Chapter 2

Chloe's smile faltered for a second when she heard Sarah's comment. Her eyes darted towards the junior officer, a flicker of venom in her gaze, before she quickly composed herself. She turned her attention back to me, her voice now sharp and accusatory.

"Ava, is this how you manage your team? Allowing them to spread baseless gossip about your fiancé's guests?"

Liam chose that moment to stride into the control room, his presence immediately sucking all the air out. He looked powerful and annoyed.

"What's the hold-up, Ava? Chloe told me your staff is being difficult."

He didn't even ask for my side of the story. He just assumed I was the problem, that my team was incompetent. The familiar sting of his dismissal washed over me, but this time it was followed by a chilling calm.

"Your guest is refusing a mandatory security check for an undeclared electronic device, Liam," I stated, keeping my tone professional. "It's a matter of federal aviation regulation."

"Don't quote regulations at me," he snapped, his voice low and menacing. "I own the damn plane. This is a private flight. My rules. And my rule is, you don't harass my mentee over a gift."

Chloe seized the opportunity, stepping closer to Liam and putting on a wounded expression.

"Liam, it's fine," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "Maybe Ava just doesn't trust me. Maybe she thinks I'm trying to cause trouble for you."

Her words were a masterclass in manipulation. She was painting me as the jealous, controlling fiancée, a narrative Liam was always too willing to believe.

"Is that it, Ava?" Liam demanded, his eyes narrowing. "Are you letting your personal feelings interfere with your job? I thought you were a professional."

He was questioning my competence, my very identity, all to protect the woman who was actively trying to destroy our relationship.

The anger was a hot, molten core in my stomach. I wanted to scream, to tell him everything. To tell him about the future he would create, the ruin he would bring upon me.

But I didn't.

Instead, a memory from that future flashed in my mind. Me, standing in a crowded press conference, cameras flashing, as Liam publicly accused me of corporate espionage. He used my love for him, my desperate attempt to protect him, as a weapon to destroy me. He called me unstable, emotional, and unfit for my career. And I had no defense, because I had broken protocol for him.

Never again.

"You're right, Liam," I said, my voice softening. The sudden change in my tone caught him off guard. Chloe' s eyes widened slightly, a flicker of suspicion in them.

"I apologize," I continued, looking directly at him. "It's been a stressful day. Of course, a gift is just a gift. We'll let it go this one time."

Mark shot me a look of disbelief. The other team members shifted uncomfortably. They knew I was a stickler for the rules. This was completely out of character.

But I wasn't doing it for Liam. I wasn't saving him. I was setting the stage. I was giving him just enough rope.

This time, he would be the one to hang himself.