Stand Up To Her

Derek, who had been going into Liam's office so they could discuss the meeting they would be having in the next hour, frowned when Liam remained in the position he was, long after he strode in.

He snapped his fingers in front of Liam and he winced internally. He hadn't heard Derek approach, a testament to his own distracted state.

"Hey, how long have you been here?" he asked and Derek shrugged, his gaze not leaving Liam's.

"Long enough to know you're worried. What's up? And I noticed your PA is yet to resume," Derek inquired and Liam winced, yet again at the mention of the element of his thoughts.

Liam grunted a noncommittal response, his hand rising to massage his temple in a gesture that spoke volumes. He was worried.

Liam had initially planned to just tease Fiona, to dangle the night's events over her head, watch the blush creep up her neck, see the flustered stammer erupt and just leave it at that.

He'd found amusement in her fiery spirit, in the way she challenged him, a spark he hadn't felt in a long time. But seeing her leave, that determined set to her jaw, the way she'd marched out... it had hit him like a ton of bricks.

He had taken things too far and he felt bad. He felt bad because, he knew she needed the job especially since she had stopped working at the agency. He had been told so when he called the manager the day before.

He knew making guilt gnaw at him for pushing Fiona till she couldn't take it. And he knew she must have done a lot of job hunting to land this job, hence the excitement she felt that day.

He had to do something to make her have her job back. So, she could take care of her mother and at the same time, keep her close to him.

He wanted her close not because he was in love but because he liked her. That was why the thought of losing her, to some other company sent a pang of something akin to annoyance through him.

He could see the wheels turning in his head, a plan forming. Perhaps a well-placed call, a few strings pulled, and he could have her back. He had to make up for what he did to her at his house and in the office. He thought with a nod.

He finally tore his gaze away from the window, having decided on what to do and focused on Derek, who was still watching him expectantly. "What were you saying?" he asked, his weariness evident in his voice.

Derek sighed. It wasn't everytime he saw Liam look that way. It was either he had an encounter with his mom or was having challenges in the company which he knew they didn't have any at the moment.

He cleared his throat, "What's wrong and why do you have that look?"

"For starters, I think you might not believe what I'm about to say to you," Liam said, and Derek raised a questioning brow.

"Try me," he said, lowering himself to the chair across from Liam, his voice a mix of amusement and curiosity.

"My hired girlfriend is my assistant," Liam announced, his voice matter of factly.

Derek's brows shot up in surprise. "Fiona? The same person I literally convinced you to hire? And the one I met at your house?" he asked, and Liam nodded, his eyes glistening with a hint of something quite unreadable to Derek.

Derek chuckled, amused by the situation. "Where's she now? I take it things didn't go as planned?" Derek asked, a knowing smile playing on his lios.

Liam's lips pursed in a thin line. "Let's just say she's not as easily managed as I thought she'd be and I went too far," he said, his words piquing Derek's interest.

"So, what's the real story? What happened between you two?" Derek asked, and Liam shook his head.

"How about you put a call across to a few persons for me?" Liam asked, an attempt to evade Derek's question.

"That would be after I brief you on the meeting," Derek said and then hesitated before asking, "Have you heard from Cora? She said she'd give me a call but I'm yet to receive any."

Liam shook his head. "No and I'm wondering why," Liam said and just then, his phone started ringing with an unknown caller.

"Hey, Li," came Cora's shrilling voice from the other end of the phone and Liam winced as he mouthed a 'speak of the devil' to Derek.

"Cora? Can I call you back later? I'm in a middle of a business meeting," he said, his tone firm but polite and hanged up without waiting for her response.

"So, let"s dive into business. We've discussed enough of my personal live," Liam said, wanting to shift the topic back to business, but Derek shook his head.

"You might not want to tell me what transpired between you and Fiona but I won't let you keep me in the dark about your meeting with your mom," Derek pressed, and Liam chuckled.

"Okay. Fine. Fiona and I were able to convince her," he said, in a resigned tone, and Derek nodded.

"Tell me you didn't go through with that silly plan of yours about making her believe Fiona is Fiona Stones," Derek said when he saw the glint in Liam's eyes and Liam burst into laughter when Derek stood up and facepalmed.

"It's not as serious as you think," Liam said and Derek cocked a brow as he tilted his head to the side.

"Really? Didn't she suggest marriage?" Derek asked, and Liam nodded.

"She did," he confirmed and went on to tell Derek how the dinner with his mom had been.

"So, what do you plan to do?" Derek asked in concern.

"Tell her we broke up and hopefully, she would let me be. How about you focus on pursuing Cora so that my mom won't force her on me when I finally tell her Fiona and I broke up?" Liam asked hopefully, and Derek shook his head.

"Or you can just stand your ground and tell her you don't want to marry Cora," Derek said, his voice firm and encouraging. "You can tell her you'll get married when you're ready, not because your family is pushing you to."

Liam sighed, rubbing his temples. "It's not that easy, Rek. You know how my mother can be. She won't take no for an answer. Especially when her mind is set."

Derek leaned forward, his eyes locked on Liam's. "That's exactly why you need to stand up to her, Liam. You're a grown man, not a puppet on strings. I honestly think it time you took control of your own life."

Liam's gaze dropped, his jaw clenched in frustration. He knew Derek was right, but the thought of confronting his mother made his stomach twist into knots.

Perhaps it was time he stood up to her and stood his ground.

"Let's talk about the meeting," Liam said and Derek nodded, getting into business mode.