it all back.

A flicker of unease crept in.

Still, this was an opportunity I couldn’t afford to waste.

Ignoring the fact that Nathaniel was still standing right beside me, I spoke up.

“Mr. Reid.”

A sudden blast of music drowned out my words.

At the same time, something seemed to have gone wrong on Joanna’s end.

Her anxious gaze kept darting toward Nathaniel, silently pleading for his attention.

He hesitated for a moment.

Then, with a cold “You better watch yourself,” he finally let go of my wrist and walked toward her.

I didn’t bother sparing them another glance.

Without looking back, I made my way straight for the exit.

As the music faded, the voice on the other end of the call spoke again.

"The proposal you submitted for the collaboration with the Reid Group was well done."

I blinked in confusion.

"A while ago, my secretary mentioned that you were hoping for an opportunity to seek my advice."

There was a brief pause, probably because he had run out of ways to keep up the pretense.

Then, in a quieter tone, he added, "I’ll be back the day after tomorrow."

Then, silence followed.

That proposal had been from six months ago.

And the comment Liam’s secretary referred to was nothing more than polite small talk at the end of our collaboration—both of us understood that perfectly well.

Yet, Liam chose those excuses and even called me.

I froze for a moment.

The restlessness and unease I felt earlier suddenly settled as if something had finally clicked into place.

I couldn’t hold back a smile, my eyes curving with amusement.

Then, deliberately, I changed to a more familiar form of address.

"Alright, I’ll be waiting for you, Uncle Liam."

A loud clatter came from the other end of the line as if something had been knocked over.

Feigning innocence, I asked, "What’s wrong, Uncle Liam?"

"Nothing."

His voice dropped a few notes, deeper than before.

"It’s late. Get some rest."

I picked up on the shift immediately.

Liam sounded noticeably colder than before.

I paused.

Did he not like being called that?

…

Because of what happened with Joanna, Nathaniel completely blocked me from every possible contact.

It seemed like this was his way of teaching me a lesson.

I didn’t dwell on it.

Without hesitation, I blocked and deleted him in return.

Then, I accompanied Liam’s secretary, Alec Lee, to the airport to pick him up.

The flight was delayed, and by the time it landed, it was nearly 3 a.m.

Liam must have come straight from an event—his hair was slicked back, revealing the sharp angles of his brow bone.

He wore a perfectly tailored suit, every inch of it meticulously fitted, from the collar down to the cuffs, exuding the precision of fine craftsmanship.

At first, he didn’t even notice me.

Handing his tablet to Alec, his voice was cool, edged with exhaustion.

"Go over this contract again—"

Then he stopped abruptly.

His gaze landed on me, and for once, he looked genuinely caught off guard.

"Naomi?"

"Mr. Reid, long time no see."

I greeted him with a smile.

Standing face-to-face, there was a brief moment of awkwardness, but it quickly faded.

Because, surprisingly, Liam looked even more unsure than I was.

He instinctively withdrew his hand, giving a faint, almost hesitant “Mm,” though he tried to mask his uncertainty.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of something light blue on Liam’s wrist.

It was a hair tie.

The kind a young woman might use—completely out of place next to the luxury watch worth millions beside it.

I froze for a moment before quickly looking away, pretending not to notice.

But a quiet sigh escaped me.

So, Liam had a girlfriend.

Which meant all the plans I had before…

"How long have you been waiting?"

His slightly hoarse voice pulled me from my thoughts.

Alec walked ahead, dragging the suitcase as if he were just a stranger passing by.

I touched the tip of my nose and mumbled, "Not too long, really."

Liam studied me in silence.

A faint crease formed between his brows, his lips pressed into a firm line.

He looked… upset.

Surely, he wasn’t actually mad that I had shown up unannounced?

My heart sank.

Just as I was about to explain, a suitcase came barreling past and slammed into me.

"Careful!"

I stumbled backward, colliding into a solid, warm chest.

Liam caught me instinctively, his arm tightening around my waist.

His voice, usually calm and detached, carried an unmistakable edge of urgency.

"Are you alright?"

I didn’t answer.

Because my eyes had locked onto the hair tie now fully exposed on his wrist.

There was a delicate pink-and-white crystal flower dangled from it.

Earlier, I only caught a fleeting glimpse.

However, the longer I looked, the more familiar it felt, and the more it unsettled me.

"Did you twist your ankle?"

Noticing my silence, Liam frowned slightly, assuming I was hurt.

Without hesitation, he crouched down, his fingers carefully brushing against my ankle as he asked softly, "Does it hurt here?"

His palm was warm, almost burning, and his touch was brief and fleeting.

Yet something about it felt strangely familiar as if someone had once held my foot the same way, restraining himself as I teasingly stepped on him.

A hoarse, uncertain voice had coaxed me back then.

