The Arrangement

13

Liam sat at the head of the table while the department heads gathered their documents as the last slide disappeared from the screen.

He closed the file on the table in front of him and looked around the room.

"The Reynolds proposal goes out tomorrow morning," he said. "I don't want another revision unless there's an actual problem. We've already spent enough time on it."

"Understood, sir," one of the managers replied.

Liam gave a small nod.

"The acquisition team should stop assuming the sellers will lower their asking price. If they haven't budged after three meetings, they probably won't."

A few people exchanged knowing glances.

"I want another strategy before Friday." He added.

"Yes, Mr. Owen."

His gaze swept across the room one last time.

"Anything else we need to touch?" He asked and no one responded.

"That will be all for today, then.”

Almost instantly, chairs slid back and conversations resumed in hushed voices as everyone filed out.

George stepped forward with an iPad.

Liam handed over a stack of documents without looking.

"Upload the meeting notes and send copies to everyone who attended."

"Okay sir."

George tapped rapidly across the screen before looking up.

"That should be everything for today."

"Everything?"

George glanced back at the schedule. "Yes, sir."

Liam exhaled quietly. It had been one meeting after another.

George studied him for a second before asking, "Would you like me to drive you home?"

Liam looked at him from the corner of his eye as he unbuttoned his suit jacket.

"It's late. You can go home."

"Okay sir. Good night."

Liam nodded once. "Good night, George."

As George walked away, Liam turned toward the elevators. The executive floor was unusually quiet at this hour. Most employees had already gone home, leaving only a few senior executives.

His footsteps echoed softly as he walkwd across the marble floor. Then he saw Cameron a few metres away, standing with two men, laughing about something.

Their eyes met and Liam expected him to immediately excuse himself and come over. Instead, Cameron simply lifted one eyebrow before turning back to continue his conversation.

Liam scoffed. Cameron was busy. For once.

He slipped both hands into his trouser pockets and waited for him beside the elevator. This floor wasn't somewhere ordinary employees wandered into. Access required clearance, so standing around here attracted little attention.

Liam let his gaze wander as he waited.

"Don't tell me..." Cameron's amused voice came from behind him. "...you've actually been waiting for me."

Liam glanced sideways as Cameron reached him and pressed the elevator button.

"I won't deny it," Liam said as they stepped inside.

"In fact..." He looked at Cameron with the faintest smile. "You should appreciate the effort. I saved you from riding home alone."

Cameron stared at him. Then he snorted.

"Oh, please."

The elevator doors closed. "I was planning to ride with Sophie."

Liam raised an eyebrow. "Were you?"

"Absolutely."

Cameron leaned against the mirrored wall.

He looked Liam up and down before grinning mischievously.

"The only reason you waited for me is because you love me." He wiggled his eyebrows dramatically.

"I get it."

The elevator reached the underground parking level with a soft chime and the doors slid open.

Liam looked at him for several seconds with an expression that suggested he was reconsidering every decision he'd made that evening.

"You know..." He stepped out of the elevator. "I must've completely lost my senses."

Cameron frowned. "What?"

"I don't know what possessed me to wait for you." Liam shook his head once. "I'll make sure it never happens again."

Without another word, he turned and walked toward the opposite side of the parking garage as Cameron burst into laughter behind him.

"Liam!" His voice echoed across the garage. "Come back!"

Liam kept walking.

"I'm joking!"

Still nothing.

"Oh, come on!" Cameron called after him between laughs. "You didn't even bring your driver!"

Liam chuckled as he continued toward his car.

"Aren't you exhausted to drive?”

No answer.

Cameron cupped both hands around his mouth. "You'll probably asleep behind the wheel!"

Liam reached his car, unlocked it with a beep, and opened the driver's door. Behind him, Cameron threw his hands into the air dramatically.

"You are impossible!"

Liam climbed into the driver's seat. As he reversed out of the parking space, he caught Cameron through the side window raising a very familiar middle finger in his direction.

A quiet chuckle escaped him again before he drove out of the garage.

By the time Liam pulled onto the main road, the traffic had thinned considerably. The constant rush that filled the streets during the day had settled into something calmer.

Liam rested one hand loosely on the steering wheel. Driving himself wasn't something he did often. Between his schedule and the security concerns that came with his position, George or another driver usually handled it.

But every now and then, he preferred the quiet. Just the steady hum of the engine and the road ahead.

As he approached an intersection, he flicked on the indicator, intending to take his usual route home.

