January 2005, NYU
“Happy New Year, Chanty!” Zach greeted with a booming voice.
“Why? You two dropped out?” she asked sarcastically.
“Why do you hate us so much?” Liam asked.
“Because there is no one else in the world that bothers me like the two of you!”
“Come on…” Liam puffed out.
“Yeah, I’m serious so get out of my sight and stop acting like children!”
2013
“Oh my God!” Angelica and Cassandra cried out at the same time. They were outside the lawn at the back of Philip and Cassandra’s house.
“This is so exciting, you know that?!” Angelica squealed.
“Wait for a second!” Cass said, stopping Angelica’s drama. “Does Liam know?”
“No,” Chanty said with a grimace.
“You should tell him,” Cass said. “I am telling you, Chanty, this lie can give you trouble. Take it from me and Philip. It will be out sooner or later and it does not always end up good.”
“But this is for Willie,” Chanty tried to explain. “I don’t want to lose him.”
Being a soon-to-be mother, she knew Cassandra would understand. Her sister-in-law, slash, friend, looked at her gently.
“But I’ll try to explain things to Liam. I’ll talk to him first thing in the morning,” she added.
“But what if he won’t help you? What if he backs out?” Angelica asked.
Chanty looked at the two ladies standing before her. “Then I guess I’ll have no choice.”
Chanty went home feeling beat. She had been through a lot in just a day. She helped Willie with his bath and made him eat his dinner. She started reading to him but she was only on the second paragraph when she heard his silent snore. Cassandra obviously exhausted him today. Now that her son was safe and in deep slumber, she got up, turned off the lights and walked out of his room.
She went back to the living room and poured herself a glass of wine. Just one glass and sleep will come, she thought.
The lie that she cooked up earlier came back to her mind.
She sighed and closed her eyes. She was sure that if Cameron could prove that Liam was not the father, he would play dirty. He would make it certain that she wouldn’t be able to see Willie again.
She wanted to throw the glass in her hand when sudden anger enveloped her senses. How dare he come back after leaving? Yes, it was true that she had that night with Liam, but they were barely conscious. Well, maybe Liam was, but she regretted it. It was just that one night. But it had been Cameron ever since. And when she told him she was pregnant, he took off like he was trying to get away from death itself. His dreams were more important to him.
Chanty knew him very well to know that he would play dirty to achieve his goal. And if it was his goal to get Willie and become a freaking senator, it would happen.
Unless I prove that Willie is not his, she said to herself in a whisper.
Part of her was shouting it was not possible.
But she had no choice. Angelica was okay with her plan because, well, she was just being Angelica. Cassandra was hesitant about it, but knowing her history, Chanty knew her sister-in-law was as crazy as Angelica.
The problem was Liam. She would have to tell him and urge him to go on with her plan.
If Cameron plays dirty, I’ll have to do it first.
Liam was not sure if he wanted to knock himself over and over again for being such a fool. Why didn’t he wonder about Chanty’s pregnancy in the past?
It was just one time. One night. And he never even thought Chanty could remember it very well. It just happened and Chanty completely forgot about it. Or so he thought because they did not dare talk about the matter. He, on the other hand, never forgot every detail of that night.
He was still in the process of grasping the truth that he had a child. A son. But why was he hurt when he found out? Hurt that Chanty never told him? Did she know about the pregnancy when he left NYU? Did she think he would back out? That he would leave her like Cameron did? But the answer was there and he knew it.
He was a fool, always had been, where Chanty was concerned. Maybe Zach was right the last time they talked about Chanty.
He was not yet over her.
He couldn’t be after all.
And again, like eight years ago, he was at a loss. Cameron, the man he hated years ago, suddenly came to the picture to get his son. But unluckily, it was not his as Chanty claimed. Now, Liam was left with the fact that he was a father of a four-year old boy and someone was threatening to take him before the child could even call him ‘daddy’. Liam couldn’t allow that to happen, could he? This was his time to finally prove to Chanty that he was worth it. He was not his father’s son and he would prove it to the world. He could never leave his son and his mother.
