Hell Hath no fury like a billionaire's Ex-Chapter 31: Calculated Absence

Liam’s POV

A soft knock at my front door pulled me from my brooding thoughts. I glanced at my watch—1:30 PM. The meeting with Holbrook, Joan, and Diane was scheduled for 2:00PM. I had no intention of going, but I hadn’t quite worked out how to handle the fallout yet.

The knock came again, harder this time.

Sophie.

She had mentioned stopping by after her event-planning gig. But something felt off. I opened the door to find her standing there, tension radiating from every inch of her body. Her eyes, usually warm, were sharp as glass, and the storm in them was impossible to ignore.

"Sophie," I said, forcing a smile. "Come in."

I moved to embrace her, but she stepped back, her hands curling into fists.

"Don’t."

She pushed past me into the house, her heels clicking against the floor in clipped, angry beats.

I shut the door and turned to face her, my mind already working through the possibilities. "What’s wrong?"

Sophie whirled on me, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "What’s wrong?" she repeated, her voice edged with disbelief. "Are you serious, Liam? The news. The tabloids. It’s everywhere!"

The pieces clicked into place. The media storm. The lie.

I should have anticipated this reaction. She confronted me briefly on the phone, but now, standing in front of me, the betrayal in her eyes was sharper.

I kept my voice calm. "Sophie, I can explain—"

"Explain?" She cut me off. "Explain how you told everyone that Diane cheated on you when we both know that’s a lie? When we’re the ones who betrayed her?"

She was shaking now, her breath ragged. I reached for her, but she jerked away as if my touch would burn her.

"Don’t," she hissed. "Do you have any idea how this makes me feel?"

I felt a flicker of panic. I couldn’t lose Sophie, not now.

In two quick strides, I closed the distance between us, grabbing her arms and pulling her close. Before she could protest, I crashed my lips against hers in a desperate, passionate kiss.

For a moment, Sophie resisted, her body rigid in my arms. But then, almost against her will, she melted into the kiss. When we finally broke apart, both breathless, I could see the conflict in her eyes.

"Baby, listen to me," I said softly, cupping her face in my hands. "Everything I’ve done, I’ve done for us. For our future."

Sophie’s eyes searched mine, doubt warring with hope. "What do you mean?"

I led her to the couch, sitting down and pulling her close. "Think about it," I explained, my voice low and persuasive.

"If everyone believes Diane cheated, they’ll be on my side in the divorce. I’ll be able to keep more of my assets, my company shares. And then, when the dust settles, we can be together openly. No more sneaking around."

I watched as the anger in Sophie’s eyes slowly faded, replaced by a hesitant hope. "You really mean that?" she asked softly.

"Of course I do," I said, bringing her hand to my lips. "You’re the one I want to be with, Sophie. Everything else is just... necessary maneuvering."

She exhaled, her shoulders slumping as she let herself believe me. Let herself be convinced.

As I held her, a mix of triumph and something else—something uncomfortably like guilt—curled in my chest. I shoved the feeling aside. I had made my choice. And I was going to see it through.

We spent the next hour talking, laughing, making plans for the future. It was easy to lose myself in Sophie’s presence, to forget about the complications waiting just outside these walls. But reality came crashing back in at precisely 2:05 PM when my phone began to buzz.

Holbrook’s name flashed on the screen. I let it ring, a smirk playing on my lips as I imagined his frustration. After a few minutes, it buzzed again. And again.

Sophie looked at me quizzically. "Aren’t you going to answer that?"

I shook my head, pulling her closer. "It’s not important. Nothing’s more important than this, right here."

She smiled, snuggling into my chest, but I could see a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. "Are you sure? It seems pretty insistent."

Finally, at 2:30, I decided to answer. Slipping out of Sophie’s embrace, I stepped into the hallway.

"Holbrook," I answered coolly.

"Liam, where the hell are you?" Holbrook’s voice was a mix of anger and concern. "We’ve been waiting for half an hour. Joan and Diane are here. We can’t start without you."

I leaned against the wall, feigning nonchalance despite the knot in my stomach. "I’m afraid I won’t be able to make it. There’s been an emergency."

"An emergency?" Holbrook’s tone was skeptical. "What kind of emergency?"

I thought quickly. "A situation at the office. Very urgent. Couldn’t be avoided."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. When Holbrook spoke again, his voice was low and dangerous. "Liam, I swear to God, if you’re lying to me-"

"I’m not lying," I cut him off, the lie sliding easily off my tongue. "These things happen in business, Holbrook. You know that."

