Hey, Heartless Billionaire, Am in Charge!

The Calm Before the Storm

Sophia’s mind was spinning as she stared at Liam, standing so close that she could feel the warmth of his body radiating toward her. The flames in the fireplace flickered and cast shadows across his chiseled features, making him look both dangerous and vulnerable at the same time. For a moment, she was lost in his eyes, the intensity of his gaze pulling her into the depths of the past, into memories she had tried so hard to bury.

But this wasn’t the time to revisit those memories. They were in the midst of a corporate battle that could destroy everything they had built—separately and together. Sophia took a step back, putting some distance between them, desperate to regain her composure.

“Liam, you don’t get to do this,” she said, her voice trembling but firm. “You don’t get to come back into my life and pretend that everything can just be fixed with a few words. We’re here because of decisions you made—decisions that shattered us. I can’t just forget that.”

Liam’s expression darkened, but he didn’t move to close the gap she’d created between them. “I’m not asking you to forget, Sophia. I’m asking you to give us a chance to make things right.”

“Make things right?” Sophia scoffed, the anger she’d been holding back finally bubbling to the surface. “You think saying that you care about me—after everything—is enough? You manipulated me, Liam. You used our marriage for your own gain and then discarded me when it was convenient. You broke me.”

Liam flinched at her words, the guilt evident in his eyes. “I know. God, Sophia, I know. And I’ve regretted it every day since.”

Sophia turned away from him, crossing her arms over her chest as if to shield herself from the pain his words were causing. She didn’t want to feel this—this resurgence of old emotions, this vulnerability that made her feel like the woman she used to be. The woman who had loved Liam Blackwood with everything she had, only to be left shattered in the end.

“Why now, Liam?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “Why are you telling me this now?”

Liam took a deep breath, his shoulders slumping slightly as if the weight of the world were pressing down on him. “Because I can’t go on like this, Sophia. Watching you from afar, seeing the way you’ve rebuilt your life without me—it’s made me realize how much I lost when I lost you. And this situation with Vanguard…it’s forced me to confront the truth.”

Sophia turned to face him again, her eyes narrowing. “And what truth is that?”

“That I’m not the man I thought I was,” Liam admitted, his voice raw with emotion. “I’ve built my entire life on power, control, and the belief that I didn’t need anyone. But you…you changed that. You made me feel things I never wanted to feel—things that scared the hell out of me. So I pushed you away. I thought I was protecting myself, but all I did was destroy the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Sophia felt her heart twist at his words, the pain of their past mixing with the confusion of the present. She had wanted to hear this—to know that she hadn’t been the only one who had suffered after their divorce. But now that he was saying it, she didn’t know what to do with it.

“You can’t just come back and expect me to believe that you’ve changed,” she said, her voice trembling with the weight of her emotions. “You can’t undo the past, Liam.”

“I’m not trying to,” he said, stepping closer to her. “I’m just asking for a chance to prove that I’m not the same man I was before. To prove that I can be the partner you deserve.”

Sophia looked up at him, her eyes searching his for any sign of deception. But all she saw was sincerity—a sincerity that made her want to believe him, even though she knew she shouldn’t. “And what happens if I say no?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Liam’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t look away. “Then I’ll accept it. But I won’t stop fighting for you, Sophia. Not this time.”

Before Sophia could respond, a loud crash echoed from somewhere in the house, shattering the fragile moment between them. Both of them turned toward the sound, their instincts kicking in.

“What was that?” Sophia asked, her heart pounding.

Liam’s expression hardened, and he quickly moved toward the door. “Stay here,” he ordered, his voice firm.

Sophia ignored him, following close behind. “I’m not staying behind while you go investigate, Liam. This is my house too.”

They moved through the darkened corridors, the tension between them replaced by a shared sense of urgency. The sound had come from the direction of the back wing, where the estate’s offices and secure rooms were located.

As they approached the source of the noise, they saw a figure moving in the shadows. Liam grabbed Sophia’s arm, pulling her back against the wall, and motioned for her to stay quiet. He moved silently, edging closer to the intruder, but Sophia’s heart was racing too fast for her to stay put. She slipped out of Liam’s grip and crept forward, determined to see who had dared to invade their space.

The figure was rummaging through a drawer in one of the offices, completely unaware of their approach. Sophia caught a glimpse of something shiny in the intruder’s hand—a knife.

Without thinking, she grabbed a nearby vase and hurled it at the intruder, shouting, “Liam, now!”

The vase shattered against the wall, startling the intruder, who turned toward them with the knife raised. But before he could react, Liam was on him, tackling the man to the ground. There was a brief struggle, but Liam’s strength and skill quickly overpowered the intruder. He pinned the man’s arms behind his back, disarming him and holding him in place.

Sophia rushed forward, her breath coming in short gasps. “Who are you?” she demanded, her voice shaking with adrenaline. “What are you doing here?”

The intruder, a wiry man with a scar across his cheek, glared up at her but said nothing. Liam tightened his grip on the man’s arms, his expression deadly. “Talk,” he growled. “Or you’ll regret it.”

The man’s eyes flicked between Liam and Sophia, calculating his options. Finally, he spat out, “I was sent by Vanguard. They wanted me to…leave a message.”

Sophia’s blood ran cold. “A message?”

The man smirked, despite his precarious position. “Yeah. To show you that you’re not safe. That you can’t win.”

Liam’s expression darkened even further, and he pressed the man’s face into the floor. “We’ll see about that,” he muttered. “Sophia, call the police.”

As she pulled out her phone, Sophia’s hands were shaking. This was more than just a corporate war—this was personal. Vanguard Holdings was willing to stoop to any level to get what they wanted, and now they had brought the fight to her doorstep.

As she spoke to the emergency operator, Sophia glanced at Liam, who was still holding the intruder down. There was a fire in his eyes that she hadn’t seen in years, a determination that matched her own.

For the first time since their reunion, Sophia realized something: whether she liked it or not, she needed Liam in this fight. And maybe, just maybe, they needed each other for more than just business.

As the sound of approaching sirens filled the night, Sophia felt a surge of resolve. This wasn’t over—not by a long shot. And if Vanguard thought they could scare her into submission, they were about to learn just how wrong they were.

But as she watched Liam, a new fear crept into her heart. Could she trust him enough to let him back into her life? Or was she setting herself up for another betrayal?

The questions lingered, unanswered, as the police arrived and took the intruder into custody. But one thing was certain: the storm was far from over, and when it finally hit, nothing would ever be the same.