After That Night

Chapter 19 That Woman!

"Vienna," Violet spat out, her voice dripping with resentment. "That woman has done it again!"

Liam lifted an eyebrow.

"Which woman?"

Violet rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.

"Oh, don't bother."

She waved her hand dismissively, deciding she didn't want to waste another second thinking about Vienna. The woman had already ruined her mood enough for one day, and Violet didn't want to let her spoil the rest of her time.

Besides, Liam was finally here.

Violet immediately forgot about the sketch plans and turned her full attention to him. She took off her glasses, placed them on the table, and turned toward him with a smile.

"So, where have you been?" she asked.

Liam studied her for a moment before answering. He could tell that something was bothering her, but Violet seemed determined to pretend everything was fine.

"Violet, tell me the truth. Why are you angry?" Liam pressed.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all."

"Nothing?" Liam raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.

"Well, it's just..." Violet hesitated, struggling to find the right words. "Don't bother. It's nothing important."

She walked toward him and looked him in the eye, hoping he would drop the subject.

However, just as she was about to take a seat, Liam suddenly pulled her into his embrace.

Violet's eyes widened in surprise.

Before she could react, Liam gently wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her closer until there was barely any space between them.

"Liam!" she exclaimed, staring up at him. "What are you doing?"

"Keeping you from running away from my question," he replied calmly.

Violet blinked.

Running away?

When had she run away from anything?

She opened her mouth to argue, but the words died on her lips when she noticed the way he was looking at her. His expression was calm, yet there was something unusually attentive about his gaze.

He wasn't going to let her brush him off so easily.

"Who said I was running away?" she asked, trying to sound offended.

"You did."

"When?"

"Just now."

Violet stared at him for a moment before letting out a small, disbelieving laugh.

"You really know how to make things up, don't you?"

Liam's lips curved slightly.

"And you really know how to avoid answering simple questions."

Violet's smile faltered for a second before she quickly recovered.

She had hoped that changing the subject would work, but Liam seemed far more interested in discovering what had upset her than in answering her questions about where he had been.

She lowered her gaze to his chest, suddenly finding the buttons on his shirt much more interesting than his face.

"There's really nothing to tell you," she murmured.

Liam didn't respond immediately.

Instead, he loosened his hold on her waist slightly, giving her enough room to move away if she wanted to. When she made no attempt to leave, he gently lifted her chin so she would look at him.

"Violet."

The simple way he called her name made her heart skip a beat.

"Hmm?"

"Look at me."

She slowly raised her eyes.

Liam held her gaze, his expression serious.

"You don't have to pretend to be fine around me."

For a moment, Violet forgot what she had intended to say.

She hadn't expected those words from him.

Throughout the day, she had dealt with enough trouble to make anyone lose their temper. First, there had been the humiliation at the Cooper Company, followed by her confrontation with Vienna and the discovery that the sketch plans she had brought back to the hotel were nothing but blank papers.

Although the original designs were safely with Rena, the entire incident had left her frustrated.

Yet here was Liam, standing in front of her and asking what was wrong.

Somehow, that made it harder for her to maintain the cheerful expression she had put on for him.

She pressed her lips together.

"I'm fine," she insisted weakly.

Liam sighed.

"Violet, do you think I'm blind?"

Her eyes widened.

"What?"

"You were ready to destroy everything on that table when I walked in. Your face looked like you were about to declare war on someone, and now you're telling me you're fine."

Violet's mouth fell open.

She hadn't realized he had noticed that much.

"I wasn't going to destroy everything," she protested.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes!"

"Then what was your raised fist for?"

Violet fell silent.

She had no answer for that.

Liam watched her struggle to defend herself, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

For some reason, seeing her at a loss for words amused him. Violet always seemed ready to argue with him whenever he said something she didn't like, but now she couldn't even come up with a proper excuse.

"You're laughing at me," she accused, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm not."

"You are!"

"Would you prefer it if I laughed out loud?"

"Liam!"

He chuckled.

Violet tried to look angry, but the sound of his laughter made it difficult to maintain her expression. She pushed lightly against his chest, hoping to create some distance between them.

Instead, Liam tightened his arms around her waist just enough to keep her close.