Instead, his hand turned the steering wheel the other way, which was longer. He wanted to enjoy the drive.

A small corner of his mind noted the decision, but he didn't question it. Tonight, he wasn't in any hurry to get back.

He settled farther into the driver's seat, and his thoughts drifted.

It had only been a few days since she'd walked into Owen Investments asking for a loan, now she was living in his house, not as an employee, but as a fiancée . And soon, his wife.

He'd built an entire career on making calculated decisions. Every acquisition, every investment, every risk he'd ever taken had been weighed against the possible outcome.

This arrangement wasn't any different. There were risks. He knew that better than anyone, inviting a complete stranger into his home wasn't something he would normally even consider.

Marriage, even a fake one, came with complications he had spent years avoiding.

But the reward outweighed the inconvenience.

His father would stop trying to arrange introductions to the daughters of influential families and the pressure would disappear. Joy's family would also be free from the debt threatening to ruin them.

It was a practical agreement. Nothing more.

He tightened his grip on the steering wheel for a moment before relaxing again. He wasn't going to back out simply because the situation made him uncomfortable.

Business didn't reward hesitation..It rewarded people willing to make difficult decisions.

His gaze remained fixed on the road.

Still, he couldn't pretend he liked the idea of sharing his home. He'd spent years making that house exactly what he wanted with no one disturbing his routine.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as another thought surfaced. He'd met enough women to know how quickly some of them became... comfortable.

He had played around with many women and there was one rule he never broke.He never brought them home. Hotels ans partments existed for a reason.

His house was different. It was private.

The last thing he needed was someone "accidentally" forgetting an expensive bracelet on his bedside table or leaving a designer handbag in the wardrobe as an excuse to come back. He'd seen it happen to friends often enough.

Commitment...

His expression hardened. That word had lost whatever appeal it once held a long time ago. The only thing he was now committed to was work.

His last serious relationship had taught him more than enough. Since then, he'd kept clear boundaries.

Yet here he was, about to spend the next three years pretending to be a devoted fiancé... and husband.

Life had a strange sense of humour.

A few minutes later, his gates came into view Liam slowed the car as he entered the security code and the gates slid open.

He drove inside, the tires crunching softly over the paved driveway before coming to a stop in front of the house. He looked up through the windshield.

The house was large enough for ten people, if not more. Realistically, he and Joy could go days without crossing paths if they wanted to, aside from the fact that they were just two rooms away from each other.

He switched off the engine and reached into the back seat for his bag that George had put there.

The driver's door had barely closed when hurried footsteps approached.

"Good evening!"

Victor jogged over with his usual bright grin. He was only twenty, Harold's son, and although he wasn't employed as a driver, he loved cars with an enthusiasm Liam had rarely seen. Especially Liam's.

Every time Liam drove himself home, Victor somehow appeared within seconds whenever he was around, eager to take the vehicle to the garage as though it were the highlight of his evening.

Liam tossed him the keys and Victor caught them effortlessly, his eyes already shining.

Liam almost smiled. "How is school?"

Victor had already climbed into the driver's seat.

"What was that, sir?" he asked distractedly as he admired the dashboard.

Liam watched him for a second before shaking his head.

"Nothing."

Victor gave an absent nod, clearly too excited to hear another word.

Liam got to the front door and opened it just as Victor started the car. He closed the door behind him and loosened his tie.

The house was quiet at this time and he liked it, but that didn't mean it was empty. Harold was probably around somewhere.

He climbed the stairs up to his bedroom and stood outside the door as he brought the keys out to open it. He got in and the kicked the door shut behind him as he threw his bag onto the bed.

He shrugged his jacket off, and unbuttoned his shirt all the way down and was headed to the bathroom when he saw a figure on the couch close to the window. Joy.

“Shit.” He swore as he walked up to her and looked down at her. He ran a hand down his face as he looked at the door, then back at her.

Why was she sleeping in his room when he already had a room set up for her. He tapped her shoulder to wake her but she only murmured something amd turned away for him placing her leg over a pillow, the movement made her shirt to ride up and show little skin. His gaze wandered to her backside for a second.

He stopped trying to wake her and walked over to his closet. “Already making mistakes on the very first day.” He said quietly as he pulled out a fresh blanket.

He walked back to her and threw the blanket over her. “I can't even have privacy in my own room.” He complained as he angrily pulled off his shirt and dumped it on the floor as he walked into the bathroom.