Chapter 4

“What? Mother, don’t be ridiculous! The office is a place of business, not a family recreation center!” Liam rejected the idea instantly.

“Liam,” Elizabeth coaxed, “Elena is your wife now. Introducing her to the board of directors is only natural. Besides, it’s a wonderful opportunity for Elena to see how her husband commands the company.”

Liam shot Elena a hard look, silently commanding her to decline his mother’s request.

Elena took a quiet, measured breath.

“Mother, thank you for your thoughtfulness. You truly are incredibly understanding-you know exactly how much I want to be close to Liam,” Elena replied, causing Liam’s eyes to nearly bulge out of his skull.

“See? You hear that, Liam?” Elizabeth smiled warmly.

“However, Mother, I happen to be quite busy today,” Elena continued, sending a wave of relief crashing through Liam. “I want to try cooking a few recipes I’ve nearly forgotten from lack of practice. I want to ensure I provide only the best meals for my family later on.”

Hearing Elena’s words, Elizabeth’s eyes welled with emotion.

“Oh, my sweet Elena,” Elizabeth murmured, pressing a hand to her chest. “I truly did not make a mistake when I chose you as my daughter-in-law.”

Liam listened to his mother’s gushing with utter boredom.

Elena stepped closer to Liam, reaching out to gently adjust his shirt collar, which was slightly askew. The sudden touch made Liam flinch. The moment Elizabeth turned her back to fetch an old family recipe book, he savagely slapped Elena’s hand away.

“Don’t you dare lay a finger on me! No matter what pathetic little game you play, I will never be interested in you!” Liam hissed viciously.

“I know exactly where I stand, Liam. I am doing this to maintain the peace in this household, not to beg for whatever cheap imitation of love you have to offer!” Elena shot back fiercely. Her clear eyes locked onto his dark irises with such intensity that Liam actually shrank back a step.

“I have to leave now, Mother. I’m in a rush,” Liam called out hastily.

“Alright. You don’t need to take Elena today. But perhaps tomorrow or the day after, you must bring her to the office.”

“Fine.”

Liam offered a sullen response and strode out to his car.

However, the moment Liam’s Bentley cleared the gates of Harrington Mansion, his destination was nowhere near the City. Instead, he sped toward a luxury apartment complex in the high-end district of Knightsbridge.

During the drive, Liam finally switched on his phone, which had been set to silent since yesterday to ensure the wedding proceeded without a hitch. The moment the screen illuminated, a barrage of hundreds of notifications flooded his display. There were 142 missed calls and countless text messages, all from a single name: Chloe.

[“Liam, why are you ignoring me?!”]

[“Did you actually touch that bloated elephant last night? Answer me!”]

[“I am losing my mind here, Liam! Get to my place right now or I will come and make a scene at your house!”]

Liam let out a long, heavy breath, gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. He knew Chloe was spiraling into a vortex of intense jealousy and anxiety over yesterday’s wedding. The second he arrived outside the door of the Knightsbridge penthouse, it swung open before he could even knock.

Chloe stood there, her hair slightly disheveled, her eyes swollen from crying. Yet, she remained breathtakingly sultry, draped in a low-cut silk red nightgown.

“Liam!” Chloe cried out, throwing herself into his arms. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as if terrified he might vanish.

“I’m right here, darling,” Liam whispered. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling the expensive rose perfume he always craved, actively trying to scrub away the lingering memory of Elena’s cooking that-for some maddening reason-still occupied his thoughts.

“I thought you lied to me! I was so afraid you’d change your mind the moment you saw her in that wedding gown!” Chloe wept, planting possessive kisses all over his cheeks and lips.

“Don’t be foolish,” Liam murmured, soothing her.

“But what if you actually got tempted and touched that disgusting mountain of fat last night? Just the thought of it makes my skin crawl, Liam! That elephant must have used her fake innocence to ensnare you!”

Liam scooped Chloe’s slender frame into his arms, carrying her inside, and kicked the heavy door shut behind them.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I was forced to sleep on the sofa last night because I couldn’t stomach sharing a mattress with a rigid lump of meat like her.”

“Really?”

“She is nothing more than a worthless statue to me. You’re the only one I want,” Liam affirmed fiercely.

A spoiled, triumphant smile bloomed on Chloe’s lips as her delicate fingers began to trace the broad expanse of Liam’s chest.

“Tell me again, honey. Tell me that this body is your only sanctuary, not that fat woman!”

Liam caught her wandering fingers, pressing a warm, fervent kiss to her hand.

“Only you, Chloe. No other woman can make my heart race like this. Her presence in that house will never change how I feel about you.”

“I missed you so terribly, Liam. Last night felt like an absolute hell, picturing you with her,” Chloe whispered, melting against him.

From that morning until the dark London night returned, they surrendered to the pent-up longing inside the sleek, modern bedroom. Liam showered Chloe with his undivided attention, desperate to prove that his wedding vows meant absolutely nothing to him.

Meanwhile, the grandfather clock at Harrington Mansion chimed nine o’clock. The atmosphere in the grand drawing room was frosty and tense.

Lady Elizabeth sat on a leather sofa, her face taut with a boiling, suppressed rage. Across from her, Elena sat in perfect composure, knitting peacefully. Her full figure was nestled comfortably in a large armchair, looking entirely unfazed by the reality that her husband had been gone since dawn.

“This has gone entirely too far!” Elizabeth declared, her voice trembling with frustration.

“Calm down, Elizabeth,” Lord Richard murmured from behind his evening newspaper.

“The very first day after their wedding, and he abandons his wife until late into the night under the guise of work? Richard, call your son this instant!”

Richard merely let out a weary sigh. “Leave it be, Elizabeth. Perhaps he truly is overwhelmed with the new project in Mayfair.”

“No! This isn’t about business, this is about Elena’s dignity!” Elizabeth snapped, thoroughly incensed.

She snatched her phone off the coffee table with a sharp, decisive movement, her eyes flashing with a dangerous, unyielding resolve. “If he thinks he can treat my chosen daughter-in-law like a piece of garbage, he is sorely mistaken.”

Elizabeth’s fingers flew across the screen, typing a lengthy, formidable text message before slamming the send button directly to Liam’s personal number.

Back in the Knightsbridge penthouse, the dimly lit bedroom was shrouded in quiet, save for the rhythmic sound of breathing. Liam lay propped up against the pillows, wrapping his arm around Chloe, who was fast asleep against his chest.

Suddenly, Liam’s phone on the nightstand vibrated violently. The screen flared to life, illuminating the dark room with an urgent message notification from his mother.

Liam reached out, grabbing the device with a heavy groan. His movement disturbed Chloe, who blinked her eyes open sleepily.

“Who is texting this late at night, honey?” Chloe asked, her voice raspy from sleep. She shifted, resting her chin on Liam’s shoulder to look at the phone screen with him.

“It's from my Mother,” Liam replied while opening the message.

Liam and Chloe read the message from Elizabeth, making them shocked.