Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
“No, I must go!” Amber insisted.
She had always obeyed Liam, but was quite stubborn at that time because Benjamin had been out of line. She felt something else might happen next time if she ignored the current issue.
“You can’t go because I said so. Listen to me!” Liam said.
Since he failed to stop her, he hugged her from behind out of desperation.
That action was rather intimate, making Amber too timid to move. She blushed and whispered, “Liam, let me go. I must get justice for you. If not, Dad might do this again. If it happens again, I might not come in time to save you.”
“We’ll revisit that if it happens again. Liam put his head against Amber’s, and threatened, “I’m going to do more if you don’t listen to me.”
“What…do you mean?” Amber asked carefully, swallowing.
Liam pinched her face and turned it toward him. “If you don’t listen to me, I’m going to take advantage of you. I’ll make you see how wicked and vulgar this world is.”
He purposely said that to frighten Amber, as he knew that she always thought the best of him. She saw him as a gentleman without any vulgar thoughts.
Hence, he could only use that method to ruin her perception and stop her infatuation with him. Then, she wouldn’t seek justice for him or stand against Benjamin.
“No, you won’t do that.” Amber tensed up. Although she was very nervous, she met his gaze boldly.
Liam was strikingly handsome, with his refined facial features and perfect figure. He was different from others in the fort. His skin was fair, though it was different from pretty boys. He was fair because he came from a wealthy family and led a comfortable life.
Amber never understood what she liked about Liam. Later, she learned that it was most probably his accomplishment from a cultured world. To her, he was just like a dazzling prince. She was bewitched by him, and couldn’t stop herself from getting near him.
“Why not? I’m a man, and you look quite pretty!” Liam was used to pretending as a playboy. He sized Amber up frivolously and smiled sarcastically.
“You’re so pure. I’m sure you’ve never been with a man. I love playing with pure women like you. I was just good at pretending before. Now you know what kind of a man I am, and I don’t want to keep pretending.”
“Liam, has no one told you how bad you are at acting? You don’t look like that at all, Amber said.
When she saw how casual Liam looked, she found it amusing instead of being heartbroken. He was usually a gentle and decent man, and now he appeared like a child trying to act like an adult. She saw through his pretense instantly, and was amused instead of terrified.
“No, I’m not pretending! I’m a man. You’re a woman. When we get together, things won’t be that simple,” Liam argued.
He couldn’t accept being seen through by a young woman. At first, he just wanted to frighten her. But after getting competitive, he wished to conquer her.
“Listen,” he went on, “if you don’t go now, I can’t be sure what I’ll do next.”
No woman could stay calm when they heard that, let alone a pure and simple ane like Amber.
“What are you going to do?” Amber blinked, curious and eager.
Liam always purposely put some distance between them. He was polite but distant toward her. Now, she got more interested when he acted the opposite.
She wondered if it was what Flossie had told her, about how Liam acted like a child. Undeniably, he was very cute. She felt like teasing him.
“No matter what you do, I won’t be scared. Just do it if you can!”
Amber was no longer her usual shy and quiet self. She opened up herself, and made faces at Liam.
“Why didn’t you listen to me? Do you think I’m just trying to scare you?” For the first time, Liam saw that side of Amber. Suddenly, he became interested in her. He touched her red lips. “But I’m not trying to scare you.”
“I don’t know if you’re trying to scare me or not, but I know that you won’t harm me. You’re the best and most accomplished gentleman I’ve ever met. I won’t be mad at you no matter what you do. I’m sure you want the best for me.” Amber said seriously and naively as she reacted to Liam’s flirtation, raising her chin.
“Fine. You said that, so don’t regret it.”
A sudden urge rose in Liam. He couldn’t tell if he wanted to teach her the vulgarity of humanity, or if it was just his basic urges desiring a woman.
Unexpectedly, he kissed her.
Speechless, Amber could feel Liam’s warmth on her lips. It was warm and gentle. She was dumbstruck and stood rooted to the spot, not daring to move.
At first, Liam just wanted to scare Amber. Unexpectedly, she allowed him to kiss her without any resistance. She neither pushed him away nor screamed, and it made him helpless.
He was surprised to find that her lips were softer and sweeter than he had imagined. He had the urge to further the kiss.
Tsk! What a beast!
“Liam, you bastard!”
Suddenly, a punch crossed over Amber’s head and hit Liam squarely in the face.
Caught off his guard, Liam fell to the floor from the punch. He frowned and used the back of his hand to wipe away the bloodstains on his lips.
Amber, shocked, finally regained her wits. Then, she immediately protected Liam behind her and screamed at Mateo, who had punched Liam.
“Matt, what are you doing? Why did you punch Liam? This is outrageous!”
“I punched him because he deserved it!” Mateo rolled up his sleeves, still angry. He wanted to keep on punching Liam. “I need to beat the crap out of him today, or he’ll never know how much of a bastard he is!”
“Stop! You can’t! If you do, I’ll never talk to you again!” Amber spread her hands, angry and anxious.
She wasn’t good with harsh words. She could only claim that she wouldn’t talk to Mateo, which was the fiercest thing that she could think of.
“This bastard did that kind of thing to you! How could you defend him? If you keep at it, he’ll do more outrageous things to you next time. You’ll be heartbroken after he’s taken advantage of you!” Mateo argued.
He feared Amber would stop talking to him, so he suppressed his anger and stopped punching Liam. Even so, he still found the situation unacceptable.
“What did he do to me?” Amber blushed. “He just kissed me. We’re about to marry, so it’s okay even if we kiss. Do you think I’m a child who knows nothing?”
“If you know, you should understand how outrageous his action was. But you let him do it. Don’t you think you’re being a dumb bitch?” Mateo spat.
For the first time ever, he spoke harshly to Amber.
“Bitch?” Amber repeated that word, as if she was doubting Mateo and interrogating herself. Then, she shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. Liam and I are about to marry, so kissing is the most basic intimacy.”
“Humph!” Mateo sneered. “No, you’re wrong. Getting married isn’t the standard for a couple to kiss. It’s love. Ask yourself-do you guys love each other? Before, he eagerly carried another woman. Now, he’s kissing you. Isn’t he a bastard? And yet, you treat yourself unfairly for such a bastard. Don’t you think you’re a bitch?”
“… …”. Amber’s eyes were red. She didn’t know how to refute Mateo, and found herself very inferior. She wanted to lie to herself, but failed to find an excuse.
Liam stood up and shot Mateo a complicated gaze, and said mockingly, “What do you know, then? Do you think you know and understand everything?”
“Don’t I?” Mateo shot back. “Speak your mind. What do you feel about Gem? Don’t tell me you love her. Maybe you aren’t even willing to see her as your sister. You only used her as a tool to restrain Master all this while, didn’t you?
“That’s none of your business. I don’t have to explain it to you.” Liam chose to avoid that question probably out of guilt. He had never asked himself the question Mateo had raised.
In truth, he also wanted to know what he felt about Amber.
Sometimes he found her an ignorant child. He regarded her the same as Adie or Abby. Sometimes, she was more mature than he had imagined. He wanted to learn more about her.
Finally, he chose to kiss her just now because he saw her as a woman. He had no idea if he loved her, but he was attracted to her.
“Humph! You didn’t explain yourself. You’re unwilling to face it. You feel guilty, don’t you?” Mateo cracked a victorious smile.