Black Pearl in Raging Fire

2. Let's get married

Liam was getting out of the luxury car when the door opened for him. He stood still looking at the large house with a high white fence, but still saw the multi-storied buildings inside.

"This is the house we will live in after marriage. Come in and have a look."

Adriel looked at Liam after saying that, his expression didn't change, but Liam somehow saw the pleading in his blue eyes.

He walked in with Adriel into the gate. A man in a black suit opened the double doors of the house, ushering them in. He remembered the man, at that time he came with Adriel to his house.

Not only did it look huge from the outside, once he entered, it was even more spacious inside. There was still a faint smell of paint, as well as the smell of new furniture, all expensive furniture. Liam looked around and felt the atmosphere inside was familiar to his eyes.

"Do you like the concept of this house?" Adriel opened the window blinds that ran from ceiling to floor. The light from outside immediately spilled inside.

Liam turned to look at the painting on the wall. Even that looked familiar. "Why should I not like it? Do I have a choice not to like it?"

His hand traced a dark wilderness landscape painting, there was a lone house and a family sitting in the yard lighting a fire. Felt a bit complicated. He didn't care about anything, didn't care about a new house or anything like that. But the familiar feeling tickled his heart even more.

Right. Isn't this the exact same painting in his house?

Liam didn't notice the bitter look on Adriel's face, but heard him say, "If you don't like it, we can change the design of this house again."

Liam turned his head. "Why should it be changed?"

"If you don't like it then it should be changed to something you like," Adriel replied.

Liam found this both funny and ironic, he said, "Whether I like it or not, doesn't it have anything to do with you?"

Adriel, "..."

Liam, "If I could just say what I don't like, I wouldn't be here now, would I?"

The tone he used wasn't harsh or demanding, but Adriel felt like his words were like thorns stabbed straight into the heart. He had heard that the young master of the Halsey family was an aloof and cold man—always saying what was on his mind no matter whether those words would become deadly poison to others.

However, behind his cold demeanor, Liam is a very generous and soft-hearted young man, at the age of fifteen he opened a charity foundation with his own money. The foundation, which has been established for five years, has been able to build several schools for orphans and children from underprivileged families. Every year the foundation will send clothes and stationery for the children and provide the best teachers in each of the schools it establishes. Maybe because of his secretive attitude, not many people know about this.

It's just that Adriel knows everything.

Liam isn't like most young masters from the second generation either. He doesn't like parties and crowds, doesn't like spending time and money just having fun with other people.

This is one of the reasons that made Adriel fall in love with him.

"We're getting married in three days. Whether you like it or not, you can't regret it now," said Adriel.

Liam didn't answer, his hands stop moving from the painting, nothing changed from his expression.

"I'll show you to your room. This way please." Adriel pointed at the stairs in the corner of the room. Liam walked first up the stairs.

As before, the room he saw felt familiar and it really was like his own room at home; from the contents of the room, paint and even matching curtains. Liam felt a little strange.

"We won't be in the same room. I'll be sleeping in the guest room on the first floor."

"Why?" Liam looked at the man. "Why don't we share a room?"

He thought, 'Isn't that your goal in marrying me? Why did you marry me if we end up in separate rooms?'

Not that Liam wanted to be in the same room as Adriel, but he felt like he couldn't read this man's true intentions.

Unexpectedly, Adriel calmly replied, "There was a time when we were in the same room. That's when you started to love me."

***

"Just let me know if there's anything you'd like to change. I don't want you to be uncomfortable in the house later." Adriel stopped the car right in front of Halsey's residence.

Liam unbuckled his seatbelt without answering.

As he was about to go out, Adriel held him back. "Can I have your contact number?"

"I think you already have it seeing how you copied my room design, Mr. Kingston." Liam answered sharply.

Adriel smirked. "I could have gotten it effortlessly, but I wanted to ask you directly."

'How is it different from that?' Liam thought, this guy was so weird.

"So are you going to give it or not?" Adriel waved his phone.

Liam sighed. He took it and dialed his own number. Then he left without further ado. Before he could even close the door, Adriel held him back—again.

"Tonight ... have dinner with me."

Liam stared at him expressionlessly, then closed the door without answering.

Adriel grinned in satisfaction.

Outside, Liam didn't look back at all, he went straight into his house. Never mind that Adriel's car was still waiting for him to actually get in. In the living room, his father was having guests. It seemed they were discussing something important until they didn't even notice his presence. Liam glanced at them briefly and headed up to his room.

His mother called him. "You just arrived? Do you want something to eat?"

Liam saw his mother's weak appearance, even coughing occasionally and her hands shaking slightly. "Mom, why did you come out of the room?"

"I'm bored in the room and want to have a look." Elsa smiled weakly.

Liam guided her into the room even though she keeps refusing. After making sure his mother was sitting properly, he started to think about his mother's health which had been deteriorating recently.

"Mom, let's go to the hospital tomorrow," he said.

“Eh? It's not necessary ..." she stopped to cough and continued, "Don't you have to do a wedding dress fitting tomorrow? After all ... we can't waste money, right?"

Elsa looked down sadly.

Liam took some water from the table and gave it to her. "Fittings can wait. Your health is more important."

"But ..."

"Also ... I still have some money. Getting you to the hospital is no problem."

