Begin Again novel Chapter 198

Hard as Liam tried to force himself to read Clara's agenda notes for the board meeting, he couldn't. So while he drank his second or maybe third espresso, he mindlessly browsed the net, searching for nearby outdoorsy places.

The local zoo seemed to be a huge hit with young parents living the suburban dream. Liam thought it was too basic, though. He wanted his first-ever outing with his new family to be memorable.

The botanical gardens were also high on the list of places to see. But in a couple of weeks, the company's family fun day would be held there. So, that venue, too, was out.

"You disappoint me, internet!" Liam rubbed his chin thoughtfully and contemplated going down the rabbit hole again. He almost lost himself in it earlier while he searched for the source of the leak, and he really didn't want to go down that road again.

The lure of the internet was too strong, though. He clicked several links and wasted fifteen long minutes sighing in frustration the more tabs he opened.

Liam was still scanning through tons of sites when his doorbell rang. Dave went to get it, and he was back seconds later with his cousins trailing behind him.

"Why is the place so quiet? And where's Eden and the little one? We bought him things. Lots of things." Julian said as he dumped the tons of shopping bags on the counter.

"Yeah, good question, where is she, but more importantly, who do I give this to?" Matthew reached inside his jacket, pulled out an invoice, and waved it in front of Liam's face.

He, in turn, snatched the piece of paper and glared at it. "What is this?"

"It's a receipt for the car wash, of course. How do you plan to pay? Cheque, EFT or Credit Card?" His cousin smirked as they all sat down at the breakfast counter and waited for Dave to wake them up for the board meeting with his strongest coffee.

A comfortable hush fell over the trio while they watched the butler potter about the kitchen.

"There you go, gentlemen," Dave smiled proudly as he placed the steaming drinks and a plate of freshly baked muffins in front of the brothers before hurrying out of the room to attend to a housekeeping squabble between Mrs Stone and Ruth.

"So, where are they?" Julian asked again between huge mouthfuls of his carrot muffin, annoying the shit out of Liam with his lack of basic manners.

"They're still sleeping," he replied, his gaze firmly trained on Splish-Splash's website, a water world venue claiming to be home to the largest public aquarium in Rock Union. Their entrance fee was a bit steep, but they guaranteed happiness and good old fun for all with their water slides and daily dolphin shows.

Since Aiden seemed obsessed with all things aquatic, Liam figured it would make a memorable outing. Better than the zoo or the botanical gardens any day.

"I take it things are on track now with you and Eden?" Matthew bumped his shoulder and jerked his head at the screen. "I mean, if you're planning a family picnic and shit."

"Wouldn't you love to know," Liam smirked and opened up the Teams app to access the meeting.

"Anywho, how long will this take?" Julian demanded. "I have a hot date later, and if I play my cards right, I might have a bed mate too."

"And I have a private cooking class to attend," Matthew added, looking pretty chuffed with himself as he stood up and rocked on the balls of his feet, his arms swinging lightly at his sides.

"With who?" Liam asked, but he had his suspicions.

Before Matthew could reply, though, a notification popped up on the screen informing them Clara had started the meeting, and they all huddled around the laptop and joined the session.

"Goodness, Liam, this is serious. What did you do?" Julian asked as they all gawked at the mosaic of faces on the screen.

This was the first time in a long time that all the board members were present for a meeting, and those that couldn't make it had sent a representative.

Matthew looked just as anxious as his brother, the knuckles on his bunched up fists turning an ashen colour. "I don't think it's just the stuff with the tabloids."

"It's not," Liam replied.

Questions and demands came at him as soon as he turned on his camera and mic.

Everyone felt wronged, and they wanted answers—no, they deserved answers and explanations and apologies, their voices growing shriller the longer Liam chose to stay mum.

"Who is this woman? Couldn't you be a little more discreet? What happened to Laura? Why are you seeing a therapist? Are you even mentally strong to be in such a demanding position? Do you have any idea how much our share prices have fallen? And what the hell is this thing with the mob? I thought Lusso is a clean deal!"

Liam listened for a while, feeling his sanity slip away the longer he remained quiet.

"We have to release a statement and distance ourselves from this! Tell the media she threw herself at you! They always throw themselves at you! Yeah, she's just another whore!"

His nostrils flared, his eyes glinting with unbridled rage, Liam looked up at the screen and glared straight at the camera.

"That is fucking unacceptable—" He began icily as he leaned forward, his elbows on the counter. "You can say whatever you want about me, but I will not tolerate that kind of disrespect when it comes to her!"

"That's the woman you plan to marry? Is that the same woman in the photo? For heaven's sake, Liam, of all the women in this town, why go for one who can't handle her alcohol?"

Eden whipped around so fast she almost stumbled as she flew back into the kitchen, anger clouding her eyes. Matthew quickly bundled her out of the room, though, before she could implode all over the place and joined Julian, leaving Liam alone to clean up his own mess.

It took a few minutes for Clarke to get everyone to settle down, and Liam addressed the board again.

"Yes, that's Eden McBride, my assistant and the influencer's friend, the same woman in the photo circulating in all the tabloids, and that little boy is my son."

His confession almost sent everyone into cardiac arrest. A few touched their hearts, while others held their heads. But he knew one thing was on all their minds: their share prices crashing at the news of a love child he'd fathered with his assistant.

"You all still think he's our best choice?" An affronted maternal uncle stood up and slammed his palms on his dining table, sending his agenda notes scattering on the floor. "I've had it with Liam's insolence. Since he took over, he's treated this company like his racetrack. He's made one reckless decision after another, and on top of all his shit, we've just learned he hired his lover as his assistant. Am I the only one who thinks there's something seriously wrong with this picture? He needs to be fired right now!"

"Since I took over, your profits have doubled year on year, staff retention is at its highest, and Anderson Logistics now ranks in the top three in the country. I'm sorry, but did my personal life affect my ability to perform at any point?" Liam snarled right back at him.

"Fire him right now!" The outraged uncle bellowed.

"Let's vote on it," Liam murmured, stunning everyone with his suggestion. He was done with this constant fighting for the seat at the head of the table. Done trying to prove himself. He'd made enough money to retire comfortably and could easily take care of his family.

"If I lose the vote, I'll resign with immediate effect." He carried on. "If I fucking survive, none of you can ever question my leadership again."

"No one is firing anyone!" Clarke ranted from his study in Glen Eagles.

"Of course, you won't fire him because he's your son," the aunt joined the fray.

"That's absolute nonsense," Clarke rubbished the claims and pointed his finger at her through the screen. "Think of the optics, people! If we fire him, what message will it send to the world? Everyone will think we're not sensitive to—"

"You know damn well his visits to the shrink have very little to do with why we want him gone!"

"Do you really want our share prices to take a beating? I'm not an analyst, but something tells me that's exactly what will happen if he resigns now amidst this therapy scandal," Clarke growled, took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose and gazed up at the ceiling.

A hush fell over multiple living rooms and home offices as all the meeting attendees mulled over his words for some time before Clara announced a fifteen-minute break.