Chapter 224 - Cupid

Song recommendation: A million dreams—Elenyi, Cayson Renshow.

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She rolled her eyes and turned to leave, and he grabbed her hand before she could walk past him. "What do you what?" She demanded spitefully.

"I want to have a word with you." He tightened his grip around her wrist. "Are you going to sit down peacefully for us to talk, or would you prefer it if I dragged you into a room and locked you in so you wouldn't have a choice?"

She scoffed. "Are you threatening me?"

His lips curled in a smirk. "If it gets me what I want, I don't see why not."

This man was unbelievable. She opened her mouth and closed it without saying a word. "Fine. What do you want to talk about?"

"That's not how it works, Xim." He taunted.

"What exactly do you want?" She was tired of this man's antics.

"Let's deliver the cosmetics to my mother, shall we?" He suggested. "I'm sure she will be happy to see you."

"I'll pass."

He grabbed her arm so hard that she almost stumbled, enraging her.

"What's wrong with you?" She wanted to slap the hell out of him.

His response was to try to pull her out of the restaurant with him, making the box in her hand drop.

"Shoot. Is everything going to be okay? Is there anything fragile in there?" He asked as he picked it up.

"I'm afraid the makeup set will not withstand the fall." She exaggerated, even though she was certain that nothing would break, thanks to the packaging she had used. "I will need to go back to the company to get a new set and of course, you are paying for this." She shoved the box back into his hands.

"I'll accompany you." He offered, making her frown. She didn't want his company, okay? All she wanted was to get away from him and he was not making that easier in any way.

"I don't need the company of the man who is hell set on destroying my brand, thanks."

"You mean our brand." He raised an eyebrow to remind her that he was one of the owners of Morel Beauty.

She was in disbelief. "Get over yourself, Liam. You are just a shareholder. You should stick to the role of a shareholder and stop trying to take advantage of your position to pin me down."

"I'll not need to do so if you simply stop being stubborn and give me a chance to say what I need to say." He shifted the box to his left hand and held her waist to lead her out.

She reluctantly entered his car just so she would get rid of the man once and for all. Of course, her willingness made him believe that he still had the chance to change her mind.

"What do you want?" She asked when he started driving.

"I'm not good at talking while driving. You need to understand me, Ximena." He complained.

She rolled her eyes, knowing that his car had an autopilot function. Besides, he was a chatterbox driver and this was only an excuse to make her accompany him to his home. She couldn't figure out what the hell he was trying to do until they arrived at his home and she saw his mother dash out through the door to meet them excitedly.

"You are back, Liam! And you brought Ximena!" She was in disbelief.

"Mrs. Preston, I only came along to ensure you received your package in the same condition it was when I handed it over to Mr. Preston." She explained her actions, which made the woman laugh.

"That's a way of putting it, I guess. And don't call me Mrs. Preston. Just call me Ember. It's my nickname."

"Ember?" She was puzzled. She didn't remember her full name but she was certain that it was nowhere near Ember.

"She will cause a volcanic eruption when she is angry." Liam offered an explanation.

"Get something to do darling, will you? Leave the ladies alone." She shoved her son aside thanks to her excitement to see Ximena.

"Come on. Let's get something to drink." She eagerly invited Ximena into the house and dragged her to the kitchen.

Liam watched their interaction and his brows knitted in puzzlement. How the hell did the two women even meet? They had nothing in common and didn't look like they could compliment each other in any way. He couldn't figure it out but he was certain that no matter how they met, it was not coincidental.

He went to the kitchen for a snack, only for his mother to roll her eyes at him.

"Are you here to snatch Ximena?"

"Of course not." He opened the refrigerator to grab a tub of ice cream.

"Good. Because I'm not letting you have her any time soon." She was eager to send him off yet again.

Ximena watched the interaction between the mother and son with a gentle smile. The two bickered like siblings and somehow she was jealous. If only her mother could be this friendly to her. She wasn't asking for the pats that Liam received when his mother was done teasing him, or the random kiss on his cheek when he joked about hating her. All she would ever have asked for was a little friendliness.

She smiled bitterly as she pulled herself out of that kind of thought. It didn't matter and she had long decided not to care about her family. It was not worth it.

"How did the two of you even meet?" Liam couldn't stop himself from asking.

"Forget it. Are you jealous that I'm close to the woman you disregarded?" She deliberately made an annoying remark to make Liam drop it, but that only made him certain of his speculation. She had investigated him and found out about Ximena.

Not that he minded it, but he knew why she had tried to make them meet each other. He was going to fill his ears with reasons why he should be with her. Not that he minded but…

"Xim, I just remembered that I didn't make my bed. Let Liam show you around as I do that really quick." She spoke and dashed away before either of them could react to her words.

"I bet the whole of Morel Beauty that her bed is perfectly made." He huffed.

She knew this too. It was not the first time someone had tried to hook her up with a man. It just happened to be the first time that the cupid in question was the man's mother.

"You wanted to speak to me. I guess this works for you." She crossed her arms.

"Yes." He closed in on her and held her shoulders. "We were childish before. We shouldn't have let things end the way they were." He shut his eyes. "I'm sorry for not considering your feelings when I walked out."

"It's not your fault. Considering I practically screamed at you to leave." She swallowed, finding it off that he was apologizjng when it was all her fault.

"There are things that can't go back to how they used to, Liam." She pulled his hand away from her shoulders.

"What things? Our relationship?" He demanded.

She stepped away from him. "We had no relationship. What we had was… I don't know. A fling? Anyway, it had to end and it's for the best."

"It will never be for the best when both of us are hurting, wishing things were different."

"I don't wish things were different." She denied his claim.

"Well, I do. And I know you care. You like me." He hated that they were having this conversation in his parents' kitchen. He had wanted to bring it up in the car but knowing Ximena, she might just get off the car to evade it.

"I don't like you." She bit out defensively.

"You don't?" He feigned shock as he closed in on her. She moved back but before she could escape, he pinned her against the wall behind her. She was trapped between his body and the wall and pushing him didn't work as he didn't budge an inch.

He traced her face with his forefinger, his intense gaze clashing with hers. Her heart raced as his fingers worked their way down her neck, deliciously tracing circles on her skin.

"Liam, you…"

Her words were cut off by his kiss. His tongue invaded her mouth and she welcomed it, her body going limp in his arms from the intensity of his kiss. His arms circled her waist and when his hand slid under the hem of her skirt, she jolted.

"She is not coming back." He whispered over her lips, making her relax. He kissed her again, this time slowly and sweetly as his fingers slid up under her skirt. She parted her thighs to give him access. He stroked her skin gently.

"Xim," He breathed her name heavily. She was out of breath when the kiss broke and when he called out her name, she looked up to meet his gaze that was filled with just as much need as she felt down her body.

Her back was pressed against the wall as he flicked her core through her panties. She felt embarrassed to be doing this in his parents' kitchen but it felt so good that she didn't care. He pushed the wet fabric aside and pushed his finger into her, covering her mouth with his other hand. He pulled his finger out and pulled away from her with a smirk.

"You claim not to like me.." His gaze darkened. "How can you explain the wetness between your legs then?"