3. Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Sophie
“W hy are you here?”
Yes, that’s the question he asked me. I should be trying to answer him, not gawking at him like a creep.
It’s easier said than done, though. Being so close to him with his hand tightly wrapped around mine is disorienting. All I can think about are the rioting emotions inside me.
It’s almost like my chest is going to explode from how fast my heart is beating. A shiver runs through me, catching me off guard.
Feelings I thought I’d buried years ago come rushing back—all because of the man who first made me feel them.
This is bad.
I knew working as his personal assistant would be a disaster, but I couldn’t reject this job without telling my mom the truth.
And I can’t blame Mom for pitching me for the job. She knows how restless I’ve been about not getting any jobs lately, and she believes adding this gig to my résumé will make me more appealing as a virtual assistant.
I also can’t ignore the fact that the pay will also go a long way in helping around the house and fixing some major issues at the diner.
Those are the reasons I woke up so early and dragged myself to this resort to start working as my ex’s personal assistant.
I knew what I was getting into, but I thought I was prepared for it. It turns out I wasn’t prepared to run into a shirtless and sexy Liam Ryder so early in the morning.
I’d lost my composure and spilled my coffee all over him, and judging from his reaction, he wasn’t expecting me.
I clear my throat, trying to slip my hand out of his tight grip. Liam gently lets me go without breaking eye contact.
“Why are you here? Can’t you answer?”
“I’m—”
“She’s the temp assistant,” Julian cuts me off sharply. I turn around just in time to see him rush through the door. He’s out of breath. “I wasn’t expecting you to wake up this early. I thought I’d be back before you woke up, and then I’d make a proper introduction.”
Liam’s eyes harden a notch as he glances from me to Julian. “She’s the one you hired.”
“Yes, I told you I found someone. She’s an amazing virtual assistant, so I figured she could pull off being a personal assistant to you,” Julian replies, rubbing the back of his neck. He raises a brow as he notices the droplets on Liam’s torso. “What happened here?”
“That doesn’t matter right now,” Liam snaps.
“Yeah, right. Introductions. She’s Sophie Grant,” Julian says, giving me a warm smile. “And you must already know him. This grumpy man over here is Liam Ryder.”
Liam’s jaw tightens. I don’t remember ever seeing him look so angry. Not once during the time we were dating, not even when he brutally broke my heart.
One thing is very clear now—Liam meant every word when he said he didn’t want to have anything to do with me.
It’s the reason he pretended not to know me yesterday, and the reason he’s so pissed right now.
Just like he confirmed back then, I was nothing but a way to pass the time to him, and right now, I’m not even worthy of being acknowledged.
This sets off a bout of anger within me. I never thought I’d feel so passionately about Liam again.
“I hope you’ll do your best to make sure Sophie doesn’t quit, too,” Julian says playfully.
“I’d like to interview her first,” Liam says flatly.
Interview? Julian said I didn’t need one because they were in desperate need of an assistant.
“Liam, I told you, we don’t have the time—”
“And I refuse to work with her if I don’t interview her.”
Julian sighs. “Alright, let’s get on with it.”
“Alone,” Liam insists. “I want to interview her alone.”
Julian raises a brow. “Why? Are you trying to scare her off?”
“No,” Liam says, strutting toward the sitting room. “Stop stalling, Julian. I’ll call you when we’re done.”
Julian gives me a doubtful look, but I send him a reassuring smile. He eventually steps out of the suite, and I walk toward Liam.
My heart tightens nervously. It’s obvious this isn’t going to be an interview. The talk we’re about to have doesn’t seem like the easy kind, either.
I wish there was a way I could avoid doing this because it’s definitely going to reopen old wounds I used to believe healed long ago.
“What exactly are you doing here, and what do you want, Sophie?”
My heart bounces around my chest excitedly. It’s been so long since I heard him say my name that way. It’s so different from how other people pronounce my name. He drags on the “e” so gently that it almost always tugs at my heart.
Why is he still saying it that way? It’s not like he’s still trying to seduce me like he was back then.
“It’s just like you to assume I have an ulterior motive for being here.”
“I don’t see any other reason why you’d decide to work for me.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize there’d be a problem with a random creature like me working for a stranger like you,” I retort sharply.
Liam’s gaze hardens as he furrows his brows at me. “So this is what it’s about. You’re mad about yesterday, and you’re trying to find a way to make my life hell.”
“Oh really!” I scoff. “If I want to be mad about something, you assume it’d be so trivial as what you did yesterday. Liam, that’s just the tip of the iceberg on the list of evil things you’ve done to me!”
