Her Redemption

The sounds of footsteps, voices and laughter filled the air as different people from different backgrounds with different destinations walked every which way.

There were people standing, people sitting, people pushing carts, people pushing luggages, people holding up signs, security and special sniffing dogs prancing around with security on the other end of the leash, bags getting searched and people doing their jobs.

In the midst of it all stood two tall men, facing each other a few feet away from the departure unit, while people walked on, discreetly sparing them glances.

One would be intimidated by merely looking at them, they were that hunky. They would be mistaken for the departure security if it weren't for their outfits and the luggage underneath the older man's hand.

You would never guess that they were father and son.

The older man, looking like he was in his early forties, was Blake Maxwell. He was an ordinary, decent man in his early fifties. His eyes were pale brown, like mud after a heavy downpour.

His trenchcoat hung low, betraying his intentions of hiding just how much weight he had lost.

The old man's eyes wandered wearily, with his frown lines more evident than usual. One could spot how tired and stressed he was from a mile away.

The man was no more than an average old man; intelligent, tolerant and logical. He wasn't interested in unnecessary attention from people, his attractiveness was just an inevitable fraction of his life.

His son on the other hand was a different case.

Liam Maxwell was rather pronounced to the members of the public, with emphasis on a particular gender. Ladies would do anything, anything at all, just to have a minute of his attention.

Standing at a towering six feet, Liam embodied perfect and unfaltering masculinity. He was handsome, not in the conventional sense with razor sharp features and undersized clothes, but he was unfathomably beautiful.

He always stood out in every crowd he was opportuned to be among. His brown eyes, like luminous burning coals of fire, were deep and mysterious, that you could get caught in the mystery if you stare long enough.

Perhaps that's why women struggle to get a second glance.

He was not extremely muscular, with 8 pack abs or 16 cm biceps, but he had a great body. Another feature that always drew attention to him is the way he carries himself.

The thirty year old practically oozed confidence and sex appeal. His oddly good looking poker face, which he had on most of the time, didn't lessen his attractiveness in any way. If anything, it only contributed to it.

For a thirty year old, he looked rather young. I guess aging doesn't exist in their family.

"Are you sure you really want to go back to England?"

"It's my-"

"Yeah I know it's your home now, but you don't have to go, you're welcome to stay here with me." Liam told his father, his expression softening for a second.

Mr Maxwell cleared his throat to ease the awkward tension that was slowly rising between them.

"I've been here with you long enough, and I don't want to be a problem to you. It's time for you to be free, to live your own life. It's time for mama bird to kick her little bird off the branch." The unfunny joke he made at the end was an attempt to lighten the mood, but it didn't work.

Liam's face contorted into a frown. "No. You're not a problem to me, I don't see it honestly!" He whined seriously, if that's a thing.

"Li-"

He abruptly cut off his father mid sentence, "You saved my life. You know it." He spoke quietly.

"Do we really have to go over this again, Liam?"

Liam sighed worriedly, placing a hand on his father's shoulder. He didn't know why the man was being so stubborn.

"Yes, and I don't care if we have to go over this again, but you have to listen to me," He saw his father gulp worriedly but disregarded it and continued to speak, "I cannot-*

"Liam!" Blake called, but Liam didn't seem to care, as he continued speaking.

"You've done a lot for me in the last few months, you know that. And I can't repay you for everything, if i could, I would've. You saved my life, Dad. If it weren't for you, I definitely wouldn't be here or even see the light. I literally owe you my life."

Liam's deep voice and cold facade betrayed him here. His voice was shaky as he spoke and his eyes gradually grew red and teary. Silence fell upon the both of them, but it wasn't awkward this time.

"You could always say thank you." His father attempted to lighten the air again.

Blake staggered a little, but quickly regained balance as he reciprocated his son's action, putting his arms around him as well.

Liam's hold on his father got tighter as he asked, "Why? Why did you save me? I neglected and disregarded you all this while and y-y-you still saved me. Why?"

A comfortable silence fell upon them as they just held each other.

