The silence that followed was heavy with unspoken words. Eliana watched the man standing before her. He looked like a king in exile, his sharp features softened by the dim hospital lights. Standing close to her now she could see how handsome he was,she couldn't get to see him more clearly back then at the restaurant ,She realized this was the third time he had appeared in her life when she was at her lowest.
"I never got the chance to say it properly," Eliana whispered, breaking the silence. "But thank you. For the restaurant. For Otunba."
Liam stiffened, his expression shifting into a mask of polite indifference. "I'm sorry? I deal with many people, Miss Vance. I'm not sure what restaurant you're referring to."
Eliana's heart sank for a moment, but she saw the slight flicker in his pupils—the "Iceman" was lying. She felt a sudden surge of boldness. "You remember," she insisted, a small, weary smile touching her lips. "You saved me from a man who thought he could buy my dignity. Since that day... I've looked for you every time the door opened at L'Etoile. I didn't even know your name, but I kept hoping you'd come back." She paused, her voice trembling with a raw, unshielded honesty. "No one has ever looked out for me the way you did that day. I've spent my whole life being invisible, but you... you saw me."
Liam felt a jolt of electricity hit his chest, more powerful than any corporate victory or inherited wealth. To hear her say that she had been looking for him—that he was the one spark of light in her grueling life—shattered the last of his defenses. He wasn't a billionaire to her; he was a savior. The feeling was so intense, so terrifyingly real, that he felt he might suffocate under the weight of it.
"I have to go," he blurted out, his voice thick with a sudden, inexplicable emotion. "Rest, miss Eliana. The bill is taken care of. Don't worry about work.and my name is laim "
He turned on his heel and practically fled the room. He didn't stop until he reached the hospital's rooftop garden, the cool night air hitting his face. He leaned against the railing, his heart thundering against his ribs. He had spent his life surrounded by people who wanted his money, his name, or his power. But Eliana... she just wanted him. The "Iceman" was gone. In his place was a man who was falling for a girl with two lives, and for the first time in ten years, Liam Sterling was truly, utterly terrified.