Chapter 203: There is no reward for goodness anymore.
"You want me to marry, but you refuse to touch me," Riya sneered. "If you are so much in love with that woman, why don’t you marry her instead?"
She pretended as if she didn’t know the woman he loved was Zara. But the fire burning behind her eyes was hard to conceal.
Liam’s expression remained the same as if he had been expecting this question. "I won’t disappoint my parents," he replied coolly. "They insist on this marriage, and I’ll honor their wishes."
Riya found this excuse laughable. "You mean your parents won’t accept the woman you love," she snorted. "Why? Is it because of the differences in social status between you and your beloved woman? Or is it something else?"
There was a slight change in his stoic expression. His displeasure was visible in the tension of his jaw. However, he maintained his calmness.
"It’s my issue, nothing for you to bother about. If you don’t want this marriage, just tell your parents. I won’t take offense."
"Hah," she laughed bitterly. "You want me to reject you."
Liam gave her a steady look.
She scoffed contemptuously. "What if I don’t?"
"Then we marry," he said plainly, "and in a year we go our separate ways."
"I don’t want only the title of your wife," she insisted. "I want your love. I want you."
"That’s not possible," he said without hesitation.
"Why?" Riya burst out with growing restlessness and frustration. "I am beautiful and successful in my career. I can give you the love and happiness you want. Our families share a good bond, do business in collaboration. Isn’t it great that we know each other and give this relationship a chance?"
"I don’t care about how you look and how successful you are," he said without warmth in his tone. "Out of respect for both families’ wishes, I’ve agreed to this marriage. But that doesn’t mean I intend to carry the weight of this relationship for life."
He squared his shoulders. "I told you everything honestly. I didn’t hide anything from you. If you still want to marry me, the choice is yours—but think carefully before you agree."
Dropping those words, he walked back into the house, leaving Riya to seethe alone in anger.
Humiliated, she felt suffocated. The sting of rejection cut deeper. Her pride was wounded. Her desire remained unfulfilled.
Liam had rejected her so effortlessly, as if she meant absolutely nothing. Her beauty, her accomplishments, her family’s prestige—none of it was enough to sway him.
Fury flared behind her eyes. "So much humiliation," she muttered. "It’s all because of one woman."
She turned her hatred and anger squarely on Zara, blaming her for the emotional torment she had been enduring.
"First, she snatched Nathaniel from me. And now Liam." She dug her nails into her palms. "Liam should belong to me—his love should be mine. But because of you, he rejected me. Why can’t she leave me alone?"
Inside the house...
Zara entered the room, balancing a glass of juice and a bowl of fruit salad on a tray. She paused at the doorstep when her gaze fell on Nathaniel, seated on the bed, checking his phone. She raised a hand and knocked on the door softly.
Nathaniel glanced over his shoulder and saw her through the corners of his eyes. "You don’t need to knock," he muttered, returning his focus to the phone.
He quickly typed something and sent the message to Ian before putting the phone aside.
Zara stepped forward. "I brought you some juice and fruits." She put the tray on the side table. Her movements paused when she saw a new phone.
"You changed your phone." She cast a curious look at him.
"My phone broke due to the fall," he replied.
Zara’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. The explanation didn’t sit right with her. Could a mere fall damage his phone and leave his hand severely injured? She thought he might have been hurt in other parts of his body.
"Are you hiding your other injuries?" she asked curiously. "Let me check."
She reached out and removed his suit jacket, then her fingers moved deftly as she unbuttoned his shirt. Nathaniel didn’t move to stop her. He simply watched her with growing desire in his heart.
Zara, however, was too focused to notice his smoldering eyes. When she undid the final button, she pushed the shirt off his shoulders, her eyes scanning his bare chest intently.
"Where did you get hurt?" she asked. Holding his shoulders, she studied him keenly, checking left and right, back and forth – but there was no sign of injury.
"Strange," she mumbled, her eyebrows drawing together. "Only your hand is injured? Could it be your legs are injured?" Her gaze flicked downward toward his pants. A mix of anxiety, curiosity, and an unspoken nervous flutter coursed through her at the thought of removing his pants and checking further.
Nathaniel, who was already burning with desire from her closeness, could no longer restrain himself. He caught her hand and pressed it against his chest. "Are you this impatient? Using the excuse of checking me just so you can touch me. And you are even thinking about removing my pants."
Zara’s breath hitched. She had only been worried and wanted to check if he had other injuries. But he had twisted her care into something else entirely.
"There is no reward for goodness anymore," she muttered, displeased. "I was only checking if you were hiding your injuries. I wasn’t seducing you."
She tried to pull her hand away, only to make him tighten his grip. The next minute, he drew her closer to him in one swift motion.
Zara nearly lost her balance, stumbling forward, her free hand instinctively gripping his shoulder firmly for support. Their faces hovered dangerously close, just an inch apart.
Her face flushed, her pulse racing. She wanted to pull back, but his eyes held her captive, forcing her to root in her place.
His hand, still clamped around hers, pressed her palm harder against the pounding beat of his chest. "Tell me again," he murmured huskily, "that you weren’t trying to seduce me." His lips almost brushed against hers.
Zara’s heart raced wildly. Every inch of her body screamed at her to lean in, to close the distance, yet her mind wrestled against it.
"I wasn’t..." she whispered, trying to pull back.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her onto his lap. "Don’t lie," he whispered back, his eyes darkening with desire. "I can read your body." He buried his face into her hair, inhaling her scent. "You want me as much as I want you. Why resist it?"
He rubbed his nose against her neck, sending shudders down her spine. Her body wanted nothing but to give in, but she resisted it.
"No, you are wrong. I don’t want you." Zara squirmed against his hold.
"Uh," Nathaniel groaned, wincing.