Liam’s jaw tightens as he drags a hand through his hair. His muscles flex lightly with that small movement, distracting me from the argument we’re having.
Seriously? Why does he have to be shirtless now of all times?
“So that’s what’s going on. This is a form of misguided revenge on your part.”
“Trust me, Liam, I couldn’t care less about revenge. I’m here to work! Julian ended up at my mom’s diner, and she overheard him lamenting about what a pain in the neck you are and how no one wants to work with you, and boom, here I am, because I can’t possibly tell my mom or Julian that I don’t want this job because you’re my ex!” I snap, belting it all out as fast as I can. I suck in a breath as my chest heaves. “You really think I’d stoop to your level just to get back at you?”
I hoped after I said my piece, he’d at least show a hint of the pain I once felt at the word ex . However, nothing changes in Liam’s expression. It’s still just as blank and cold as it was when I spilled my coffee on him.
How did I ever think Liam was the perfect gentleman for me? I can’t believe I fell so hard for him. I was such a fool.
Liam’s heated gaze on me makes my anger flare as he steps closer. “If it isn’t revenge, then could this be your attempt at getting back together?”
“Are you thick in the head or something? I have no other reason to work here except for work! To me, you’re no less than any other celebrity. The last thing I want to do is spend even a single moment in your presence,” I snap.
“It isn’t so hard to imagine you’d want to get back together, Sophie, because you were pretty smitten with me seven years ago. There could still be residual feelings.”
I laugh out loud in his face, unable to believe how outrageous he is.
“My feelings for you died the moment you coldly dumped me after you got your shot at fame!”
“What did you think was going to happen?” he firmly retorts. “Did you think we’d keep on dating? It’s only natural we broke up. We were never going to last long to begin with, and you knew that.”
I didn’t know that.
Back then, I actually believed he was the one and thought things would always work out for us. If I’d known he only considered me a fling he could drop as soon as he was famous, I’d have at least guarded my heart and prepared for the breakup.
Yet, he let me fall madly for him like a fool, only to dump me like I never mattered to him.
I guess that’s because he never truly cared about me. How did I not see through his pretense?
Liam lets out a heavy breath that draws my attention back to his tight face.
“Listen, I don’t care if you want to work for me or not. I can’t exactly tell Julian to fire you without a plausible reason. So I’m only going to tell you this once.” He takes an intimidating step closer to me. I fight the urge to take a step back. I can’t let him see that he has an effect on me. “No one can ever know that we used to date. No one, not even your friends, your family, no one .”
The little shard of hope my heart had been clinging to finally shattered.
I wasn’t expecting anything grand from him, but a part of me thought he’d at least be remorseful for what he did and apologize. And I thought I’d be able to move on cleanly and finally close this chapter of my life.
That’s not the case, though. Liam wants me to be his dirty little secret forever.
I force the lump down in my throat. “Believe me, the last thing I want is for anyone to find out we used to date.”
Liam studies me for a while, then nods. “It’s good to know we’re on the same page about this.”
How did I never notice he was this cold and calculating? Why didn’t I see it back then?
Liam picks up his phone and dials a number, then places it to his ear. “We’re done, Julian. You can come in.”
My tense shoulders finally relax. I look away from Liam, trying to calm my misbehaving heart.
Julian enters the suite about five minutes later. He glances at me and then at Liam before letting out a sigh of relief.
“Whatever he said, trust me, he’s not as bad as his first impression,” Julian says.
“I know that.”
My first impression of him was that he was a perfect being, but now I know better.
Julian smiles and turns to Liam. “So, do you like her?”
“I couldn’t care less.” Liam shrugs, breezing past me. “Fill her in on her duties, Julian. I don’t want to have to teach my personal assistant how to assist me.”
“You’ve got it!” Julian chuckles as Liam waltzes out of the sitting room. “I can assure you he’s not as bad as he seems.”
Relief washes over me in his absence. My heart had been so uneasy around him. It was foolish of me to think I was over him or the pain he caused me.
I’m clearly not over it; it still hurts like crazy.
I force a smile at Julian. “What exactly are my duties here?”
“It’s a pretty tall order.” Julian gives me a sheepish grin and motions for me to sit. I sit down opposite him as he takes his seat, too. “You have to be at Liam’s beck and call basically every hour of the day.”
“What?”
“I mean every hour of the day that he spends awake,” Julian explains. “Which could mean anything since he’s here to shoot a movie, and sometimes shooting schedules run into the night.”
Great. Just great!
Now I have to spend almost every hour of the day with my annoying ex-boyfriend. Can things get any worse for me?
I hope not.