Chapter 669

Liam Sullivan was in an exceptionally good mood.

Recently, Vivian Bennett had been finishing every single meal he delivered.

It seemed his cooking skills were very much to her taste.

The corners of his mouth lifted unconsciously.

He hummed a light, cheerful tune as he opened the door—

His expression instantly turned cold.

Standing at the doorway was Ethan Roscente.

"Who told you to come here?" Liam grabbed him and pulled him inside, his voice dangerously low. "I said no one was to come looking for me. It could expose my location."

Ethan's face was pale with anger.

He strode into the living room and sank heavily onto the sofa.

His eyes swept over the cramped apartment.

His gaze finally landed on the apron Liam was wearing, which looked utterly out of place.

His pupils contracted sharply.

"A-Xu, do you have any idea what you're doing?" Ethan's voice trembled. "For a woman, you abandon the Sullivan Group, run off to a place like this, and play chef? You are the head of the Sullivan Group, the Liam Sullivan whose word is law in the business world! And now? Look at yourself—"

He pointed at Liam, his expression pained and furious.

"Because of your sudden disappearance, the company is in turmoil. Add Isabella Sullivan's mess to that, and Oliver and I can barely keep the rumors under control! People are saying the Sullivan Group is about to collapse!"

Liam's face remained expressionless.

He untied the apron and tossed it over the back of a chair.

"You don't understand," he said, his voice flat. "Right now, nothing is more important to me than her. I owe her too much. I just want to make it up to her properly."

"Make it up to her?" Ethan shot to his feet. "You're only thinking about making it up to her? What about us? What about the thousands of employees at the Sullivan Group? You are their pillar! How many people depend on you for their livelihood? With a single 'I don't care,' you want to dump this mess on us?"

He took a step closer, fire burning in his eyes.

"And the Hudson family—have you forgotten how they drove the Sullivan family to the brink back then? Now you just want to let go, just like that? You won't even seek revenge for that blood feud?"

A shadow passed through Liam's eyes.

These past days, he had indeed pushed everything else from his mind.

After Vivian left, his heart felt hollowed out.

Nothing else could fill it but her.

And this life he was living now... he actually found it satisfying.

Every day, he would secretly place the insulated lunchbox at her door.

Then he would hide upstairs, watching through binoculars as she opened the door and took it.

That moment was the happiest part of his day.

After experiencing so much heart-wrenching pain, he finally understood.

A grand, passionate love was not as good as a steady, gentle flow.

If she was willing, he would gladly give up everything.

He would be content to be an ordinary husband with her, facing each other day after day, enjoying peaceful years.

As long as she was by his side, that was enough.

"The Sullivan Group won't collapse," Liam lifted his gaze, his tone calm yet leaving no room for doubt. "You and Oliver are no less capable than I am. Management authority can be handed over to you. As for the employees—if they can't survive without the Sullivan Group, what use is keeping such useless people?"

He paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"The Hudson family is currently struggling with its own problems, tangled in scandals. Where would they find the energy to deal with the Sullivan Group? Are you really that lacking in confidence?"

Ethan was left speechless.

Even hiding in this small apartment, Liam's grasp of the situation remained terrifyingly precise.

Every accusation Ethan had prepared was effortlessly refuted.

And precisely because of that—

He felt even more unwilling.

Liam was a born king.

He should be standing at the pinnacle, commanding the wind and rain.

Not curled up in a place like this for a woman, wasting away his ambition.

"A-Xu..." Ethan's voice turned hoarse. "She doesn't want you anymore. What's the use of guarding this place for a lifetime?"

Liam turned to look out the window.

Dusk was deepening.

Streetlights were flickering on one by one.

"Whether it's useful or not," he said quietly, "is for me to decide."