Taming My Sugar Mommy
Chapter 48: Help from an Old Friend

Chapter 48: Help from an Old Friend

After returning to the hotel, Isabella had fallen asleep almost immediately, the combination of jet lag, dim sum, and hours of walking through humid streets finally catching up with her. Liam had gone through the motions—showering, changing into the hotel’s plush robe, dimming the lights—but sleep remained elusive.

He lay beside her in the darkness, listening to her steady breathing while his thoughts raced like trapped birds. The memory of Seraphina’s message played on loop in his mind: ’Two days left, Liam. I need your answer. Her secret stays buried, or I bury her career. Your choice.’

It was 2:17 AM when he finally gave up on sleep.

Moving with deliberate care, Liam slipped from beneath the sheets. Isabella stirred slightly, murmuring something unintelligible before settling back into deep sleep. He watched her for a moment—face relaxed, dark hair fanned across the pillow, looking far younger and more vulnerable than the formidable CEO the world knew.

’The silver letter opener flashed in his mind’s eye. Isabella’s terrified face as her father’s hands closed around her throat. Self-defense or calculated murder? The question haunted him.’

Liam padded silently across the plush carpet to retrieve his laptop from his bag. The Peninsula suite was spacious enough that he could set up at the desk in the sitting room without disturbing Isabella. The harbor lights cast a blue-silver glow through the windows, illuminating his path.

He powered on the laptop, the screen casting harsh light across his features. For a moment, he simply stared at the desktop, uncertain where to begin. Seraphina Ravenswood had outmaneuvered him at every turn so far. She’d been meticulous, patient—qualities he’d always found unnerving about Isabella’s oldest friend until they were turned against him.

But Seraphina wasn’t working alone. Someone close to Isabella was feeding her information, helping her orchestrate this takeover. The word still echoe in his head,’Isabella closest ally finding her information’.

That someone had access, trust, and opportunity. The question was who.

Liam pulled out a notebook and began scribbling names, drawing connecting lines between them and the suspicious events of the past few months. Three names kept emerging in his web of connections:

Christina, his personal bodyguard appointed by Isabella herself. She shadowed him constantly, managed his security, and had access to nearly all his meetings and correspondence. She’d been with Isabella’s security team for five years, her loyalty seemingly beyond question—but loyalty could be bought.

Marcus, head of security, whose clearance gave him access to everywhere Isabella went and everything she did. Former military, with a reputation for discretion and professionalism—but also with gambling debts that had mysteriously disappeared last quarter.

And Sarah Bennett, the sharp-eyed marketing director who had been appointed by Isabella Six year ago. Sarah had been quick to align herself with Liam, offering insights and support that had proved invaluable. But something about her eagerness had always struck Liam as calculated.

The more he stared at the names, the more his mind circled back to Sarah. Her rapid rise within the company had raised eyebrows. Her background at Crawford International gave her connections throughout the luxury goods industry. And she’d been conveniently present during several meetings where sensitive information had later leaked.

But suspicion wasn’t proof, and for that, he needed help—the kind that didn’t come through official channels.

He checked his watch: 3:42 AM in Hong Kong, which made it early afternoon in London. Liam hesitated, cursor hovering over a contact he hadn’t reached out to in years. The last time they’d spoken, it hadn’t ended well.

Before he could second-guess himself, Liam initiated the call through an encrypted application.

Three rings, then four. Liam was about to disconnect when the call connected.

"This number isn’t supposed to exist anymore." The voice was deeper than Liam remembered, rough around the edges but still recognizably Jack.

"Hello to you too," Liam said quietly, glancing toward the bedroom door.

A harsh laugh came through the speaker. "Three years of radio silence and you open with sarcasm. Classic Campbell."

Liam winced. "I deserved that."

"You deserve a lot more than that." The bitterness in Jack’s voice was palpable. "What’s so urgent that the respectable Liam Campbell needs to call the man he pretended never existed once he got his fancy corporate job?"

The accusation stung because it contained more than a grain of truth. Liam had deliberately distanced himself from Jack and their shared past when he’d joined Ashworth Enterprises. His friendship with Jack Reeves had been forged in the unforgiving streets of East London—two scholarship boys fighting their way out of circumstances that swallowed most who were born into them.

Jack had chosen a different path, leveraging his extraordinary talent with computers into a career that existed in legal gray areas. The last Liam had heard, Jack had narrowly avoided serious jail time after a particularly ambitious hack.

"I need your help," Liam admitted. "It’s important."

"Important to who? You? Your precious career? Your billionaire boss?" Jack’s tone was cutting. "Let me guess—someone’s threatening the golden ladder you’ve been climbing, and suddenly old Jack might be useful again."

