Chapter 191
Liam ser his cup down. “Your grandfather wanted me to marry you”
Izzy paused, her expression unreadable, “And?” She already expected this. The will that he left was pretty clear about Liam
He nodded once. “Augustus. He came to me months before he passed. Said you needed protection”
“From what?” she asked. “He built a business empire. His enemies couldn’t possibly care about me. I didn’t know anything about his dealings”
Liam met her gaze. “That’s what you think. But that may not be true”
She waited.
“Your grandfather wasn’t just a businessman,” Liam began. “He built Rossi Holdings on high–risk ventures–early offshore investments, political backing in unstable regions, contracts no one else wanted to touch.”
Izzy’s eyesnarrowed. “What are you saying?”
“Augustus Rossi had enemies,” Liam said. “Real ones. Powerful ones. In Eastern Europe, Italy, and even here. He crossed families, backed out of dangerous deals, and walked away clean–at least on paper. But those losses didn’t just disappear. Some people waited years for an opening. And when he died, that opening became you,”
Izzy was quiet.
“His death came years after your parents‘ And after that, everything changed–your inheritance, your name, the people around you. Someone moved fast to gain control. Shares shifted. Partners vanished. A shell company tied to a lot of families bought a chunk of Rossi Holdings. There’s a pattern. And I think your grandfather saw it coming.”
She sat back slowly, eyes on the table.
Liam didn’t push. He simply waited.
“You married me,” Izzy said after a while, “because he asked you to?”
This time, he smirked. “To be fair, it was you who asked me to marry you.” He answered without hesitation. “But yes, it was because he trusted me to protect you. And because I wanted to.”
She looked at him then–really looked–and saw no hesitation in his words.
The questions weren’t over. But this was a start.
She reached for her cup again. “Did you know about his will?”
Liam shook his head. “I knew he wanted me to marry you. That’s all. I didn’t know the specifics. I never saw the will myself.”
Izzy stared at him. “But you… you set me up, didn’t you?”
He didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “Yes.”
Her eyes narrowed. “That night. The one where I found out about Calen and Monica. That wasn’t just luck.”
“No,” Liam admitted. “It wasn’t. I knew you were flying back. I made sure Calen was there. Made sure Monica was with him. I didn’t have to do much. He was careless on his own. But I made it easier for you to see it.”
Izzy leaned back in her chair. “So you planned it.” It wasn’t just a coincidence that this happened before she turned 26. Liam
1/4
Fri, 4 Apr 6
Chapter 191
planned it all.
“You’d been too blind for too long,” Liam said. “You needed to see the truth. I just… arranged the timing.”
She said nothing for a moment.
69%
11
Then, “Did you plan for me to jump off the balcony and throw myself at you, too?” If he did, then… wouldn’t that make him some powerful fortune teller?
Liam blinked, “No. That part was… not expected.”
Her face turned red.
She looked away and let out a slow breath. She wanted to be angry. But how could she be when it was her who climbed into his room, said she didn’t care, and offered herself like some dramatic heroine in a movie?
Now that she thought about it, it really was ridiculous.
She snorted. “I can’t believe I did that.”
Liam smiled. “I can.”
Izzy rolled her eyes. “Don’t get cocky.”
He sipped his coffee. “Too late.”
Izzy sighed, catching herself. Her thoughts had drifted too far again. She set her cup down and glanced across the table.
“Were there any suspects in his death?” she asked. “The files I read only had initials. Nothing solid.”
Liam shook his head once, slowly. “No. And that’s what’s been bothering me. I had assumptions and names that made sense based on the moves they made after Augustus died. But every time I got close to something, it turned out to be a dead end. Like someone’s been… guiding me away.”
Izzy leaned forward slightly. “Guiding you away?”
He nodded. “Not directly. But someone’s behind this. Someone with enough influence to erase trails, redirect my attention, and keep things quiet. I’ve been digging, but it always feels like I’m missing something important.”
Izzy sat back, her fingers tapping lightly against her cup. “Maybe whoever was behind my parents‘ deaths is the same person who came after my grandfather.”
Liam didn’t respond right away.
“And maybe,” she continued, “they’re after me too. But since I’m with you… they can’t get to me. Not easily.” This is just what her grandfather had wanted.
Liam frowned. His eyes were on her, unmoving.
“Don’t,” he said. “Don’t say whatever it is you’re thinking.”
Izzy raised an eyebrow. “How can you read my mind?”
“Don’t joke,” Liam said. His voice wasn’t sharp, but there was no amusement in his expression. “I know what you are trying to do, Izzy, but I won’t allow that to happen.”
“I’m serious,” Izzy said. “Whoever this is… they’re clever. Quiet. They’ve waited years. We can’t keep reacting to them. We need to know who they are. We need a plan.”
2/4
Chapter 191
Liam didn’t seem to wake
” da trapery said. “And went ba
the ball his gaze
“And that tak me
Not happening” Lism said. “You are not going out there to try and trick people to harm posis so we could catch whes wan
instre crucises trying to hurt you. That’s insane. Izzy. I won’t allow that to happen
Trzy didn’t look away. “This is the only way
Liam w his cup down with more force than necessary. “No. It’s not. There are other ways. We can dig deeper. There’s still information we haven’t uncovered.”
“We’ve been digging.” Izzy said. “I even asked Atty. Alcaraz to run his own investigation weeks ago
Liam glanced at her, his jaw tightening
“It’s not going anywhere,” she continued. “And that’s the problem. Whoever is behind this… they’re watching us. They’re careful. And they know what they’re doing.”
Liar stayed quiet, eyes narrowed slightly.
“We can’t keep going in circles. We don’t even know who the real enemy is,” Izzy said. “And if we don’t figure it out soon. we’ll end up dead without even knowing who pulled the trigger.”
He leaned back slightly, but his gaze didn’t leave hers.
Izzy kept going. “They’ve been one step ahead. Every move we’ve made, they’ve anticipated. They cleaned up the evidence. Redirected our focus. Slipped right past us.”
“And that’s exactly why you can’t be bait,” Liam said.
“I already am,” Izzy said. “You said it yourself. When my grandfather died, the opening was me. I didn’t choose this. But it’s already happening.”
Liam’s expression darkened. He didn’t argue this time.
“We either take control,” Izzy added, “or we keep waiting to be hit. And Liam–I don’t want that. I don’t want to wait, wondering when they’ll scheme next. I don’t want to sleep with one eye open. I-” she swallowed. “I want to have a family- with you. And with this enemy somewhere, I can’t—“ she didn’t have to continue her words. He knew what she wanted to
say.
The silence stretched between them. Then Liam stood and walked toward the window, hands in his pockets. His reflection stared back at him in the glass. He didn’t say a word..
Izzy waited. She knew what he was thinking. Calculating. Weighing options.
Finally, he turned back. “If we do this… we do it my way and you have to listen to what I say.”
She nodded once. “Fine.”
