Chapter 896
Liam waited until the door clicked shut. Then his posture collapsed. He leaned heavily on the table, exhaling a breath that shuddered through his chest, and pressed a hand to his temple where a headache pounded like a drum.
Lucian.
He hadn’t ordered the hit. God, no. But he had known something was coming — the chatter on the encrypted channels he monitored had spiked for days. He had tried to warn them. He had sent the police to the shipyard.
But he couldn’t stop the sniper.
And now he had to play the vulture. He had to seize control — not to steal it, but to protect it. If he didn’t take the Tech Park, the Syndicate, or worse, Arthur Sterling, would swoop in through shell companies and buy it for pennies on the dollar.
The door flew open with a bang that made him flinch.
Skye Sterling stood in the frame. Her hair was wild, damp from the rain. Her coat was stained with dark, drying blood.
“Skye,” Liam straightened instantly, masking his pain. He glanced at the hidden microphone beneath the conference table. He had to be careful. He prayed she understood. He prayed she could read the silence between his words.
𝖠𝗱𝖽𝗶cti𝘷е 𝗇о𝘃𝗲𝘭𝘴 on g𝖺𝗹𝗻o𝗏е𝗹𝘀.𝗰𝗈𝗺
“You bastard,” Skye said, walking toward him. She didn’t shout. Her voice was low, trembling with a rage that felt dangerously real. “Lucian is in surgery. They don’t know if he’ll make it through the night.”
“I heard,” Liam said, keeping his face impassive. He had to. “It’s a tragedy.”
“A tragedy?” Skye let out a harsh, broken laugh. “You call it a tragedy? I call it a hostile takeover. You warned Parker. You knew.”
“I suspected,” Liam corrected. “I tried to mitigate the damage.”
“By stealing his project while he bleeds out?” Skye slammed her hands on the table. “Did you order it, Liam? Did you trade Lucian’s life for a piece of land?”
Liam looked at her. He saw the heartbreak in her eyes, but underneath it — a flicker of steel. She was leaning forward, her gaze darting momentarily toward the ceiling sensors before locking back onto his. She knew. She knew he was trapped.
“Business is war, Skye,” Liam said coldly, forcing the words out like gravel. “Casualties happen. I did what was necessary to protect the company.”
Skye recoiled as though he had struck her — but her hand brushed his on the table, a quick and reassuring squeeze that lasted less than a second. “Protect the company? You’re a monster.”
“I’m a CEO,” Liam said, turning his back to her to look out the window. He stared at his own reflection and hated what he saw. “Go back to the hospital, Skye. Grieve. Leave the business to the adults.”
“I hate you,” Skye whispered. The words were venomous, perfect for whoever was listening in the wires.
Liam’s knuckles turned white on the windowsill. “I know,” he said to the glass. “Now get out.”
He heard her footsteps retreat. The door slammed.
Liam closed his eyes. A single tear tracked down his cheek. He wiped it away with the back of his hand.
“Sir?” Secretary Lee opened the door cautiously. “Security confirms she’s gone.”