Pulling back, Maxwell finally replied, "You're my son, regardless of whatever you do. And I'll do it everyday if I have to." He gave him a smile. ",By the way, you weren't the only one accused of being guilty, I was too."

Liam's features softened as he grinned, "I wanted to explore but I went a little bit off."

"A little bit?"

"Yeah, just a little bit." He gave his Dad a toothy grin.

His father sighed heavily, turning gloomy once again, "I wish I could stay here in Italy with you, son. Even more, I wish you could move to England with me, at least that would help you recover from your traumas, the change of environment would be good for you."

"It would, but I honestly can't." Liam ran his fingers through his hair. "I grew up here, and for the first twenty years of my life, this was my home. This is my home." His eyes traveled to the floor, as if he was afraid of being this honest.

"I know, son."

"Well, enough about me now. How about you? Does Helen still trouble you?"

"When has she ever not? My feelings for Roxy still remain the same and she has problems with that, so she passes those problems to me."

"And her daughter..."

"I haven't heard from her since then and I don't know her whereabouts either."

Cue another awkward silence. The only hearable sounds were the sounds of people talking and laughing in the background. But they didn't care,they were in their own world.

"Speaking of women, Liam, I think it's time for you to get married. That's the solution to all these problems."

Liam gave his father a knowing smile. His father literally picked his brains, because that's the exact same thing he was thinking at the moment.

Liam had looks to die for, and women did figuratively die for him and his looks, but he never really found one he liked enough to love or even think about marriage.

He had been with many women in the past, but none of them ever struck him. He never had his zing. He never had any intentions to keep any of them, he just had them for his pleasure.

"It's been on my mind as well. It's all I could think about while I was there. I think I'm ready to settle down." He stuck his hands in his pants' pockets.

His father was surprised. "Really?" He never thought his son would ever even consider it, and here he was, agreeing to it.

"Yeah, but I don't know who yet. I have nobody in mind."

"Good women aren't going to jump into your hands, boy. You have to find her, and when you do, treat her right. You have to be a good man to find and keep a good woman." His father patted his right arm lightly.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"My flight leaves in fifteen minutes, call me when you need me?" His father asked unsurely.

"Of course." He gave his Dad a warm smile. "Don't work too hard, and don't worry too much, okay?"

"I will." They shared one last hug before Blake walked the other way.

After watching and making sure his father was gone, Liam dragged his luggage behind him out of the airport. He flagged down an airport taxi and got in.

"Take me to the nearest hotel." He spoke before the driver could turn his head.

"That would be twenty euros, sir."

"I'm not new to Italy. so quanto costa, euroforno."

"Scusa signore, pensavo fossi un turista, sai che facciamo soldi con turisti ignari." The man laughed heartily.

"Just go." Liam told him, uninterested in whatever he was saying.

The driver drove for about five minutes before coming to a stop in front of the beautiful hotel.

Lights orbed in flowers surrounded the place, with rotating doors at the entrance. Liam loved this hotel, it held a lot of memories for him. He paid the driver, got in and booked a room.

The old Liam would've booked the best suite they had available, but this Liam was wise with his money and cautious with his spending.

He was finally relaxing, for the first time in a long time. After having a warm bath, he laid on the soft bed in nothing but shorts as he scrolled through his phone, searching for available apartments.

He sighed as he scrolled through the same app for the umpteenth time. He was already getting tired of the search. All the other apartments were too expensive and above his budget, by far.

He had learned his lessons about expensive and flashy apartments.

He was about to give up and get off the app when a particular apartment owner's name caught his attention, immediately transporting him through different memories of the name at the speed of light.

Diana Wilson.

That name sounded all too familiar.

So familiar that he betrayed his relaxation and sat up, leaning his back on air as held his body up, scrolling through his phone faster, hoping to get more information on the profile of the owner, but he couldn't find any.

Could it actually be her?

Diana let out a fake moan.

She had her bum up in the air while the middle-aged man behind her held her waist and pushed his member in and out of her, moaning and groaning so much that it was annoying.

