Taming My Sugar Mommy
Chapter 96: Liam arrest

Chapter 96: Liam arrest

Three days passed in a strange limbo of professional tension. Liam, now operating with restricted access, kept his distance from Isabella in public—a calculated performance for whoever might be watching. Their communications had virtually ceased, leaving Liam isolated and increasingly suspicious.

Late Friday evening found Liam hunched over his personal laptop in his apartment, scrolling through financial data he’d quietly extracted before his access was limited. The pieces were there, but the pattern remained elusive.

’They’ve hidden it well,’ he thought, rubbing his tired eyes.

His phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number:

*Ashworth Building. Server room. Midnight. Come alone if you want proof.*

Liam stared at the message, suspicion warring with curiosity. It could easily be a trap, yet if there was evidence clearing his name...

He typed a response: *Who is this?*

The reply came instantly: *Someone who knows the truth about Seraphina and Jeremy.*

Liam hesitated, then made a decision. He grabbed his jacket and found Christina in the living room.

"I’m heading to the office," he said, keeping his tone casual despite the late hour.

Christina looked up from her book, eyebrow raised. "At midnight? Why?"

"Isabella needs me to check something," he replied vaguely. "Shouldn’t take long."

Christina studied his face, clearly skeptical. "You want company?"

"No need," Liam said, forcing a smile. "Just a quick errand."

She watched him with professional concern but didn’t press further. "Call if you need me."

Then he began preparing. If this was a trap, he wouldn’t walk into it unprepared.

---

The Ashworth Building stood like a gleaming sentinel in the night, its upper floors still illuminated despite the late hour. Liam used his restricted badge to enter through a side entrance, avoiding the main lobby with its security cameras.

The server room was located on the 30th floor—a controlled-access area that should have been impossible for him to enter with his current credentials. Yet when he approached, the door unlocked with a soft click.

’Someone’s watching,’ he realized, surveying the ceiling for cameras. ’And they want me here.’

Inside, the server room hummed with the quiet breathing of machines, blue status lights blinking in the dimness. Liam moved cautiously between the tall racks, senses alert for any movement.

"Hello?" he called softly.

No response.

He spotted a workstation near the back wall, its screen glowing with active windows. As he approached, he saw financial records—familiar ones he’d been studying for days—but organized differently, connections highlighted that he’d missed.

A USB drive sat beside the keyboard with a Post-it note: *Copy everything.*

Liam hesitated, suspicious of the convenience, yet the data on screen showed exactly what he’d been searching for—the hidden pattern of transfers, the shell companies, the ultimate destinations of the diverted funds.

He plugged in the drive and began copying files, his eyes scanning the information rapidly. With each document, the picture became clearer. Jeremy had indeed been siphoning funds, but he was merely a facilitator. The true architect was Seraphina, who had leveraged her position as Isabella’s trusted friend to orchestrate an elaborate scheme that would culminate in a hostile takeover of Ashworth Enterprises, disguised as a rescue following financial scandal.

And Davies Corporation wasn’t a target for legitimate partnership—it was the vehicle for the takeover.

’My God,’ Liam thought. ’Isabella’s about to hand over her company to the very people trying to destroy her.’

The final document confirmed his worst fears: a draft press release dated for Monday, announcing Isabella’s "temporary" step back from leadership following revelations of financial mismanagement under her watch.

Liam checked the copy progress—98% complete.

A sound from behind made him turn. Nothing visible, but the hair on the back of his neck stood up.

100% complete. He ejected the drive and pocketed it, closing the windows on screen.

As he turned to leave, the lights flickered on, momentarily blinding him.

"We meet again in clandestine circumstances," Seraphina said, stepping from behind a server rack. "You never learn, do you?"

Liam regained his composure quickly. "I suspected it might be you."

"Did you?" Seraphina asked, her smile cold. "Yet here you are, committing corporate espionage in a restricted area you shouldn’t be able to access."

"Is it espionage to uncover the truth about what you and Jeremy have been planning?" Liam challenged.

