Chapter 9
An old friend A week has passed since I solved our workshop problem. n and Norton called my
achievement a victory, but that didn’t mean that everything in our lives went back to so-called normal. We
didn’t have to move out of our basement, but it didn’t change much in Golden Estate Investments’ ns.
The renovation work that was supposed to turn the old tenement into a hotel began two days after I had
signed our rental agreement. In a sh, the whole area became a construction site. They might have
skipped the basement for now, but even so, they turned our quiet ce of work into a freaking
madhouse… It took the greatest toll on Norton, whose antisocial nature had been challenged like never
before. Fortunately, soundproofing headphones saved us from going insane… ormitting mass
murder.
Certainly, my work at the coffee shop stayed as it was. There were days when Monique, Marco, and I
had some fun, but mainly it was energy-draining. Thankfully, the tips made up for the stress, yet itcked
a few zeros to fit the amount of money I needed for Grandma’s operation. The truth was, I wasn’t making
any progress with raising that hundred thousand dors. I didn’t even know where to start. Should I
advertise ourputer workshop somewhere? No. I couldn’t afford an efficient marketing campaign, and
I couldn’t see how handing out cheap, hand-made leaflets could get us some wealthy clients…
It was nearly six. I handed out three coffees and took a short break. I went outside through the backdoor
and stretched my back. I could swear this work was making me age twice as fast as I normally should.
With a sigh, I checked my phone and noticed a missed call from someone I hadn’t heard from in two
years… Surprised and excited, I called him back.
“Liam?” I said hesitantly when my call was answered.
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“Cora… I’m so d you called back…” His voice was unusually emotional, as if he could burst out crying
any second. “Are you in New York?”
“Yes. Are you?” I asked since thest time we talked, he was about to move to London.
, “Yes!” he eximed, sounding sincerely rejoiced. “Can we meet tonight? I’ve got a lot to tell
you. We’ve got a lot to catch up on. So many things have happened, and… and… I seriously need a
drink. Please don’t say no.” His words were feverish, making me feel like I was talking to a different
person. I even nced at the caller ID on my screen to confirm to whom I was talking “OK, fine!” I
laughed. “I’m going to visit Grandma after work, so I can meet you at nine, preferably near the Crawford’s
Clinic.”
He went silent for a while. “I’m sorry… I should have asked… How’s your grandma doing?”
I smiled bitterly, then took a deep breath. “Her aneurysm ruptured half a year ago, and she’s in aa…
But she’s been taken care of by Doctor Crawford, that’s why I don’t lose hope.”
“Wow... I don’t know what to say…” he breathed out. “I’m so sorry, Cora… I—”. “Don’t. Grandma got to
that clinic thanks to you, and I will be forever grateful for that,” I said, feeling a faint squeeze in my chest.
The truth was that Liam Halford was one of my fellow students in Oxford. We weren’t
no coltiind
especially close, but, unexpectedly, he was the one who helped me a lot when my Grandma got ill. What
do they say about a friend in need? Well, that was exactly the case. The sad fact was that he was the
only one willing to help me. My mind was an absolute mess, and he told me what to do. He even pulled
some strings and found a way for my Grandma to get into the Crawford Neurological Clinic on
preferential terms. I told him once that I owed him a favor, hoping that someday I would be able to repay
him for his kindness. Now, I could hear that he was the one in need of help…
Liam cleared his throat. “So… there’s a bar near the clinic called Feu Vert. Can you meet me there at
nine?” he asked faintly.
“I’ll be there.” I smiled.
When our call ended, I suddenly felt restless. We had never been the kind of friends who leisurely chit-
chat over a beer. Why now? Furthermore, we were living in different worlds. He was a boy from a
wealthy family, studying economics and ready to take over the family business. He was handsome,
intelligent, and cocky at times. He loved to party at nightclubs, always bringing a girl back home. We had
nothing inmon except for the intelligence… and maybe the fact that I wouldn’t call myself ugly as
well. Nheless, he was probably the only rich guy I could stand, and the fact that he had never liked
my ex-boyfriend was a huge plus.
The next few hours passed in a rush. Once I ended my shift at Café Dorado, I went to the clinic. I guess I
should be happy that at least my Grandmother’s condition was stable. I told her about my day and my
ns for the evening. I think she would like Liam. He had that easiness in him
and was intelligent enough tough at Grandma’s sarcastic remarks.
Nine o’clock came quickly. I said good night to my Grandma and left the clinic to look for Feu Vert.
Fortunately, the ce was only a block away. I walked inside and stopped, admiring the view. It was like
industrial rawness met the magical garden. The bricks and steel elements mixed with green leaves and
remarkable flowers. The walls were subtly entwined with grapevine, as if the bar had been taken over by
Mother Nature herself. As I stepped deeper inside, I found Liam sitting in a bar lounge on a green velvet
crescent sofa. He had a ss of scotch in his hand, and judging by the blush on his cheeks, it wasn’t his
first ss. He looked – kind of miserable, even though he stood out, and I meant it in a positive way. He
had brown, thick, slightly ruffled hair and bright amber eyes. He was wearing a V-neck cashmere
sweater, sexily underlining his broad shoulders, while a pair of blue jeans made him approachable. I
would be surprised if there weren’t any women who tried to take his number… or him home before I
walked in. “Hey, old friend.” I waved my hand as I walked towards him.
He got up, put his ss on the table by the sofa, and rushed my way. I smiled awkwardly, and before I
could realize what was going on, Liam pulled me into a tight hug, leaning his forehead against the crook
of my neck. I stiffened. Letting a nervous chuckle escape my throat, I patted his back
“I missed you too,” I said, struggling to understand his reaction, but then I heard his weak sob.
Was he crying?! That shocked me even more than his call. He was a yboy type, although he had
never aimed to be a heartbreaker. Nheless, emotional had never been the word i’d call him.
old friend
“I need your help, Cora,” he mumbled.
“OK…” I said blindly, “I’ll help you, but you need to tell me, what happened first.”
He leaned back and looked at me with the saddest expression I had ever seen on his face. He sniffed
and nodded. Then he took my hand and led me to the lounge. I observed him, trying to guess what got
him into this state. He took a few deep breaths to regain hisposure, then he grabbed his whisky and
finished it in one gulp.
Suddenly, he grabbed my hands and locked his eyes on me, giving me a pleading stare. “You are my
only hope, Cora.” “Hope?” I couldn’t help butugh a bit hysterically at that one. “I’m heartbroken!” he
eximed, loud enough for half of the bar to hear. “Hush,” I tried to calm him down by stroking his
cashmere-wrapped arms. “I get that you’re hurting… but can we talk quietly about it?” I coaxed. “You are
the best, Cora…” he muttered, lowering his head. “I should have known that from the beginning.” I
leaned back. I already knew that some chick broke his heart, but he wasn’t thinking of me as his
rebound, was he? I nced at him cautiously. I knew I owed him, but there were some limits to what I
was willing to do for him. I mean, he was attractive, and I hadn’t had sex for a long time, but I would
never agree to be someone’s recement! “So… What do you want me to do?” I asked, shifting
back to the sofa and mentally preparing to refuse.
He grabbed me by the shoulders and frowned. “I want you to help me get my revenge.” I smiled wryly,
fearfully imagining myself acting as his girlfriend just to piss off his ex. “Listen …” I sighed. “I’m not sure
that I can—”
“I need you to hack aputer during her engagement party,” he stated decisively. I blinked my eyes,
processing his words. “You want me to… what?!”