25

Liliana

After my conversation with Alistair at the brewery, where I had confessed my feelings, I felt even more desperate to try to conjure up some kind of emotion when I was with Austin.

I became more affectionate, more tactile, but nothing could replicate the excitement or passion I had felt with Alistair. Nothing compared to the way my heart raced in my chest when I saw him again at the agency after so long.

"So, he's your client?" Austin finally asked me the night Alistair dropped me off. He had a strange, skeptical look in his eyes.

"Yes, Alistair and Benedict, his partner, own Hard Rock, and I've been tasked with managing their campaigns," I explained.

Austin remained unusually quiet after that, and a bit reserved over the next couple of days.

Austin had suggested going out to dinner, so we were enjoying our meal at a local restaurant. We had mostly pleasant conversation, but he had been tense since the night Alistair dropped me off, and it was still apparent.

I thought this dinner was his way of apologizing for his standoffish behavior since that night. It didn’t take long for me to realize I was right.

Austin cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Liliana, about the way I've been acting for the past couple of days. Seeing you get out of that car—"

As I tried to focus on Austin, I noticed someone staring at me from the corner of my eye. I looked up and froze.

Alistair had just been seated at a table across the restaurant, and his eyes were fixed on me.

"Is everything okay?" Austin asked, noticing my distraction.

Before I could respond, Alistair was making his way over to us, his lips pressed into a thin line.

"Fancy running into you two here," Alistair said, his gaze locked on mine.

Austin turned around, clearly surprised to see Alistair.

"What do you want?" he asked, his expression darkening.

Alistair glanced at Austin dismissively before turning his attention back to me.
"So this is the infamous boyfriend?"

"Yes. Alistair, this is Austin."

"Oh, I know who he is," Alistair replied.

What on earth was happening?

Benedict stood behind Alistair, wide-eyed, looking at me, but I couldn't decipher his expression. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

"I think you should leave, right now," Austin said.

The way they looked at each other indicated this wasn’t their first encounter.

"I didn’t see you come in, or I’d have left then. Fortunately, I already finished my dinner, or I’d have lost my appetite by now," Alistair retorted, his voice strained and low, as if he despised Austin.

"Alistair!" I exclaimed in surprise.

Before Austin could explode, I quickly stood up.

"Okay, I think we're done here," I said, turning to Alistair. "I really think you should go."

Alistair finally tore his gaze away from Austin to look at me. His expression softened when he saw my flustered state.

"Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your... date."

His eyes bore into mine before he turned on his heel and left.

What was going on between them? It clearly wasn’t just jealousy on Alistair’s part, judging by Austin's seething anger as he watched Alistair stomp away.

"What was that all about?" I demanded.

Austin sighed. "I’ll explain, but can we finish our dinner first and talk later?" he requested.

I had little appetite left, but I waited before pressing for more answers.

Once back at my house, I let him sit on the couch while I stood, arms crossed. "Are you going to explain what that was all about?"

"I was just about to when he showed up. The reason I’ve been acting a little strange since he dropped you off... Alistair used to be my brother-in-law. And seeing you with him? I don’t know. It did something to me."

Brother-in-law? My jaw dropped as I processed this revelation. Austin was the brother of Alistair's ex-wife. What were the odds...

"He was married to your sister? Your sister is his ex?" I asked, feeling like I was repeating myself but unable to help it.

"Yep," he confirmed.

"Wait, were you your sister’s lawyer? Because he mentioned her lawyer really grilled him."

Could Austin have been the one who made Alistair so miserable?

"I advised her and unofficially consulted with her lawyer, but no, I wasn’t directly involved. Being family made it a conflict of interest for me. It wouldn’t have looked good, otherwise I’d have represented her, of course," he explained, gesturing casually. "What’s your history with him exactly?"

His question caught me off guard. "History? I told you, he’s my client at the agency."

Austin nodded and got a little smirk on his face, like he knew something I didn’t.

“I know, but it’s more than that. Alistair’s not normally rude, not even to me when he sees me around town. He avoids me, of course, and I don’t blame him. I took my sister’s side, naturally. But seeing you with me seemed to send him over the edge. So he has to be more than just a client to you.”

I sat on the couch but didn’t lean back against his arm. “We met about four years ago at Crystal Fountains. A birthday party for his grandfather, who was my grandfather’s best friend. And . . .”

I gazed into Austin’s eyes, briefly considering telling him everything, but then decided against it.

“I dated his brother for a while before I moved to New York,” I admitted.

He narrowed his eyes, contemplating my revelation. “Ask to be taken off his account. Let someone else handle the brewery campaign. I don’t want you near him.”

“Excuse me?” I scoffed. Austin liked to be in control, but this demand crossed a line.

“I don’t want you spending time with him, especially after his behavior at the restaurant. Tell them to assign someone else.”

His presumption made me so angry, I struggled to find my words. There were many things I wanted to say, but I was stunned by his audacity.

“I told you this campaign was my chance at a big promotion the day they assigned it to me,” I said, incredulous that he would ask—no, tell—me to give it up so easily.

“I understand. There will be other opportunities for promotion,” he said softly, reaching for my shoulders and attempting a smile. “It’s for the best, Liliana. I just want what’s best for you. Why don’t you send a message to your boss now? Then we can move on and enjoy the rest of our evening.”

I pulled away from him, standing up and pointing towards the door. “Get out.”

He chuckled, trying to brush off my reaction. “Don’t be so dramatic, Liliana.”

“I said leave, Austin. I don’t know who you think you are, telling me what to do, but I’ve had enough for one day. Go home.”

I turned away, walking as if I fully expected him to comply, essentially dismissing him. I was fed up with his controlling behavior.

He headed towards the door but paused before opening it.

“I don’t want you around him, Liliana. Call me when you’ve reconsidered and been reassigned.”

I gasped in disbelief as he left, closing the door before I could articulate the expletives that were running through my mind.