Chapter 174: Date With Vanessa PT.4!

Liam walked in with Vanessa’s hand still loosely resting in his, scanning the space as the hostess led them toward their table. The diner was comfortably busy — a decent crowd scattered across the booths and tables — but far from packed, nothing overwhelming. More importantly, nobody turned to stare. For once, with the company he was keeping tonight, he blended seamlessly into the background instead of drawing the kind of attention wealth and chaos usually invited. No whispered recognition, no lingering glances, no one pulling out their phone to snap a discreet photo. Just another couple out for dinner, indistinguishable from anyone else in the room.

"Nice change of pace."

They were seated at a small table near the window, warm light from a low-hanging fixture pooling over the surface between them. The hostess handed them menus and disappeared back toward the front with a polite smile.

"This place is cute," Vanessa said, glancing around at the exposed brick, the chalkboard specials written in looping handwriting near the counter. "Didn’t expect this from you, honestly."

"What were you expecting?"

"Something flashier. Rooftop restaurant, maybe a place that requires a reservation three weeks in advance and a dress code."

"Didn’t want flashy tonight," Liam said simply, settling into his seat across from her. "Wanted somewhere we could actually hear each other talk."

"Fair point."

Beneath the table, his leg brushed against hers. He pulled back immediately, assuming it was accidental, an unavoidable consequence of a small table and limited legroom.

A moment later, he repositioned, and his leg found hers again — deliberately this time, settling there with quiet, unmistakable intention.

Vanessa’s eyes flicked up to meet his, something knowing flashing behind them. She said nothing, but the faint smile tugging at her lips made it clear she’d clocked exactly what had just happened, even if she didn’t call it out directly.

Their waitress appeared shortly after, notepad in hand, warm and efficient, a name tag reading *Carla* pinned to her apron. "Evening, folks. Can I start you off with something to drink?"

"Water’s fine for me," Vanessa said.

"Same," Liam added, "and maybe a few more minutes before we order food."

"Take your time, no rush." Carla smiled and stepped away, leaving them to settle further into the evening.

They eased into easy conversation first — nothing heavy, just small talk, catching up properly after days of disjointed interactions. Vanessa asked about Mateo after Liam slipped him into the conversation as the voice she must have heard over the phone, genuinely curious about how the whole mentorship thing was going, and Liam found himself talking more animatedly than he expected, recounting the barbershop trip, the confidence Mateo had slowly been building.

"That’s really sweet, actually," Vanessa said, resting her chin on her hand. "I didn’t peg you as the type."

"The type for what?"

"Caring that much about a teenager’s social life."

"People contain multitudes," Liam said, echoing a line Darren liked to throw around, and Vanessa laughed.

Carla returned with their waters, and they placed their food order shortly after — nothing extravagant, just solid diner fare, burgers and a shared appetizer, since neither of them particularly cared about performing sophistication tonight.

It wasn’t until the drinks had settled and Carla disappeared back toward the kitchen that Liam finally shifted the conversation toward the real reason they were here.

"So," he said, folding his hands on the table. "I bought a building."

Vanessa blinked. "You... bought a building."

"Downtown. Three floors."

She let out a small, disbelieving laugh, clearly assuming she’d misheard, or that this was some kind of joke dressed up as a serious statement.

"Okay, like — a small office space? Something you’re renting with an option to buy eventually?"

"No. Bought it outright. Well — mortgage, but still mine." The mortgage offered him a realistic explanation as it beats explaining his rebate system.

"Liam." Her expression shifted into something more serious now, scrutinizing him carefully, like she was trying to read whether this was a bluff. "You know that’s not something you just casually do, right? That takes real money. Like, significant money."

"I know, silly."

"So where exactly is this building?"

He named the location, described the layout — three full floors, prime downtown positioning, the kind of address that commanded serious value just by virtue of where it sat on the map. Vanessa’s expression shifted further, confusion deepening into something closer to disbelief as she ran the numbers in her head.

"That area," she said slowly, "a building like that would run — Liam, that’s not a few hundred thousand dollars. That’s easily into the hundreds of millions depending on square footage and zoning."

"You say the obvious once again," Liam said with a confident grin.

"So where did that kind of money even come from? Last I checked you were a fired associate with a severance package, not a man who buys commercial real estate outright."

"It’s a long story," Liam said carefully. "One I’ll get into eventually. Right now what matters is that it’s real, and I need it handled properly."

"Are you sure you’re saying this right?" she pressed. "Are you sure that’s actually what you own, and not something smaller that just happens to be in that neighborhood?"

"I’m positive." Liam reached into his jacket, pulling out a folded copy of the deed he’d kept on him, sliding it across the table toward her. "Got the paperwork to prove it. Signed, documented, all of it."

Vanessa took it carefully, scanning the details, her eyes widening slightly further with each line she read, lips parting slightly as the reality of it sank in.

"This is... this is real."

"As real as the tension between us,"

She set the paper down slowly, looking back up at him with an entirely new expression — somewhere between shock and something sharper, more calculating, the gears visibly turning behind her eyes.

"Okay." She exhaled, almost laughing at the absurdity of it. "So this is why you brought me here tonight. Not just dinner."

"Not just dinner," Liam confirmed. "I’m building something real, Vanessa. A firm, from the ground up. And I need people around me who actually understand what they’re doing — legally, structurally, all of it. I’m serious about this. I need your help."

Vanessa sat back slightly, processing, the full weight of what he was actually proposing settling over the table between them. Carla reappeared briefly to drop off their food, completely unaware of the magnitude of the conversation she’d just interrupted, and disappeared again just as quickly.

"This is a lot to just drop on someone over burgers," Vanessa finally said, picking up a fry without eating it, just turning it between her fingers.

"I know. But I trust you to actually handle it right."

"That’s a big statement."

"I mean it."

Vanessa studied him for a long moment, something unreadable shifting behind her eyes, before finally setting the fry down and meeting his gaze head-on.

"Alright," she said. "Talk me through it properly, then. All of it."