Vivian's heart skipped an inexplicable beat. "I'm fine."
"Let me see..."
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
The atmosphere suddenly grew awkward. Liam rubbed his fingers together in mid-air, his gaze soft and quiet. "Nothing. Just checking on you."
His reaction made Vivian feel like she had completely overreacted.
"I said I'm fine. You don't need to worry."
With that, she shifted further down the couch.
The distance between them instantly widened. A flicker of something crossed Liam's eyes, and he chuckled softly. "Sitting that far away, are you afraid I'm going to eat you?"
If someone wanted to overthink it, those words carried an undeniable undercurrent of tension.
Vivian couldn't help but laugh. "Liam, are you out of your mind?"
"Then let me check on you."
"There's nothing to see."
She leaned back lazily, lounging with the effortless grace of a queen surveying her domain. "Besides, what gives you the right to inspect me? I'll accept a friend's concern, but playing doctor is your buddy Silas's job."
Liam looked up at her, a faint, rippling light gleaming in his eyes.
A moment later.
He finally spoke, "You said before that you and Silas needed a catalyst to push things forward. I'm his closest friend—am I not the perfect candidate?"
She had to admit, he absolutely was.
Nothing triggered a man quite like seeing his best friend flirting with his woman.
If they played it right, everyone won. But if they screwed it up... she'd go down in history as the ultimate homewrecker.
The stakes of this gamble were a little too high.
Vivian's gaze drifted lazily. "Liam, I'm not a good person."
"Coincidentally, I'm no saint either."
"..."
Liam had subtly closed the distance between them again, his voice smooth and magnetic. "If Silas can't hold onto you, that's his own failure. I don't consider this a betrayal. At most, I'm just swooping in, but the real issue is that his foundation was never solid to begin with."

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