Chapter 168: New Building And Beginning! [FIXED!]

Liam came into full view first, walking with the kind of easy confidence Priya had come to associate with men who’d already made their money and stopped needing to prove it. But it was the man behind him that caught her off guard for a second — nearly matching Liam’s height, broad-shouldered, carrying himself with a rougher, more physical kind of presence. Handsome in his own right, though clearly not the one signing today’s paperwork. Beside him, a woman considerably shorter than both men kept pace easily, glancing around the block with open curiosity.

Priya recalibrated instantly, focus snapping back to Liam. He was the buyer. He was the one who mattered here.

"Liam," she said warmly, extending a hand as he approached. "Good to see you again. Right on time."

"Priya." He shook her hand, polite and unhurried. "This is Darren, my best friend, and his girlfriend, Keiza. Figured I’d bring some company for the tour."

"Of course." Priya nodded toward them both, offering a quick, professional smile. "Welcome."

Darren gave a short nod back, uncharacteristically quiet, hands tucked into his pockets as he took in the building’s exterior. Keiza offered a small wave, equally content to stay in the background for the moment, letting Liam handle the formalities.

Priya’s attention returned fully to Liam. "So — everything’s been taken care of on our end. Furniture’s cleared out, floors swept, elevators tested and running. Should be exactly what you’re picturing."

"All of it?" Liam asked. "Every floor?"

"Every floor," she confirmed, pulling up something on her tablet to show him.

"Gerald had a crew go through it two days ago. Nothing left behind except what you specifically asked to keep."

"Perfect." Liam nodded, satisfaction settling across his face.

"Appreciate you handling that so fast."

"That’s what we’re here for." Priya smiled, holding steady eye contact just a beat longer than strictly necessary — an old habit, testing the waters, seeing if he’d bite.

Men in his position usually did, at least a little. A comment about her smile, an offhand line about grabbing a drink sometime once the paperwork was done.

It came with the territory of dealing with buyers who had more money than restraint.

Liam didn’t take the bait.

"Do you mind walking us through?" he asked instead, entirely business, already glancing toward the entrance.

"I want Darren to see the second floor specifically, I’ve got some ideas for that space."

"Not at all. Right this way."

Priya turned and led them toward the doors, mildly recalibrating her read on him. Professional, then. Focused. Maybe even a little more impressive for it — the type who didn’t need to perform charm because he already had everything else working in his favor.

"Even better," she thought, pulling the door open for them.

"Easier to build something real with a client who isn’t wasting my time flirting."

"So," she said as they stepped into the lobby, "tell me exactly what you’re envisioning for the space, and I can walk you through what’s feasible structurally."

"Let’s start from the top floor down," Liam said, already walking ahead.

"I want to see the whole picture before I decide anything."

"Works for me." Priya fell into step beside him, tablet ready, already mentally cataloguing every opportunity this walkthrough might open up for her down the line.

They’d made their way up to the third floor, Liam trailing his fingers along the exposed brick near one of the windows, clearly already picturing something in his head. Priya walked a step behind, tablet tucked under her arm, watching him take it all in as they spoke about certain things. Priya showed her knowledge about a lot of these things as well.

"You know," Liam said, glancing back at her, "the way you talk about layout and flow — furniture placement, sourcing, all of it — feels like more than just passing knowledge. You actually have connections for this stuff?"

Priya smiled, the kind of smile that said she’d been waiting for that question. "I do, actually. It’s part of the service I offer. A lot of my clients don’t want to just buy the building and then be left scrambling to furnish it themselves. I work with a few select vendors — office furniture, custom builds, the works."

Liam’s eyebrows lifted slightly, genuine relief washing over his expression. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. Say the word, and I can have a proposal in your inbox by tomorrow."

Liam let out a breath, dragging a hand down his face. "Okay, that’s actually a massive weight off my shoulders. I was dreading having to go source all of this myself."

"Figured as much." Priya’s smile widened slightly, filing away the moment as a win.

"So. Consider it handled."

"You’re officially my favorite person right now," Liam said.

