Chapter 8 Beneath The Facade

Liam pov:

I froze in astonishment when my lips landed on hers, and I quickly withdrew and rose to my feet. I frowned at her and said, "How dare you kissed me" I complained.

"I ain't the only one to blame, do you think I want to also kiss you" she said and hissed at me as she stormed upstairs.

"Did she just walked out on me?" I thought as I sat down onto the sofa.

And the kiss suddenly came to my mind, I shook the thought and grumbled to myself. "She is just like other girls ... yeah, girls are the same. as though all they care about is my money"

I summoned the butler to bring me my laptop, since I still have a project to work on.

"Okay, Boss. I'll go and get the laptop" he replied and then left.

While I was still sitting on the sofa, my phone buzzed. It was a message from Sophia, my younger sister. I quickly took a glanced at it.

"Bro, I am back in the country so I will be staying at the hotel tonight and come to your place tomorrow" the message reads.

I was just about to reply to her message when the butler showed up with my laptop, after I collected it then I began working on the project.

After settling into the project work, I felt some wandering focus for a moment, as the board members' meeting tomorrow was tugging at the edge of my thoughts.

While I was still at work, I happened to see Evenly going down the stairs as I shot her a glare. I resumed working. The moment I raised my head, I noticed her sitting on the sofa opposite, and I saw her about to press the remote control to the television. I yanked it from her hand.

"And who gave you the permission to do whatever you like in my mansion" I said in a deep masculine tone.

"Liam, now it is not only your mansion anymore. Ever since you married me, it is mine too," she said, glaring at me in the face.

I couldn't say anything because that was true but still she shouldn't see herself like Mrs Harrington because she didn't marry me because of love but out of a deal and she was fully understanding.

"Is it really true you see yourself as a member of the Harrington's family. Remember Evenly, who you got married to me because of a deal in the first place, so you are after my money," I said and smirked.

As she faced me, a defiance seemed to emanate from her, a defiance that grew stronger moment by moment. Still, my words had reverberated somewhere. Suddenly the ringing of her phone brought the tension to a pause, while her thoughts seemed to waver at her expression. She focused on her phone and for a second, the corners of her mouth lifted into what looked like a smile.

Suspicion and curiosity began to take hold of my mind.

The edges of doubt began to perch at the back of my mind like a moth. Releasing the displeasure seated in my throat made me feel nauseous. Regardless, I spoke. My words tasted bitter and my throat was strengthened with barely veiled tension.

"Why are you smiling like that? Who is making you smile like that?" I asked, and with the flick of a switch in the room, my tone sharp and blade-like, cut though the frozen silence.

Her control seemed to break for a second, but as quickly as it appeared, it vanished, and she defied me with her stare.

Even though she was seemingly averting her gaze, I could actually sense the defiance and stubbornness in her. It was a battle she was silently, yet diligently, winning.

"None of your queries are going to be answered by me," she said, icely.

Just as she was about to climb the stairs up, I took hold of her hand, halting her movements.

"Wait, why do I care? I shouldn't care about all this since I don't have feelings for her. Yet with these, she is my wife and as such, she shouldn't be unfaithful to me" With her leaving my grip, I found myself pondering.

Once I let go of her hand, she went upstairs, and I exhaled while wondering the different angles of whom she was speaking to. I returned to my project hoping to concentrate on it and forgetting about this particular issue completely.

Later, I completed with the project and got up for some fresh air. I made my way upstairs. On my way, I noticed the dishes on the dining table and called one of the maids to clear the table. I headed upstairs intending to enter my room when I overheard some laughter from Evenly's room.

The instant I shifted to see what was going on, I heard my subconscious say, "What is it with you and her? Don't tell me you are already falling for her, do you remember what Eleanor did to you?"

I paused and went into my room. I entered and lay on the bed while I went down the memory lane of Eleanor. I remembered the very first day I met her and what she did to me. Suddenly a message buzzed into my phone, bringing me out of my mesmerized state.

I saw a text message from Justin, my best friend, it had been a while since we had spoken or caught up on anything. So, I was quick to reply and to my surprise, he was eager and willing to have conversations about our past as well as touch topics on business.

So, after chatting for about an hour, I felt so sleepy but one lingering thought I have about Evenly just kept bothering me though. Trying to avoid that thought, I stood up and walked to the washroom. This mental break is what I really needed, it's a good start toward getting myself to calm down. Under the shower, I flipped on the tap and let the water cascade over my body while I stood beneath the shower.

A while later after I finished my shower, I changed into my cuddle-worthy pyjamas ready for bed. Once everything came off, I turned the lights off and deeply immersed myself into thought before drifting into sleep.