Taming My Sugar Mommy
Chapter 58: Davies Tech

Chapter 58: Davies Tech

The Westbrook meeting went surprisingly well. Isabella commanded the room with an effortless authority that never failed to impress Liam, even after years of working alongside her. The blue suit had been the right choice—tailored perfectly to her frame, projecting confidence and sophistication in equal measure. When she shook hands with Westbrook’s VP at the conclusion, the deal was all but sealed.

"Excellent work in there," Liam murmured as they walked back to her office, keeping pace beside her through the corridor of glass and steel. "Though I’m pretty sure Daniels was ready to sign just to spend more time looking at you."

Isabella shot him a sidelong glance. "Are you implying I closed that deal on anything other than merit?"

"Not at all," Liam replied, his voice dropping slightly. "Just stating an observation. That suit is lethal."

She raised an eyebrow but didn’t slow her stride. "Is that so?"

"You know it is." His eyes met hers briefly before he looked away, checking his watch. "Board update in forty-five minutes. Want me to prep the quarterly projections?"

"Already done." Isabella pushed open her office door, stepping into the spacious corner suite that overlooked the city. "But we need to discuss Seraphina’s email."

"She sent it?" Liam followed her in, closing the door behind him.

Isabella nodded, moving to her desk and turning her laptop toward him. "Just before the Westbrook meeting. Take a look."

Liam leaned over her shoulder, close enough that she could smell his cologne—citrus and cedar, subtle but distinct. His eyes scanned the screen, brow furrowing as he read.

"A merger announcement? With Davies Tech?" His voice was incredulous. "That’s her big solution?"

"Keep reading." Isabella crossed her arms, watching his expression change as he absorbed the details.

"This isn’t real," he finally said, straightening up. "She’s suggesting we announce a merger that isn’t actually happening?"

"A strategic partnership with merger possibilities," Isabella corrected. "The announcement alone would boost our stock and change the narrative. By the time anyone realizes it’s not proceeding, the board’s concerns will be old news."

Liam ran a hand through his hair, pacing a few steps away. "This is corporate fraud, Isabella."

"It’s market manipulation at worst. And only if we actually deny a potential merger later." She moved around her desk, leaning against it. "We can string this along for months. Just long enough to secure my position and reorganize the board."

"You can’t be serious." He turned to face her, genuine concern etched across his features. "This isn’t just risky—it’s illegal. And it has Seraphina’s fingerprints all over it."

Isabella sighed. "Do you have a better idea? The board meeting is in less than an hour."

"Yes. Tell them the truth. Show them the restructuring plan we’ve been working on. Your real plan, not this—" he gestured at the laptop, "—time bomb Seraphina’s handed you."

"That plan needs six months to show results. I don’t have six months."

"So you’d rather risk everything on a lie?" Liam stepped closer, his voice lowering despite the closed door. "Your reputation, the company, everything you’ve built?"

Isabella held his gaze. "I’d rather fight with every tool at my disposal than surrender what’s mine."

Something shifted in Liam’s expression—frustration giving way to something more complex. "And what happens when this backfires? When Davies discovers they’re supposedly merging with us? When the SEC starts asking questions?"

"It won’t come to that."

"You don’t know that." He was close enough now that she had to tilt her head slightly to maintain eye contact. "This isn’t you, Isabella. This is desperation."

"Maybe it is," she admitted quietly. "But I’m not losing this company."

Liam shook his head, his hands coming to rest on the desk on either side of her, effectively caging her in. "There are other ways to fight." His voice had dropped to almost a whisper, intensity radiating from him. "Ways that don’t compromise who you are."

Isabella felt her breath catch slightly at his proximity. "Since when do you care so much about my moral compass?"

"I’ve always cared." His eyes searched hers. "More than you know."

The air between them seemed to change, charged with something beyond their professional disagreement. Isabella became acutely aware of how close they were standing—of the warmth radiating from his body, of the tension in his shoulders, of the way his gaze dropped momentarily to her lips before returning to her eyes.

"Liam..." Her voice was softer than she intended.

"Don’t do this," he said, and for a moment, she wasn’t sure if he meant the merger announcement or something else entirely. "Please."

Isabella found herself unable to look away from him, the familiar features of his face somehow new in this context. How long had this tension been building between them? How many late nights and early mornings, how many arguments and victories had led to this moment?

"I need to do what’s necessary," she said finally, but the conviction in her voice was wavering.

Liam was silent for a long moment. Then, with deliberate slowness, he straightened up, creating space between them. The absence of his proximity felt suddenly significant.

"Then do what you think is right." His voice was controlled, professional once more. "But remember what I said about Seraphina."

Isabella nodded, trying to gather her composure. "I will."

He turned to leave, and something impulsive and reckless flared inside her.

"Liam." Her voice stopped him at the door. "After the board meeting. My place. We need to finalize the strategy."

He looked back at her, something unreadable in his expression. "Your place?"

"Eight o’clock." She held his gaze steadily, though her heart was racing. "We’ll need privacy for this discussion."

A long pause stretched between them, heavy with unspoken implications.

"Eight o’clock," he finally agreed, his voice carefully neutral.

After he left, Isabella remained leaning against her desk, trying to process what had just happened—what was still happening. The board meeting, Seraphina’s plan, the company’s future—all of it suddenly seemed secondary to the evening ahead.

She took a deep breath, steadying herself. First, she would face the board. Then, she would face whatever this thing with Liam had become.

Her phone buzzed with a text.

Liam: Either way, I’ve got your back. Always have.

Isabella stared at the message, feeling something shift irreversibly inside her. She typed back a simple response.

Isabella: I know.