Diana felt irritated inside that she was with this man. Even if he was paying her for this, the least he could do is make it worth her time, but here she was, feeling nothing.

Honestly, Diana wouldn't even be here if money wasn't involved. Even with money involved, she still regretted coming.

The man finally finished, to Diana's favor, and she pulled him out of her, the condom hanging thick on his member.

Thank goodness, she wouldn't want to risk it with a person like this.

She sighed in relief as she got off the bed and went straight into the bathroom. She peed, cleaned herself up and walked back out.

"That was amazing!!" He exclaimed, still out of breath, laying on the bed.

"Yeah, it definitely was. I really clearly enjoyed it." She rolled her eyes. The sarcasm in her voice was so obvious that you could practically see it.

The man took off the condom, dumped it in the bin beside the bed and was putting on his boxers when he noticed Diana gathering all her belongings from the different places they landed earlier.

"Where are you going?" The man asked innocently, but Diana was so disgusted that she retorted,

"Where am I going?" She mimicked him, "Home. I'm going home. I have a home and a job to get back to."

The stranger let out a disapproving grunt, which she clearly ignored.

Diana had had hookups in the past but this was by far the worst one she's ever had.

She had just returned from Los Angeles and she needed to have a little fun, so she went online and in less than five minutes, she matched with the guy.

She did expect to have a good time, seeing as the guy didn't look so bad, but did she get it? Not in the slightest. Coming here was as useless as not coming at all. She should've just stayed home, she wished she did.

The money wasn't even worth the nothingness she felt and still feels.

She mentally scrolled through her contact list while she put her clothes back on, looking for the perfect person to grace her bed and actually pleasure her.

"I know this is a long shot and we just met, but can you stay a little longer?" The stranger asked her, now fully dressed and walking towards her.

"What?!" She laughed dryly.

"We could, y'know, hang out, maybe get some coffee or if you like ice cream, we could get ice cream. Or maybe watch a movie, or go on a picnic, whatever you'd like."

He was so innocent and unaware of his bad sexual performance that it was cute. But Diana wasn't down for cute.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest and faced him squarely. "Look, I'll be honest with you. I don't care if it comes out rude or anything, there's just no better way to say it. We just had sex, I think, and it was terrible for me. It just didn't cut it. I felt nothing! Which is absolutely how I feel right now and how I feel about you."

Disregarding how mean she was, he said, "I'm Lukas."

"Whatever. Diana."

Lukas had a moment of realization where he realized all she had just said to him and he scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment, giving a dry chuckle afterwards.

As much as she wasn't trying to be mean, there was just no better way to put it. And she wasn't one to sugarcoat things or care enough about feelings to try to tone it down.

The only compliment she could give him at this point was his face and body. He was actually really good looking, with a good body, he just didn't know how to use it.

"I'm leaving." She said, not even waiting for a reply before heading out the door.

"I'll text you!" He called after her.

"Please don't."

She let out a long sigh of relief when she got outside, scrambling through her bag for her phone and keys.

She had spent the last two weeks in Los Angeles and it was really boring for her. She had gone to some modeling agency who invited her for a casting.

She quickly located her phone as she heard it ding several times. She groaned audibly as she checked the screen to see five calls from her friends with benefits and two from her property manager.

She wondered why her property manager was calling her. Then she remembered that she placed an advertisement for a vacant space in the house she owned. Was there a new tenant?

Without hesitation, she called back. On the first ring, the call was answered.

"Hi Mrs Graham, how are you?" She asked as she got into the car.

"Diana, how many times have we talked about answering your phone when I call? It could be urgent." Mrs Graham lectured her.

"It's the weekend. How many times have we talked about not calling on weekends?" Diana retorted.

"We'll argue about that later. You need to get home as soon as possible, you have a visitor."

"Why's that so urgent? They can always wait."

"Not this time, Diana. He's interested in taking the apartment."

"He?"

"Uh-huh." Mrs Graham affirmed.

"But the advert clearly stated that I'm in search of female tenants. I'm not interested in this deal, it can't happen."

"Not now, Diana, you might have to let this one happen."

