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I sit back, watching her for a long moment.

She tsks, tapping a perfectly manicured nail against her cup.

"You know, darling," she muses, tilting her head, "it's such a shame."

This conversation is beginning to give me a headache. "What is?"

She exhales, the picture of faux regret. "That it had to come to this. That you're here, sitting across from me like we're enemies, when we both know we used to be so much more."

I snort. "If by more you mean a relationship built on manipulation, deceit, and emotional warfare, then sure. That's exactly what we were."

She laughs, unfazed. "Oh, Liam, don't be so dramatic. We had our fun." She lifts a brow, her gaze flicking down my body like she's sizing me up. "And we could have it again."

I tilt my head, letting my expression stay blank, detached. "Is that a proposition?"

She leans forward, her voice dipping into something silkier, something meant to disarm. "Come back to me, Liam. You don't belong in that ridiculous mess you've found yourself in. This whole domesticated version of you? It's not real." She twirls the stem of her glass between her fingers, her lips curving. "And you know it."

I let the silence stretch, watching her, waiting.

She takes my stillness as interest—because, of course, Vanessa Chase believes no one could actually reject her.

Her voice softens, laced with nostalgia. "You and me, we understand each other. We play the same game." She tilts her head, pouting slightly. "We were unstoppable, once."

I smile humorlessly. "No, Vanessa. You were unstoppable. And you expected me to follow."

Her gaze sharpens. "And didn't you?"

I sit back, shaking my head. "Not anymore."

Her lips purse, just slightly. "So, you're really serious about her, then?" Her voice is light, but there's something simmering underneath. "This little game with Ava? You think it's real?"

I keep my face unreadable. "Don't you?"

She tsks again, swirling her drink lazily. "I think she's nothing more than an inconvenient distraction."

I let my jaw tic, just once, before composing myself. "Funny. You seem awfully obsessed with a distraction."

Vanessa's nostrils flare slightly before she schools her features. "I'm not obsessed with her," she drawls. "I'm simply making a point. You're acting like some tragic hero, ready to throw yourself into ruin over a woman who doesn't belong in your world. It's embarrassing, really."

I glance at my watch. "And yet, here you are, still trying to convince me otherwise."

Her fingers tighten slightly around the stem of her glass, but her smirk remains. "I just hate to see you waste yourself on her, Liam. You're better than that.We'rebetter than that."

I tilt my head, lowering my voice just enough to make her lean in. "Then tell me, Vanessa—what exactly have you been wasting your time on? Because from where I'm sitting, it looks like you've spent the last several months obsessed with me. My business. My relationships." I smile lazily. "Almost as if you regret losing me."

For one very quick second, she scowls at me. "Don't flatter yourself, darling. This was never about you."

I hum in amusement. "No? Then why sabotage Carter Holdings? Why manipulate Ava into doubting me? Why Project Bennett?"

Her eyes narrow ever so slightly. "Because I needed leverage."

My pulse jumps, but I keep my face neutral.

Vanessa leans back, examining her nails. "You see, Liam, people like you—men with power, with influence—you don't lose unless someone makes you. And I? I simply saw an opportunity to remind you that even you aren't untouchable." She lifts her gaze back to mine, cool and sharp. "Ava was just the easiest point of access."

I tighten my grip on my coffee cup, but I don't react. I don't rise to the bait. Instead, I tip my head. "So, what was the plan?"

Vanessa's lips part, and for a split second, she's about to give me exactly what I need?—