"I’m built solid. Don’t hurt yourself."

I stared at Liam as he kept his head down, focused on checking for any injuries.

A bold, impossible thought crept into my mind and before I could stop myself, I asked, “Mr. Reid, where were you two years ago on Christmas Eve?”

The moment the words left my lips, his body went rigid.

"Overseas."

His voice was flat and indifferent, his head still lowered as he answered.

Then, to make it sound more convincing, he added, “I was overseeing a cross-border trade deal with a biotech company."

Cross-border trade, my ass.

I stared at the small, familiar mole behind Liam’s ear and let out a sharp, incredulous laugh.

When I spoke, I couldn’t help the trace of mockery in my voice.

"Mr. Reid, you have an impressive memory. You even remembered the details from two years ago so clearly."

Liam pressed his lips together and said nothing.

…

There was one time when I lost control after drinking too much.

It happened at Nathaniel’s villa.

Back then, I still had unrestricted access to any of the properties under his name.

Sometime past midnight, someone came home.

I didn’t remember much of what kind of drunken mess I had made.

The only thing my hazy mind clung to was stopping that person from turning on the lights because I was a disaster, and I didn’t want my humiliation laid bare under the harsh glow.

"Alright."

There was a pause before the man finally agreed but he was terrible at comforting others—even compliments came out awkward and hesitant.

I had to guide him through it, bit by bit.

Still, he got better as the night went on.

"You're good enough. You're not just an accessory to someone else, and your worth isn’t something to be bartered away in a marriage.”

"Then… do you love me?"

Clutching onto his collar, my vision blurred as I whispered, "They say I have to be valuable to be worthy of love."

To the Lane family, my only worth lay in marriage.

The man suddenly fell silent.

"You can’t even lie to make me feel better?"

Feeling angry, I kicked at his shoulder and chest, but it only made me more frustrated.

"Why are you so damn hard? Are you hiding metal plates under your skin?"

The muscles beneath my foot tensed even more.

I thought I heard a low chuckle.

But before I could react, he wrapped his warm, calloused hand around my ankle.

"Yeah," his voice was hoarse as he coaxed me. "I’m built solid. Don’t hurt yourself."

I refused to let it go.

With a sigh, he said, "They’re wrong. You will always be worthy of love."

"Then why don’t you love me?"

"Because I like you."

I tilted my head up.

He leaned down.

Then, a soft, lingering kiss landed on his thumb, which was gently pressed against my lips.

"I don’t want to lie to you. I like you, but I’m not sure if that like is enough to call love. I don’t even know if I’m capable of loving someone."

His voice was serious and careful as if he had thought deeply about every word.

Drunk as I was, I considered his answer for a moment before asking, "Then when will you be able to love me?"

"Maybe… tomorrow."

And just like that, I was satisfied.

Grinning, I dug into my bag and pulled out a hair tie, forcefully looping it around his wrist.

Then, in my best attempt at a fierce tone, I ordered, "You’re not allowed to take it off! And you’re definitely not allowed to like anyone else!"

The delicate pink-and-white crystal flower caught the moonlight, reflecting a soft shimmer in his dark eyes.

His usually indifferent gaze softened, his lowered lashes concealing the faint amusement flickering beneath them.

In a quiet voice, he murmured, "There is no one else. And there never will be."

Feeling satisfied, I fell asleep without a care.

By the time I woke up the next day, I had forgotten everything.

Even when bits and pieces of that night eventually resurfaced, the only thing I remembered clearly was the phrase ‘I like you.’

And naturally, I assumed the person who said it was Nathaniel.

After all, he was the only one who had ever indulged my whims.

So, no matter how reckless or outrageous he became later on, I convinced myself that he was just lashing out—angry at his family for taking away his freedom.

It wasn’t because he didn’t love me.

But now, the memories I had long buried came rushing back like a tidal wave.

The once-blurred figure from that night slowly merged with the man standing before me now.

And all at once, I realized that the one who whispered “I like you” that night had never been Nathaniel at all.

…

Liam abruptly changed the subject.

Since we were in public, I wisely chose not to press further.

Instead, I silently followed him into the car.

He hesitated for a brief moment before getting in, as if something was on his mind—but in the end, he said nothing.

Alec, ever perceptive, wordlessly raised the partition.

After a stretch of silence, I spoke casually.

"So, what made you decide to come back, Mr. Reid?"

Liam kept his eyes fixed ahead. "There are some matters I need to take care of."

"What kind of matters?"

Liam fell silent.

"Let me put it another way—are you back for business or personal reasons?"

The moment the words left my mouth, his fingers, resting on his knee, tensed instinctively.

A second later, he schooled his expression into indifference.

"Both."

"Then in those personal matters… is there one in particular—"

I leaned in slightly, my gaze naturally dropping to his wrist, hidden beneath his sleeve.