Chapter 152
“Why are you still here?” Izzy muttered, squinting as the bedroom door creaked open. The sunlight streaming through the curtains made her head throb, and she groaned, pressing a palm against her temple.
Liam stepped inside, holding a tray. “Good morning to you too,” he said, moving with that infuriatingly calm stride.
Izzy’s eyes flickered to the clock. The glowing red digits read 9:12 a.m. Almost immediately, she bolted upright, heart lurching. “Nine?! I’m late—Anna’s probably—”
Liam chuckled. Before she could fling off the covers, he placed a hand on her shoulder, pressing her back down against the pillows with ease. “Calm down,” he said simply. “I already called Anna. Told her you’d be taking a half-day since you’re not feeling well.”
Izzy sagged back, massaging her temples as the pounding in her head eased slightly. “You what?”
Liam set the tray on the bedside table and pulled a chair closer, one brow lifting slightly. “You’re welcome,” he said dryly.
Izzy huffed, though the irritation was half-hearted. The dull ache behind her eyes made real annoyance impossible. “Still… you didn’t have to do that.”
Liam didn’t respond immediately. He picked up a porcelain bowl from the tray; soft steam curled lazily above the dark liquid. The scent was faint but comforting—ginger, dates, something earthy and warm.
Izzy squinted at the bowl. “What’s that?”
“Soup,” Liam said simply, sitting on the edge of the bed. “For the headache.”
Izzy arched a brow, dubious. “Since when do you make soup?”
Liam’s lips twitched faintly. “Since China.”
Izzy blinked, momentarily surprised. “China?”
Liam nodded, stirring the soup slowly with a porcelain spoon. “I was there for a few months a couple of years ago. Picked up a few things.” He scooped a spoonful, blowing on it lightly before offering it to her. “Drink.”
Izzy eyed the dark liquid with suspicion but leaned forward cautiously, letting him bring the spoon to her lips. The taste was surprisingly pleasant—mildly sweet with a hint of warmth from the ginger, the slight bitterness balanced by something sweeter, maybe dates.
“What’s in this?” she asked between sips.
“Ginger, red dates, goji berries,” Liam said, listing them off easily. “A bit of dried tangerine peel. Helps with nausea and headaches. Ancient people, like emperors and their concubines, used this a lot.”
Izzy’s brows lifted, impressed despite herself. “You sure you didn’t just buy this somewhere?”
Liam snorted. “I’d like to think I can manage something this simple,” he replied, dipping the spoon back into the bowl.
Izzy huffed but opened her mouth when he offered the spoon again, the warmth spreading pleasantly with each swallow. The dull ache behind her eyes was slowly fading, replaced by a languid warmth that made it hard to stay annoyed.
She glanced at him sideways, eyes narrowing slightly. “I’ve traveled to a lot of countries, you know,” she muttered. “Never learned how to make soup.”
Liam smirked faintly, scooping another spoonful. “You were always too busy rushing between assignments. Barely took time to breathe, let alone learn anything.”
Izzy scowled half-heartedly. “Says the man who doesn’t even take weekends off.”
“Fair,” Liam conceded, amusement flickering in his eyes. He brought the spoon back to her lips. “But that was before I got married.”
Izzy hesitated before relenting, letting him feed her. It was too comfortable—too easy. But with the headache dulling and Liam’s steady presence beside her, she didn’t have the energy to argue.
Liam’s eyes flickered briefly with something unreadable. “You should rest after this. No phones or iPads,” he said, placing the empty bowl back on the tray.
Izzy leaned back against the pillows with a soft huff. “You’re bossy,” she muttered. “This is just a hangover. I’m not sore or anything.” It was just too much to drink, nothing more.
Liam didn’t deny it. He leaned back in the chair, arms folded loosely as he watched her with that calm, assessing gaze.
Seeing this, Izzy sighed, her eyes fluttering shut. “Thanks,” she mumbled.
“For the soup?”
“For everything,” she admitted quietly. “For staying.”
Liam’s hand shifted, his fingers brushing lightly over hers—brief, almost imperceptible. But enough.
“Anytime,” he said simply.
Izzy opened her eyes and smiled. “And may I please have my iPad and phone?” she asked.
“Still so stubborn, eh?” He chuckled, getting up and retrieving her phone, iPad, and even her laptop from her bag. She quickly took her phone and opened it.
Izzy’s eyes narrowed as she scrolled through notifications. Twelve missed calls. All from Calen. She scoffed softly and tapped the side of the phone, deliberating before locking the screen without responding. Whatever he wanted could wait.
Liam arched a brow, watching her reach for her laptop, flipping it open with a click. The screen lit up, a soft glow filling the room as she typed in her password. A message from Anna popped up almost immediately, the small icon blinking insistently.
Izzy clicked on it.
“Thought you’d want to see this,” Anna’s message read, followed by a link.
Izzy pressed her lips together, curiosity and a faint sense of dread curling in her stomach. With a quiet breath, she clicked the link.
The page loaded quickly, and the headline splashed across the screen in bold, black letters, darkening her expression.
“Calen Weiss to Lead Macau Project Amidst Scandal—A Fresh Start for Weiss Inc.?”
But it wasn’t the headline that made Izzy’s jaw tighten. It was the photograph below it.
Calen stood before a sea of reporters, looking smug and self-assured. Pamella Johnson was beside him, her arm looped neatly through his, her smile dazzling and practiced.
Izzy’s fingers hovered over the trackpad, momentarily frozen. She clicked once, slowly, before dragging the cursor down to continue reading.
Izzy inhaled slowly, fingers tapping an uneven rhythm against the laptop’s edge. All those months of work, the late nights, the endless meetings, and negotiations—discarded just like that.
Izzy’s grip tightened on the laptop, her nails tapping sharply against the keys.
She hadn’t realized she’d stopped scrolling until Liam’s voice cut through the silence,
“It won’t last long.”
Izzy’s eyes flickered to him, startled. His expression was calm—almost indifferent.
She didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she turned back to the laptop, skimming the rest of the article.
Izzy exhaled sharply, shutting the laptop with a soft but decisive click.
“That bad?” Liam asked.
Izzy leaned back against the pillows, pressing a palm to her temple. “Just predictable,” she muttered.
Liam’s eyes flickered. “Renard’s panicking. He’s trying to use the Johnsons to stabilize the company’s image,” he said. “It won’t work.”
Izzy huffed, draping an arm over her eyes. “You sound awfully confident.”
Liam smirked faintly. “Because I’ve seen the reports.”
Izzy’s lips twitched. “Right.” What reports? She couldn’t help but wonder.
As if sensing her thoughts, Liam shrugged unapologetically. “You knew that when you married me.”
Then her phone buzzed again. Calen. Again.
Izzy’s jaw clenched, but she didn’t move to answer.
Liam arched a brow. “Should I have Anna block his number?”
Izzy let out a snort. “Tempting,” she admitted, pressing a hand over her eyes. “But that’d be too easy.” No. Izzy had other plans. It was time to finally end this saga.