by T. C. Clark
“I’m going to go to the bathroom.”
Liam stood up as well. “You want me to go with you?”
“I’m sure she can find the bathroom, Liam,” Tatum said. His eyes warned him not to leave him alone with one of his super fans.
Liam scowled at him and she stepped in before they could start snapping at each other again. “Tatum’s right. I’ll be fine.”
Irene stiffened as Liam kissed her lightly on the lips. She could see Sybil in the corner of the room watching them with a sneer.
Luckily, Liam didn’t notice. He was too worried about his speech. But Tatum did. He frowned and followed Irene’s stare back to Sybil.
“Is everything okay?” he asked softly. His green eyes were serious for once and he looked ready to step in. What was it about Campbell men? They were all very protective and Irene had to admit that she enjoyed the feeling.
But neither Tatum nor Liam could fight this battle for her. “It’s fine, I think it’s just nerves for Liam. Excuse me.”
Irene walked away with her heart in her throat. This was her biggest fear come to life, but she had to deal with it. She wouldn’t sit by and watch Sybil hurt someone she loved. She alone understood what this woman was capable of.
Irene pulled out her phone, stepped into the bathroom, and braced herself for the upcoming confrontation.
Whatever happened next would not affect Liam. She would figure out how to deal with this on her own.
* * *
Sybil loved the frightened expression on Irene’s face. The woman was still afraid of her and that brought a wave of joy to her heart. A person had no real power if there was no one around to use it on.
Sybil knew how Irene’s mind worked. She was a protector, so she was easy to manipulate. It was like taking candy from a baby. People really should learn how to hide their emotions better. Irene looked ready to throw up.
“Hello, Irene, long time, no see,” she said softly. She’d already checked the stalls and no one else was around to witness this.
“What do you want, Sybil?”
“Is this any way to talk to a woman whose husband you stole?”
“I didn’t steal Bryce, Sybil. We both know the truth about what happened back then and I’m done with apologizing.”
“Oh, I see you’ve grown a backbone. I didn’t know sluts could have those.”
Irene looked away. Score one for her. Irene’s skin wasn’t nearly as thick as she thought it was.
“What do you want, Sybil?” She asked again.
“You know I’d almost forgotten about you until I saw that paper you published with Quinton. Great stuff, honestly. Possibly Nobel prize-winning stuff and I thought to myself, who does this bitch think she is? I told you to stay off my radar and here you were again right back on it. I looked you up and guess who I found standing beside you. The one and only Liam Campbell, the famous bad boy chef. You sure know how to land on your feet. I wonder if that’s because you’ve spent so much time on your back.”
“Sybil…”
“Look let’s cut the niceties and get to the point. I want you to end things with Liam and I have just the way to do it.”
“Listen…”
“No, you listen. I have plans for this school and for myself. Liam is a major part of that and I can’t have you messing things up.”
“Do what you want to me, Sybil. But, I’m not leaving Liam.”
“Oh, I can’t do anything to you or your family, Bryce made sure of that.”
“What are you talking about?” Sybil chuckled, the poor girl was so confused.
“You have no idea how close I came to taking everything from you. I followed you back to New Orleans and I had every intention of destroying your sister as well. But Bryce finally caved and I couldn’t miss that opportunity. He agreed to give me everything, including his family home in exchange for a permanent NDA and legal restrictions for me doing anything to hurt you or your family.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because his actions showed me just how much he loved you. You know his family disowned him right afterwards? His poor mother was so pissed when I had the police remove her from her home. It was truly magnificent.”
Irene’s eyes widened. “You are insane.”
“I am ambitious, not insane,” Sybil said.
“If you can’t do anything to me, what the fuck is all this?”
“Oh, I can’t touch you, but I can destroy other things. For starters, I had a lien placed on the Campbell farm, I had Gabrielle fired from the hospital, and I’ve also stopped our little Ansley from starting her round of surgeries. It took a lot of money and maneuvering, but I got it done.”
Irene’s brown skin paled. “What surgery?”
“Oh, are you just a booty call for Liam then? He didn’t tell you about the series of surgeries Ansley is having to correct her back. Poor thing was so excited for it. I wonder how all of this is going to affect the baby. After them, I’m going to turn to Cole and his new little wife. I wonder how much it costs to destroy a private investigator firm. Alas, it really doesn’t matter. We both know I have it.”
“Why are you doing this, Sybil?” Irene was horrified and Sybil smiled with glee. She had her just where she wanted her.
“I don’t know, I just really enjoy fucking up your life. Now, I’ve already accomplished ruining you. Next are the Campbell’s, but I wonder what I could do to Quinton as well? You see? I don’t have to hurt you to hurt you.”
“What’s wrong with you?” Irene whispered.
“Honestly, I think I’m just a bit bored and you are an easy target, Irene.”
Irene looked at her for a minute and Sybil knew she was looking for even a sliver of conscience in her hazel eyes. She nearly laughed in her face. This wasn’t the first time she’d seen this particular expression. Weak people never understood her and they never would.