Rolling her eyes, she hung up and sent the phone flying onto the passenger seat. She banged her head softly against the steering wheel thrice in frustration.

"Can today get any worse? I just had the worst hookup I've ever had and now a man has to be my tenant?" She talked to herself as she drove off.

She eased back into the seat and let out a long frustrated breath. As if the world was against her, she drove into intense traffic, groaning as she noticed.

Diana didn't want a man as her tenant. She specifically told Mrs Graham her choices.

Diana met Mrs Graham when she moved back to her hometown in Italy and was in need of accomodation.

Luckily for her, Mrs Graham was a very kind estate manager who offered to go any extent to help her find a property to buy.

She went through the catalogue of houses but all the urban and fancy properties were way too expensive for her budget, so she settled for an older and cheaper victorian house.

The previous owner needed the money urgently so he accepted her price. And now, the property is worth more than five times the amount she paid for it. But she was uninterested in selling it, even though she needed the money, so she opted to let out part of the house.

After the traffic cleared, she drove to her Victorian home.

Thanks to them, she could now afford this, not ending up like her mother.

Now, she was better and strong-willed. She wasn't that little girl with pig tails and nerdy glasses anymore. Now she was ready to enjoy life without any attachments.

It all started from her mom. After her father left them unannounced, her mom began to go out with different men everyday, bringing in different kinds of men into the house. That irritated Diana so much that she almost hated her mom.

Diana thought her life would be very different from her mom's. She believed she would not breeze through men like her mom did, but that wasn't the case.

Even at a young age, what he put her through was enough proof that life was amazing without any entanglement or commitments.

She shook her head, ridding it of all the memories from the past that were beginning to come up.

She finally parked her car and got out. She couldn't wait to be in the comfort of her bed again. It had been a very long day.

She kicked off her shoes to a corner once she got in, closing her eyes as the cold floor welcomed her bare feet.

She threw her hair into a ponytail as she contemplated between taking a shower and taking a long bath. She eventually decided to take a long bath. It's been a long, bad day and she needed to unwind so badly.

Once she was done, she settled into her bed, phone in hand, as she scrolled through her emails. Her heart stopped as her eyes spotted a name on the screen.

Liam.

Liam Maxwell.

Liam fucking Maxwell.

The house was perfect.

The owner came home late yesterday, so he wasn't able to see her like the agent told him yesterday.

His gaze wandered around the surrounding as he stood there. He had been shown around yesterday by the agent, but he couldn't help but marvel at the house.

It stood at two stories with tall windows and porches-and detailed ornamentation that almost bordered on over-the-top.

It was fairly simple, rectangular-shaped with flat roofs that protruded quite far out from the exterior walls. The windows were tall, skinny and rounded at the top, and there was trim, trim and more trim. It even featured a square cupola that rose out of the center of the house, adding to the Tuscan villa feel.

It looked old but he wanted to live here, he didn't know why but he felt a deep desire, a deep connection with this house. Maybe because of the name he saw, but all he knew was that he wanted to live here.

He paused at the entrance for a few minutes, mentally preparing himself, before pressing the bell. He turned his head at the sound of footsteps approaching him at the door.

His eyes met with a woman's.

Not just any woman, but a familiar woman. She looked familiar, but he knew she wasn't the Diana Wilson he knew, she obviously wasn't.

He knew Diana Wilson very well, down to the colors she liked to paint her nails, but this woman was definitely not Diana.

If anything, she was the complete opposite of the Diana he knew.

This woman stood tall, her luscious blonde curly hair sitting pretty just a few inches above her obvious cleavage bulging out of the U-neck dress she was wearing.

She flipped her hair behind her shoulder with her long matte brown nails.

Her dress came to a stop on her mid-thigh, hugging her curvy body, accentuating her hip dips beautifully. Her long hairless legs were on display, shining under the sun as she walked up the steps.

Liam's eyes roamed her body, and then up to her face. She was beautiful, her diamond blue eyes shone brightly as she stared at him, frozen in her steps.

She couldn't believe her eyes. It was him, Liam Maxwell.

