Chapter 209
Liam’s P.O.V.
The buttery scent of popcorn filled the small kitchen as I emptied the freshly popped kernels into a bowl. The rhythmic hum of the microwave had faded, replaced by the distant murmur of the television from the living room. Mai had stayed behind, flipping through channels, probably looking for something ridiculous for us to watch.
I smiled to myself. Movie nights had become our thing. Something normal. Something safe.
But when I stepped back into the living room, my smile froze.
Mai was sitting rigidly on the couch, her silver eyes locked onto the television. The remote was clenched tightly in her hand, her knuckles white from the pressure. Her entire body was stiff, like a predator sensing danger.
And then, in the flickering light of the TV screen, I saw it.
My face.
Her face.
Missing Persons.
A reward. A huge one.
My breath caught in my throat as my eyes darted to the name flashing across the screen.
Lucian Blackwood.
The man offering the reward.
That was the name of a well known multi-billionaire. One had to be living under a rock if you didn’t know him.
I barely had time to process before she whipped around, her fingers fumbling as she changed the channel. The news vanished in an instant, replaced by some mindless sitcom laugh track. But the damage was done.
She saw me standing there.
“Hey,” I said carefully, forcing a casual tone. “What’d you pick p>
Mai blinked rapidly, her silver eyes speaking volumes. “Uh… something dumb p>
I raised an eyebrow, “That narrows it down.” She was lying.
She elbowed me. “Shut up and eat your popcorn p>
The remote was still clutched in her hand, her fingers twitching slightly. I could see it—her pulse hammering in her throat, the way her breathing had quickened just a little too much.
But why?
Why wouldn’t she tell me?
I forced a grin and plopped down beside her, setting the bowl of popcorn between us. “Well, pick something already. You take forever p>
Her tense shoulders loosened just a fraction, and she smirked. “You’re awfully demanding for someone who didn’t even make the popcorn right p>
I scoffed. “Excuse me? It’s perfect p>
Mai picked up a single kernel, inspected it like a food critic, then popped it in her mouth with exaggerated thoughtfulness.
“Hmm.” She nodded slowly. “I guess it’s edible p>
I rolled my eyes, but my mind was miles away.
The reward. The billionaire. Lucian Blackwood.
Who was he to us? Why was he looking for us? And why was Mai so desperate to hide it from me?
I wanted to ask. Every time I looked at her, the questions clawed at my throat, demanding to be spoken. But I held back.
If she didn’t want me to know, she had a reason. And if that reason had anything to do with why she had been stabbed—why she still flinched when shadows moved too quickly in the corners of her vision—then I couldn’t risk pushing too hard.
So I did the only thing I could.
I pretended.
For an entire month, I acted like nothing had happened.
I let her tease me, let her drag me to the grocery store for ridiculous snack runs at midnight. I bickered with her over what movie to watch, knowing full well she’d pick something dumb just to annoy me. I even let her steal my hoodies, even though they hung off her like a damn cloak and she had her own perfectly good clothes given to her by kind Becky.
But when she wasn’t looking—when I finally had a moment to myself—I searched.
Lucian Blackwood.
The name was everywhere.
Billionaire. CEO. Ruthless businessman.
There were articles, interviews, news reports. He owned companies, chains of them, stretching across multiple industries. Real estate, manufacturing, shipping. The deeper I dug, the bigger his shadow became.
But who was he to us?
That answer was harder to find.
Every time I got close, Mai was there.
Not that she knew what I was doing—at least, I didn’t think she did. But she was always there, her presence an unshakable force in my life.
I’d sit down with my phone, trying to find more information, and suddenly she’d flop onto the couch beside me, draping herself over my lap like a damn cat.
“What are you doing?” she’d ask, her eyes watching me too closely.
“Nothing,” I’d lie, flipping my phone over before she could see the search page.
