Chapter 4

Liana arrived at Stone Manor at 11:40 am. The butler, Alan Smith, was surprised to see her. He knew that another guest would be joining them, but had no idea that it was Liana. Sweat beaded on his forehead at the thought of Jaxon being in the living room with Clarissa.

The fact that Jaxon and Liana were married was known only to both their parents, Roy, and household staff like Alan.

"Come with me, Madam Liana." Alan had no choice but to lead Liana inside per Melinda's instructions.

Before they even arrived at the living room, they heard a crisp voice say cutely, "I won again! Are you going easy on me, Jax?"

Liana stopped in her tracks. Her mind went blank for a split second before understanding the situation. She couldn't help scoffing coldly before heading into the living room.

Her only plan that day was to move the books, so she had no makeup on. Her clothes were also simple. She wore a loose white shirt and jeans. Her long hair was tied back in a loose ponytail.

Despite that, she still looked beautiful with her flawless skin and naturally rosy cheeks and lips. A few strands of hair fell from her ponytail, adding a hint of sensuality.

Surprise flickered in Jaxon's eyes when he saw her. "What are you—"

"Your mother called me here." Liana looked calm, but there was a hint of mockery in her eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be in Harborton? When did you learn to teleport?"

A trace of diffidence flashed in his eyes. Meanwhile, Clarissa got up from the couch and approached Liana. She looked defiant as she held out a hand and said, "Hi. I'm Clarissa Beech."

Liana ignored her and acted like she didn't exist.

Just then, Melinda entered the room. She glanced at Liana before holding Clarissa's hand affectionately. She asked, "Did you have fun today, Clary? Treat this place like it's your home, okay?"

She then introduced Liana to Clarissa. "This is Liana Winslow, a manager at Prestige Corporation. I called her over to discuss something."

Everyone knew that Liana was Jaxon's woman. The fact that Melinda had introduced her as an employee made it clear that she didn't want to acknowledge Liana's identity as Jaxon's wife.

It was also her way of indirectly assuring Clarissa that Liana was nothing and wouldn't affect the marriage alliance between the Beech and Stone families.

Clarissa held her head up high, looking haughty. "Oh, so you're just an employee."

Liana didn't look at her or Melinda. She trained her gaze on Jaxon and watched him quietly, wanting to see his reaction. However, all he did was sit there with a frosty look on his face. He showed no sign of wanting to speak up for her.

Did he not understand the situation or not know what was going on? Of course he did. He just didn't care how it made Liana feel.

"You wanted to discuss something with me, right, Madam Melinda? Let's do it here," Liana said as she turned to Melinda.

"We can talk about that some other day. Since you're already here, stay for a meal," Melinda said.

"No, thanks. I have other things to do." Liana turned to leave.

Melinda snapped, "What's with that attitude when I've invited you to stay for lunch? You're so uncivilized!"

Liana turned to look at her coldly. "Fine, then. Don't regret making me stay."

She headed to a single-seater couch and sat on it. Meanwhile, Clarissa sat beside Jaxon and clung to his arm. "Let's continue with the game, Jax."

He pulled his arm out of her hold and looked at Liana. Clarissa followed his line of sight and asked, "Can you play checkers, Ms. Winslow?"

Liana looked at the chessboard and chess pieces made of expensive marble. However, it was clear from the finished game that Clarissa and Jaxon had played checkers earlier. It was such a simple game, yet Jaxon had lost.

It seemed that it wasn't a matter of his not knowing how to make others happy. He just couldn't be bothered to make her happy.

Liana glanced at Jaxon, her smile mocking. "Of course. Do you want to play with me, Ms. Beech?"

Jaxon's gaze turned slightly angry. He shot her a warning with his eyes.

Clarissa confidently restored the chess pieces. "Do you want the black or white piece, Ms. Winslow?"

Liana turned the black side to herself. "I'll take black. It symbolizes the betrayal I've suffered."

Jaxon gnashed his teeth. Clarissa and Melinda were about to mock her for losing her mind as they'd never seen anyone insulting themselves before. After a few seconds, they realized that she was actually insulting them.

Clarissa gritted her teeth and swiftly made her move, eager to be first. After a few turns, Melinda noticed that Clarissa's moves were deliberate, while Liana appeared to be placing her pieces carelessly.

She favored Clarissa, so she didn't bother looking at the big picture before shooting Jaxon a look. She wanted him to see what a proper heiress of an affluent family was like. However, he didn't react.

As they made more moves, Clarissa felt like she would be stopped every time she thought she was going to win. That aggravated and annoyed her. Still, at least Liana wouldn't win if she couldn't. The game would end in a draw, which she felt was an insult to her.

"It's your turn," Liana said.

Clarissa had deliberately tried to keep her trump card hidden. Now, she only needed to make one more move to win. She calmly placed a piece down and watched Liana closely, afraid that the latter would stop her again.

When Liana placed her piece in another spot, seemingly not noticing Clarissa's actions, the latter smugly cried out, "I win!"

Melinda immediately applauded.

Then, they watched as Liana started putting the pieces away. Only then did they notice that she'd already won the game. They blanched in response.