LIANA'S pov
At the bookshop
Adrian plopped down in the chair beside me, looking way too comfortable for someone who wasn't supposed to be here. "You know, Lily, I could get used to this place. The vibe, the books...and you."
I rolled my eyes but didn't reply. Before I could tell him to go away, Grace walked in, her smile lighting up the entire room.
Adrian shot up like he'd been waiting for this moment his whole life. "You must be Grace," he said, stretching out his hand with that trademark Adrian grin. "Liana has said so much about you!"
I blinked, my head tilting slightly. Said so much about her? When? I wanted to call him out on his lie, but Grace was already shaking his hand, her face glowing.
"Oh, really?" Grace said, giggling. "She talks about me?"
Adrian nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! Non-stop! I mean, the way she goes on and on about how amazing and beautiful you are, it's like she's your number-one fan!"
I glared at Adrian, my jaw practically hitting the floor. Non-stop? Amazing? Beautiful? Adrian, you liar! But Grace seemed to be eating it up, and that made me feel...weird. Not bad, but not good either. Just weird.
"Wow, Liana, I didn't know you thought so highly of me," Grace said, turning to me with a shy smile.
"Uh..." I stammered, my gaze darting between her and Adrian. "Yeah, sure."
Adrian's smirk widened as if he'd won some secret victory. I wanted to throw something at him, but Grace's genuine smile stopped me.
Grace stepped closer, her eyes softening as she looked at Mia. "Oh my goodness, she's so adorable! Can I?"
Before I could respond, Grace was already scooping Mia up, cradling her like she'd done it a million times before. Mia giggled, and I couldn't help but smile a little.
"She likes you," I said, my voice softer than I intended.
Grace grinned. "Babies and I, we just click."
Adrian, of course, couldn't keep quiet. "Yeah, well, Mia's a great judge of character. She takes after her mom."
I shot him a look, but he just winked and pulled out his phone as it started ringing.
"Duty calls," he said, stepping outside to answer it. "Don't have too much fun without me!"
Finally, I thought as the door closed behind him. Now it was just me, Grace, and Mia.
Adrian had barely stepped out the door when Grace turned to me, her eyes practically twinkling. "Your husband's kind of funny. I mean, he talks like he's been rehearsing lines in front of a mirror or something."
I rolled my eyes, shifting Mia in my lap. "He's not my husband. Don't let him hear you say that. His ego is already big enough."
Grace laughed, plopping down beside me on the small couch. "So, how's work been? Still loving the whole 'bookstore queen' thing?"
"It's fine," I said with a shrug. "Better than staying at home and doing nothing."
Grace raised an eyebrow. "Better than staying at home with that cutie?" She reached over, gently poking Mia's cheek. Mia responded with a giggle that could melt anyone's heart.
"Okay, you've got a point," I admitted, smiling despite myself. "But it's not like I can spend all day with her. Bills don't pay themselves."
Grace nodded, her expression suddenly serious. "Speaking of work, I, uh...I kinda got a new job."
"Oh?" I said, leaning back. "Where?"
She hesitated for a moment, then blurted, "Hale's Empire."
I froze. The name hit me like a brick. "Wait. What?"
Grace fidgeted, her hands playing with the hem of her shirt. "Yeah, Hale's Empire. They offered me a position in the marketing department. Isn't it great?"
"Great?" I repeated, my voice rising. "That's my dad's company."
Her eyes widened. "Wait...you mean Marcus Hale is your dad? Ohhh yeah you are Liana Hale"
I shook my head quickly. "He's my adopted father And don't even get me started on Cecilia, my supposedly step mom. That woman's a nightmare."
Grace's face fell. "Cecilia...as in Mrs. Cecilia Hale? She seemed so nice when I met her."
I let out a bitter laugh, crossing my arms. "Yeah, nice. Sure. She's about as nice as a snake waiting to strike. Trust me, Grace, you don't know what you've gotten yourself into."
Grace's eyes searched mine, and I could see the confusion and concern swirling in them. "Liana, what happened? Why do you hate her so much?"
I sighed, looking away. I didn't like talking about this. It hurt too much. But Grace deserved to know. "She's manipulative, controlling... She ruined my life. Used me as a pawn in her game to get to the top. And Marcus? He's no better. He just goes along with whatever she says, a puppet ,that's what he is ."
Grace's face twisted in sympathy. "Liana, I'm so sorry. I had no idea."
"She's the reason I'm working here today ,she took all my properties after the DNA test and left me shattered" I said tears streaming down my face
"I'm so sorry Liana,I didn't mean to open dry wounds" she said staring at me
"It's not your fault," I said quietly, avoiding her gaze and drying my tears with my hands
For a moment, there was silence. Then Grace said softly, "What about your real dad?"
My chest tightened, and I shook my head. "I don't want to talk about him."
Grace reached out, placing a comforting hand on my arm. "Okay," she said gently. "You don't have to."
The silence stretched again, but this time it wasn't heavy. It was...comforting.
After a while, Grace spoke up. "Liana, listen. I know you've been through a lot, but you can't just let Cecilia and Marcus win. You deserve better."
I looked at her, confused. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying," she said firmly, "that I'm in the perfect position to get back at them. I can find out everything about their dirty dealings and expose them. We can take them down together."
I blinked, taken aback. "Grace, no. That's dangerous."
She shrugged. "So what? They deserve it. And you deserve justice."
I shook my head quickly. "Revenge won't fix anything. It'll just make things worse."
Grace's expression hardened. "Worse than what they've already done to you? Liana, they've taken everything from you. Don't you want to take something back?"
"No," I said firmly. "I'm not interested in revenge. I just want to live my life and take care of Mia. That's all that matters to me now."
Grace frowned, clearly frustrated. "Fine," she said after a moment. "If you won't do it, I will. Someone has to make them pay."
"Grace..." I started, but she cut me off.
"No, Liana. You don't have to be involved if you don't want to. But I can't just stand by and do nothing. Not when I can help."
I sighed, feeling a mix of gratitude and worry. "Just...be careful, okay? Cecilia's not someone to mess with."
Grace nodded, a determined look in her eyes. "Don't worry about me. I've got this."