Ch. 1916..1920
Chapter 1916
Meanwhile, Heather had just returned to her home in Westchester.
The hour was late.
She had a large coat thrown over her shoulders. The moment she got out of the car, she sneezed loudly.
The housemaid who came up to greet her quickly asked in a concerned voice, “Miss, are you okay? Did you catch a cold?”
Her mind instantly jogged to how Caprice had grabbed onto her so that the two of them would tumble into the pool together. The memory prickled her. She would not forget the sheer spite she felt when she scrambled out of the pool only to see that Liam had carried Caprice away.
She roared at the housemaid, “Scram!” The housemaid recoiled in fright. Heather strode into the house, stepping into the living room.
Inside the living room were her parents Roman and Sophia. They were still awake and drinking tea while chatting about ongoing affairs inside the company.
When they saw Heather enter wrapped in a coat and her hair still wet, they cast surprised looks at her. “Heath, what happened to you?” Sophia quickly asked. Roman chimed in, “How did you end up in this state? | thought you attended an event in Glanchester.”
Heather felt a bitter sting of resentment, feeling like she had been wronged. She sat between her parents and said darkly, “Someone pushed me into the pool.”
Roman’s face became contorted in anger. Sophia was just as upset. She put her arms around Heather and asked, “Who was it who pushed you?” This person must have a death wish pushing her beloved daughter into the pool!
Heather’s eyes gleamed with ice. She said with a snap in her voice, “Some idiot named Caprice. She’s known Liam since she was a kid and has a crush on him. She’s jealous about how close | was with Liam and kept trying to insult me every chance she got with snarky remarks.”
“| thought | was going to teach her a lesson tonight and throw her into the pool, but the stupid wench ended up dragging me into the pool with her! What's even worse is that Liam ended up carrying her out of the pool and taking her away!”
Sophia scoffed and expressed sharply, “What a disgusting brat! Completely shameless!”
Roman considered for a moment before asking, “You mentioned that this Caprice girl has known the young Carter master since she was a child. What's the deal with her family?”
“| don’t know about her family background, but if | had to guess, she should be nothing more than a cheap commoner.” As she said this, she turned to her father with a pleading look. “Dad, please have your men do some investigation into her family. | won't let her get away with humiliating me!”
She would not stand for being humiliated by such an imbecile! How dare Caprice think herself superior to her?! Once she managed to get more information on her family background, she would make sure to make her life a living hell! Then, Liam would know just the sort of woman he deserved to have in his life!
Roman recalled how the same Young Master Carter had threatened him the last time when he had tried to sabotage Rockon Technology because his daughter had asked him to
He asked cautiously, “Heath, is this Caprice the same one who went to the Young Master Carter last time to ask for help after what we did to Rockon Technology?”
Heather frowned. “I think so.”
Roman scowled disapprovingly. “If she could enlist Young Master Carter’s help, then | assume the two of them are very close to each other” He said with a look, “Heath, why don’t you let this slide?”
Heather frowned and became very upset.
Sophia immediately cried out, “What do you mean let it slide?! The brat threw our daughter into the pool! If it wasn’t for her nasty ploys, Heath would have ended up with Liam Carter a long time ago!”
Heather gnashed her teeth and hissed. “She's also the one who got me fired by Liam!” When Sophia heard this, she slammed her fist into the table. “So, it was her! What a sly fox”
Liam Carter was a legendary figure, one that the world had never seen before Even if you dismissed his impressive accomplishment of building the Carter Tech City from the ground up, his family was still the wealthiest monarch in Westchester by a mile. The accumulated wealth of the Carters put them among the ranks of the wealthiest groups in the entire world.
The man was shrouded in mystery and rarely revealed himself in public. Countless young ladies in Westchester wanted to win his favor, but it was her daughter Heather who managed to rise above the competition. Immediately after graduating from university, she became the most capable assistant of the man himself!
It was a golden opportunity, and to think that it was squandered by the disgusting wench!
The more Sophia thought about it, the angrier she became. She turned to Roman and said vehemently. Put your men on the task. | want to find out just what this Caprice brat is made of!”
Roman still had some reservations. He was just as upset that his daughter was fired by Liam. However, he did not want to risk incurring Liam’s wrath by proxy.
Chapter 1917
Heather sensed her father’s reluctance. She took a deep breath and assured him, “Dad, don’t worry. | won't do anything rash. | just want to find out what kind of connections Caprice has, then | can figure out how to deal with her. I'll make sure Liam doesn’t find out about it.”
Roman stirred. “Heath, | still think it’s best that we move on from this. Nothing is going to come out of you taking revenge against
her.
He was a man of business and recognized that the risk far outweighed the potential rewards. This was a wholly unnecessary venture.