"Let me go," she demanded, although her voice lacked its earlier sharpness.

"Will you tell me what happened?"

"No."

"Then I suppose you'll have to stay here until you change your mind."

Violet stared at him in disbelief.

"Are you threatening me?"

"Not at all."

"Then what would you call this?"

"An attempt to have an honest conversation with a very stubborn woman."

She gasped.

"Stubborn? Me?"

Liam nodded solemnly.

"Very."

Violet couldn't believe his audacity.

Here she was, trying to forget the unpleasant events of the day and enjoy his company, yet he was determined to interrogate her. The worst part was that she couldn't even bring herself to be genuinely annoyed with him.

Perhaps it was because he wasn't treating her like a burden.

Or perhaps it was because, despite her attempts to hide her feelings, he had noticed that something was wrong.

Violet looked away, her expression softening.

"It was Vienna," she finally admitted.

Liam's faint smile disappeared.

"Vienna?"

"Yes."

"What did she do this time?"

Violet let out a frustrated sigh.

"That woman thinks the entire world belongs to her. She believes she can take whatever she wants simply because she feels like it."

Liam listened without interrupting.

"And the worst part is that she always acts as though she's the victim. She does something terrible, then turns around and behaves as if everyone else is being unreasonable."

Violet shook her head.

"I honestly don't understand how someone can be so shameless."

Liam's expression grew thoughtful.

"Did she do something to you?"

Violet looked up sharply.

"How did you know?"

"You mentioned her the moment I walked in. Unless there's another reason you would be that angry, I'm guessing something happened between you two."

Violet stared at him.

Then, despite herself, she laughed.

"You're more observant than I thought."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"It wasn't one."

"I'll take it anyway."

Violet shook her head, a small smile returning to her face.

For a moment, she considered telling him everything about the sketch plans. She could explain how she had prepared a duplicate to fool Vienna, only to discover that someone had switched the papers before she could use them.

But then she remembered that the original designs were still with Rena.

There was no point in allowing the incident to ruin her mood any longer.

She could contact Rena later and figure out what to do next.

Right now, she wanted to enjoy the rare moment when she wasn't arguing with someone or worrying about her future.

Violet slowly lifted her arms and rested them around Liam's neck.

His eyebrows rose slightly at the unexpected gesture.

"What happened to your determination to push me away?" he asked.

"I changed my mind."

"That quickly?"

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"Not at all."

"Good."

She smiled at him, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.

Violet studied his face, taking in his features. There was something strangely comforting about standing so close to him. She could hear his steady breathing, and the warmth of his embrace made her forget the frustration that had consumed her only minutes earlier.

She had no idea why she felt so comfortable around him.

Perhaps she simply needed someone who would listen without judging her.

Or perhaps Liam was slowly becoming someone she didn't mind relying on.

The thought made her heart flutter.

She quickly pushed it aside.

There was no need to think too deeply about her feelings. She had enough problems to deal with already.

Besides, Liam hadn't even told her where he had gone.

Violet raised her head.

"Now that we've settled my problem, will you finally tell me where you've been?"

Liam looked down at her.

"You're still curious about that?"

"Of course! You disappeared, and I came back to an empty room. What was I supposed to think?"

"That I had something to take care of."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the answer you're getting for now."

Violet's smile disappeared.

"What do you mean, for now?"

Liam merely looked at her, his expression unreadable.

Violet narrowed her eyes.

"You're hiding something from me, aren't you?"

He didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he reached up and gently brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face.

"Perhaps," he replied.

Violet's eyes widened.

"Perhaps?"

A playful smile touched his lips.

"Why don't you stop worrying about everyone else's secrets and enjoy the time we have together?"

Violet stared at him, completely speechless.

How could he say something like that with such a straight face?

She was about to demand an explanation when Liam leaned closer, his gaze settling on hers.

For a brief moment, Violet forgot all about Vienna, the sketch plans, and even the questions she had wanted to ask him.

All she could think about was how close he was.

And how quickly her heart was beating.

She swallowed nervously, suddenly aware that she was still standing in his arms.

Perhaps forgetting about her troubles for a while wasn't such a bad idea after all.