Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
She had put on her country’s special traditional clothes. The thick clothes, embroidered with various patterns, wrapped around her petite body and gave her an exotic impression. From afar, she appeared like a colorful oil painting.
“Hey, it’s not improper. If I wanted to do anything to you, I would’ve done that long ago. I don’t have to wait until now.” Liam sounded relaxed and prudent to ease Amber’s anxiety.
“Don’t worry. I’ve always regarded you as my younger sister. What I did the other day was over the line. I just wanted to scare you and make you realize that I’m not a good guy. I didn’t expect to frighten you like that. You’re too timid to approach me. It’s unnecessary.”
“That’s not the reason.” Amber took a deep breath and kept looking at the floor. In the fog, she tried to keep her distance.
“I don’t think you’re a bad guy just because of what you did that day,” she went on. “On the contrary, you attracted me more. But I know my feelings for you might be a burden for you, so I chose to keep my distance from you.”
“So, you stayed away because you were attracted by me?” Liam raised his brows in surprise, but he was more or less satisfied.
To Liam, Amber was just like a bird. He could see and control everything she did. However, he was disappointed with how she avoided him lately. He selfishly hoped that the bird would not leave his sight, let alone out of his control.
Surprisingly, Amber admitted that her feelings for him had deepened. It immediately made him feel better and happier.
It was disgusting of him, but he felt more delighted than ever.
“Yes!” Amber hurriedly stepped back upon noticing Liam getting closer to her.
She looked bright as she continued, “I don’t want to trouble you with my feelings or stop you from returning to your world. Plus, I’ve decided to marry Mateo. I need to protect his reputation. It’s getting late, and we’re alone here. It’s inappropriate.”
Amber decided to expose her thoughts instead of keeping them a secret. She hoped they could keep a polite distance from each other.
“It’s dark. If we keep going, we might get lost,” she added.
While holding the lantern, Liam took Amber’s hand. “We’ll guide each other. Let’s walk through this orange grove and see if we can find any clues.”
“Oh, Liam…. Why can’t you understand me?” Feeling shy, Amber tried to break free of his hand but failed. She sighed helplessly.
“No, I understood you,” Liam said, “but I think your worry is unnecessary.”
Liam focused on holding Amber’s hand and leading her through the orange grove. At the same time, he carefully scanned the ground and trees to find any related clues left by Flossie and Leia.
“I don’t care what others say, because I didn’t do anything wrong,” he said indifferently. “I hope you’ll feel the same. I don’t think you need to stop being my friend after choosing to marry Mateo. Am I not the friend you like the most?”
“That’s different,” Amber said.
She followed Liam passively. At first, she couldn’t adapt to it. After walking briefly, she felt better and found it easier to do.
“Although I’m not good at my studies, I know men and women should keep a polite distance. You can’t take my hand and sound righteous at the same time,” she mumbled.
“Why not?” Liam retorted firmly. “When I was young, I always held my sister’s hand wherever we went. I’m holding your hand because this fog is thick and the ground is slippery. I’m afraid of being separated from you. Just walk with me. Stop overthinking.”
He didn’t do so to take advantage of Amber but wanted to create an amorous atmosphere. Even then, he had no idea why thought in such a way. He was probably out of his mind.
Liam didn’t want to see his bird get out of his control. He wanted to keep her at bay near him.
The orange grove was immersed in a thick fog. After walking through it, Liam and Amber’s hair and faces were enveloped in a layer of mist. However, their body temperature was a little high because of their different thoughts. Their breaths turned into steam.
After looking around, Liam couldn’t find anything and became anxious. He was no longer relaxed.
Amber noticed his anxiety and tried to comfort him gently.
“Liam, don’t worry. They must have gone someplace to have some fun and have yet to tell you. I’ve emphasized to Dad repeatedly that he must treat Ms. Ellsworth and your sister kindly. He can’t find fault with them. And they’re prudent. I’m sure they’re fine.”
“I hope so!” Liam said.
Amber was a considerate person. She easily helped Liam to relax with just a few words.
Liam held Amber’s hand and kept walking forward. Occasionally, there were short trees that would hit their heads. They bent over and walked under; it appeared like they were taking a stroll hand in hand. It was rather romantic.
“Have you made up your mind to marry Mateo?” Liam asked.
He cocked his head to look at Amber, who was a lot smaller than her. He sounded calm and appeared unreadable.
“Of course. I’ve told Dad. We’re preparing for the wedding…” Amber said seriously. “It’s just that we need to change something. We need to remove the things set for you and replace them with the things set for Matt. It’s a bit troublesome.”
For example, they needed to replace the invitation cards, posters, videos, sizes of the wedding clothes, and so on. They needed to prepare everything in a few days when before, they spent half a year preparing. Everything needed a lot of manpower.
When Liam heard that, he felt uneasy.
“You want to set me free by replacing me with Mateo, don’t you?” he asked coldly.
“That’s not the only reason.” Amber took a deep breath and said honestly, “At first, I wanted to set you free. Later, I felt that it was a chance for me to make a choice again. I don’t want to be stubborn.”
“What do you mean? Why did you say that?” Liam’s voice grew colder, tinged with displeasure.
Being a sensitive woman, Amber immediately noticed Liam’s displeasure.
She kept her head lower and explained carefully, “I want a chance to choose again… I want to choose another person to fall in love with. You know that Matt and I grew up together. We’re childhood friends. He likes me and always protects me without asking for anything back. I feel that it’s happier to marry a person who loves me instead of marrying someone far beyond my reach.”
For the first time, she expressed the exhaustion she felt from her relationship with Liam. She no longer wanted to be the one who kept fawning over him. She wanted to give up and relax by being the one who was loved and adored in a relationship.
‘Tsk!” Liam snorted arrogantly. “You don’t know Mateo. He’s not a nice guy. He’s just good at pretending. Maybe it’s just his means to get what he wants, but you assume that he loves and wants to protect you.”
Liam hadn’t made that statement to purposely put Mateo down. After standing against Mateo many times, he gradually learned what a hypocrite Mateo was.
When he accidentally barged into the fort, Mateo saved him. For a moment, he felt that Mateo was one of the rare kind people in the fort. He even foolishly wanted to befriend Mateo.
However, the competition of interests made him see how wicked Mateo was, especially when the latter framed him secretly. Hence, he gradually kept some distance from Mateo until he faced the latter.
When Amber gave up marrying him and replaced her groom with Mateo, he acted with his possessiveness and displeasure. However, he was also worried about her.
If someone meek and docile like her married Mateo, she would put herself in a very dangerous position. Liam was worried about her future.
“Liam, you’re a nice guy, but I hope that you can show Matt some respect. He’s a nice guy too. Plus, he’s going to be my husband. I should take his side,” Amber said.
She broke free of Liam’s grasp and stayed distant.
“I feel that it’s inappropriate for us two to be alone here. I don’t want others to gossip about us, or trouble you and Matt. So, I’m leaving.”
Although Amber was weak, she was also stubborn.
With that, she turned to leave.
“If you leave, you’ll find your future gloomy and desperate,” Liam said.
For the first time, Liam realized how stubborn Amber was. He made himself very clear, but she failed to understand him.
“Do you think you’ve made the right choice? No, you didn’t. That’s an endless abyss. A naive and simple woman like you will be doomed in that kind of situation!” he pressed.
Liam had no idea what had gotten into him. He quickly walked over to stand in front of Amber, preventing her from leaving.
You want me to make it clearer, don’t you? Mateo isn’t a match for you. You can’t marry him. If not, you’ll end up miserably!”