Heather fixed a look of determination in her eyes. “Dad, | want to be with Liam. Caprice has nothing going for her except for her looks, and | know that | am better than her in every way possible. | cannot stand to see her steal Liam away from me.”
Roman was caught by surprise, and something gleamed in his eyes. If his daughter could tie the knot with Liam, their family prosperity would be set for life.
Heather was relentless. “Dad, | have to find out more about her. That way, | can come up with a plan to wrench her away from Liam.”
At last, Roman gave in. “Alright, I'll put some investigators on her tail.”
In Glanchester, it was day by the time Caprice opened her eyes.
She sprang up from the bed.
The phone was next to her pillow. She tapped the screen to look at the time, and it was seven in the morning.
She hurriedly crawled out of bed and walked out of the bedroom. She could smell breakfast.
When she stepped into the living room, she saw Liam sitting by the dining table with a newspaper in hand.
He was dressed in his usual business attire: a black buttoned shirt paired with khakis. She noticed strands of hair draped over his forehead as he assumed a relaxed pose on the chair, appearing unbelievably and effortlessly handsome.
The scenes of last night were still playing in her mind.
She felt herself steaming with embarrassment. Then, she greeted him with a smile, “Hey, Liam, good morning.” Liam turned to her with a warm glow in his eyes. “Morning.”
“| accidentally fell asleep last night. Did my dad show up?” she asked nervously.
“He did, then he left.”
“Oh.” She asked warily, “Did he say anything?”
“Uncle Stockton asked me to send you home before eight in the morning.”
“Oh.” That sounded exactly like what her father would say.
Liam motioned. “Take a shower before you have breakfast.”
“Okay.”
Caprice only brushed her teeth and gave her face a quick rinse before joining Liam at the dining table.
She sat across from him. The breakfast was still steaming with heat, and they were all her favorites.
After she had her fill, she set the utensils aside and turned to Liam. “Liam, I’m full.”
Liam put the newspaper down. “Alright.”
He rose and motioned to her. “Let’s go.”
She obediently followed behind him.
She stared at his back and broad shoulders and suddenly felt an itch. She wanted to hug him, but what if he kissed her again? While she was still struggling with her urge to hug him, he suddenly stopped.
Thump!
She slammed her head into his back.
Chapter 1918
“Ow!” Caprice yelped.
Liam turned around and rubbed the tip of her forehead with his finger on the spot where she crashed into him.
She murmured, “Why did you stop suddenly?”
“We've reached the elevator,” he said while gesturing at the elevator. Then, he pressed the button to summon the elevator to their floor.
Caprice cringed at her silly question. “Oh.” The elevator was on the way to their current floor.
While Liam stood over her and observed her rosy cheeks, a spark appeared in his eyes as he asked, “What were you thinking about?”
“| wasn’t thinking about anything,” she stammered as she spoke.
“How did you bump into me then?” He persisted.
Caprice avoided his gaze. “I... It was just an accident. | wasn’t paying attention.”
She did not realize that her cheeks had blossomed into a dark red shade by this point.
Liam smirked.
The elevator happened to arrive right at that moment, and the doors opened to welcome them inside.
Caprice kept her head focused on the ground and walked inside.
The elevator doors closed swiftly. They were the only two occupants inside. Liam stood in the center of the space. Caprice lapped around behind him and stared at his back, feeling the same urge creeping up to her again.
Although the shirt he wore cloaked the silhouette of his body, she could glimpse the shape of a muscular back from his broad shoulders. She wondered how good it must feel to hug him.
“You can hug me if you want.” Suddenly, his voice echoed in the elevator.
Caprice made a face.
Since the man himself had given her permission, she was not going to hold back any longer! “Okay.” She spread her arms wide and hugged him from behind.
Wow... What a sensation!
She rubbed her face all over her back like a kitten rubbing itself against its favorite person. Liam's expression suddenly tightened as though he was holding back.
Ding.
The elevator doors opened, and they arrived on the first floor.
Upon hearing the chime of the elevator, Caprice prepared to unlatch herself from Liam. Just as she was about to do that, she watched as Liam hold his arms out and press the button to the twenty-eighth floor of the building, the highest floor.
His place was not on the twenty-eighth floor. She asked in a puzzled voice, “Liam, why are we going to the twenty-eighth floor? | thought we were going back to-”
He suddenly swung around to face her, and there was a primal glow in his eyes like a predator that had finally cornered its prey after starving for days.
He cupped one of his large palms around her waist and grabbed her chin with the other hand, turning her to face him with brute force.
