While Liam was navigating his frustration, a different kind of tension was brewing in the sun-drenched library of the Sterling mansion. Chief Alexander Sterling sat in his high-backed leather chair, his breathing assisted by a discrete portable concentrator. Standing before him was a man in a nondescript grey suit—Samuel, Liam's secondary personal assistant and the man Alexander had placed in the office years ago to act as his silent eyes.
"Report," Alexander wheezed, his eyes sharp despite his frailty.
"Mr. Liam has been... distracted, Chief," Samuel said, his voice devoid of emotion. "He missed a strategy briefing yesterday. And last night, he spent hours at St. Nicholas Hospital. He wasn't there for business or for any of the family associates."
Alexander's silver eyebrows knit together. "Who was he there for? Sandra?"
"No, sir. Miss Sandra was at home. He was there for a young woman brought in after a traffic accident.
"A young woman , do you know her "chief asked
She is a waitress from the bistro he frequents." Samuel hesitated. "He stayed until the early hours. And this morning, he was seen carrying a gift box—personal electronics—intended for her."
Alexander closed his eyes, a pained expression crossing his weathered face. He knew his son. Liam was a creature of logic and ice, but when that ice cracked, the flood could destroy everything they had built. "A waitress," Alexander whispered, the word tasting like ash. "In the middle of the most important merger of his career, he is chasing a girl from the streets."
He opened his eyes, the cold steel of the Sterling legacy returning to his gaze. "Keep a close watch on him, Samuel. I want to know every move he makes, every kobo he spends on this girl. If she is a distraction, she must be removed. If she is a threat, she must be neutralized. Liam is the future of this empire; I will not let him throw it away for a whim."
Samuel bowed his head. "I understand, Chief. I'll stay on him."
As the assistant left, Alexander looked at a framed photo of a young Liam on his desk. He loved his son, but he loved the Sterling name more then he pick up the next frame close to young laim own which happened to be his wife "I promise you that I will protect our son and am trying my best to"
. He couldn't see that the "threat" he wanted to remove was the only thing keeping his son's soul alive.