The strongest always won and Sybil had learned that well when she was young.
The only reason she’d chosen to eliminate Irene from Bryce’s life was because she gave him the strength to fight back. The little rich boy finally grew some balls. The sheer audacity of Bryce still surprised her. That man knew better than anyone what she was willing to do to get what she wanted.
Right now, she wanted Liam. His rise to fame was just the thing she needed to clear up the scandal around her name. Sybil knew she needed to lay low, at least for a little while. The last person she’d destroyed had not gone quietly into the night, and now rumors were circling about her, mostly from previous victims who’d somehow grown brave overnight.
“What do you plan to do with the Campbell’s if I walk away?”
“Nothing. I have plans for this school. It’s my stepping stone to a new adventure. They will be perfectly safe if you walk away. Actually, I need Liam to make this work. I would prefer not to ruin him as well. But as I am on the council at the school, I could have his application terminated right now.”
“You were the reason all those teachers were fired?” Irene shook her head as the horror of the situation finally sunk in.
“Oh, yes. You know I don’t fret about obstacles that get in my way, I just decimate them.”
“What do you want me to do?” Irene asked dully.
Sybil smiled; this is what she lived for, the look of total defeat in her victim’s eyes. Irene’s red-rimmed eyes were nearly filled to the brim with un-shed tears.
“Did you know Bryce was here?” Sybil asked.
“What!?”
“Of course you didn’t. New love is always more exciting than the old kind. Anyway, I’ve already talked to him and he understands his role. Now let me tell you exactly what I want you to do…”
* * *
Irene walked out of the bathroom under a cloud of dread. Sybil had somehow done it again. How was this woman still the same? Irene had hoped that karma would have taken care of her by now.
She knew Sybil was serious. She’d seen her do worse. Right now, s
he needed to focus on getting her attention off of the Campbell’s. She needed to go home and think about the next step.
Irene knew if she didn’t act out Sybil’s steps accordingly that she would do more than cause a scene. She found Bryce at the edge of the room. He was still handsome, but he looked years older than when they last met.
He gave her a sad smile as she walked up. “I see Sybil found you.”
“She is truly awful, isn’t she?”
Bryce nodded. “I’m sorry she met you through me. I should have protected you from her. One day soon, I promise you I will pay her back for every horrible thing she’s done.”
“It doesn’t matter, Bryce.” She couldn’t hide the defeat in her voice.
“You don’t have to do this. I do have my own plans…”
“Save it. I don’t trust you anymore and I can’t risk Liam or his family getting hurt. We are doing this her way and if she hurts them in any way, I will do what needs to be done. I will protect them.”
Bryce looked away from her and his reaction pricked her conscience. Sybil had made it clear Bryce had given up everything in order to stop her reign of terror.
“Bryce…”
“You are right. I wasn’t there to protect you at first, and I watched in silence as she destroyed your life. In the end, I finally did the right thing, but it was too little, too late. I know that now. You can count on me. I’ll play my part.”
“I’m sorry, Bryce. It’s hard to change my way of thinking when it comes to you. She told me what you gave up for me and how she treated your family afterwards.”
“It doesn’t matter now. She got what she wanted. Don’t worry. I’ll do my part. I won’t leave you alone to face her again.”
Bryce moved to her side. Irene sighed as her heart broke. There was only one way for this night to play out.
Irene walked back to the table with her head held high. She’d convinced Sybil to wait until after Liam accepted his speech for her to act.
“Everything good, Irene?” Tatum saw too much.
“I’m fine, Tatum.” Her stomach turned as she lifted her glass flute to her lips.
The speaker announced Liam’s name and Irene’s stomach dropped.
“I’m up,” Liam said. He leaned forward and kissed Irene.
Automatically, her hand wrapped around his arm. She wanted to keep him with her. The touch of his lips soothed her turbulent belly more than anything else. She savored him for just a second.
“Don’t worry, there will be more of that later,” he whispered into her ear.
Her cheeks darkened as she realized she was still holding his arm. She smiled at the table and ignored the glare from the ice-cold blonde sitting across the room.
Irene’s eyes followed Liam as he made his way up to the stage. She pulled out her phone. She looked at Bryce from across the room and nodded her head.
Irene typed up her message to Liam with trembling fingers. She kept it short; there was no point in dragging this out.
Once Liam walked up to deliver his acceptance speech, her heart stopped. She listened to the passion in his voice and sighed. She’d made the right decision, at least for now. She waited until he was done speaking before she hit the send button. She stood up and Tatum frowned at her.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Tell Liam I never meant to hurt him, but I have to go now. Bryce is here and I need to be with him.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Tatum snapped. The anger on his face told her he understood what was happening.
“The story is too complicated to go over right now, but you need to convince him to let me go. It’s the best option for him. Please tell everyone I’m sorry.”
Irene forced her legs to move. Once she got to Bryce, she stiffened as he leaned down, embraced her, and kissed her lightly on the lips. She could feel Liam’s eyes on her back, searing her skin.