But Cameron was someone who would do everything to get what he wanted. He wanted Chanty years ago and he got her. He beat Liam to it. He wanted to be on top of his class and he graduated from NYU as the top. Of course, Liam and Zach didn’t. Not that they were taking the same degrees. But still, the man was unstoppable. He wanted to pursue his dreams so he left Chanty when she got pregnant, allegedly with his son, which was now known to be untrue. And now he wanted to get Willie.
Liam couldn’t allow that. Though he never met the kid, he knew Willie was Chanty’s life. She had sacrificed everything for the kid. She missed most of the fun that she could have enjoyed. Yes, she was stupid not to have told him the truth, but now that he knew, he couldn’t allow anyone to take the only person that was making her happy.
In addition, he was very much willing to be part of that. Zach had always told him he was a hopeless romantic. Well, his friend was right. He had been in love with Chanty for years and he just realized today that he never totally got over it.
But what about Cameron? The guy could cause trouble. He would agree to take tests if it meant taking the guy out of the picture. It would completely solve Chanty’s problem. And when that happened, he would get his chance to be a father.
He thought of people who could help him.
Zach could help, but the man was too busy chasing after this woman who wouldn’t marry him.
For once, Liam felt he was in this one on his own. Zach would come around once his own problem was fixed.
Chanty forced herself to go back to work. She didn’t want to let anyone know that she was greatly affected by what happened the other day. She finally found the courage to get out of bed and wake Willie. She knew she should be bringing him to daycare but it was Philip’s idea to take care of the kid. He wanted Cassandra to get used to a kid and Chanty also had this suspicion that he wanted Cassandra to be busy.
Philip loved his wife, Chanty was aware of that. But Cassandra and Angelica were somehow alike and they tend to cause frustrations to their husbands in ways that they wanted to get away but couldn’t. Chanty couldn’t explain that since she had never experienced that one before. The last serious relationship she had was Cameron and it was not anything like that of Philip and Cassandra or Henry and Angelica.
Angelica had once told her that Liam always had a thing for her since NYU. She refused to believe that. The man, together with Zachary Astor, had always made her life in NYU a constant agony. She got used to their constant bother, but she couldn’t, not in any way, picture out Liam liking her. He was always there taunting her to furiousness. If he would have been nicer, she would have hinted.
But then, she could actually imagine herself having been with Liam those years ago. The man was very different from Cameron, but he had this charming side that she would have loved to explore. But that was the past and they never had that chance. He never made a move and she wouldn’t have had done anything to make it possible. She considered Liam and Zach as nuisance back then.
Well, she and Liam really had that one night, but they both couldn’t even remember what really happened so it was not counted. It happened, it was forgotten. But good thing it was of use for her lie yesterday.
She shook the thought away. She had to think of the right words to tell Liam once she told him the truth. He had to help her. She knew telling Liam the truth would disappoint Angelica and her wild imagination, but Chanty had never lied to anyone, not something as big as this. Yes, she did hold back some facts, like that night she cheated on Cameron with Liam, but it was not a lie. No one asked her about it. Yesterday was a lie and she would correct it to free her conscience.
Pete was the very first person to walk right up to her, his eyebrows raised, his hands on his hips.
Chanty looked at him warily. “What is it?”
“You didn’t tell us he’s yours…” he said in a very steely voice.
“Who’s mine?”
“You know who I’m talking about,” the man narrowed his eyes at her.
“Who? Liam? Come on, Pete…” she shook her head to brush the topic away.
“He’s the father of your son,” the man pointed out.
She groaned. Should she tell them?
But before she could open her mouth, Pete was already at her side, his right arm around her shoulders, “Now, tell me…how is he?” There was that wicked look on his face again.
“Are you asking me how Liam is like in bed?” she asked the obvious and Kara laughed behind her desk.
“Well?” Pete seemed not to mind that the attention of everyone was now directed to him.
“It’s…”
“Great, of course,” Liam’s voice answered behind them.
Pete jumped on his feet and turned around. “You... are one naughty bastard, Liam!” he cried out before he walked off.
Chanty looked at Liam. He looked fresh today in his white shirt and jeans. He made his look office-like by layering his outfit with a gray suit and it actually looked cool, but it was obvious by the dark circles under his eyes that he didn’t get a good sleep. She knew he was thinking about yesterday’s big reveal. And despite the jest to Pete about them being great in bed, his face was serious. God, Chanty couldn’t even think he could wear that kind of face!