Seraphina seemed genuinely amused. "The loyal assistant, fighting to protect his beloved boss. I told you to be by my side, Liam, but you chose to fight Isabella’s battles instead. Such a waste of talent."

"Why?" Liam asked. "Isabella trusted you. Considered you a friend."

"Isabella trusted too easily," Seraphina replied. "A weakness I identified years ago. She sees the world as she wishes it to be, not as it is."

"And how is it?" Liam pressed, discretely pressing the emergency alert button on his phone.

"A battlefield," Seraphina answered simply. "Where sentiment is liability and opportunity favors those willing to seize it without moral hesitation."

Liam heard the elevator’s distant chime. Security would be arriving soon.

"The board will never believe your fabricated evidence against Isabella," he said.

Seraphina’s smile widened. "They already do. The narrative has been building for months—subtle concerns about her judgment, questions about her priorities. The audit was merely the final piece."

"And me? Why target me specifically?"

"Because you were the only one who might have seen the pattern in time," Seraphina admitted. "I underestimated you initially, thinking you were merely efficient arm candy. Then I realized you were actually competent. Dangerous."

Footsteps approached from the hallway—multiple sets, moving quickly.

"That would be security," Liam said, relief evident in his voice.

"Yes," Seraphina agreed, her confidence unwavering. "But not the security you’re expecting."

The door opened, and two men in Ashworth security uniforms entered—neither familiar to Liam.

"Perfect timing," Seraphina said to them. "Mr. Campbell was just caught accessing restricted financial records."

"What?" Liam started, realizing too late the extent of her preparation. "That’s not—"

"Search him," Seraphina ordered.

One guard moved forward, patting Liam down and quickly finding the USB drive.

"As I suspected," Seraphina said, taking the drive. "Corporate espionage. The final proof we needed."

"This is a setup," Liam protested.

"How convenient for you that no one can confirm your story," Seraphina interrupted smoothly. "These gentlemen are from our external security contractor—completely impartial witnesses to your crime."

Liam’s mind raced, searching for options. "Isabella won’t believe this."

"Isabella won’t have a choice," Seraphina replied, her voice almost sympathetic. "The evidence against you is overwhelming. And in light of her poor judgment in continuing to trust you despite earlier warnings, the board will have no choice but to act."

The elevator chimed again. All heads turned as the doors opened, revealing Isabella herself, her expression shifting from concern to shock as she took in the scene.

"Isabella," Liam began, relief flooding through him.

"Ms. Ashworth," Seraphina interjected quickly. "I’m so sorry you had to see this. We caught Mr. Campbell accessing restricted financial records. The USB drive contains copies of confidential documents."

Isabella’s gaze moved from Seraphina to Liam, her face carefully neutral. "Is this true, Liam?"

"I received a text telling me to come here," he explained urgently. "Someone wanted me to find evidence about what Seraphina and Jeremy have been planning. I was set up."

"A convenient story," Seraphina noted. "But the facts speak for themselves. After hours access to a restricted area, unauthorized copying of financial records—the same records that have been compromised."

Isabella stepped forward, her eyes never leaving Liam’s. "Show me the text."

Liam pulled out his phone, only to find the message thread had been wiped clean. "It’s gone," he said, disbelief coloring his voice. "It was here, I swear it."

"More claims without evidence," Seraphina said sadly. "Isabella, I know this is difficult, but we need to act decisively. The board is already concerned about your judgment in this matter."

Isabella remained silent for several long moments, her expression unreadable. When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet but firm.

"Take Mr. Campbell to my office," she instructed the security guards. "I’ll deal with this personally."

"Isabella, legal should be involved immediately," Seraphina advised. "We need to document everything properly."

"And we will," Isabella assured her. "But first, I need to understand exactly what happened here. Alone."

Seraphina hesitated, then nodded. "Of course. I’ll inform Jeremy about this development."

As the security guards escorted Liam out, he caught Isabella’s eye one last time—searching for some sign that she still trusted him. Her expression revealed nothing.

