Helpless, Liam got into another car.Amber sat close to Renee and bowed to check Renee's foot, which had been injured by a beast trap. Feeling sorry for Renee, she tried to blow at the injury. "This tribe is used to hurting and roasting people. I'm sure you're in a lot of pain.""I'm fine." Renee looked calm, feeling as though her previous experience was a dream. "I'm tough. Plus, I've run into more ridiculous things and suffered more serious injuries. This isn't a big deal."Leia listened nearby, and muttered, "You can't compare it that way Those were old injuries. And you're injured now, regardless of how big or small it is. It'll bring you pain no matter what. You can't quantify them like that."She felt very sorry for Renee, so she didn't try to stop Liam when the latter declared that he wanted to burn the tribe down. She herself wanted to massacre the entire tribe. They were siblings as well as Renee's loyal friends. They would make anyone who mistreated Renee pay a heavy
"Does Liam act like a child?" Amber bandaged Renee's wound with a beautiful ribbon, indicating her girlish nature. She yearned to see the kind of man Renee had described."He's a mature older guy, and he's been with me for such a long time. I've never seen him act immature. Though, I'd like to see that!" She shook her head self-deprecatingly. "But I don't think I'll get the chance to see that. I heard that men would only show their childish side in front of the women they truly loved. He probably likes you so much, he behaved like a child around you.""No, you've misunderstood again," Renee said quickly.She intended to get rid of Amber's misunderstanding, but only succeeded in complicating her relationship with Liam even further. She hurriedly explained, "He just sees me as his friend! I don't feel anything for him. There's nothing indecent about us. Really, we're just close friends.""Nah, that's not true," Leia intervened. She ignored her future sister-in-law's feelings
The car ride was bumpy. At last, they arrived at Benjamin's fort. Liam quickly got out of the car and eagerly opened the door where Renee was. "Don't move. I'll carry you inside."Without hesitation, he carried Renee in his arms and instructed his subordinate, "Get Dr. Holmes. Hurry!""Liam, put me down! I can walk," Renee protested.She patted Liam's shoulders, awkward. She didn't care if she could walk or not, for she found it very inappropriate for him to carry her that way. She felt she should keep some distance from him, regardless if it was for her or Amber's sake."No, I'm sure you can't walk unless you want to give your legs up," Liam said, ignoring Renee's words. He carried her and walked straight ahead, leaving Amber and Leia behind.Speechlessness overcame Renee. Amber watched Liam's hurried figure from afar and quietly clenched her fists. She looked downcast. Although she was generous, seeing it still saddened her.Leia didn't care about Amber, and even hated the
Liam was unstable and couldn't be considered a good man. He was unsuited to be one's husband. "I know he dislikes being bound. That's what I like about him, so I never intended to control him," Amber said. She kept looking at Liam ahead of her. However, her smile grew fainter. "Liam and I have different lives. I grew up in this fort. I spent all my life here, and I rarely went out. Sometimes I found myself a pet kept by my dad. I don't have my own life."After I got to know Liam, I learned for the first time that people could lead their lives freely. At that time, Dad occasionally saved him. He was recuperating here. I sometimes helped take care of him and he would tell me stories about himself. He told me about the things he learned while traveling the world. He even told me that he liked a beautiful woman very much."I wondered what kind of woman she was to make such a carefree man like him fall for her. Then, I got to meet her. She was brave and smart. She stood against ever
"That's none of your business." Liam's gaze turned icy as he stared at Mateo's outstretched hand. He added fiercely, "Let me repeat—get out of the way!""Then, I'll repeat too—you can go in, but you can't carry her!" Mateo barked. He had no intention to withdraw his hand, and refused to yield.The two fell into a stalemate. Although they were a few feet apart, Renee could sense their intense wrath. She felt like she was roasted above a fire, like she had been when she was with the cannibals. In fact, this was even more torturous. She hurriedly moved and tried her best to jump out of Liam's arms. "It's fine. I can go into the room on my own. One of my feet is clamped, but the other is fine. I can walk."Then, she bent her clamped feet in front of them and hopped into the room."Boss!" Liam blurted out, wanting to support her. He felt very sorry for her."Stop!" Mateo grabbed Liam's arm and watched Leia and Amber, who were slowly walking over. He gnashed his teeth and hissed, "S
"What's wrong, Matt?" Amber was confused. She looked at the room where Renee was. "I want to see Ms. Everheart. She's a guest. Plus, she got hurt because she wanted to attend my wedding with Liam. I have to take care of her.""Oh, please!" Mateo felt sorry for Amber. At the same time, he was angry because of how uncompetitive she was. "Do you know how much Liam cares about her? How could you agree to let her come to your house? You're inviting your enemy. Don't you know that?""No, you're wrong." Amber shook her head. "Ms. Everheart and Liam know each other. Plus, he liked her long ago. My dad just forced him to marry me. It's normal if he doesn't like me and is still in love with Ms. Everheart. I'm the one to be blamed because I'm selfish. I know that he doesn't like me, but I manipulated my father to get together with Liam.""What are you talking about, silly girl?" Mateo clutched his chest, furious. "He was the one who suggested the marriage to Master! It proves that he wants to