She quickly caught herself and cleared her throat to speak, but was quickly interrupted by him.

"Um... I came to see you regarding the property yesterday, but you weren't around."

"Oh." Her mind went blank. She couldn't think up anything to say fast enough so he wouldn't suspect her, so she said the first thing that came to her mind. "I'm afraid you came all the way here for nothing. I only rent to women, no men allowed."

Liam's eyes unintentionally narrowed as he stared her down. "Excuse me?"

"I know you heard me right the first time." She rolled her eyes.

Liam was confused, he wasn't prepared for this at all. "Excuse me?"

"Have you suddenly gone deaf, sir? I only rent to women, no men allowed. And I'm pretty sure you saw that on the ad before you clicked it." She retorted, placing her right hand on her right hip.

Every hope Liam had of meeting the Diana Wilson he knew went down the drain as he just stared confusedly. This wasn't his Diana. She wasn't the same Diana Wilson he broke years ago.

"I understand but can we at least go inside to discuss this? I find it rude that you're just giving me the news out here without even welcoming me in or anything." He pointed out his observations.

"There's nothing to discuss, sir. I'm sincerely sorry if my manager misled you or forgot to tell you. I don't rent to men! It's clearly stated on the ad which you clicked and read."

"Well, have you found someone to rent to?" He argued back, clearly getting fed up. "Or do you just have a thing against men?"

"I don't care about men. I have to check my emails now, which means I do not have time for this. So if you'll excuse me?" She walked by him, inhaling that familiar scent as she pushed the door open.

Liam stood still. He wasn't sure how to handle the situation, but he was sure of one thing; he wasn't leaving. He liked the place, and the intriguingly rude lady as well.

"My name is Liam Maxwell."

Diana's eyes widened unnoticeably at the sound of his name, but she managed to comport herself. "I don't rent to men. So if you don't mind, please leave."

She turned away from him and shut the door, but Liam was fast. Too fast for a man who just recovered from a deadly illness. He placed his foot between the door and Its hinges, pushing himself through it real quick.

He noticed her flinch and said, "Don't be scared, please, I'm not gonna do anything to you, I just need you to listen to me, I won't hurt you."

That pissed Diana off as she balled her fists in anger. "Do I look like I'm scared of you?" She growled.

"No, no, you don't, at all. But it's not wise of you to let a stranger into your house, hence my assurance. I mean, what if I'm a rapist or a thief? Wouldn't you be scared?"

"Just shut up and leave!" She growled loudly, getting annoyed by his stubbornness. "Mr Maxwell, now you listen to me-"

"I'll pay you double of whatever the rent is. I'll fund the painting of the steps or paint it myself. I'll weed the garden. I'll even clear out the chimneys, or maybe pay someone to do it. I'll do everything but the only thing I wouldn't do is wear a skirt."

"Wow!! The stairway is magnificent!" Liam looked around.

"I didn't invite you into my house to admire my stairway."

"You didn't invite me at all."

"Thank you for reminding me. Maybe I should call the police and tell them there's an intruder in my house."

"Go ahead then." Liam shrugged nonchalantly. "It would be really interesting to let them know how much of a violent feminist you are, going as far as discriminating against the male gender. It would be fun to watch the lawyer's try to defend your case, now wouldn't it?"

Liam smiled in amusement as he watched her nose flare in anger.

Was he really threatening her on her own property?

What the hell?

He hadn't changed at all, not one bit. He was still as cunning and scheming as the first day she met him, using these weird means and twisting everything to get what he wants.

Seeing as she had nothing to say, that drove him to carry on.

"What do you have against men? Why do you not like men?"

Her heart stopped as she heard his question. "Nothing! Now shut up." She lied through her teeth.

It was so obvious, even to Liam. He just assumed she didn't want to talk about it. "If you say so."

"Um... alright, so, as you can see here, there are no obvious demarcations, which is why I feel it's rather safe for me to rent it out to a female."

She didn't want Liam to know about anything that's happened with her after them.

She'd been with many men. And everytime, it never worked out.