Another pause. "Do you have any idea how this looks? How unprofessional this is?"

I felt a flicker of guilt, but pushed it aside. "Reschedule the meeting. Next week, perhaps. I’ll make sure my schedule is clear."

"Liam-" Holbrook started, but I cut him off.

"I have to go. The situation here needs my attention. We’ll talk later." Without waiting for a response, I ended the call.

I walked back into the living room to find Sophie watching me with a mixture of confusion and suspicion. "Liam, what’s going on? What was that about?"

I hesitated for a moment, weighing my options. Finally, I decided on a version of the truth. "It was my lawyer. There was supposed to be a meeting today to discuss the divorce proceedings."

Sophie’s eyes widened. "And you missed it? Liam, that seems pretty important."

I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "It slipped my mind. Besides, I’d much rather be here with you."

She smiled at that, but I could see she wasn’t entirely convinced. "Liam, did you just lie to your lawyer about where you are?"

I moved towards her, reaching for her hands. "Sophie, please understand. This divorce, these negotiations - they’re complicated. Sometimes, I need to... maneuver."

She pulled away from me, shaking her head. "Maneuver? Is that what you call lying and manipulating people?"

"It’s not like that," I insisted, feeling my carefully constructed narrative starting to crumble. "I’m just trying to protect what’s mine. What’s ours."

Sophie’s eyes flashed. "And what about Diane? Don’t you think she deserves better than this?"

I felt a flash of irritation. "Diane will get what she’s entitled to, nothing more."

Sophie stared at me for a long moment, and I could see the conflict in her eyes. "I don’t know if I can do this, Liam," she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper.

Panic surged through me. I couldn’t lose Sophie, not now. I closed the distance between us, taking her face in my hands.

"Baby, please. I know this is messy, I know it’s not ideal. But I love you. Everything I’m doing, I’m doing for us. For our future."

I could see her resolve wavering. I pressed on, my voice soft and persuasive.

"Think about it. Once this is all over, we can be together openly. No more hiding, no more sneaking around. We can build a life together, Sophie. Isn’t that what you want?"

She looked up at me, tears shimmering in her eyes. "Is it what you want, Liam? Truly?"

"More than anything," I said, and in that moment, I almost believed it myself.

Sophie collapsed into my arms then, her body shaking with silent sobs.

I held her tightly, whispering soothing words, promises of a future together. As her tears subsided, I led her back to the bedroom, where we made love with a desperate intensity.

Afterwards, as Sophie dozed beside me, I stared at the ceiling, my mind racing. I had narrowly avoided disaster today, both with the meeting and with Sophie. But I knew I was walking a dangerous line. Holbrook wouldn’t be easily placated, and Sophie’s doubts, though temporarily assuaged, were sure to resurface.

My phone buzzed again, this time with a text from Holbrook:

"Meeting rescheduled for next week. Tuesday, 2 PM. Be there, Liam. No excuses."

I sighed, setting the phone aside. I had bought myself some time, but I knew the real battle was yet to come. Diane, Holbrook, the board - they all thought they could corner me, force me into submission. But I am Liam Ashton. I don’t submit to anyone’s demands.

As I lay there, Sophie’s warm body pressed against mine, I tried to focus on the future I had painted for her. A life together, out in the open. No more complications, no more divided loyalties. But even as I clung to that vision, doubts began to creep in.

What about the company? The board was already unhappy with the scandal. If I lost too much in the divorce, would they see me as a liability? And despite my best efforts to remain detached, thoughts of Diane kept creeping in, bringing with them a mixture of anger and something uncomfortably like regret.

I shook my head, trying to clear these troublesome thoughts. I had come too far to start doubting myself now. I had a plan, and I was going to stick to it.

As the evening wore on, Sophie and I ordered dinner, talking and laughing as if we didn’t have a care in the world. But beneath the surface, I could feel the tension, the unspoken questions that hung between us.

Later, as we prepared for bed, my phone buzzed again - another message from Holbrook:

"We need to talk. Tomorrow, my office, 9 AM. Non-negotiable." freёnovelkiss.com

I downed a glass of scotch in one gulp, the alcohol burning a path down. But as I lay in bed, Sophie curled up beside me, I stared out the window, my mind already working on my next move.