The Forgotten Son-in-law's Magical Rise

Chapter 5

Liam accessed the man critically. It was no secret that Anthony Jones was interested in Taylor Laurent. As a matter of fact, he bragged about it to anyone who would listen. Liam had only met the man on two occasions, and even then he wished he had enough power to cut off his tongue. He’d been mute then, and while he very much disliked Taylor, she was the only one he knew. It was natural for his jealousy to slip in ever so slightly, should anyone mention Anthony Jones near him.

No one liked Anthony more than Esther. Esther worshiped him. More than twice, she tried pushing Taylor into divorcing Liam and moving on with Anthony. Liam was surprised Taylor hadn’t divorced him a long time ago. He was even more shocked when she still did not adhere to her mother’s suggestions. He might have liked her just a little then, just a little.

“I don’t like Anthony like that,” she would tell Esther. “Stop pushing me to marry him. We’re not a fit.”

Now, as Liam looked at him, all he felt was indifference. There was no use fighting over spilled milk. If Anthony wants his wife, he should go ahead and take her. He would soon divorce her, anyway. He just needed to find a way out, an outlet that would help him accomplish all that he sought.

“What are you doing here?” Esther asked when Liam stepped into the room. “You should not be here. We’re conducting business.”

“Is your lazy husband now liable to visit whenever he chooses?” Anthony said to Taylor. “You should learn to put him on a leash, Taylor, or your business will crumble around you.”

“Stay out of this,” Taylor hissed at him. “Liam, we’ll talk later. I’m in the middle of a situation right now.”

There was nothing Taylor disliked more than people embarrassing Liam in her presence. She was still attached to him through their marriage, which means his reputation reflects poorly on her. Her head began to pound seriously. She waved a dismissive hand at Liam.

“Just wait for me at home. We’ll talk then.”

“You heard her! Go away and don’t come back,” said Sofia.

“Go away, Liam,” Esther cajoled.

“What is this?” The shrill female who was previously the center of attention slammed her hand on the table. “Are you having a family meeting when I’m right here?!”

“No, no.” Taylor hands were everywhere. She wanted to place it on the woman and then decided against it. “Miss Alice, I’m telling you we’ve never had this issue before. Yours is the face case.”

“Are you telling me you don’t know how to handle this?!” She pointed to her face, which was covered with several acne spots, some of them red and lumpy. “I have never looked like this in my entire life and this is your fault! I’m going to bring this company down so hard, you will never have a comeback after this.”

Anthony placed his hand in the air with a placating smile. “Miss Alice, if I may. I do have a few suggestions which might help you.”

The Laurent family looked at him with hope while Miss Alice folded her arms in despair.

“Fine. Let’s hear it.”

“There’s a cosmetic surgery center that’s very spectacular. Luckily, it’s owned by a friend of mine. This company, Taylaurelle Cosmetics will bear the cost so you don’t have to worry about anything.”

Alice stared at him, her face contorting in anger. She slammed her purse on the table and stood up in a rush. Liam could literally see the steam coming off from her ears. When she spoke, her voice became shriller than usual.

“How dare you!” She yelled. “Are you suggesting I get plastic surgery? Do you think I'm that artificial? You know this is bad, and yet this is what you suggest?”

“Uhh—”

Taylor stepped in front of Anthony to stop him from worsening the situation. “I’m sorry, he spoke out of line. I’m sure we can find a solution.”

The young woman folded her arms and stomped her foot. “How? How in the world do you want to find a solution to this, huh?”

“It will surely take some time with the evaluation team and we’ll need some test results…”

Liam could see that the woman was losing interest. She wasn’t listening to anything Taylor said.

“I want my face cured and I want it cured now,” she said. “I’m not going to wait for that long.” She started to walk towards the door. “You have insulted me and my reputation, and above all, you have tarnished my image and tarnished my face. Expect to receive a letter from my lawyer soon.”

“Please—”

Taylor’s words were cut off when Liam stepped in front of the woman. It was such a dramatic and surprising move. Alice came to an abrupt stop as she studied the man in front of her.

She scoffed and pushed her hair behind her ear. “Are you trying to stop me too?”

“No, ma’am,” he answered.

“Good. Then get the hell out of my way.”

Liam did not shift one bit. “If I tell you that I have the solution to your problem, will you drop the charges against the Laurent family?”

The shocked silence told Liam all he needed to know: they were all shocked to hear his voice. Except Alice, who was just meeting him for the first time and was fiercely interested in her facial repositioning. She looked at him with both interest and disbelief.

“Do you know who I am? My name is Alice Shawn. My brother is the richest man in the city. Do you know what that means for this company?” She spread her arms to enunciate her point. “It’s going down the f*****g drain, so don’t play with me.”

Liam stepped towards her, his voice low and serious. “I’m not playing with you. Give me a chance to heal you, and we’ll forget this ever happened. You’ll drop the charges against the Laurent family, and everyone can be happy.”