“William, is there something you’re not telling me?… Something I should know about?” Rachael asked with a scrutinizing gaze on William who she had called to come pick her up at a place a bit far from Liam’s company. “We shouldn’t keep secrets from each other if we want this relationship to sail smoothly”
William’s gaze flickered with something unknown as he heard her words, an uneasy feeling settled in his heart as he responded, saying “I don’t understand, is anything the problem?”
“Just answer the damn question, William” Rachael shouted at him, her eyes red with rage at the fact that he had kept secrets from her even during their friendship in high school. “Who are you, William?”
“Rachael calm down, I can explain”William uttered, his voice laced with a hint of fear as he asked himself, “What does she know?”. He scratched his head in confusion, pondering on the best excuse to give to her.
“William, was your relationship with Mr. Callahan?.. you know him right?”Rachael probed further, her eyes flashing with pain as memories of how she had discussed Liam and Isabelle’s issues crossed her mind. She feared he had kept something important from her. If he truly knew Liam, she wouldn’t have had to go through all that stress.
William didn’t feel the need to lie again. Her meeting with Liam must have revealed something to her. “What makes you think I know him?” He asked with anticipation in his voice.
“I don’t know” Rachael shrugged her shoulders. “He just saw the devices you gave to you and asked for your name”
“Tch… That asshole” William cursed hitting the steering wheel lightly with his fist, a smile plastered on his face which made Rachael irritated with the fact that the two of them had reacted the same way,” so you know him that close?”
“Calm down, Rachael,” William said, his voice low and troubled. “He’s my childhood friend. My father and he were very good friends. But while he studied to claim his father’s business, I wanted to pursue my dreams as a doctor, so I traveled out of the country and just got back around the time when we met again for the first time”
Rachael was baffled by the new revelation. A thought crossed her mind which made her ask, “What about the technical skills you displayed at the cafe the other night when Isabelle got missing, was that also a lie?”
“Well, it was one of my hobbies as a child. I was put under the training of experts to polish my skills to perfection, but it hadn’t been of use until the night of the cafe.” William revealed, his voice laced with self-reproach. “I was going to tell you when the time was right”
“When exactly was the time ever wrong?” Rachael asked with sarcasm in her voice. “You just didn’t trust me well enough to tell me your secrets and I understand, I should have just stayed on my lane”
“Don’t say that, Rachael. I didn’t lie about my feelings for you” William tried to defend himself, sincerity dripping from his words. “I lied about everything but not about my feelings”
“And you expect me to still believe your words after all this?” Rachael berated him, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. “What else are you hiding from me?”
Her question made William hesitate a little, an action which led to more misunderstanding.
“It’s fine, you don’t have to explain anything to me. I need space” Rachael uttered, opening the car door.
“No, Rachael. You can’t do this” William grabbed her hands, preventing her from leaving. “I’m sorry”
“You don’t have to be. Liam asked for your house address which I gave to him. We might be seeing each other from time to time since our jobs are entwined. Just act like you don’t know me” Rachael declared, pulling his hand off hers and walking away from the car.
William’s hand subconsciously moved to his chest, trying to stop the pain he felt as he watched her disappear into the darkness. He suddenly remembered her words and started his car. He knew she needed time and he was willing to give her all the time in the world, just like he had promised in the past. but first, he needed to see the strong-headed brother of his.
****
“I’ve been waiting for you. I was so sure she would give you the whole gist” Liam stood in front of the slide window in his office, a smirk on his lips as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching.
“You revealed too much. I didn’t even get the chance to do that myself” the voice of the visitor said, his voice laced with a hint of laziness. “Now, I’m here. You’ve got what you want”
“At least, I saved you the trouble of having to keep it to yourself for a long time” Liam uttered, his tone self-praising. “You should be grateful”
“Yeah, yeah my mistake, I know” the voice replied, obviously stressed. “You’re still as annoying as ever”
“Ugh ..” Liam scoffed, turning to face his long-time friend and brother. “At least, I didn’t try to run away from my problems”
“Which of your problems?… Oh! By any means are you referring to your woman problems?” William asked with sarcasm dripping from his words. “From the information I’m getting, I don’t think you were able to manage that well”
Liam’s brow twitched in annoyance. “William Louis, I see you came prepared with a comeback this time”
“I always do” the man replied, playfully blowing a hot kiss to his friend who snorted in disgust.
Silence engulfed the room for a moment before Liam broke it. “Why did you decide not to show yourself even after you got back into the country?”
“You know how annoying my father can be when it comes to my profession. I just wanted to avoid his drama for a short time. But now that you’ve forced me out, I no longer have a choice to pick from… I’ve been observing the situation from behind the scenes and I’ve gathered information from the enemy’s side as usual”
“I was already expecting that” Liam responded, his voice laced with satisfaction. “You never disappoint me”
“We don’t have much time to waste because Damien Russo has begun to make his move” William stated, his expression turned somber. “And we need to find your fiancee.. how good is your technician?”