Calculated Coincidence

Thirty Six

ALESSIA AMATO

Sunday passes uneventfully and we spend it outside, taking advantage of the nice weather, the both of us avoiding the subject of the evening before.

My mind is all over the place. I'm not one to sweep things under the rug but to be honest, all I want to do right now is just enjoy my time with Liam. It's my first time with trouble in paradise and I kind of don't know how to deal with it.

Having a taste of being in a relationship, having a boyfriend, experiencing feelings growing for each other is so beautiful and fills me with excitement. So with this newfound bridge between us, it really upsets me and I frantically want to ignore it and pretend it's not happening.

There's a slight crack in my trust for Liam and what he's capable of doing and I truly hope that we can work through this together. My heart skips a beat at the mere thought that that might not be possible.
The aroma of breakfast tempts me out of bed and I head to join Liam in the kitchen.

"I'd advise you to get rid of him." I still as I'm about to open the bedroom door.
His words stop me in my tracks. "Are you growing soft, Hunter?" He asks, amusement in his deep voice.

Get rid of him? What does that mean? The door handle creaks under my palm and I panic, spontaneously deciding to head out.

"Call me if you have any further hesitations." Liam says and ends the call, making his way to me. "Good morning." He leans down to place a kiss on my lips.

"Good morning." I smile as he grabs my hand and guides me to the kitchen island, where a coffee is already waiting for me.
I'm neglecting my duties as our barista. "Thank you." I say, taking a seat on the barstool.

"What are your plans for today?" The man asks as he places the food on plates.

"I think I'll catch up with some partnerships. What about you?"

"I need to head over to my office but I thought we could go for a date when I come back. Would you like to?" Liam suggests as he places the breakfast on the counter and takes a seat.

My stomach churns. "Of course." I fake a smile.

His question should fill me with joy, I should be feeling butterflies in my stomach not uneasiness. I'm not happy with my reaction, I shouldn't be feeling like this. This isn't going how it should be.

"Is everything alright?" The perceptive man asks, his warm hand finding mine.

No, nothing is fine. I feel like I'm in a movie and it's not some cute romcom, it's a murder mystery and I'm the girlfriend of the killer. If Liam wasn't sitting beside me, I'd laugh hysterically at my own demise.

"I just have a lot on my mind." I say, avoiding his icy blue eyes because he can see right through me.

"Is there anything I can help with?"

"No, it's fine." I smile and squeeze his hand reassuringly.

We eat the rest of the breakfast in silence, Liam can definitely tell that something isn't right and there's no point in trying to make him believe otherwise because it won't work. He's too smart for that and I am no good actress.

The man gets dressed and leaves after kissing me, looking handsome as ever in his suit. After getting to the conclusion that I'm too stressed and unfocused to work on the partnerships, I decide to watch the TV to try and get my mind off things. Not much time passes for me to find out that even the TV doesn't help.

I'd advise you to get rid of him. Get rid of who? Daniel? And what does that even mean? Kill him? Is Hunter a criminal? A hitman? What is going on?
God, I feel like my head is going to explode.

I don't know what to do. Do I tell Liam that I overheard his conversation and I want to know what he meant? I doubt he'd share his plans on getting rid of somebody.

Besides maybe I'm getting all of this wrong. Maybe they were talking about firing someone or they could've been talking about a pet? Right...?

A phone ringing in the kitchen startles me. I look towards mine which lays beside me on the couch. Getting up and heading towards the kitchen island, I spot Liam's phone. I pick up the call.

"Hello, Mr Smith, I'm calling to check up on the chip I placed in the woman over a week ago. Is everything alright with it?" A man says before I have the chance to speak.

A chip. A chip he placed in a woman. Over a week ago. My brows furrow as ringing fills my ears. Over a week ago was about the time when I met Liam.
I have no idea how I'm still holding onto the device with how much my hands are trembling.

"Hello, this is the woman speaking." I say after a moment with a shaky voice. "I wanted to ask if the..." Think, Alessia, think. "Placing of the chip is safe and if there's anything I should avoid doing?"

"Oh, well the most important thing is to avoid scratching that area as the neck is a very sensitive part." The man replies.

The neck. My hand finds its way to the place which was sensitive when I took the shower after I was supposedly almost kidnapped. I suck my trembling lips in when I feel tears stinging my eyes. He placed a chip inside of me. He placed a fucking chip inside of me. I end the call, feeling sick to my stomach.

This is wrong. This is so wrong. I grab onto the counter as I start feeling dizzy and take in deep breaths.

"Alessia?"