CHAPTER 298: CHAPTER 298 THE WRONG TARGET

Instead of taking the drinks and heading back to Vanessa like he initially planned, Liam paused for a moment. His grip on the glasses loosened slightly as he lowered them back onto the bar’s polished marble surface with a soft clink. His eyes didn’t leave the bartender.

With a relaxed, almost lazy tilt of his head, Liam leaned forward, placing one hand casually on the bar. His voice was calm, light, curious, laced with an innocent tone behind the silver-accented mask covering his face.

"You alright, man?" Liam asked.

The bartender furrowed his brows slightly, caught off guard. "Uh... yeah, why?"

Liam’s hand subtly lifted and pointed at the man’s neck. "That mark there," he said softly. "Looks like you took one hell of a hit recently."

The bartender’s face twitched just slightly, barely noticeable to the average eye. But Liam caught it. That brief flash of fear. The memory. The stiffness in his spine.

He remembered.He remembered exactly what Liam was talking about.

The barman blinked and laughed nervously. "Oh, this? Pfft. You should’ve seen the other guy."

He chuckled as he picked up a used glass from earlier, grabbing a towel to polish it with shaky hands. Liam watched him in silence, completely stunned at how this man had the gall to act like he’d won that fight.

Is this guy for real?Liam raised an eyebrow behind his mask.Does this man not know what shame is?

He just kept talking, completely unaware that the very person who spun kicked his ass across a warehouse that morning was standing right in front of him, quietly judging every stupid word spilling from his mouth.

The bartender continued, emboldened by his own fantasy. "Yeah, guy came outta nowhere wild swingin’. But I was faster, y’know? Took him down clean. He won’t be back any time soon."

Liam could barely hold in the laugh forming in his chest.This guy... unbelievable.

He bit the inside of his cheek to keep the amusement from showing too obviously, then slowly smirked and played along. He leaned in just a little closer and spoke with an arrogant, confident sneer.

"Just as I thought," Liam said smoothly. "How dare a mere puny brat mess with us the Crimson Hand."

He emphasized "us" with such smug superiority that even he wanted to laugh at himself. But the bartender? The man beamed.

"Right? That’s what I’m saying!" the man replied with sudden excitement, thumping his chest once. "Bunch of nobodies think they can just waltz in and disrespect us. Pfft. They don’t know who they’re dealing with."

Liam nodded slowly, wearing the perfect mask of smug pride. "Exactly."

The bartender leaned a little closer, eyes narrowing slightly with interest. "I didn’t catch your name though. You new?"

Liam didn’t miss a beat. He lifted his chin slightly and said with quiet, smooth confidence, "Caspian Maddox."

The bartender nodded in approval, repeating it aloud as if to commit it to memory. "Caspian Maddox... strong name."

"Pleasure," Liam said, lifting one of the glasses and nodding like he was royalty. "Nice meeting you."

"Well, Mr. Maddox," the bartender replied with a grin, "I hope we cross paths again at the presentation."

Liam’s expression twitched slightly.

Presentation?

He didn’t show his surprise—kept his face calm and collected. But mentally, he bookmarked that word. What presentation? That was something Vanessa needed to hear about as soon as they had a private moment.

Liam gave a final nod. "The same goes here."

With both drinks now in hand, he turned away from the bar and headed back toward where Vanessa stood. His steps were smooth, graceful, and unbothered—but internally, he was already shifting into mental gear. The bartender might’ve been full of shit, but that last line wasn’t a bluff.

Presentation.

Something was going to happen tonight.

As Liam walked away, the bartender’s gaze lingered on him. His fingers still rubbed a glass dry, but his eyes narrowed just slightly.

Caspian Maddox...

Where had he seen that guy before?

Something about the man. His build. The way he moved. It felt... familiar.

But no. That was impossible.

He shook the thought away, smiled at another guest who stepped up to the bar, and went back to his performance.

Meanwhile, Liam walked across the marble floor, drink in each hand, a devilish grin growing on his lips.

Time to deal with the brats bothering Vanessa.

Liam didn’t move in right away. He stopped a few steps away, half-hidden behind one of the tall stone pillars near the bar, holding both drinks in hand. From this position, he could see Vanessa clearly.

And more importantly, he could hear them.