His lips locked themselves on hers, leaving not a single crevice for air to escape. Having gained experience from the previous night, he would mindfully open up a crack from time to time to allow her to breathe. In this manner, Caprice learned to synchronize her breathing with him.
But after a while, he turned up the intensity again.
He kissed like a savage as if he was going to devour her whole.
Caprice felt her strength sap out of her, her legs turning soft and limp. All she could do was emit tender moans in between breaths.
The elevator reached the twenty-eighth floor. The door opened and closed again shortly after. Caprice was pushed into the corner of the elevator, kissing Liam on her tiptoes.
Then, the elevator began to move without them pressing any buttons. It slowed down when it reached the ninth floor and the door opened following a swift chime.
Only then did Liam let go of her. He put his arms around her and pressed her head close to his chest. Caprice was still drunk with passion when she noticed another person stepping into the elevator.
It was probably another resident who lived on this floor.
She felt her cheeks growing red hot. She burrowed herself closer into his chest and stayed still like a plank.
The stranger seemed to have noticed something and retreated into the corner of the elevator to give them space. Once the elevator reached the first floor and the door opened, the stranger shuffled out quickly.
Caprice was deeply embarrassed. She looked up at Liam with her cheeks flushed with red.
The stranger must have sensed something!
Liam looked at her delicate expression. He smirked and teased her, “Why are you looking at me like that? Haven’t you had enough yet?”
She never expected such flirtatious words to come out of the stoic and by-the-book Liam!
Feeling equally appalled and excited, she briskly shoved him away and shuffled out of the elevator.
Chapter 1919
She had only managed two steps into the corridor when a hand seized her by her wrist. With a tremendous pull, Liam dragged her back to his side.
Caprice gave him a brief, shy look. Her cheeks glowed with a shade of pink.
Liam grinned smugly and led her outside with him.
His car was parked in the open space right outside the building.
As soon as they appeared, the driver got out of the car and opened the door for them. Liam let go of Caprice so that she could enter the car.
She burrowed into the car, and he followed her into the car after.
“Take us to the Stocktons,” he instructed the driver.
The driver obliged and began driving.
Asilence descended upon them after that.
After a while, after Caprice had managed to calm her beating heart, she felt like her cheeks had become swollen. She took out a piece of small mirror from her bag to inspect her face further.
Just as she thought, it was puffed up and glowing red! She suddenly blushed again for the umpteenth time and stole glances in Liam’s direction.
He was seated in an elegant posture, his tall and straight back pressed against the leather seat. His eyes were pointed forward with a usual coolness gleaming underneath his gaze. He looked like a completely different person from the one smothering her with kisses in the elevator.
Caprice grunted grumpily.
Liam immediately heard her grunting and turned to her. “What’s wrong?”
She had never been good at hiding it when she was in a bad mood. She asked snappily, “How are you so calm?”
Liam cocked an eyebrow with a puzzled look on his face. “Why am | so calm?”
“You were... you were doing that to me in the elevator just now.”
Liam observed her flushed cheeks and smiled playfully. “Are you still thinking about what happened in the elevator?”
“No!” Caprice cried out, then she explained, “It’s just- | haven’t calmed down yet. How is it that you’ve calmed down so quickly?”
Liam brushed her cheek with the tips of his finger and remarked foxily, “I would have taken you back to my bedroom if | didn’t force myself to calm down.”
Take her back to the bedroom?
Caprice became flustered. A giant splash of red formed on her cheeks again.
He wanted to do it with her!
She thumped his chest with her fist. “Stop it!”
She shuffled to the other side of the car and covered her burning cheeks with her palms.
Liam grinned and let her be. He told himself that he could not rush it because she was not ready yet. He had to give her some more time.
After a roughly twenty-minute drive, they reached Caprice’s house.
It was a little over ten minutes past the appointed hour of eight in the morning, but it was no big deal.
John, Sherry, and Madam Stockton were waiting for them in the main courtyard.
After stepping out of the car with Liam, Caprice greeted them with a bright smile, “Grandma, Mom, Dad, I’m home.” She smiled brightly with a ruddy glow on her cheeks, appearing to be in a good mood.
Madam Stockton and Sherry flashed warm smiles and cast a playful, knowing look at Liam.
Meanwhile, John was regarding Liam with a sharp expression.
Liam walked with Caprice and greeted them politely, “Good morning, Grandma Stockton, Uncle Stockton, Aunt Sherry.” The ladies returned his greeting with warm smiles.
John shot a brief look at him before asking. “Are you going back to Westchester after this?”
This caught the attention of Caprice who had just gone up to her mother and grandmother, and she turned around and looked at them.
Liam answered, “There's nothing that urgently needs my attention today, so I’m not in a rush.”