Elsa reached for the glass, but did not drink it. She looked hesitant as she said, "Are you really going to do this? Son, if you don't want to, you can—"

"It's fine." Liam cut her off again. Liam instinctively knew what his mother means. "Mr. Kingston is not a bad man."

What he said was according to what he saw. For him Adriel is not a bad person. Although his actions were very strange and arbitrary, but he knew that the help he gave his family was really effective and went well. This small sacrifice meant nothing, even with this small sacrifice he felt he couldn't afford what Adriel did.

Does the man have nothing to lose just asking Liam as collateral?

Liam sighed silently, smoothing down his mother's blanket quietly. "You don't have to think about anything, Mom. Trust me, I'm fine."

Elsa wanted to interrupt, but she saw the conviction in Liam's eyes and held it back. She had persuaded her son hundreds of times, even Liam didn't falter in the slightest with that decision. Liam was a quiet man and rarely said what was in his heart, Elsa was afraid that this marriage will hurt him.

"Tonight I'm going to have dinner with Mr. Kingston. I'm going to say that I can't do the fitting tomorrow because I'll take you to the hospital. Mom ... don't worry, ok?"

It turned out that the person who came to his house that afternoon was someone sent by Adriel. They reviewed the specialization and departmentalization plans as the building blocks of the new organizational structure. Everything has to be rearranged starting from zero and debt payments in various parties, especially banks, must be repaid. Liam heard Adriel's company loaned his father almost as much as the debt itself.

The man was very rich, but also very reckless.

Why did he trust so much to lend that kind of money? Had his father in his past life ever sacrificed his life for him?

A car horn sounded from outside his house, broke his mind for a moment. Liam was silent for a while, reluctant to get up, until finally he still had to go out to finish that dinner.

Adriel was waiting outside the car when he saw Liam walking towards him. Liam wore a white shirt which doubles as a soft cream knit vest, as well as baggy cargo pants. His slightly long hair was blowing in the wind, his eyes were as cold as ever. Adriel silently gulped his saliva without averting his eyes in the slightest.

After calming himself down, Adriel asked with a smile, "Don't your clothes look a bit thin?"

Liam glanced at Adriel's clothes and said, "Are you just going to comment on mine? Should I say that you are dressed formally enough for a casual dinner?"

Or is this really not a normal dinner?

The clothes Adriel used were semi-formal attire. He wore a white shirt combined with a cream-colored suit, all of which were famous brand clothes. Even the watch was a brand new, needless to mention how expensive the shoes look too.

Liam didn't really like branded clothing, so he thought it didn't appeal to his eyes.

In the end Adriel took him to a restaurant in the middle of downtown. The restaurant was ordered personally by Adriel, he ordered the entire building and visitors were not allowed to enter. Only the two of them filled the place.

Liam clicked his tongue.

"Don't you like this place?" Adriel realized his discomfort.

"Yes."

Adriel laughed. "I really like your honesty."

The waiter came with expensive wine and poured it into their glasses. Liam watched the blood-red wine trickle down his glass without interest.

Then he looked at the restaurant's decorations with a straight face. He had never been inside this restaurant, even though he had the money to eat in it. For him, eating at a fancy place like this is just a waste of money, let alone having to rent the entire building.

"Toast?"

Adriel's voice caught his attention. He had to admit that Adriel was quite handsome, but this kind of handsomeness was quite arrogant. A man who clearly displays luxury items on his body is usually an outspoken person. Whereas Liam doesn't like people like that.

Liam raised the glass in front of him, shaking it slightly.

"Why? Don't you drink wine? Or your tolerance for alcohol is very low?"

Liam was not interested in answering.

"Relax. It has a low alcohol content. It's not intoxicating," Adriel continued.

Liam still ignored Adriel's words. He shook the glass again, so that the wine in it rippled like waves. After feeling satisfied, he drank all of its contents.

Adriel was stunned. Then covered his mouth slightly to smile.

'This man is interesting,' he thought

Four people with violins came closer, playing romantic music in a seductive tone. A waiter brought a trolley with one large dish covered tightly. Seeing this whole scene Liam's forehead twitched.

“Tell me the truth, Mr.Kingston. What is your purpose in bringing me here?” Liam asked flatly.

Adriel smiled, showing dimples in both cheeks. "Just call me Adriel. And don't rush into it, ok? I'm just doing the formalities."

'What formalities?'

Adriel saw the confusion on Liam's face and snapped his fingers.

The waiter saw the hint and placed the dish in front of Liam. He didn't open the lid and just left.

"Come on. Open it."

"What's this?" Liam didn't move.

Realizing Liam won't open it, Adriel patiently opened the lid of the dish for him.

"You can see it, if you want to know."

When the lid was opened, there was no fragrant food smell, or warm fumes from cooked food. But what was in front of him was a dark blue velvet box.

Liam looked up at Adriel who smiled.

"Can you open that one yourself?"

Liam knew what box that was. But he still didn't take it even though he had to.

Again Adriel wasn't angry, finally took the box on his own and opened it right in front of Liam's face. He responded to Liam's cold demeanor with a charming smile, saying, "I didn't propose to you with formalities back then, so I wanted to do it today."

Liam, "..." What the ...?

He thought he knew what this man meant by now!

His guess was right when Adriel asked calmly but firmly, "So, Liam Halsey, will you marry me?"

"..."

"Well. I don't think this is a request though, so ... let's get married."

... to be continued ...