CHAPTER 271: THE FALLOUT

Riya’s breath hitched as her eyes flew to the discarded ring lying a short distance away. Shock crashed into her. Liam had actually ended their engagement because of Zara. A rush of rage, humiliation, and envy burned through her chest.

"You are breaking up with me for her?" she screamed, nearly hysterical. "Do you even hear yourself? Ending things with me means cutting off the Grants entirely. Are you ready for the consequences?"

"I have better partners than the Grants," Liam fired back without holding back. "I don’t need them, and I sure as hell don’t need a woman like you."

He grabbed Zara’s hand and marched off.

"Liam. Come back," Riya yelled, her voice echoing in the restaurant. But he never looked back.

Seething, she whirled toward Nathaniel. "Nathaniel, why didn’t you stop him? He is my fiancé. How could you just let him leave with Zara? What is wrong with you?"

Nathaniel met her glare with icy indifference. "What do you expect me to do when he clearly doesn’t want to be with you? Honestly, it’s better he ended things himself. He never deserved you. Stop wasting your time on him. You’ll find someone far better."

Riya cursed inwardly. It wasn’t as if she was desperate to stay with Liam, but she refused to accept defeat like this. Her plan had always been simple—make him hopelessly fall for her, bend him to her will, force him to dance to her every command. Never had she imagined he would end their relationship on his own terms.

He had done it because of Zara, and this very thought made her blood boil. Her nails cut her palm, but she barely felt the pain. Her fury drowned out everything else.

Liam’s attitude had changed ever since he partnered with Zachary. But he was a fool to trust that man.

’You’ll regret this,’ she hissed silently. ’Soon you’ll be crawling back, begging for forgiveness.’

Outside the restaurant...

Zara couldn’t shake off the unease from what had happened. Once they were in the car, she turned toward Liam, worry etched across her face.

"You shouldn’t have said those things," she murmured anxiously. "The Grants and Lawsons have been close for years. You ended that alliance in a heartbeat. I’m scared Nathaniel will retaliate."

"I don’t care," Liam replied, his jaw tight. "That partnership was falling apart anyway. It was only a matter of time. I need new collaborations, new opportunities. And Riya? I never liked her. I only agreed to marry her because my parents insisted. Now that it’s over, I finally feel relieved."

He shot her a reassuring smile. "Relax. Nathaniel won’t be able to touch me. I’ve already lined up backup plans."

Yet Zara couldn’t shake off her concern. She had never imagined that Nathaniel and Liam’s friendship would sour this way. The thought of them becoming enemies and of the bond between their families breaking apart troubled her deeply.

It was all because of one woman – Riya. She had turned things bitter between the two men. But sadly, Nathaniel couldn’t see it. He trusted her blindly, ignoring his long-standing friendship with Liam and even the safety of his own parents, just to keep Riya pleased.

How could he be so blind?

Zara feared Riya would destroy the entire family before Nathaniel even realized his mistake. The thought of innocent people getting dragged into this, especially the old grandmother and Zane, made her stomach twist with dread.

"Liam, there is something I need to tell you," she said with a hint of desperation lacing in her tone.

Until now, Zara had decided to keep Liam from her family mess. But she changed her mind.

"Riya is dangerous. She is plotting against the Grant family. Nathaniel won’t listen to me... but he might listen to you. Please, do something. Everyone is at risk."

Liam frowned. He had not expected her to bring this up. "What are you talking about?" he asked, pretending to be clueless.

Zara took a breath and explained everything she knew—Riya’s schemes, her intentions, and the nurse’s earlier confession. She even played the voice recording that had been sent to her.

"I told Nathaniel everything," she continued. "I even sent him the recording, but the nurse backed out in the end and accused me of bribing her. Nathaniel refused to believe a word I said. He thinks I’m doing all this because I don’t get along with Riya. I don’t know what else to do—I just don’t want anyone to get hurt. Please... try talking to him."

Liam listened quietly. He and Nathaniel were on a secret mission, and he couldn’t let her get involved in this. As long as she stayed away from it, she would be safe.