She’d hum, unconvinced, but then she’d distract me with some inane conversation about how we needed to buy more marshmallows because she liked eating them straight from the bag, or how she’d overheard an old man at the coffee shop calling his wife ’sugar muffin’ and now she wanted a cute nickname too.
And just like that, my focus would shatter.
It was frustrating. But also… comforting?
Because for all her interruptions, Mai made me feel safe.
And that was dangerous.
I didn’t understand her. Not completely. But I knew one thing for sure.
Mai wanted me safe.
I could see it in the way she always made sure I walked on the inside of the sidewalk, in how her body tensed whenever strangers got too close. In how she never let me go anywhere alone.
There was no faking something like that.
And somewhere along the way, between the late-night cuddles and talks in my bedroom and the quiet moments where her head rested against my chest p>
I had fallen for Mai.
Hard.
It happened one evening in the woods. Something unexpected. Something I hadn’t planned for.
The air was crisp, carrying the scent of damp earth and wild flowers. The sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving behind a world painted in silver and shadow. Above us, the leaves whispered secrets to the wind, rustling softly in the night.
We were in the forest. Mai and I sat on the fallen trunk of an old tree, the rough bark pressing against my palms. She was leaning against me, her warmth bleeding into my side, her breath fanning against my shoulder. It was a quiet kind of intimacy, the kind that didn’t need words.
“I’ve always liked it out here,” she murmured, her voice quiet.
“Yeah?” I asked, tilting my head slightly to look at her.
She nodded. “It’s quiet. Peaceful p>
I hesitated, my gaze tracing the way the moonlight caught in her hair, turning it almost gold. She looked ethereal, like something that didn’t quite belong to this world.
Maybe that was why I was afraid of losing her.
“Do you ever think about leaving?” I asked before I could stop myself.
She tensed—just for a second. Then she let out a quiet laugh, but there was something guarded in it. “Where would I go p>
I swallowed. “I don’t know. Somewhere safe? Somewhere with your family p>
She shifted then, turning her face toward me, her eyes locking onto mine. “I already have that p>
The words hit harder than they should have. Something in my chest clenched, a sharp, unexpected ache spreading through me.
I already have that.
She was talking about me. About us.
And suddenly, everything else—the mystery, the danger, the secrets—faded into the background.
All that mattered was her.
Before I could stop myself, before I could even think, I moved.
Slowly, hesitantly, I reached up and cupped her face, my thumb brushing lightly against her cheek. Her breath hitched, her eyes widening, but she didn’t pull away.
My heart was pounding.
“I p>
I didn’t get to finish.
She kissed me first.
Soft. Tentative. A question, not an answer.
And I answered.
I pulled her closer, deepening the kiss, feeling the way she melted against me. Her fingers tangled in my hair, and the world shrank down to this—just this. Just her.
Not Lucian Blackwood.
Not the missing persons report.
Not the storm brewing in the distance.
Just us.
When we finally pulled apart, her breathing was unsteady, her gaze searching mine.
I was terrified.
Because if I lost this—if I lost her—I wasn’t sure who I’d be anymore.
And maybe, deep down, I already knew.
But the illusion of safety shattered that night.
The knock at the door came early the next morning.
Sharp. Insistent. The kind that wasn’t just asking to be answered—it was demanding.
Mai got to the door first. Becky and I had barely made it down the stairs when she swung it open.
The second she saw who was standing there, all the color drained from her face.
Pale. Frozen. Like she’d just been struck by lightning.
“Mai Blackwood p>
The man at the door held up a badge. His expression was flat, but his presence alone sent a chill through the air.
“Liam Rivers?” he continued, his gaze flicking to me.
I stepped forward instinctively, pulse hammering against my ribs.
Then came the words that cracked the ground beneath us.
“We’ve found your family p>
There was silence.
The kind that felt heavy, suffocating, like the moment right before a storm tears through the sky.
Mai didn’t move. Didn’t blink.
She just gripped the edge of the door like it was the only thing keeping her upright.
I didn’t understand.
But I knew.
Everything was about to change.
Forever.