Chapter 188

Liam’s lips thinned. “You came here just to ask me this?” he chided. “I didn’t know you were that curious about my private affairs.” His sarcasm was unmistakable.

Olivier didn't answer immediately. He remained where he stood, watching. Liam turned and walked toward the window, his back to his father.

Of course, his father would appear now, stirring the pot just enough to feel powerful. He always waited until something mattered before inserting himself. Liam had expected this.

Liam remembered being sixteen, pulled from school for a weekend trip to Monaco, only to sit silently at a business dinner while Olivier berated him in front of two board members for not responding to his wife's birthday message.

Or the time he was twenty-two and declined a holiday gala to spend time with his grandfather. Olivier showed up at his flat the next day with a list of frozen accounts and a canceled travel itinerary—his way of teaching Liam the value of "family appearances." When Liam's grandfather intervened, Olivier threw another tantrum, calling his own son spoiled and stupid.

And then there was the time he called Liam a liability, simply because Liam refused to sell one of their acquired companies as he wished. Olivier didn't tolerate disagreement, especially not from his son, and definitely not from women. That had always been his weakness.

He remembered Olivier's second marriage, or fling. That had been public when Liam was younger, especially the messy ending. The woman refused to sign an NDA, threatening to go public with what she called "psychological harassment." Olivier destroyed her credibility within two weeks, buying out her publisher and filing a defamation suit. It was never about truth—just control.

Liam slowly turned back to his father. “You looked into Isabella because she challenged you,” Liam said, “not because you cared or were curious. She said something you didn't like, and you immediately wanted to destroy her.”

Olivier raised an eyebrow.

Liam stepped around the desk, closing the distance between them. “How does it feel? Being challenged by someone beneath you? A woman, no less. I’m guessing you didn’t like it.”

Olivier's fingers flexed against the armrest of his chair.

“You hated it,” Liam said, “because she didn’t flinch. Because she didn’t care who you were. And now here you are, digging through her past just to feel bigger. Do you feel better now?”

Olivier didn't deny it. He didn't need to.

Liam didn’t move. “I don’t owe you anything. And she doesn’t owe you respect. So if this is your attempt to rattle me, you should leave now.”

Olivier stood slowly, adjusting his cuff. “You’re still impulsive,” Olivier said, “still protecting people before you understand what they’re capable of.”

Liam watched him, unwavering. “Maybe,” he replied, “but at least I don’t destroy people for sport.”

Olivier smirked. “Not yet.”

Chapter 188

Olivier adjusted his cuff again. “You say I’m trying to feel bigger,” he said, “but the truth is, you’re no different from me. You think you’re better because you do it quietly, behind the scenes. But it’s the same: controlling, calculated. That’s what you’ve been doing with Isabella—managing her without her even realizing it.”

Liam didn’t look away.

“I wonder,” Olivier continued, “how she’d react if she found out. About the pieces you moved. The people you paid off. The way you kept her in the dark to get exactly what you wanted.”

Liam smiled, small and sharp. “Try it. We’ll see.”

Olivier narrowed his eyes. “Is that a threat?”

“No,” Liam said simply. “Just a fact. I am wondering how you are able to prove these allegations without looking like a fool.”

Inwardly, he wasn’t shaken. He wasn’t the ten-year-old boy who used to lose sleep over his father’s moods, nor the teenager who flinched at every demand. He knew better now.

Olivier hated him, not because Liam had disappointed him, but because he had always resisted. Even as a child, Liam never did what was expected merely for obedience. He asked questions, made different choices, and refused to fold under pressure. Olivier saw that as defiance.

And defiance was unforgivable.

“You think you’re in control now,” Olivier said, stepping closer to the desk. “I see. Was it because you now have your company? Your name? Your marriage?” Olivier scoffed. “Let’s make this simple, Liam. You either start listening to me—or I tell her what you did.”

Liam didn’t speak.

“I tell her everything,” Olivier said. “What you did. What you covered. How you made sure she found out about Calen and Monica in the worst way possible. And when I do, she’ll leave.”

He tapped his knuckles lightly against the edge of the desk. “And then you’ll be alone. All that work, all that planning, and it’ll be gone.”

Liam said nothing. He didn’t flinch. He didn’t nod. He simply stared at his father.

Olivier took a breath and stepped closer to the desk. “I’ll tell her about Amalia, too,” he said. “About how you fed her debts. About how you made sure she owed more money to those backdoor lenders. You knew she would gamble. You let it happen. Then you waited. Until she pawned Isabella’s properties just to crawl out of it.”

Liam’s expression didn’t change.

“All that pressure,” Olivier continued. “You designed it. You created it. So Isabella would be forced to carry it. You wanted her desperate. You wanted her vulnerable. You wanted to be the only one who could help. You wanted to be her hero.”

He didn’t stop there. “And that mess with the Weiss Foundation? That sudden leak about misused funds, that convenient timing right when Calen Weiss was starting to rebuild? That was you too. You exposed it. You wanted to shake the board, undermine the man, make him look like a failure. It worked.”

Olivier’s gaze didn’t leave his son.

Chapter 188

“You really thought no one would trace it back. You thought it was buried deep enough, shuffled through offshore filters, a few shell names here and there. And you were right. No one found out.”

He smiled, briefly. “Except me.”

Liam remained still.

“I know you, Liam. You’re calculated, methodical, ruthless when you want to be. You’re just like me. That’s why I see it. That’s why no one else does.”

He tapped the desk once more. “So go ahead. Stay quiet. Pretend you’re the hero in this. But know this—I can ruin you with the truth. All it takes is one conversation. And she’ll leave.”

Olivier straightened his sleeves again, then scanned the office before speaking. “You’d better start answering my calls, Liam. I don’t care what excuse you think you have. When I call, you respond. You don’t ignore me. You don’t screen my number. You pick up. Understood?”

Liam didn’t reply.

“And another thing,” Olivier went on, stepping toward the desk. “It’s time you made an effort to see your mother and your brother. You’ve been conveniently unavailable long enough. I’m done playing along with your distance. You want to cut me off? Fine. But I won’t let you isolate the rest of the family just because you’re holding a grudge.”

He stopped in front of the desk again. When Liam maintained his silence, Olivier added, “If you keep pushing me, I will leave you with nothing. No inheritance. No name. No wife. And I will enjoy every second of watching it happen.”

Liam’s fingers curled slightly against the edge of the desk. His gaze stayed locked on Olivier, unmoved. This was the real face of the man he once called his father—a ruthless waste, trying to be vindictive because a woman challenged him. Pathetic!

Olivier exhaled, then turned without waiting for a response. He walked toward the door, pausing just before opening it. “Enjoy your little launch party tonight. Smile for the cameras. Hold her hand. Pretend you’re the man she thinks you are. But remember this—”

He glanced over his shoulder. “One word from me, and it all burns.”

Then he opened the door and left.