---

In Isabella’s office, the silence stretched between them. The security guards stationed outside, Liam stood before her desk, the weight of accusation heavy on his shoulders.

"Tell me everything," Isabella said finally. "From the beginning."

Liam recounted the text, his suspicions, the discovery in the server room. As he spoke, Isabella’s expression remained carefully neutral, giving away nothing of her thoughts.

"And you have no proof of this mysterious text?" she asked when he finished.

"No," he admitted. "But I can explain—"

"Convenient," Isabella interrupted, her voice cold. "Do you realize what position you’ve put me in?"

Liam felt cold dread settling in his stomach. "You don’t believe me."

Isabella rose from her desk, moving to the window where the city lights glittered like distant stars.

"What I believe hardly matters now," she said quietly. "The evidence against you is substantial. Your credentials used for unauthorized access, financial records traced to your terminal, and now caught in a restricted area with confidential data."

"Evidence that was fabricated," Liam insisted. "Seraphina and Jeremy are orchestrating this entire situation. They’re planning to use the Davies integration to take control of Ashworth."

Isabella turned to face him, her expression revealing nothing. "You have proof of this claim?"

"It was on the USB drive," Liam said, frustration evident in his voice. "Which Seraphina now has."

"Convenient," Isabella noted.

Liam met her gaze steadily. "Do you trust me, Isabella? After everything we’ve been through?"

Before she could answer, her phone rang. She glanced at the display, then answered, "Yes?"

Liam watched as she listened, her expression darkening.

"I see," she said finally. "Thank you for informing me."

She ended the call, setting the phone down carefully.

"That was Jeremy," she explained. "The USB drive contained transfer authorizations for another ten million dollars—all set to execute Monday morning using my credentials."

Liam felt the trap closing around him, meticulously planned and perfectly executed.

"Isabella, you know me," he pleaded. "I wouldn’t betray you."

"I thought I knew Seraphina too," she replied, her voice hollow. "Yet the evidence suggests she’s been working against me for months."

"That’s what she wants you to think," Liam insisted. "She’s manufacturing doubt, isolating you from everyone you trust."

Isabella’s expression hardened. "Including you?"

"Especially me," Liam confirmed. "Because I was close to uncovering the truth."

A knock at the door interrupted them. One of the security guards entered.

"Ms. Ashworth, Mr. Davies is on line two. He says it’s urgent."

Isabella nodded. "I’ll take it." She turned back to Liam, her face now a mask of corporate detachment. "I’ve heard enough."

She pressed the intercom. "Send in the security team."

As more guards entered, Isabella straightened, her CEO persona sliding into place like armor. "Call the police. Mr. Campbell is to be charged with corporate espionage and attempted embezzlement."

Liam stood frozen in shock. "Isabella—"

"Furthermore," she continued, not meeting his eyes, "he is to be escorted directly to the police station and processed immediately. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma’am," the guards responded in unison.

As they moved to handcuff him, Liam struggled to make eye contact with Isabella. "Don’t do this. You’re playing right into their hands."

"The evidence speaks for itself," she replied coldly. "You’ve betrayed my trust, and for that, there will be consequences."

As the guards led him toward the elevator, Liam caught a glimpse of Seraphina watching from the corridor, satisfaction evident in her serene smile. The trap had sprung perfectly—Liam removed, Isabella isolated, and the Davies integration proceeding exactly as planned.

The elevator doors closed on the scene, sealing Liam’s fate. As they descended toward the lobby, his mind was already racing, formulating what moves remained in this high-stakes chess match. Isabella had not merely cut ties with him—she had completely severed them, exactly as their enemies had planned.

The betrayal had been revealed, but not in the way Seraphina believed. Now Liam would have to find a way to counter-attack—from behind bars, where no one would see it coming.

As the guards escorted him through the lobby toward the waiting police car, Liam’s phone vibrated once in his pocket. Despite everything, a flicker of hope ignited. Someone was still in his corner. He just had to survive long enough to find out who.

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