Liam rubbed his eyes. "It’s not like that."

"Then what is it like, mate? Enlighten me."

"My life is at stake," Liam said simply. The half-truth stuck in his throat. It wasn’t just his life hanging in the balance but Isabella’s too—her freedom, her company, everything she’d built.

A lengthy silence followed. Finally, Jack sighed. "Dramatic as ever, Campbell."

"I mean it, Jack. I’m in over my head here, and I don’t know who else to trust."

"And you trust me?" Jack’s laugh was hollow. "The lowlife you ghosted when you got your corner office? The criminal who might tarnish your spotless reputation?"

Liam’s grip tightened on the phone. "I know I was wrong. I convinced myself it was a clean break—better for both of us. But the truth is, I was a coward. I was so focused on becoming someone else that I threw away the one person who knew the real me." He paused, the confession leaving him raw. "I’m sorry, Jack. I’ve missed you. And yes, I trust you more than anyone."

Another long pause filled the line. When Jack spoke again, his voice was laced with biting sarcasm. "Jesus, you sound like you’re about to ask me to prom or something. Three years without so much as a text and now you’re spilling your feelings? Save the Hallmark moment."

"Does that mean you’ll help me?"

"It means I’m listening. For now."

Relief washed through Liam. "I need you to look into three people at Ashworth Enterprises. Christina, my personal bodyguard. Marcus, head of security. And Sarah Bennett, marketing director. One of them is working with Seraphina Ravenswood against Isabella."

"Seraphina Ravenswood?" Jack let out a low whistle before breaking into a harsh laugh. "Wait—did you say ’personal bodyguard’? You’ve got your own muscle now? Christ, Campbell, how the mighty have risen. What’s next, a private yacht? Solid gold toilet?

"Can you do it?"

"Can I do it," Jack mimicked in a falsetto. "Have you forgotten who you’re talking to? The question isn’t can I, it’s will I."

"And will you?"

The silence stretched so long that Liam thought the connection might have dropped. Finally, Jack spoke, his voice softer. "You said your life is at stake."

"Yes."

"You promise this isn’t just corporate politics? That you’re not just using me again?"

Liam closed his eyes. "I promise. And Jack... I meant what I said. I was wrong to cut you out. I’ve regretted it every day."

"Save your sentimentality for someone who buys it," Jack muttered, but there was less venom in his tone. "I’ll look into it. But Campbell, we’re not square. Not even close."

"I know."

"And when this is over, whatever ’this’ is, we need to have a proper conversation."

"Agreed."

"Give me a few hours. And use the secure messaging app I’m sending to your phone. That line you’re on isn’t as safe as you think."

The call disconnected, leaving Liam staring at the screen. Jack’s final warning sent a chill through him. If his current communication wasn’t secure, it meant Seraphina might have been monitoring him all along.

Liam glanced at the bedroom where Isabella slept, unaware of the forces aligning against her. He had promised Jack a half-truth—his life wasn’t literally in danger, but everything that made his life worth living was. His career, his integrity, and most of all, the woman sleeping in the next room who had become far more important to him than he’d intended.

He continued working through the night, combing through files, emails, and calendar entries, searching for any pattern that might connect one of his suspects to Seraphina’s operation. Dawn began to break over Hong Kong harbor, painting the water in shades of pink and gold. Liam’s eyes burned from lack of sleep, but he couldn’t stop.

His phone vibrated with an incoming message—not from his regular messaging app but from the secure platform Jack had sent. Liam opened it immediately.

*Got hits on all three, but Sarah Bennett’s the one you want. Monthly payments to an offshore account traced back to a shell company owned by S.R. But here’s the kicker—Bennett has her own leverage. Found interesting files she’s been keeping. Seems like insurance. Sending details now. Be careful, Campbell. These people play for keeps.*

Liam’s pulse quickened as he downloaded the encrypted files Jack had sent. If Sarah was Seraphina’s mole inside Ashworth Enterprises, exposing her might give him the leverage he needed against Seraphina.

His phone vibrated again. Another message from Jack:

*By the way, that old promise to stay on the straight and narrow? Didn’t quite work out for me. Three years at Her Majesty’s pleasure will do that to a bloke. Got out six months ago. Thanks for the visitors and care packages. Oh wait, there weren’t any.*

The bitterness in those words made Liam wince. Jack had gone to prison, and Liam hadn’t even known. He’d been climbing the corporate ladder, building his new life, while his oldest friend sat in a cell.

Before he could formulate a response, a third message appeared:

*Calling in 30. Found something about Sarah Bennett you’re not going to believe.*

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