One of her exes flat out told her he wasn't spending her birthday with her because they'd been fighting a lot lately. Later, she found out that he hooked up with another girl that day and she eventually left him.

While she was dating another, she would always complain about him and how annoying he was. When she would go out, she would find herself flirting with other guys. It took him finding out for her to understand she'd fallen out of love with him, if it was even love in the first place.

And another she actually liked more than the rest, but he would lie about the smallest things, like what he ate for lunch and stuff like that. He once told her he had a burger, only to find out later that he actually had pasta.

She didn't actually care about what he ate, but why was he even lying about stuff like that?

That's when she realized that he was a compulsive liar. Eventually, she found out that he lost his job, and other things all while they were in a relationship. But he lied about the unemployment too.

Another that she just couldn't stand. He was shallow, uncultured, and lazy, meanwhile she love art, culture, knowledge, music, science, etc. They were polar opposites.

The excitement of the new relationship that once was came crashing down once she started to discover the person he really was. It was horrible. So horrible that she wondered why she even got in the relationship in the first place.

And many more after these but the one that contributed to her character development the most was the ex who tried to put his hands on her.

They had issues before that; alcoholism, jealousy, possessiveness and gaslighting but physical abuse was the nail in the coffin.

They were in a heated argument and he slapped her. She didn't react at first, just cradled her face in her hand in shock as she stared at him. She definitely didn't expect that.

"What the fuck did you just do?" She asked in shock as she glared at him.

He raised his hand to slap her again and she caught it mid-air. He groaned as her knuckles met his nose, accompanied by her knee to his crotch.

She wasn't some pushover that he could do that to. She didn't think twice about anything. All she saw was red as she dishes punches out to his face.

After that day, she hated men. She just didn't want to be involved with any man, it never ends well for her.

"I'm a very private person, and I love my privacy." Liam deadpanned, snapping her back to reality. "You can be sure I'd respect yours as much as I expect you to respect mine."

"Y'know," she began sweetly, "Some nerve you've got there, coming into my house and offering me twice the rent, without even knowing how much I'll demand initially."

"Well-"

"Aaaaaaaaaand to spice it all up, you threaten me with discrimination. Sorry, but those are just too many red flags for me to ignore."

He gave her a lazy grin. For some reason, he was happy to be talking with her. Maybe because she was attractive, but she wouldn't be the first attractive woman whose attention he'd have. Neither is she the most attractive he's seen.

"I could clear up those red flags in a minute. I could give you my reference letters, a credit rating, postdated checks. I don't drink and I don't smoke- well, only casually. I don't entertain any guests and I've overgrown wild parties. What more do you want?"

"A high-pitched voice perhaps?"

He laughed. Liam laughed his heart out. Six months ago, he would've never thought he would laugh this heartily.

In a weird high-pitched voice, he jokingly said "I could try."

He watched her. He saw her about to let loose and laugh at his joke, about to let her guard down, but she immediately fixed up, putting on her poker face again.

But he didn't miss the unmistakable glare of interest in her eyes.

"I prefer renting to women." She insisted stubbornly. "You'd be a nuisance. I can't even walk around in my underwear with you here."

"You think I can? This applies to both of us, y'know." He smirked.

Colors slowly rose on her cheeks, but a phone call came in, saving her from the embarrassment.

"Excuse me."

Liam stared at her retreating figure as she walked to a corner to take the call.

If he couldn't get the place, he would lose his chance to heal.

A suddent wave of exhaustion washed over him as he leaned back against the wall. All of a sudden, his breath got shallow and his heartbeat got so slow that he could hear his own breath. He internally cursed the weakness if his knees.

Natural side effects, the doctor back in England had told him they were debilitating effects of fatigue. So he has nothing to worry about. They would go away soon.

He closed his eyes, inhaling the fresh breeze laced with the scent of nature.

He could feel his head getting lighter and he was confused; was this also a side effect or was there something wrong with him? He didn't realize what was happening, but she did.

"Are you alright?" Diana called out as she walked towards him.

Oh shit!