Liam and Catherine in the study, immediately following the kiss. The air crackles with unsaid yearning and tension.
The world seemed to shrink to the space between them. Liam's lips were delicate, timid at first, then gradually bolder, more demanding. Catherine's thoughts whirled, her senses overloaded by the heat of his touch, the aroma of his cologne, the sheer unexpectedness of it all. This was wrong, she knew it. She was here to examine him, not to prey to his attractions. But her body deceived her, responding to his kiss with a hunger she couldn't deny.
The kiss deepened, his arms tightening around her, bringing her closer until there was no room left between them. She could feel the fast beat of his heart matching her own. A sigh escaped his lips as he deepened the kiss even farther. She could taste him and craved him at that moment.
Finally, Liam withdrew the kiss, his breath breathless, his eyes black with a yearning that mirrored her own. They stared at each other, the quiet dense with unspoken words, the air electrified with an undeniable current of attraction.
"I… I shouldn't have done that," Liam replied, his voice raspy. He pushed back, raking a hand over his unkempt hair. Regret flashed across his face.
Catherine's cheeks burned. She didn't know what to say. Should she apologize? Should she pretend it never happened? Should she slap him?
"I'm sorry," he murmured, his voice low. "It was a mistake. I'm still… mourning."
Grieving or not, she'd be lying if she said she didn't love it.
"It's okay," she murmured, trying to regain her calm. "It didn't mean anything."
But it did signify something. She could feel it in the furious pounding of her heart, the lingering warmth on her lips. The difficulty was, she didn't know what it meant.
Isabelle, watching the security tape, seethes with wrath and plots her revenge. She makes a call to a strange person.
In her magnificent office overlooking the city, Isabelle watched the blurry surveillance tape on her laptop, her face distorted with rage. She had seen everything. Liam kissing Catherine. The longing in his eyes. The unmistakable link between them.
Her meticulously prepared strategy was unraveling before her eyes. She had assumed she could control Liam, persuade him to do her bidding. But Catherine had changed everything. She was a threat, a rival, and Isabelle would not tolerate it.
She picked up her phone and phoned a number, her voice frigid and steely.
"It's time," she said. "I want her gone. Permanently."
The voice on the other end was low and gravelly. "It will be done."
Lois approaches Catherine the next morning, admitting she knows about the kiss. She offers Catherine an alliance.
The next morning, Catherine discovered Lois waiting for her in the kitchen, a knowing smirk on her face. She was holding a tablet in her hands.
"Good morning, Catherine," Lois murmured, her voice dripping with contempt. "Sleep well?"
Catherine's stomach sank. Lois knew. She had seen the security footage.
"What do you want, Lois?" Catherine asked, trying to remain cool.
Lois held out the tablet, giving Catherine a still shot of Liam kissing her in the study. "I saw everything," she continued, her eyes shining with amusement. "You and my dad. Getting all cozy in the study."
Catherine's cheeks burned. "It wasn't like that," she answered, trying to clarify.
"Oh really?" Lois said, raising an eyebrow. "It looked fairly cozy to me. So tell me, Catherine, are you attempting to steal my dad away from me? Are you attempting to replace my mom?"
Catherine sighed. "Lois, I told you, it's not like that," she said. "I'm not trying to steal your dad. I'm just trying to help."
"Help with what?" Lois asked, her voice doubtful. "Help with finding out what happened to my mom? Do you really think my dad killed my Mom? I know him, I genuinely think you don't know him."
She looked at Catherine awaiting an answer.
Catherine hesitated, then decided to be honest with her. "Yes, Lois," she said. "I think your dad is hiding something. And I'm going to find out what it is."
Lois glanced at Catherine for a long while, her expression unclear. "So," she said, finally. "We have a common enemy."
"What do you mean?" Catherine asked, her brow wrinkled.
"Isabelle," Lois remarked, her voice laced with hatred. "She's the one who killed my mom. I know it."
Catherine gasped. "Isabelle? But why would she-?"
"She was in love with my dad," Lois added. "She wanted him all to herself. And she considered my mom as a barrier."
Catherine's thoughts whirled. It was too much to take in. Liam a murderer? Isabelle a killer? What was the truth?
"I will help you. You help me find out if all of this is real" Lois extended her hand.
"It's a deal" Catherine shook her hand.
Catherine meets with Sarah, but maintains her relationship with Lois a secret. Sarah pressures her to focus on establishing Liam's guilt.
Catherine met with Sarah in the warehouse, keeping her new alliance with Lois a secret. She couldn't trust Sarah. Not anymore.
"So, have you found anything new?" Sarah asked, her voice impatient. "Is Liam getting closer to revealing his secrets?"
Catherine hesitated, then decided to play along. "I found a locked box in his study," she stated. "I think it might contain something important."
"Excellent," Sarah remarked, her eyes shining with delight. "We need to get our hands on that package. Can you acquire the key?"
"I'm working on it," Catherine answered, her voice perfectly neutral. "But it's not going to be easy. Liam is suspicious. He knows I'm up to something."
"Just be careful," Sarah replied, her voice tightening. "We're coming close to the truth. Don't let anything compromise our plan."
After Catherine went, Sarah talked to her associate, "Make sure she is still on our side. The plan has to function."
Liam confides in Catherine about his loss and the responsibility he feels to protect his children. A moment of genuine connection.
That evening, Catherine found Liam seated in the living room, staring at Elizabeth's portrait. He seemed lost and alone.
She hesitated, then approached him warily. "Liam?" she replied, her voice quiet. "Are you okay?"
He looked up, his eyes filled with a deep grief. "I miss her," he continued, his voice barely a whisper. "Every day. It's like a part of me is missing."
Catherine sat down alongside him, her heart yearning for him. She had lost so much in her own life, she knew his anguish.
"I know what it's like to grieve," she continued, her voice calm. "It never really goes away. You just learn to deal with it."
He turned to her, his eyes probing hers. "Do you?" he asked. "Do you really know?"
Catherine nodded, her throat clenching with passion. She couldn't tell him about her family, about her past. Not yet. But she might provide him comfort, understanding.
"It will get better," she whispered, reaching out and holding his hand. "I promise. You just have to hold on."
Liam clutched her hand hard, his eyes filled with tears. "Thank you, Lena," he murmured, his voice strangled with emotion. "I don't know what I would do without you."
In that moment, Catherine felt a genuine connection with Liam. She saw behind the millionaire, the hard appearance, and saw the hurting guy beneath. She wanted to help him, to protect him, to heal him.
But she knew she couldn't. She was still studying him, still attempting to learn the truth about Elizabeth's death. She was playing a risky game, and someone was destined to get wounded.
As Liam found comfort in Catherine, and also will Isabelle be able to accomplish what she wants with Catherine?