The two young men both sharply dressed, clearly trying too hard had positioned themselves on either side of Vanessa like vultures circling something precious. One had slicked back dark hair and a silver chain around his neck. The other was taller, with a fake tan and a cocky grin that never seemed to leave his face.

"...you know, I could’ve sworn I’ve seen you before," the taller one said smoothly. "You wouldn’t happen to have modeled for Black Flame last spring, would you?"

Vanessa gave him a blank look, then sipped from the champagne glass she was holding probably just water. "No."

Liam raised his eyebrow, "She’s got a drink already??"

But seeing all the maids going around with drinks, it wasn’t surprising she took one.

The taller one didn’t back off. Instead, he leaned in just a little more. "No? Huh. Well, then you’ve definitely got that kind of face...unforgettable, dangerously beautiful."

Vanessa rolled her eyes. "Do those lines actually work on people?"

"Only on the smart ones," he winked.

The shorter one cut in, eager not to be left behind. "What he means is, you have a presence. Like, something electric. The moment you walked in, you pulled the room toward you. That’s rare."

Vanessa tilted her head slightly. "You two always do this? Wait near the door and jump on whoever looks decent?"

Both men chuckled, clearly thinking they were charming. "Only when we see someone we can’t miss," the short one replied.

The tall guy glanced toward her hand. "I noticed you’re not wearing a ring... that means the seat’s still open, right?"

Vanessa took another sip from her glass, clearly unbothered, but her tone was sharp. "Why? You applying for the position?"

The short one laughed. "You’re quick. I like that."

"I’m also not interested," Vanessa said casually, not looking at either of them.

But they didn’t take the hint.

The tall one stepped slightly closer. "Come on, just a name. I’ll stop bothering you if you give me a name."

"No, you won’t," Vanessa replied dryly.

Liam was standing completely still now, a slight smirk curling on his lips. He was impressed .... not just by how fast Vanessa shut them down, but how calm she remained. Most people would’ve gotten annoyed by now, but she just stood there, poised and unshaken, swatting their advances away like flies.

The shorter guy leaned a little to the side, clearly trying to find an angle. "Okay, okay... forget the flirting. Just tell us where you’re from. That’s not illegal, right?"

Vanessa finally turned her head slightly, offering a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "You two are real persistent. Is this how you guys get people to talk? Wear them down until they give in?"

"It’s worked before," the tall one said smugly.

Vanessa placed her glass on the table beside her and then sat on the chair crossing her legs slowly, deliberately, the move alone enough to make both men pause mid-thought. She leaned back slightly, letting the low neckline of her black gown do the rest of the damage, her arms folded under her chest in a way that pressed up her curves just enough.

"You know what’s really attractive?" she said coolly. "Men who know how to take a hint."

That finally hit them. The taller one opened his mouth to speak again, probably to fire off another bad line, but his words caught in his throat as he noticed something.

Liam was approaching now, calm and casual.

Vanessa hadn’t even looked at him yet, but she sensed it. She tilted her head slightly, just enough to let the two men know that their time was officially up.

Liam finally reached them, placing the two drinks on the glass table beside Vanessa with quiet confidence. He didn’t even look at the two men his attention was entirely on her.

Vanessa stood up the moment he arrived, grabbing one of the glasses and stepping closer to Liam, her hand casually brushing his. There was an ease in her movement, a natural chemistry that made it clear to anyone watching these two weren’t strangers. They weren’t pretending either.

They belonged together.

Liam didn’t speak. He didn’t need to. His presence alone shifted the mood like a heavy wind through a room filled with candles.

The taller man stiffened, the easy arrogance on his face beginning to crack. He watched the scene unfold with tightly clenched fists, his eyes following Vanessa’s curves as she leaned slightly into Liam, whispering something softly into his ear.

Rage bubbled quietly inside him.

Since childhood, he had always gotten what he wanted. Status, cars, women he was used to heads turning when he entered a room. He was the guy girls laughed for, posed for, slept with for favors or fun. But now, she, this perfect ten, was ignoring him like he didn’t exist.

The mask covered most of Vanessa’s face, but it couldn’t hide her lips, her nose, or her body. That was enough for him to know he had never seen anyone so damn stunning. And he wasn’t about to walk away empty handed.

He took a slow step forward, glaring at Liam.

Then his voice cut through the air like a blade.

"Fuck off."