Begin Again novel Chapter 204

It's been fifteen minutes since Liam summoned Mrs Stone to his study, and she was yet to grace him with her presence. He sighed and drummed his fingers on the cold glass surface, his irritation levels rising exponentially the longer he waited for her.

He checked the time on his phone again.

Five minutes, Liam promised himself. If the housekeeper didn't show up in five minutes, he would go out there and drag her by her hair if he had to.

His patience, though, ran out not even a minute later, and he scooted out of his chair.

"Dave!" He called out as he lingered in the doorway and scanned the empty hallway

His butler appeared beside him like an apparition, almost frightening him to death with his quiet voice and unobtrusive movements. "Yes, Mr Anderson?"

"Goodness, Dave!" Liam grumbled. "You've got to make some sound, you know. You can't just sneak up on people like that!"

The older man laughed. "I'm sorry, Sir, I didn't mean to startle you."

"Where is Mrs Stone?" He asked as he walked back into the study and took a seat behind his desk.

Dave frowned and tilted his head. "I thought she's with you. I told her a while ago you want to see her."

"As you can see, I'm still waiting for her," Liam snapped, his anger threatening to boil over before the showdown had even begun.

"Don't worry, Sir, I'll bring her in." Dave bowed slightly before vanishing out of sight.

He was back five minutes later, with the defiant housekeeper. He pushed her inside and closed the door behind him, leaving Liam alone with the wayward woman.

"Mrs Stone, how long have you worked for me?" He stretched out his legs on the table and laced his hands behind his head.

"A little over eight years, Sir."

"In that eight years, did I ever ill-treat you in any way?"

She shook her head quickly. "No, Sir. You've been nothing but kind to me."

"Now—" Liam yawned as he stood up and stretched his arms above his head to ease his stiff back, startling the housekeeper with his sudden movements. She took several steps back from him, only to trap herself against the door.

He frowned at her as he continued in his deliberately quiet voice. "—So why do you insist on testing my kindness every chance you get when I've treated you with nothing but respect over the years?"

"I don't understand what you mean, Mr Anderson," she stammered, her eyes resting briefly on everything in the room but him.

"You've broken our NDA more times than I can count—"

"I didn't, Sir," she cut in quickly, earning herself a mildly irritated look from him.

"I'm still talking," Liam growled.

"I'm sorry, Mr Anderson," she lowered her gaze and stuffed her hands in her apron.

"As I was saying," he continued. "I know you broke our NDA numerous times, but out of respect for my past with your daughter, I chose to let your indiscretions go in the hope that you'll self-correct. But it's clear you can't."

"I'm sorry, Sir, I didn't mean to overshare with Laura," she cried softly and stared at the plain black shoes on her feet. "It will never happen again.

"You did more than just overshare," Liam snapped. "I'm curious, how much did they offer you?"

Mrs Stone went ashen at his question, and her shoulders sagged.

"Why are you both still here?" He asked his butler when he finally hung up from George Whitman and his team.

"Well, Sir, I need to understand—"

"You don't need to understand anything, Dave. Get this shit done!"

"Of course." The other man nodded and threw an angry look at Mrs Stone as he tried to bundle her out of the room. But, she refused to go away quietly, begging and pleading with Liam.

When that didn't work, she brought out the waterworks. "Mr Anderson, I made a mistake. Please don't let me go. I'm too old. Where will I find work at my age?"

Her argument didn't even deserve a response, and her tears did very little to move him. Her daughter had taught him all he knows about crocodile tears. So he ignored her, turned to the bottle of bourbon on his desk and poured himself a shot.

"This isn't right," she screeched behind him when her tears failed to induce some sympathy from him, and for five minutes, she went batshit crazy as she raged about everything Liam did to her precious daughter.

"My Laura was with you for three years, and as soon as that classless, lowlife of a woman comes back from the back of beyond with her bastard child—"

She didn't get to finish her rant. Liam had crossed the room in a heartbeat and almost had her up against the wall by her throat when Dave pulled him back.

"No, Mr Anderson!" His butler warned and shoved him in the corner, away from the housekeeper. "You don't want to end up in prison. Think of the missus and the baby."

Eden stumbled in; the commotion in the study had interrupted her nap. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she asked. "Liam, what's going on?"

Before he could even explain and assure her everything was just rosy, she heaved and covered her mouth with her hand as she raced out of the room.

"Dave do the necessary with Mrs Stone," he instructed his butler as he dashed after Eden.