Sherry offered kindly, “Stay here for lunch before you go back!” She darted a look at John, dissuading him from protesting. John zipped his lips.
Liam accepted the offer. “Sure.”
He turned to look at Caprice to find her grinning from ear to ear.
Chapter 1920
Chapter 1920 There were still several hours to go until lunchtime.
Madam Stockton and Sherry exchanged a look. Following that, Sherry turned to John and suggested, ” John, wasn’t there a new gadget you've been talking about lately? Since Liam is here, why don’t you show it to him and see if he can tell you more about it?”
John seemed intrigued by the idea. He turned to Liam, “Would you mind?”
Liam answered gladly, “Of course not.”
John seemed pleased to hear this. He turned around and motioned for Liam to follow.
Liam gave Caprice a look before following John.
Caprice wanted to follow the men, but before she could even take a step, Sherry and Madam Stockton made her stay with them.
Sherry did her best to suppress a smile upon sensing her daughter’s anxious expression and told her, Caprice, there’s something we want to talk to you about.”
Caprice shot an unnerved, suspicious look at them.
Madam Stockton stepped forward and ruffled her hair. She spoke with a note of concern in her voice, How did you fall into the pool last night?”
She had been to plenty of hotels and had seen how their pools were designed. Careful attention was paid to the architecture to prevent hotel guests from accidentally falling in. Besides, there were countless ponds around the house, and Caprice never once had an accidental tumble into the pond growing up.
There must be more to it.
Caprice wanted to tell them that it was an accident, but then she noticed the skeptical looks they were shooting at her. Her voice was caught in her throat, and she knew she could not get away with lying.
Sherry held her tenderly and spoke softly, “Caprice, you can tell us the truth. Did somebody push you into the pool?” Caprice grunted, “Hmm.” Madam Stockton immediately flared up with rage. “Who was it? Tell me right now!”
“It’s someone who has a crush on Liam. Last night, Liam bought me the most expensive set of earrings at the event with everyone present as witnesses. She must have been bothered by that gesture and decided to shove me into the pool to senda message. Too bad for her though because | ended up pulling her into the pool with me.” As she said this, a proud smirk formed on her lips. “After that, Liam jumped into the pool and saved me.”
Something flashed across Sherry’s eyes.
Madam Stockton was confused by the tone of Caprice’s voice. Why did it sound like she was glad that she was shoved into the pool last night?
“Is this person you're talking about a past employee of Liam’s?” Sherry asked while doing her best to contain her grin. This caught Madam Stockton’s interest.
Caprice was taken aback by her mother’s speculation. “Mom, how did you know?”
Sherry smiled and told her, “When your father went to get you last night, Liam told him the full story.”
Caprice felt like she was going to blush again. “Oh.”
“What's the full story? Somebody clue me in!” Madam Stockton felt like they were speaking in a language she did not understand.
Sherry obliged. “The person who shoved Caprice into the pool was one of Liam's ex-assistants. Since she worked with Liam back then, she got to spend a lot of time with him. She had a crush on him and made it seem like she had a very close relationship with Liam to give Caprice the impression that they were dating. This was the reason Caprice refused the engagement two days ago.”
“So that’s what it is.” Madam Stockton scowled disapprovingly as she turned to Caprice. “Caprice, why don’t you tell me who this terrible person is? It’s one thing for her to try to sabotage your relationship with Liam, but it’s another matter entirely to try to hurt you and shove you into the pool. This is unacceptable! | will have to talk some sense into the young lady.”
“Grandma, there’s no need for that,” Caprice tried to coax her feverish rage. “Besides, | pulled her into the pool with me too. Also, think about it this way: if she hadn’t done that, then Liam wouldn’t have had the chance to save me and clarify the misunderstanding between us.”
Madam Stockton did not seem convinced. “Caprice is not a child anymore. Let’s do as she says.” Sherry took Caprice’s side.
“Grandma, don’t worry. | won't let myself get tricked by her again.” She only fell for her schemes because she had been under the impression that Liam was dating her. Now that she knew the truth, she would not allow herself to be fooled again.
Madam Stockton seemed assured upon hearing this.
Sherry reminded Caprice, “Caprice, we will excuse what happened this time, but if something like this happens again, you have to tell us. Do you understand?”
She knew that Caprice could be too easy-going for her own good at times. She was not the type to bear resentment and tend to let offense slide past her, and this opened her up as an easy target at times.
Next time, even if Caprice decided to let it slide, her mother and grandmother would not stand for it.
Madam Stockton became very emotive when she heard Sherry and chimed in, “That's right. You have to let us know if something like this happens next time.”
Caprice bobbed her head up and down. “I got it, | got it.”
Caprice chatted with her mother and grandmother for a while before excusing herself.