“We need to talk,” she silently uttered.
“Definitely,” he said, talking her by the elbow.
“I want to do a DNA test as soon as possible,” Liam uttered the moment the door closed behind them.
Chanty whirled around, her face blank. “No, I won’t allow that. Liam, I need to tell you something--”
He didn’t let her finish. “This is the only way to get rid of Cameron,” he uttered seriously.
What the hell was wrong with her? Couldn’t she see that this was the only solution? If they could prove Willie was not Cameron’s, then the guy would back out.
Chanty had fear in her eyes as she said, “I have something very important to tell you, Liam, so please listen--”
“I want a DNA test and I want to meet my son,” he cut in once more.
Her look wavered for a moment. “Liam, you don’t understand--”
“Damn it, Chanty! He is my son! I deserve to meet him!” He didn’t mean to shout, but for some reasons, he was frustrated. Chanty was making this difficult. “You have kept him from me for four years! How do you think that makes me feel, huh? And you led everyone to believe that he was that bastard’s son! Are you nuts?”
Chanty didn’t know what to do. Liam seemed unstoppable. She was trying to tell him the truth and he was bursting with anger because she never told him the truth--which was not the truth. “What if I tell you that you’re not Willie’s father?” Chanty said the words so fast, afraid he would cut her sentence again.
For a moment, Liam froze. He stared at her with a frown. “You just blurted out the truth yesterday, Chanty. You can’t undo it. I know you. You are trying to get out of this mess on your own like you did four years ago. Well, news, news! I am not letting you off the hook this time.”
Liam was looking at her with hurt, anger and well, whatever other emotions he had inside him. God, he needs to know the truth!
“Liam,” she started in a calmer voice, trying to tell him that she was serious. “I am telling the truth. Willie’s not your son. I lied yesterday just to make Cameron back out.”
Liam placed his hands on his hips and let out a breath of disbelief as he stared up at the ceiling. “I can’t believe that after all these years you still can’t trust me, Chanty.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I know that the reason why you never told me about our son years ago is because you think I would jump on the very first plane out of the city and escape.”
When she realized he was not believing the truth when she finally told him, Chanty stomped her foot on the carpeted floor. “Liam! Listen to me! I am telling the truth! Willie’s not your son and he--”
“Trust me for once, Chanty,” he uttered, taking her by the arms and looking her straight in the eyes. “I know you are afraid, but we can do this together. You don’t have to be alone. We can easily get rid of Cameron and it can be done with a DNA test. And for once, accept the fact that I will not be going anywhere. Not now that I know I have a stronger reason to stay.”
Her eyes started to water. Why couldn’t Cameron have had said it years ago? Those were the words she wanted to hear from him when she told him she might be pregnant. And yet, she was hearing it from Liam Heaton, of all people!
Liam’s gaze was intense.
She started to say something but she stopped. Standing before her was a man who was willing to fight for Willie. And she wanted someone, other than her, to fight for her son. No one could take Willie away from her. The only thing that Cameron did was donate a sperm. It was her who did all the work. Willie was her life and if it meant she could keep him forever by letting Liam believe he was his father, she could do it.
But it won’t be for long, she thought. She would have to tell Liam sooner before he could make a crazy move like that DNA test. If she could just make a way to fake it and make Cameron believe he was not Willie’s father, then she could finally tell Liam the truth.
Right now, it seemed better that he believed her lie. It wouldn’t hurt, right? He would understand, right?
“Okay, you’re right,” she finally said.
Contented, Liam let go of her arms and nodded. “We’ll talk more about this later.”
As she watched Liam walk to the door, guilt was already washing over her.
Courtney, his secretary, was already waiting for him as he stepped out of Chanty’s office.
“Sir, Mr. Reynolds is already waiting for you in his office.”
He frowned. “Who?”
“Kyle Reynolds. The architect? Remember?” Courtney reminded him patiently. He was not very good with names and she was very aware of that.
“Yes, yes, I’ll be there,” he said when he finally remembered. Kyle Reynolds, Chanty’s ex-boyfriend who also happened to be her friend. He should better start practicing being ‘the man’ in Chanty’s life. This way, he could line the boundaries with the guy. Whether Chanty wanted it or not, Liam was not going to settle for just mere friendship.