"Liam Carson." Liam introduced himself, extending an arm for a handshake. Kohen didn't return the gesture and Liam retrieved the hand, "It was sort of a last minute call"
Greta caught up to the trio, "I got the notification of his arrival while you were in the boardroom Mr Anderson"
Kohen looked to his secretary, "And Atlas thinks they could do whatever without due process?"
"It's stated in the agreement that Liam Carson would be sent in routinely" Greta replied.
Kohen's jaw ticked, "It hasn't even been a week"
Liam stepped in, not appreciating that they spoke like he wasn't in the room, "Once I'm done here, I'd be out of your hair. However, the nature of my visit is to ensure our staff has settled into her new role and is being treated in accordance"
Kohen's eyes flicked to Rachel who quietly glared at him. "Fine then" he conceded after a stretch of deafening silence "Greta, see to it that our guest is comfortable. Welcome to KAL Apex" and he disappeared to his office.
Rachel excused herself, retreating to the office cafeteria with Liam in tow.
Once they were out of earshot, Liam broached the topic. "Darian is a clone of his father" Rachel stiffened side-glancing him. "I know it's the last thing you want to talk about" Liam put his arm up in surrender. "So how's it been?"
"Frustrating" she sighed "I can't make it past a week, I'm wondering how I'd last a year"
Liam noticed the oversized shirt she had on, "What are you wearing?" He chuckled earning an eye roll
"Kohen's shirt" Rachel said and the smile on Liam's lips faltered, "His girlfriend wasted my coffee this morning and it ruined my shirt" she added.
They helped themselves to lunch and picked out a table. Just then, Callen spotted them, coming over.
"Mind if I join?" He asked but took the seat opposite them without the invitation.
Rachel did the introductions, "Liam meet Callen Hugo. Callen, meet Liam Carson" and the two nodded in acknowledgement.
"How's KAL Apex so far?" Callen asked Rachel before picking at his food.
"Tolerable" she lied with a small shrug
"It's good to see you've made a friend" Liam said as Rachel picked out her peas and loaded them onto his plate.
Callen watched them quietly.
"Yeah" she replied, drawing back her hand from Liam's plate and accidentally knocking down her juice, "Shit" she cursed.
Liam quickly dabbed at the spill with a napkin, "Little miss clumsy" he teased.
"I guess no drink wants me today," she laughed.
"You two make the littlest things look all lovey dovey" Callen remarked with questioning brows "Are you a couple by any chance?"
Liam's action paused and Rachel blurted out a laugh. "Steph says true friendship is when people can't tell if you're just really good friends or dating. I guess she's right if you think that" she said, shaking her head in amusement.
"Who's Steph?" Callen inquired
"My best friend. From Atlas". Rachel popped a piece of meat in her mouth. Callen's attention briefly shifted to a mute Liam who seemed more invested in his plate now than anything else.
"Atlas does sound fun to be in. In here, everyone just does their own thing" Callen waved his fork. "Two days in a row?" He said suddenly, his voice dropping to a whisper as he straightened in his seat.
Confused, Rachel and Liam followed his line of sight to find Kohen approaching.
Kohen paused by their table, his eyes darting between the two men before settling on Rachel. "The rest of the meetings for today have been moved to a later date, something came up. Greta would communicate the details". He didn't fail to notice the absence of peas in her plate and the significant presence of it in Liam's.
Rachel itched to ask why but she simply nodded in response and Kohen proceeded to the kitchen.
"I wonder what's wrong," Callen said the moment Kohen disappeared behind the doors. "He's been here twice in a row"
"On the bright side, you've been granted an early leave today" Liam said, nudging her and Rachel nodded.
Moments later, they were done with lunch and headed out of the cafeteria.
"I'll go get my bags" Rachel announced, taking an elevator up.
"Meet me in the parking lot," Liam said.
Callen turned to Liam as soon as the elevator doors shut. "You love her, don't you?" He mused.
Liam's brows subtly raised before an impassive mask took over, "Are you always this.. intrusive?" he asked to have Callen throw an arm over his shoulder.
"I'm a free spirit. A very perceptive free spirit, why drag things and complicate it. If you like her, tell her" Callen answered.
Liam turned serious, shrugging off Callen's arm "I don't know how things work here, but there are policies against.. fraternisation back at Atlas"
"I'm not hearing a denial" Callen drawled
"This is none of your business dude. I only just met you, so stay out of it!" Liam said incredulously, leaving behind a chuckling Callen.
Meanwhile, Rachel met with Greta after collecting her things. "Today was packed with meetings. Why did Ko- Mr Anderson suddenly call it off?" She inquired.
"Family Emergency" Greta answered "Senior Mrs Anderson placed the call herself. Apparently, Mr Anderson's father had a severe case of food poisoning"
Rachel clutched her bag tighter. It had been eight years since she last saw Kohen's parents or heard about them. "Would that explain why Mr Anderson is in the Kitchen?"
Greta nodded, "Yep. The head chef here sees to the affairs of the Anderson home too. So even if he's not directly responsible, he would still be held accountable. Mr Anderson is simply following up the investigation"
Rachel nodded slowly, thanked Greta and took her leave.
Once she was out on the parking lot, she spotted Liam, leaning on the hood of his car, phone in hand. "Ready?" She asked and he nodded, ushering her into the car.
"I'm glad you got time of work" Liam said starting the ignition
"Yeah, Darian would be surprised to see me home early," she smiled. But just as Liam pulled off the parking lot, Rachel's phone rang. An unknown number displayed on her screen. No sooner had she answered it that his voice came through.
"Where are you?"