She knew Liam would come after them, so she pulled Bryce out of the room.
“We need to go now,” Irene hissed and Bryce picked up his pace.
“Why? He saw us kiss.” Bryce looked confused.
“He isn’t like you, Bryce. He will fight for me and that will just piss Sybil off. I need her to think she’s won tonight. I need everyone to think she’s won.”
They made it to Bryce’s car. As they pulled out of the parking lot, she saw Liam standing on the corner searching for them. Tears filled her eyes and she sunk down low in the seat.
She didn’t relax until Bryce’s car was on the highway.
“I’m so sorry, Liam. But I promise you Sybil will not hurt your family. ” she whispered.
Nine
Love is the best kind of revenge...
* * *
Liam searched the parking lot for Irene but she was gone. He stood there with his blood boiling. What just happened and who in the hell was that guy?
Liam needed his phone. He had to call Irene. He turned around and found Tatum watching him closely. He was the last person to talk to her.“What did she say?”
“All she said was she’s sorry. She did send you a text though.” Tatum handed him his phone and waited. His brother wasn’t going to say anything else until he read the message.
Liam held the phone for just a second. His stomach dropped and he knew whatever was on his phone was going to hurt. Even now the adrenaline that drove him to chase her was fading away as the reality of what just happened started to settle in.
“You really need to read it, Liam.”
Liam nodded and opened her message.
I never meant to hurt you, but I saw Bryce again tonight and I was reminded of how much I loved him. I’m sorry, but now that he’s free, I have to see if we can make it work. Please try to understand this for the best; he’s always had my heart. I’m sorry Liam, but you need to let me go.
Rage made his hands shake. He had to force himself to breathe through the feeling. He had to remain calm. The only thing he could control in this moment was his reaction.
What just happened? One minute she loved him and the next they were over.
“Who is Bryce?” Tatum asked.
Liam was so distracted by her message that he didn’t notice Tatum standing directly behind him.
“I don’t know.”
“Bryce was my husband and her former lover. She had an affair with him during our marriage. It seems like they still can’t stop breaking people’s hearts,” a voice said from the shadows of the lobby.
“And you are?” Tatum asked. There was ice in his voice.
A blonde woman with a kind smile walked into view. Liam had seen her a few times before.
“Sybil Anderson. I’m on the council here. I was part of the team that voted you in. All I’m saying is I understand your pain and if you need some time to process what’s happening, I’ll make sure you receive it. Go home, rest up, and we will be here when you return.”
Sybil placed a soft hand on Liam’s shoulder. “Don’t let them hurt you like they did me.”
“Thank you, Sybil. I… appreciate that.”
Tatum stepped between them and removed Sybil’s hand. There was something about Tatum’s body language that told Liam he disliked the new woman. But he didn’t have the time to figure out why. He was barely holding it together.
“Liam…”
“I’m not talking about this right now, Tatum. We’re leaving.” How could he have been so wrong about Irene? If this was what love was, then he could do without it.
* * *
Irene packed her bags as quickly as she could. She didn’t want Liam to find her here, not now. She was barely keeping her emotions in line. She’d already checked into another room at the hotel under an alias.
She needed time to think about what she should do next. She wouldn’t let Sybil win this time. This meant she needed to have a plan. The woman had proven time and time again that she had no honor.
Irene didn’t wipe away her tears as they fell. It would do no good.
She could still remember the pain on Liam’s face. She’d watched him standing confused and alone in the parking lot.
Damn, she could only imagine the things Sybil was saying about her. Right now, Liam would easily believe them. She left the room and ran down the hall.
Irene used the stairs to get to her floor. It took her only a few minutes. She stayed in control until she closed the door. In the safety of her hotel room, she sunk to the floor as sobs shook her frame.
Even when this was over, she could still lose Liam. She knew what it was like to feel betrayal. It was a fatal blow in a relationship. Fuck, she was finally in love with a good man and now this.
The thought of never being with him again devastated her. It was funny how love could change your life. A couple of months ago, she’d never imagined being here.
She’d hurt Liam tonight, and in turn, she’d hurt herself. Still, she knew this was the only way to handle Sybil. Liam now had his teaching position and she could focus her energy on handling Sybil herself.
In that cold bathroom, she’d come to a decision. Irene was done with running and hiding. The woman she was now was worlds away from the girl she’d been back then. She knew her true character and would never again let that woman make her doubt herself. Sybil Anderson’s days were numbered.
* * *
Liam was still not drunk enough to forget the events of the night. Everything in the room reminded him of Irene. Even her fucking smell lingered on his sheets. He needed to get another room. The thought of staying here all night was too much. He’d damn near destroyed the place when he found her gone.
Liam still couldn’t believe she’d just decided to leave. She must have lied when she’d told him she loved him. Fuck, he wished he’d been lying. The pain in his chest was unfamiliar and gut-wrenching.
He’d forced Tatum to leave him at the door. He didn’t want his brother to see him like this. He sat down on the edge of the bed and dropped the nearly empty whisky bottle onto the carpet.