The car ride with his grandfather earlier had been painfully quiet. Liam knew his grandfather was only biding his time before he confronted him about the girl.
Yes, he had lied to him about her. But it was not the first time he made undesirable decisions to protect his family from things he deemed would harm them in the long run.
"I will see you later for dinner. At the moment, I have things to attend to." Liam told his grandfather, avoiding the lengthy conversation he could already foresee in his eyes.
He ushered his grandfather to a penthouse suite, where he would reside for the brief duration of his stay, assuming he was only visiting for a short time.
It was just a floor below where he was temporarily taking residence. Although they were staying in the same hotel, he still valued his privacy, just like his grandfather would want his.
"Ok! I look forward to seeing you tonight." Count Julius calmly answered, not in a hurry to discuss with him what happened earlier, not smiling but not angry either.
He would have preferred if his grandfather exploded on his face than this tranquility surrounding him. However, he could see the wheels in his eyes turning. He was up to something, and he better prepare for it.
"Go rest. I know you had a long day." Then, his eyes noticed the cane his grandfather used as he placed it on the side of his chair.
He recalled his grandfather left it behind him at the Shelter, standing straight before him on the street. Could his grandfather walk without it?
Maybe he was getting better and having less use of it. That could be a good sign that he was finally recovering from his many illnesses and regaining his strength.
"You also need to slow down, settle down." His grandfather called to him before he could leave.
He knew what his grandfather meant. It had nothing to do with resting or relaxing. He had been insinuating about marriage lately that it was becoming irritating.
He was too young to settle down. He still had many things he wanted to do with his life. And marriage, a wife would only distract him from his plans.
"Goodbye, Grandpapa." Liam had chosen to ignore his last words, knowing that answering him would result in an argument again. "I'll see you tonight."
He loved his grandfather so much. For all his guidance, he was grateful. He owed him what he was today, a successful young entrepreneur and the title of a prince.
He was not blind not to see that his status in the Royal family had some perks. It had opened many doors for him. It would be foolish not to use them to his advantage.
A few hours later, he entered the restaurant to meet his grandfather for dinner. It was just on the mezzanine floor of the hotel.
He thought he was early, but apparently, his grandfather had the same idea as he sat comfortably on a chair reserved for them, talking to some people.
"I am sorry, but I seem to be late." Liam greeted his grandfather, and the rest of the men gathered around him.
Well, they were some old friends of his gramps who seemed to be staying in this place. But they quickly excused themselves once he settled on his chair.
"No, I was just early." The Count responded as he took a sip of his wine. "But I am happy to see some of my old friends. It has been a long time since I visited this place."
"Anyway, how is the business?" His grandfather quickly shifted the topic as he was still checking the menu.
But he knew well enough that it was not the subject he wished to discuss. He could already guess that he wanted to talk about that girl. He was beating around the bush to get there.
"It is doing great," Liam responded with a satisfied smile as he ordered his meal.
Suddenly, he remembered the look on her face when he threw the key in her direction. He had no idea what came to his head, asking her to drive his favorite car.
Maybe he wanted her to mess up. If she did, he could finally get rid of her. Of course, not everyone would be able to drive a fast car. She could easily scratch, damage it, or worse, have it stolen in her place.
But the bottom line was he could fire her for her incompetency or something. His lawyers should be able to figure it out.
"Good." Count Julius took a bite of his salmon before looking at him again. "So, she is now working for you, yet you told me you could not find her."
His face seemed to be satisfied rather than angry at him. As if he did not mind that he lied to him. He did not know what was going through his mind, but he did not like the smile on his lips.
But before he could respond, someone suddenly greeted them. "Good evening. I was looking for you, and the manager said you were here." Interrupting their conversation.
He turned around to find Eli standing behind him, looking at his grandfather. "Good evening, Sir. I hope you are enjoying your stay here so far." She directed her message to the Count.
"I have." Count Julius answered her with a smile. "...so far until you came along." Count Julius mumbled silently.
He doubted Eli heard it, but he did. It was not news to him that his grandfather never liked Eli. His grandfather admired Eli concerning her job and devotion to her work, but he still did not approve of their casual relationship.
The Count wished for him to discontinue their relationship, let go of her services and find someone else who could do her job. But he could not do that since she was his friend.
Besides, he did not see any issue with his private affair with her. It worked well for both of them. He got what he needed without the added complications, and so did she.
"Grandpapa, Eli is here to join us for dinner," Liam said, standing up and pulling a chair for her.
Initially, she was not part of the dinner party, but since she was already here, he took it upon himself to allow her to join them. It was just him and his grandfather anyway, so he believed there was room for one more.
"Fine, please join us." His grandfather was still a gentleman. He could not disrespect a woman who had not done anything wrong to him, whether he liked her or not.
Dinner was not completely awkward since his grandfather could be charming if he wished to, but he knew it was all an act. He was only waiting for Eli to leave before continuing their conversation earlier.
But before the dinner was over, her grandfather received a call, pulling the phone out of his side pocket. He wondered who would be calling him this late of the night.
"Yes, this is he." He could only hear one side of the conversation. The other line was just jumbled noise, even if he was just a few feet away.
"Ok. I will be right there." He heard again his grandfather say while he and Eli kept silent, waiting for him to share what it was.
"Who was that?" He finally asked when his grandfather seemed to be ready to leave.
"Just a friend that was asking for a nightcap." The Count winked at them.
He did not want to know what that meant. But from the look on his face, it was like the Count had just won the lottery. But he could not help but wonder who his grandfather was meeting.
Anyway, that was not his business.