Liam stood rooted to the spot, and didn't even move his head away. The teacup hit him squarely on the head, and the wound started to bleed. Despite that, he said calmly and expressionlessly, "It's your call, Mr. Jenkins. I'll support you unconditionally.""Humph! Unconditionally?" Benjamin glared at him, furious. He said icily, "Mr. Waddell wants us to help him eliminate the ruffians at Southsand. Can you do that?""If you need me to do it, I won't say no," Liam replied, his composure unruffled. No one could tell what he was feeling.Grayson Waddell looked at Liam, and nodded with satisfaction. "Ben, you've got a lot of foster sons, but I prefer Liam best. No wonder you picked him as your future son-in-law. I'm sure he won't have any problems inheriting your work.""Quit praising him. Out of everyone, I despise him the most." Benjamin glared disdainfully at Liam. "He won my heart in the past, but he's getting more rebellious lately. He gets hostile easily, as if someone's forcing
Liam wasn't surprised that the incident had reached Benjamin so quickly. "You know that woman. She's a very good friend of mine in Beach City," he said calmly."Of course I know her!" Benjamin snorted. "She was the first who could escape from me. Plus, she took away that rebel Joanne. I haven't settled this with her yet, but I didn't expect her to be bold enough to come to my territory again.""She came to attend my wedding with Gem. If you're offended, I'll make her leave right away." Liam finally looked agitated, worried Benjamin might do anything to Renee.He had experienced many outrageous things while staying at the fort, and had developed a different mindset. Before, he might have been a straightforward and bright person. He believed that the world was a wonderful place. Lately, all he saw was crimes, indifference, and cruelty. If it was possible, he wanted to see the world end. No one expected that he wished the world would be a peaceful place.He had become one with t
Livid, Mateo pulled the trigger without hesitation. However, he moved the gun less than an inch. The bullet passed by Liam's ear and hit an orange behind him.The fruit immediately blew up, its juices splashing on Liam's face."Aaaah!" Amber, terrified, trembled. Her eyes turned red, and she hurriedly tried to plead with Mateo. "Matt, cool it! Aren't you and Liam friends? You guys drank and chatted together in the past. You were so close to each other. How could you do this to him? Hurry up and put the gun away! If it goes off accidentally, it'll be over!"However, Mateo ignored her. His eyes were red as he glared at Liam. "Did you see the orange behind you? Let go of her now! If not, I'll blow up your head just like I did to that orange!""Is that all you got?" Liam taunted. He refused to let Amber go. He whispered to Amber, "Watch well. If he shoots me today, promise me not to marry such a man. I can use my life to knock some sense into you.""No!" Amber shook her head. Liam
"What bad timing!" Mateo's indifferent voice came from behind Amber.Amber turned around and saw Mateo with a team of armed soldiers. Terrified, she quickly put some distance between her and Liam. She stammered an explanation. "Matt… It's not what you think. Liam and I came here to look for people. Ms. Everheart and Ms. Osborne are gone. Liam couldn't find them and guessed they might be in the orchard. He wasn't familiar with the orchard and asked me to guide him."Mateo looked livid, but still cracked a gentle smile. "Silly, you don't have to be scared. I know you're prudent. He must have forced you to come here. I don't blame you."He extended his hand and beckoned Amber toward him. "Come here. You're my fiancee. You should stand with me.""I…" Amber bit her lip—Mateo was right. She kept her head low, about to walk to him.But in the next second, Liam firmly grabbed her wrist. "You can't go!" Liam held Amber's wrist tightly and shot Mateo a challenging look."When did Amb
Liam could only see through Amber's true thoughts if she showed her true self to him. "No, I do like you. I love you the most, and I want to marry you. But you neither like me nor want to marry me. You love freedom and Ms. Everheart. You love and yearn for the kind of life ordinary people like. So, I could only choose to give you up and let you get what you want. What else do you want me to do?" Amber was generally shy and reserved, but when Liam drove her anxious, she rambled a lot."Whatever I want is my business. You don't need to sacrifice yourself to grant my wish!" Liam held Amber's shoulders, acting like a kind senior. He tried to persuade her in earnest. "Marriage isn't a joke. Think it through. Do you like and know Mateo well? You won't be happy after marrying him, given the savage culture around here. And can you divorce him easily?""Matt will be nice to me. Even if he changes his mind, he'll still be nice to me because…my father is Benjamin," Amber replied.She chose
