Chapter five

Liora

“Mr. Grayson,” Kate began, masking the shock with polite concern.

“May I know the reason why you gave her that ring?” Her voice was low and slow. She blinked twice, slowly, giving the words time to rearrange themselves into something more believable.

“Shall I answer that for you, dear Kate?” I interjected with a smirk tugging at my lips. I really wished I had brought a camera so I could capture their faces and make a portrait of their fucking doom.

“I am married to Mr. Grayson. We got married yesterday, and we are so in love.” I said it confidently, my eyes trailing to Damien, who had this proud daddy look.

Why did he look so fucking hot? The man was a fucking Greek god; I could imagine my hands on that strong, bold chest of his. Stop it, Liora. My eyes widened as I came back to my senses. I shouldn't be thinking of such nasty things.

“Married? Who does that?” I heard Dawn chuckle anxiously before her gaze fell on me, like I was the stupidest person she had ever met.

“I do such.” I said with my jaw set, eyes burning with unspoken rage and defiance.

In fact, Anna from Frozen did the same; she said yes to a man she barely knew for twenty-four hours. Although I can't be that stupid, I laughed internally. But my situation was different. I wasn't Anna, and I wasn't in love.

“This is not a cartoon character, Liora,” Kate spoke what was in my mind. And she spoke softly, something I never knew she had in her.

“This is reality. All because Ethan was arrested for something he didn't do, now you want to leave him? It's for better or for worse, remember?”

Leave him? I repeated the words in my head. Does Kate have amnesia? She clearly told me to leave and never return, or I would face my end.

Kate quickly moved a step closer to Damien. “It's really sad for me to say this, Mr. Grayson, but Liora is in love with Ethan and will be getting married soon once the investigation is over and he’s released.”

“And that could even be today,” Dawn quickly added, as if she couldn’t wait to drive the nail deeper.

In what? I almost puked hearing Kate talk about me being in love with Ethan. Hell no, I couldn't even imagine myself with that pathetic loser.

“However,” she said calmly and sweetly, “Dawn here is single, beautiful, and well-mannered. I believe she will make a good wife. A perfect woman for a man of your status, and to top it all, she is the good daughter of the Langford family.”

Of course, Ursula the witch is going to try to sell her daughter out.

But Damien didn’t flinch or look her way; I could feel his eyes boring into me, sending shivers down my spine. However, Kate wasn’t ready to give up, she continued.

“You are a man of influence, power, fame, and wealth. She will help you build more of that.” Her voice was eager, her words pleasing and treacherous.

My gaze then shifted from my stepmother to Dawn, who was beside Kate adjusting her dress, pushing her shoulders backward and boobs forward, desperate to catch Damien’s attention.

My lips clasped together, trying to prevent myself from bursting into laughter.

I felt irritated as I watched them embarrass themselves. It's either they’re blind, deaf, or maybe because they can’t tell the difference between the naive Liora they killed and the woman standing in front of them now.

“Mrs….” I heard Damien's voice as he struggled to remember her name. It sounded rich and warm, like honey stirred into strong coffee, deep enough to command attention, yet gentle enough to soothe a restless heart.

“Langford, Kate,” my stepmother quickly helped complete his sentence.

“Unfortunately, I don't like a woman whose name isn't Liora; I don't like women who are flat and skinny. You should feed her well,” Damien said sternly, his voice ice cold. His words sent embarrassment to Dawn as she flushed hard.

“Wow, wow, wow, this man had bars, lines, and rizz,”. How did I not see all these qualities earlier?”

“Mr. Gray… son.” The tremor in Kate's voice betrayed her confidence, yet she kept her posture composed, her eyes lowered with respect, though I could feel how insulted she felt. For a second, I couldn't help but wonder why she feared this man so much. It must be because of his reputation or something deeper.

“My husband and I came to pay you a visit out of courtesy,” my calm voice interrupted whatever she had to say. “To inform you that I am married.”

“And since you made it clear never to set foot into this house again…” I turned to Damien, his gaze already locked on me and unwavering.

“I have taken your advice and found myself a new home.”

“Mr. Grayson,” Kate ignored me and turned to him, her voice dripping with forced sincerity. “Please reconsider your decision. And consider the kind of man you are in society. I only have your best interests at heart.”

But Damien, my man, didn't answer. I wanted to screech out loud in satisfaction. I just loved how nonchalant he could be.

He rose from his seat with calm authority and signaled one of his guards. “Take Mrs. Grayson’s things to the car,” he said coolly.

I loved how he said it, it made me feel important before my enemies, just exactly how I wanted to feel.

He still did not spare a glance at Kate or her daughter. Damien only walked closer to me, grabbing my tiny waist with his large hands and ensuring there was no space at all between us.

“Mrs. Grayson… are you ready to go?” he whispered in my ear, but in a way that Kate and Dawn could hear too.

I saw the way Dawn gasped, her jealousy was seeping right through her eyes and skin. That bitch is a fucking psychopath. I thought she wanted Ethan; now she wanted Grayson?

I guess I was her role model for her to covet everything I had. She was never of my standards anyway.

I couldn’t stop the wicked smile that tugged at my lips. My blush gave me away as I slipped my arms through his, steady and proud, letting him lead me out of the godforsaken house.

“Mummy, do something…” I heard Dawn cry like a puppy to her mother, and like the robot she was, Kate made us stop mid-step.

“Mr. Grayson…” her voice was no longer laced with trepidation as she called out his name.