160 Under the Grapevines 1

Hearing Will's answer, Liz didn't know what to say.

His father, again.

In Liz's mind, Will's father appeared like some kind of black shroud, darkening everything under his domain, which included many of the things that she was coming into contact with.

It had started with the warning of that man in the first meeting that Liz had ever gone to with Will, and had been followed by what Will's father had done with Sam. Although he had actually been justified in that action, he still appeared to be someone ruthless who would do what he wanted, no matter how it affected anyone else.

Still, Liz controlled her thoughts and decided not to make judgments without knowing everything.

She was someone who knew how quick society was to judge anything and everything, and she had always been someone who didn't follow that trend.

As she looked at Will, she could tell that even telling her this had taken a lot out of him.

Many, many people thought that someone who was born in such wealth must have the most perfect life, but she could tell them now that it was definitely not so.

Many times, it was possible that a simple family and a normal childhood, even if it did not involve rolling around on piles of money, was much more valuable and worth wishing for.

Will kept staring at the empty plot of land, as if it signified what his dreams had turned into. Memories seemed to flash across his eyes, and Liz actually realized that she had seen this expression briefly on his face before-when he had shouted at her in that restaurant due to that awful plot by Jenny.

Now, Liz understood. Even though she had been told by Keren before that it was because of his past, the fact that she was with him now when he was experiencing this made all the difference.

Yes. It was because she knew him better now, as he had chosen to let her into his 'shell'.

Right now, Liz felt very, very grateful and ecstatic.

As if she were using her eyes to click a picture, she stored this image of Will in her mind, tagging it as 'Nostalgia'.

Walking forward and standing right in front of Will, she put her hands around his waist and hugged him, burying her face in his chest.

He smelled…amazing, just like that first time all those days ago when she had walked into his office to meet him.

Also, he felt…concrete, like a pillar of strength that she could depend on whenever she needed.

Of course, right now, that pillar seemed to need her more than she needed him.

His hands still hung at his side, but he bent and put his forehead on her shoulder. When he did, that weight on her shoulder let her know that he was trusting her with the weight of his emotion.

"Thank you for telling me and trusting me. I'll never break that trust, no matter what."

As she whispered this into his chest, it seemed to break his last remnant of the urge to not do this, as he completely slumped into her, letting himself go.

He didn't need to reply; this was enough. Even though all of his weight seemed to be on her, Liz was a strong girl, and she stayed still, supporting him, without moving an inch.

Right now, he was just a child again, who just wanted to hug someone and feel safe.

As they both stood in the clearing like this, time seemed to pause again, with the only sign of it passing being the swirling leaves that flew lazily due to the wind.

After a minute or so, Liz felt the weight leaving her, as Will stood straight.

Realizing that he had recovered, Liz smiled wide and stepped back to find something different about Will.

He seemed…freer. It was almost as if…he had always been bound by numerous shackles which didn't even let him laugh fully, but one of them was now gone.

What had happened didn't need discussion, as it was just a beautiful moment that would forever remain in their memories. So, with a tacit understanding, Will just said softly, "Thank you," before turning around and taking out a walkie talkie to contact the convoy.

A few seconds later, they got into the car again, but to Liz's surprise, they stopped in just a few minutes.

Through her window, all she saw was the regular forest, with the only difference being that this also seemed to be an area that had been leveled for some purpose.

When she was about to open the door, Will suddenly touched her hand and said, "Do you mind closing your eyes?"

A surprise?

Smiling with one corner of her lips, Liz nodded and closed her eyes demurely before hearing Will open his door and get out of the car.

When she heard her door opening, she felt his touch again on her other hand, which led her to grasp his hand as he helped her out of the car.

"Keep them closed, now."

As Liz obeyed, she slowly walked in the direction he was leading her in while she heard the convoy drive away.

"You can open them now."

When she heard this after a few moments, she immediately opened her eyes and blinked, wondering whether she was dreaming.

The scene in front of her took her breath away, and as she took it in, she felt Will's hands on her shoulder.

"Mary was very helpful in listing everything you loved."

It was a shaded area with grapevines above, and there was a large picnic blanket on the soft grass with all the delicacies that she loved most in this world.

As she breathed in the delightful mix of aromas, Liz could tell that they were all cooked to perfection.

The area was also decorated with numerous bright flowers, and the entire scene really looked like it was straight out of a dream.

They said that the stomach was the way to a woman's heart, and Will was clearly following that adage very meticulously.

However, when she saw that there were no chairs which meant that they would be sitting down and eating like a real picnic, she got a very…interesting idea.

Could she use this to obtain her revenge?