From behind them, Darren cleared his throat loudly. "Excuse me?"

"Present company excluded," Liam corrected quickly.

"Mm-hmm." Darren crossed his arms, unconvinced, though clearly amused.

They had a very healthy relationship with no hint of toxic masculinity.

They continued through the floor, and Darren — who had been mostly quiet up to this point — finally spoke up as they passed a wide-open space near the windows.

"You said this was gonna be a lounge area, right?" Darren asked, studying the layout.

"Yeah, thinking something casual, couches, maybe a coffee station."

"I’d flip it." Darren gestured toward the far wall.

"Put the seating over there instead, near the windows. Natural light hits different in the afternoon, trust me. You want people relaxing in a lounge, not squinting."

Liam paused, actually considering it. "Huh. That’s not bad."

"Course it’s not bad, I said it."

"Careful, your ego’s blocking the windows now too."

"That’s called presence, my guy."

Priya glanced between them, quietly impressed. Darren had a surprisingly sharp eye for this — the way he talked about flow, light, how a space actually got used rather than just how it looked on paper. Most clients’ friends just nodded along; Darren was actually contributing something useful.

"He’s not wrong," she said, siding with Darren. "Seating near natural light generally performs better in spaces like this. People gravitate toward it."

"See?" Darren gestured toward Priya. "Told you."

"Alright, alright." Liam threw his hands up. "Noted. Flipping the layout."

Keiza, who’d been quietly trailing behind the group, caught something in the exchange — the way Priya’s attention had lingered a beat too long on Darren while he spoke, an appraising look that had nothing to do with furniture placement.

Priya felt it before she even fully processed it — Keiza’s eyes on her, steady, unbothered but unmistakably watchful. A silent, easy claim laid without a single word spoken. Priya got the message instantly and recalibrated, offering Keiza a small, knowing smile that said "Understood, no threat here."

Keiza returned it just as easily, tension dissolving before it had even really formed.

Darren, oblivious to the entire silent exchange, kept talking.

"Anyway, you also might wanna reconsider the reception desk placement. Right now it’s kinda swallowed by the entrance."

"You just full of opinions today, huh?"

"I contain multitudes."

"You contain a lot of something," Liam muttered, and Darren shoved his shoulder lightly, both of them laughing.

Priya jotted a few notes down, genuinely factoring Darren’s input into her own recommendations without losing sight of the direction Liam actually wanted. Between the two of them, the walkthrough moved quickly, efficient and easy, wrapping up all four floors in under thirty minutes.

By the time they made it back down to the lobby, the sun had shifted noticeably outside, casting long light through the windows.

"This has been great," Priya said, extending her hand toward Liam.

"I’ll have that furniture proposal to you by tomorrow, and we can go from there."

"Appreciate you, seriously." Liam shook her hand.

"This whole thing would’ve taken me weeks to figure out on my own."

"That’s the job." She pulled out her phone. "Let’s exchange numbers, easier than going through Gerald every time."

They swapped contacts quickly, and Priya turned to Darren and Keiza as well.

"Nice meeting you both. And genuinely — good eye," she added toward Darren.

"I know," Darren said, entirely too pleased with himself, earning an eye roll from Liam and a laugh from Keiza.

"Alright, let’s get out of here before his ego needs its own floor," Liam said, already heading for the door.

"Rude," Darren called after him, trailing behind with Keiza laughing beside him as they stepped back out into the evening.

-

Outside, Keiza turned to Liam with the seriousness of a woman twice her age. "I’m proud of you. Genuinely. You’re doing so well for yourself."

"Facts," Darren added, nodding along like he was co-signing a legal document.

"Eating right? Sleeping enough?" Keiza continued, hands on her hips now.

Liam glanced at Darren, biting back a laugh at how solemnly he was nodding beside her, arms crossed, fully committed to the bit.

"Are you listening to me?" Keiza asked sharply.

Liam’s heart actually jumped. "Yes! Yes, ma’am — I mean — yes, listening!" He nodded frantically, and Darren finally lost it, wheezing with laughter as they walked off toward the car.