Chapter 146: Monolid Woman
"Ah... indeed a couple, isn’t it?" Liam drawled, his voice carrying that mocking lilt as he leaned casually against the wall. His eyes slid to Aurora, catching the way she stood frozen by the doorway, her gaze fixed on the figures inside the hospital room.
Aurora exhaled softly, the weight in her chest too heavy to respond to his taunt. Turning on her heel, she murmured, "Since both of them are now okay, I’ll take my leave..."
Liam’s brow arched, his smirk never fading. "Leave? Are you forgetting something?"
Aurora’s steps faltered. Slowly, she turned her head, giving him a sharp side glare. "Excuse me... Mr. Kingsley..." She paused, releasing a harsh sigh that trembled with restrained anger. "You’re the one who backed out last night. And now, what exactly are you trying to say?"
Liam chuckled low in his throat, the sound dark and amused. "Don’t twist it, sweetheart. I didn’t back out... I postponed it. Big difference." His gaze swept over her, lingering, taunting. "You still owe me. A deal is a deal."
Aurora’s grip tightened on her bag strap, her nails biting into her palm. "Is this always your method to trap women?"
Liam squinted, his smirk curling sharper. He tilted his head, mocking her with a slow shake. "No. You, only you. A special case." His tone dipped, low and cutting. "You should be... proud?"
"Huh?" Aurora scoffed, heat flooding her cheeks. She spun fully to face him, anger sparking in her chest, her palm itching with the urge to slap him across the face.
Liam leaned in slightly, his voice dropping low, dripping with amusement. "Don’t give me that look, sweetheart. You’re only making it harder to behave."
Her jaw clenched, fury twisting as she smiled out of anger. She looked down at the floor and muttered, "What a bastard..."
Liam’s smirk deepened, his tone smooth but cutting. "Didn’t you know I was a bastard the moment you made a deal with me?"
Liam’s smirk deepened, his tone smooth but cutting. "Didn’t you know I was a bastard the moment you made a deal with me?"
Aurora finally lifted her gaze, her eyes glinting. "I didn’t know blood could be this different..." Her voice was steady, the jab sharp. "Theo would never treat a woman like a game. But you... you don’t even bother hiding it."
Liam chuckled, tilting his head, unbothered. "Exactly. He’s the saint, I’m the sinner. That’s what makes life interesting, sweetheart. Don’t act like you didn’t already know which brother you were gambling with."
She stared at him in silence.
"What?" His grin widened, voice low and taunting. "I told you... I only want one thing. You could ask me for the world, and I’d still only take that. Haven’t you heard the saying? Women have endless desires, but men... men only have one." He leaned closer, his smirk dangerous. "And unfortunately for you, mine is standing right in front of me."
Aurora frowned, her temper flaring as she lost the last bit of her composure. "What makes me so different, huh? You could get anyone you want with just a snap of your fingers. So why..." she jabbed at her own chest, seething, "why stick to this monolid woman?"
Liam’s smirk only deepened, his gaze shamelessly tracing her face as if her anger entertained him more than anything. "Because I never tried a virgin with monolid eyes..."
Aurora froze for half a beat before an incredulous laugh escaped her lips. It was sharp, awkward, almost too loud in the quiet hallway. "Seriously? How do you even know I’m a virgin?" she shot back, her brows arching high. "What is this, the medieval ages? Who even cares about that anymore?"
Liam tilted his head, eyes glinting. "Don’t need proof. I can tell when someone’s untouched. And you? You wear it like a second skin."
Aurora scoffed, folding her arms. "Or maybe you’re just saying that because your pride still hurts from the last time I turned you down."
For the first time, his smirk faltered, just a flicker. Then it came back, sharper. "Ah, you mean the company dinner? Don’t flatter yourself, sweetheart. I don’t chase. I collect."
Aurora’s lips curved in a sarcastic smile. "Yeah? Then maybe that’s why I said no. I don’t want to end up with another piece in your trophy case."
Liam tilted his head, studying her with lazy amusement. "Funny. I always heard you were the timid type when it came to people above you. But standing here..." his gaze dragged over her deliberately, "doesn’t seem true at all."
Aurora’s lips twitched into a tight smile. "That’s because I save my respect for people who deserve it."
His laugh was low, sharp, echoing faintly in the corridor. "And here I thought you were just shy. Turns out you’ve got claws."
She crossed her arms, her voice firm despite the heat prickling under her skin. "Claws are necessary when someone keeps circling like a vulture."
Liam’s smirk widened, unbothered, as if her resistance only made her more entertaining. "Good. I like women with claws. They bleed sweeter when they finally give in."
Aurora was utterly speechless, her throat tightening with so much anger it felt like she might cry. "You’re really... rude, a jerk... every rotten thing a man could possibly be made of." She gestured at him with trembling hands. "The most bastard man I’ve ever met."
Spinning on her heel, she stormed away, her footsteps echoing down the corridor until her figure slowly vanished from the hallway.
"Don’t ignore my call when I want to redeem my prize!" Liam’s voice rang after her, sharp and mocking, before cutting off abruptly.
Silence lingered. He stayed rooted to the spot, eyes fixed on the empty corridor, his smirk still there but dulled by something more complicated, something he refused to name.
Just then, the hospital room door slid open with a faint hiss.
It was Theo. He stepped out slowly, his frame still a little weak but his presence sharp enough to cut through the air. His eyes locked onto Liam’s, narrowed and cold, no trace of hesitation in them.
"Let’s talk."