Being a sensitive woman, Amber immediately noticed Liam's displeasure. She kept her head lower and explained carefully, "I want a chance to choose again… I want to choose another person to fall in love with. You know that Matt and I grew up together. We're childhood friends. He likes me and always protects me without asking for anything back. I feel that it's happier to marry a person who loves me instead of marrying someone far beyond my reach."For the first time, she expressed the exhaustion she felt from her relationship with Liam. She no longer wanted to be the one who kept fawning over him. She wanted to give up and relax by being the one who was loved and adored in a relationship."Tsk!" Liam snorted arrogantly. "You don't know Mateo. He's not a nice guy. He's just good at pretending. Maybe it's just his means to get what he wants, but you assume that he loves and wants to protect you."Liam hadn't made that statement to purposely put Mateo down. After standing against Mate
Liam focused on holding Amber's hand and leading her through the orange grove. At the same time, he carefully scanned the ground and trees to find any related clues left by Renee and Leia."I don't care what others say, because I didn't do anything wrong," he said indifferently. "I hope you'll feel the same. I don't think you need to stop being my friend after choosing to marry Mateo. Am I not the friend you like the most?""That's different," Amber said.She followed Liam passively. At first, she couldn't adapt to it. After walking briefly, she felt better and found it easier to do. "Although I'm not good at my studies, I know men and women should keep a polite distance. You can't take my hand and sound righteous at the same time," she mumbled."Why not?" Liam retorted firmly. "When I was young, I always held my sister's hand wherever we went. I'm holding your hand because this fog is thick and the ground is slippery. I'm afraid of being separated from you. Just walk with me. St
Liam walked ahead of Amber, then turned to glance at her. He faked a smile and asked, "What's the matter? Are you worried that I might take advantage of you?" "No, of course not!" Amber quickly shook her head and pushed her scarf up. It had fallen a little. "I just find it improper," she answered softly.She looked like a typical woman from Southeast Aeos, petite and with a small face. Her skin was tanned, and her facial features weren't very distinct. She was charming and reserved, exuding a girlish pureness. She had put on her country's special traditional clothes. The thick clothes, embroidered with various patterns, wrapped around her petite body and gave her an exotic impression. From afar, she appeared like a colorful oil painting. "Hey, it's not improper. If I wanted to do anything to you, I would've done that long ago. I don't have to wait until now." Liam sounded relaxed and prudent to ease Amber's anxiety."Don't worry. I've always regarded you as my younger siste
Amber hurriedly turned Liam down. "You can't help with my affairs. I can handle it.""Well, tell me why I can't help you," Liam pressed. "I… I want to sew a wedding gown. And there are a lot of details that I need to add." Amber became competitive for no reason, and added stubbornly, "Your words aren't absolute. Yes, your business is important, but so is mine!""Oh, you want to sew a wedding gown. I can help you with that…" Liam said, relaxed. "Maybe I didn't get to tell you that I went to a small country in Southeast Aeos when I traveled around the world. I got to know a great sewing master. The pictures he sewed looked real like paintings! I found them interesting, so I learned from him. My sewing skills are probably better than yours. I can help you with that.""Really? You can sew?" Amber was full of surprise and admiration. Her eyes lit up. "I can't sew well. I want to learn from a great master too! If you can do it, can you teach me?""Of course!" Liam promised. "Can you he
"Uh…" Amber looked like she was being put in a difficult position. She found it impudent for a man and a woman to be alone in the dense orchard at night. "What's wrong? Is it inconvenient?" Liam frowned, puzzled. He felt that Amber was purposely avoiding him after expressing her desire not to marry him and making Mateo her groom instead.Before, she would always put on her favorite dress and stand at the entrance of the fort, looking eager no matter how late Liam and Benjamin returned from their work.Usually, she would carry a small bamboo basket containing the tea she brewed and dessert or food she had painstakingly prepared. When Liam returned, she would excitedly welcome him and inquire after him. Lately, she no longer did that. When Liam occasionally ran into her in the fort, she would bow indifferently at him and quickly brush past him as if they were merely acquaintances. They seemed distant.Honestly, Liam found it unfamiliar. He couldn't get used to the fact that Amber
"I don't know. Why don't you ask the guards to get us some fried chicken and French fries? Didn't Mateo say that we can ask the guards for food?" Renee said.Leia's anxiety eased as she relaxed. She turned around and got out of bed, then gestured at the guard and ordered quite a lot of food. Meanwhile, Liam accompanied Benjamin to West River in the morning for a negotiation that yielded a good result. Benjamin's attitude had improved. He didn't demand an explanation from Liam about the affairs between Liam and Amber, and didn't ask about Renee or Leia either. Liam was delighted. He carried the unique desserts he had bought at the local market for Renee and Leia to enjoy. Upon arrival, he found that they were not in the room. "Weird. Where did they go?" Liam looked around, but found no sign of Renee and Leia. He casually asked a servant, but the servant stammered and insisted on not knowing anything. Anxious, Liam kept looking for them in the fort. Coincidentally, he ran into