Seeing him remain quiet, Zara assumed he was reluctant. She quickly continued, "I know you’re angry with him. He had no right to hit you. But for the sake of your long friendship and the bond between both families, please put your anger aside and talk to him. I’m sure you can make him understand."

Liam gave a curt nod. "I’ll see what I can do. Let me drive you home first."

He started the engine and drove off, his expression solemn.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as Nathaniel stepped out of the restaurant, he received a call from Ian. He started the engine and picked up the call.

"You were right," Ian said icily. "There were Zachary’s men at the restaurant. I’m sure the message reached him."

Nathaniel had also spotted a suspicious figure lurking in the corner. That was why he had punched Liam so hard. But it was not a part of the plan.

Liam’s reaction was completely understandable. He must be livid.

Nathaniel sighed slowly, thinking he would explain everything later; for now, more urgent matters awaited.

"Any news about the nurse?" he asked while pulling away from the curb.

"We found her location," Ian replied, sounding grim. "She fled abroad. I’ve already sent someone after her. We’ll soon find out who Riya’s accomplice is in the hospital."

"Hurry. We don’t have much time left," Nathaniel ordered.

"I’m aware," Ian said.

The call ended.

Nathaniel drove straight to the Moore mansion. Parking on the roadside, he stared at the building. The lights were still on, indicating Zara was still awake.

He wished he could walk in and check on her. ’I hope she is alright. Wait for me, Zara... let me settle everything first.’

He dialed another number. As soon as the call connected, he instructed, "Stay alert. Her safety is your responsibility."

"We are stationed around the house, sir," a deep voice assured him. "Anything threatening will be dealt with immediately."

Feeling reassured, Nathaniel hung up. Once made sure that Zara was protected, he drove away.

Nathaniel didn’t return to the mansion or the hospital. Instead, he drove straight to Liam’s penthouse.

The moment he stepped inside, a fist crashed into his face.

"Ugh," Nathaniel hissed, clutching his nose. "What the hell? Are you insane?" He glared at Liam while wiping the blood trickling down his nose.

"I’ve been waiting to do that, you bastard," Liam snapped. "You nearly broke my jaw. It still hurts like hell."

He turned and walked back into the room, rubbing the sore spot.

Nathaniel pressed a handkerchief to his bleeding nose. "You don’t get it. Zachary had a spy there watching us. I had to make it look real."

"You didn’t need to hit that hard," Liam retorted. "That punch was brutal. You put your whole force into it."

"Oh, stop whining," Nathaniel shot back. "Did you want me to pat your cheek and politely ask you to leave? I needed to show genuine fury so they’d believe our fallout was real."

"Right... a great excuse to hide the actual reason," Liam muttered. "You were pissed because I was close to Zara. You forgot it was part of the plan. You could’ve shoved me instead of nearly knocking my head off."

Nathaniel fell silent for a moment. Liam was right. Seeing Liam’s arm around Zara had made his temper snap. He had hit harder than necessary. But he refused to admit that.

"You are wrong," he said eventually. "I acted on impulse—not intentional. But it worked. The message is out. Zachary won’t suspect you anymore. Now you just need to continue playing your role carefully."

"Don’t teach me," Liam grunted. "I know what to do." He sank onto the sofa, pressing an ice pack to his throbbing jaw.

Nathaniel sat beside him and handed him the ointment he had picked up on the way. "Use this. It should help with the pain."

Liam shot him a sharp, irritated look but didn’t reject it. He squeezed out a bit of ointment onto his fingertip and dabbed it over the sore area. The coolness spread instantly, easing the ache.

"We have to be more careful," Nathaniel said. "Riya is a nut case, unstable. She could flip at any moment and pull something reckless. What happened today had angered her. She won’t stay quiet. I have no idea what she might try next."

"Just focus on tracking down the name of that drug," Liam muttered. "The rest will fall into place."

Nathaniel opened his mouth to speak, but his phone buzzed inside his pocket. Fishing it out, he saw Ian’s name.

’Maybe he found something about the poison.’

With a rush of anticipation, he answered, "Hello?"

"It’s bad. Jaxon escaped from jail."