The Unpredictable Edge

Part Eight

It is lunchtime now, and I am walking in the woods with the fall breeze. Liam decided he would keep me company. I am not sure why. It was not like him to spend the day not planning the merger.

"Sophia, I am sorry about earlier. I just could not let you continue. Honestly, I was actually starting to get secondhand embarrassment."

I huff, "You are so conceited. Do you always have to be a manipulative ass?" I ask rhetorically.

"Always." He jests.

"You know, eventually, we will be married, and whether I like it or not, I will have to provide you with children before I leave you."

"Leave me? Who said anything about leaving?"

"I did. Right now."

"You cannot leave." He demands.

"Oh yes, I can, and I will divorce you after I have children. I have already decided because you will not ever love me."

He stands there in bewilderment.

"Oh, do not look so surprised." I say coldly, "You cannot always get exactly what you want. Karma comes around eventually; thank God it is finally on my side."

After a moment, he speaks his mind, "Fine, leave. I will sign the pre-divorce papers right now. You can file them when you are pregnant."

I despise him.

"That is it? You will not stop me?"

"Why would I stop you? The merger would already be in place, and as you said, I could never love you."

His words wound me. I turn away from him so he cannot see the tears welling up in my eyes.

I am a business transaction.

I wipe the fallen tears from my cheeks and walk on.

Suddenly, I heard a "Stop" from Liam.

"What, asshole?!"

"Sophia, there is a bear!" He points ahead of me.

I froze in terror at the sight before me - a massive grizzly bear stood only a few yards away, its eyes locked onto mine. My heart raced as I tried to remember what to do in this situation.

I knew that running would be futile.

"Nice and slow," Liam says, quieting his voice, "Walk backward to me."

"I am scared, Liam," I cower.

"Just do it, like now," he demands.

I slowly back away from the bear, making myself appear larger by spreading my arms wide. However, it did not seem to affect the beast, which began to advance toward us with an intimidating growl.

Eventually, I am beside Liam.

"What do we do now?"

My mind raced as I desperately searched for a way out of this dangerous situation. Suddenly, I remembered reading that bears are more afraid of noise than anything else. So, I began shouting and clapping my hands loudly, hoping to scare off the bear.

"Sophia! What are you doing? "

"Shush, would you."

I continued to hoot, holler, and clap.

The grizzly stopped in its tracks and stared at me momentarily before turning around and lumbering back into the woods.

I let out a sigh of relief as adrenaline coursed through my veins.

"That was fucking amazing!" Liam laughs with astonishment.

"I do not know what just happened," I say, facing him wide-eyed.

"You just saved our asses, Sophia."

"Fuck. I did, didn't I," I say, pinching myself to suppress the state of shock I was in. I started to laugh nervously. "We could have been mauled," I add.

"But we fucking weren't, thanks to you and your beautiful brain, Princess" He pulls me in and kisses my forehead.

"We should head back inside," I confess.

Liam stayed holed up in his office for the rest of the day. It is around 11 pm when he finally decides to retreat upstairs to the bedrooms.

I sit up in my bed to see Liam standing in my bedroom doorway.

"What do you want?"

"I know you do not think I am capable of loving someone other than myself, but I will have you know that since you saved my life today, I have only thought good things of you."

"Oh, I am sure," I note sarcastically and yawning.

"No, I am serious. Before today, you have only ever been this annoying obstacle in my mind, but today, I can only feel admiration for you."

"Well, thanks," I say, skepticism clear in my tone.

He steps in, gradually pacing to the end of the bed.

"Sophia, can I sleep next to you?"

The question whirled in my mind. Did Liam H. Reed ask to sleep beside me without expecting sexual intercourse?

"I guess," I state with surprise.

Liam climbs into bed with me.

I turn to him, "You know I should also be grateful to you for giving me the courage to face that bear today. I appreciate it."

"No problem, Princess."

I am starting to believe he had always been soft in some deep place in his heart but refused to succumb to it. Now, as we lie next to each other, it shows. I can feel a sort of warmth- a gentle and compassionate warmth—something I never expected to feel next to Liam.