Chapter 9
974 Words
Liana woke to the sharp vibration of her phone against the mattress.
For a moment, she had forgotten she slept in Ezra's home. His room was unfamiliar—dim light filtering through half-drawn curtains, the faint smell of alcohol and antiseptic clinging to the air. Then she felt the slow, uneven rise and fall beneath her cheek.
Ezra.
Her head was resting on his chest.
Her phone buzzed aloud. Then a call came in…
She lifted it groggily, squinting at the screen.
Unknown Number.
She frowned and answered. “Hello?”
“Ms. Liana?” a female voice said urgently.
“This is Mercy Hospital. We’re calling regarding Mr. Roman Wolfe.”
Her body went instantly still.
“Yes?” Her voice came out thin.
“He had a fatal accident. He was brought in late last night. Head trauma. His condition is very critical.”
The words struck her like blows.
Critical.
Her breath hitched. “Is he…”
“He’s a bit stable now,” the nurse said. “But we thought you should know. You’re listed as his emergency contact.”
Liana sat bolt upright.
The movement startled Ezra. He groaned softly beneath her, shifting.
Her heart was racing now, blood pounding violently in her ears. Roman. Hospital. Accident. What happened? It was just yesterday they were conversing, and he had an accident. How?
“I’m coming now,” she said breathlessly and hung up.
She swung her legs off the bed, already reaching for her shoes.
Ezra’s hand caught her wrist.
“Where are you going?” His voice was rough, confused, still thick with sleep and last night’s alcohol.
She froze.
Slowly, she turned back to him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, sitting up now. “Why are you shaking?”
“Roman’s in the hospital,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “He had an accident.”
Ezra stared at her.
Then his grip tightened.
“And that makes you jump out of my bed like this?” he asked quietly.
She pulled her hand free. “Ezra, let go.”
“No,” he said, hurt creeping into his tone. “You don’t get to run without explaining.”
She exhaled sharply. “He’s my colleague. My business partner. I just want to check on him.”
Ezra laughed once. Short, disbelieving. “That’s a lie.”
She stiffened. “It’s not.”
“You don’t move like that for people who don’t matter,” he said, voice breaking. “Your eyes… your hands… Liana, your blood rushed to meet him before your mind did.”
Silence fell between them.
Her chest tightened painfully.
“I’m just being decent,” she said finally, turning away. “That’s all.”
But even as the words left her mouth, she knew they weren’t true.
She grabbed her bag and headed for the door.
Ezra didn’t stop her this time.
He just sat there on the bed, stunned, watching her leave…realizing too late that Roman still lived somewhere deep inside her heart.
---
The hospital was nothing like what she had imagined.
No frantic doctors.
No emergency machines.
No unconscious Roman fighting for his life.
Instead, she found him standing at the nurse’s station.
Fully dressed.
Coat on.
Smiling.
Liana stopped short, disbelief crashing through her.
“What…” Her voice failed. “What is this?”
Roman turned when he heard her heels. His smile widened slightly when he saw her…eyes bright, amused, far too alive for someone who’d supposedly been critical hours ago.
“You came fast,” he said lightly.
Her shock turned instantly to anger.
“You lied,” she said, marching toward him. “They told me you had a fatal accident!”
Roman shrugged. “A small hit to the head. Mild fever. Nothing dramatic.”
Her hand flew out and shoved his chest.
“Are you crazy?” she snapped. “Do you know what you put me through?”
His eyes darkened… he chuckled and smiled, not with regret, but with something dangerously close to satisfaction.
“I needed to know,” he said quietly.
“Know what?”
“If you’d come.”
The words hit her harder than the shove.
She stared at him, realizing dawning…and it horrified her.
“You manipulated me,” she whispered.
“And you proved me right,” he replied. “You still care.”
Her jaw trembled.
“No,” she said sharply. “You don’t get to twist this into something it’s not.”
But her eyes betrayed her.
Her rushed breath betrayed her.
Her presence betrayed her.
Roman chuckled softly, shaking his head. “You ran from your way home to check on me. That’s not nothing, Liana.”
Her face burned.
“You’re disgusting,” she said, turning away. “Whatever this is… whatever you think you still have… it ends now.”
She stormed out before he could respond.
Roman watched her go, amusement fading slowly into something colder.
Something calculating.
By the time Liana reached her office, the humiliation had fully set in.
She felt foolish. Exposed.
Her personal assistant, Mira, looked up the moment she entered. “Ma’am… are you okay? You look—”
“Horrified?” Liana snapped, dropping her bag. “Yes. I am.”
Mira hesitated. “Did something happen?”
“Yes,” Liana muttered. “I remembered why I hate Roman Wolfe.”
She turned away, fists clenched.
How dare he still have this power over her?
How dare her heart still respond?
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
No more.
If Roman thought her reaction meant weakness, he was wrong.
This time, she would hurt him where it mattered.
Business.
Legacy.
Truth.
And for her father’s company, he will fully pay till his blood runs cold.
- Writer
