Liam lay in bed, his entire body aching with the brutal workout with Mike earlier that day had left his muscles screaming. His shoulders, arms, and legs felt heavy and sore, and even shifting slightly made him wince.

He had barely managed to shower before collapsing onto the mattress.

A soft knock came from the hallway. Rachel poked her head in, wearing one of his oversized t-shirts and an apron.

"I’m almost done. Just rest, okay?" Rachel’s voice was soft.

The delicious smell of home-cooked food soon filled the apartment. Twenty minutes later, Rachel came into the bedroom carrying a tray. Grilled teriyaki chicken, fluffy rice, stir-fried vegetables, and a tall glass of cold orange juice. She set the tray carefully on the nightstand, her eyes full of concern and affection. Liam had no idea he even had all of these things in his house.

"You poor thing," she said softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. "You’re so sore from the gym and I made it worse by satisfying my own perversion. Let me take care of you,"

Liam watched her with a tired but grateful smile. He was beginning to love this treatment. Sara had never done anything like this. Rachel, on the other hand, seemed genuinely happy to cater to all his needs.

"This looks incredible," he murmured.

Rachel blushed. "I wanted to do something nice for you. You’ve done so much for me already." She picked up the chopsticks and a fork, glancing at him shyly.

"Liam... would you like me to feed you? You don’t have to move at all."

He raised an eyebrow, surprised but intrigued. "You really want to feed me?"

"Yes," she said gently, her voice warm. "You’re hurting. Just relax and let me spoil you."

Who was he to deny this? The idea felt surprisingly comforting.

"Yes please," Liam replied, his voice soft with anticipation.

Rachel’s face lit up with quiet joy. She scooped a perfect bite of chicken and rice, blew on it gently to cool it, and brought it to his lips.

"Open up," she whispered playfully.

Liam opened his mouth. The warm, savory flavors melted on his tongue. "Mmm... Rachel, this is delicious."

She smiled brightly and prepared the next bite, adding some vegetables. "Good? Here, try this one." She fed him steadily, her movements slow and caring. Every few bites she lifted the glass of juice to his lips so he could sip without sitting up.

"You’re spoiling me rotten," Liam said between mouthfuls, a lazy smile spreading across his face. "I could get used to this kind of treatment."

"I hope you do," Rachel replied, her eyes were soft. "It makes me happy to take care of you. After my divorce, I missed feeling needed like this." She wiped the corner of his mouth tenderly with a napkin.

"Does it hurt a lot? Your shoulders look tense."

"A little," he admitted. "But this is helping more than you know."

Rachel fed him another bite, her free hand gently stroking his arm. "Then I’ll keep feeding you until the plate is clean. You deserve to be pampered."

Liam chuckled softly, enjoying every moment. "You’re too good to me."

"I mean it," she said, voice sincere as she brought the juice to his lips again. "Eat up. There’s more if you want seconds."

As she continued feeding him with patient affection, Liam closed his eyes and let himself fully relax. The soreness in his body still lingered, but the warmth of her care was melting something deeper inside him.

[Ding!]

[Transaction Recorded]

[Target: Rachel Kim (Low-Value MILF)]

[Money Spent: $0]

[Base Value:** $3,100 (Strong nurturing + deep emotional care while he’s vulnerable)]

[300% Beginner Bonus Applied]

[Rebate Received: $12,400]

-

The executive conference room at Harlan & Associates smelled of old leather and stale coffee.

Mrs. Harriet sat at the head of the table, her manicured fingers tapping against the polished mahogany. Across from her, a stack of legal documents lay open—Liam’s termination file, the social media post in question, and the company bylaws she had memorized three times already.

"Tell me again why we’re still discussing this," said the man to her right.

Arthur Harlan. Her husband’s younger brother and the real power in this room.

Harriet kept her face neutral. "Because we may have exposed ourselves to liability."

Arthur snorted, leaning back in his chair. "Liability? The boy got drunk, groped a woman, and made obscene gestures on camera, and embarrassed the firm. It’s open and shut."

"It was a private story post," Harriet said carefully. "Limited audience. Selected viewers only. Which means—"

"Which means nothing." Arthur waved his hand. "He signed the contract. Indecent behavior outside the workplace is grounds for termination. We applied the policy."

Harriet wanted to scream because this man was extremely stubborn but of course, this didn’t mean he wasn’t qualified for his position.

She had reviewed Liam’s file herself. The policy required the behavior to be "publicly visible or reasonably likely to become public." A private Instagram story, seen by maybe twenty people, didn’t meet that threshold, not technically.

But Arthur didn’t care about technicalities.

"He’s twenty-five," Arthur continued, pouring himself a glass of water. "He’s not going to sue. He doesn’t have the money or the stomach for it."

"You don’t know that," Mrs. Harriet countered.

Arthur’s eyes snapped to her. It was cold and dismissive. "I know that you’re the face of this firm, Harriet. I make the decisions. And I’ve decided. He’s gone."

Harriet’s jaw tightened.

This was her life now. Her husband had put her in this position as a figurehead, a pretty smile for the clients while Arthur pulled every string behind the scenes. She signed the documents she was told to sign. She attended the meetings she was told to attend.

And when Liam got fired without her knowledge? She found out after the fact, like everyone else.

"We haven’t even ejected him from the company housing," Harriet said, trying one last angle.

Arthur shrugged. "So?"

"So if he’s terminated, he should be out. But you didn’t want to push him. Which tells me even you know this is shaky ground," Mrs. Harriet pointed out.

Silence followed shortly after.

Arthur’s expression didn’t change, but Harriet saw it. The brief doubt on his face.

"He won’t sue," Arthur repeated. But his voice was quieter now.

Harriet kissed her teeth in irritation. This was an oversight—a gaping one. Liam was a lawyer. A damn good one at that. If he ever stopped drowning in his personal life long enough to read his own termination letter carefully, he would see the cracks.

And if he sued? The firm would settle. Publicly and expensively.