Chapter 208: Challenge
Third person POV
Following Lee Hua, Liam walked briefly through the corridors until they reached a balcony with a beautiful view of the sea. Lee Hua admired the view, but did not take out a cigarette, which surprised Liam.
"Weren’t you going to smoke?" he asked in an uncertain tone.
"I don’t have a cigarette with me," Lee Hua replied with a smile that was difficult to decipher.
"Then, why..." Before Liam could finish his question, she took a step forward, getting closer to him. With a playful smile, she commented, "I just wanted to talk to you alone."
Liam blinked, slightly confused. Moments ago, that woman was acting arrogant and impassive. Then, suddenly, she approached him with a cute smile, her eyes shining with excitement. It was difficult to understand the woman’s true intentions.
And Liam found it even harder to understand her when she took a step back and suddenly became more serious again.
"First, can you tell me why you are part of this meeting? What is your relationship with Leo Henry?"
"His younger sister, Vanessa, is my boss." He explained honestly.
"Only that?" She smiled dangerously. "But you don’t seem to like him?"
"Because I don’t like him," once again, Liam gave a direct, short, and honest answer. Since he couldn’t understand what Lee Hua wanted, it was easier to just be honest, but without saying more than was necessary.
"That’s why I would really like you to stand by my side instead of his," Liam asked firmly.
Lee Hua smiled excitedly; she loved family feuds.
"But there’s something I need to ask you," Liam continued. "Why did you give me a fake name the first time we met?"
Upon hearing that, the smile vanished from the woman’s face in an instant. Her piercing gaze bore into Liam.
"It seems you’ve completely misunderstood something," she said with an irritated tone. "My real name is Lee Hua."
Liam blinked in surprise. But if ’Chi Lee’ was a fake name, it meant she had given a false name in such an important negotiation.
From what Vanessa had said, her family was extremely wealthy. Liam doubted this was the kind of negotiation where she could just pull a prank.
"But..."
Lee Hua sighed. "I think you’ve misunderstood something else too." She smiled and puffed out her chest in an exaggeratedly arrogant manner. "That cute little boy and I aren’t even close to being on the same level."
She went on to explain that the negotiation, for her, was just a small matter. In fact, even if the investment fund controlled by Shing Huang went completely bankrupt, it still wouldn’t be a big deal.
That was the magnitude of how important and wealthy Lee Hua was.
"So," she adjusted her posture, looking up at Liam, "what do you say? Want me to take care of that little cutie for you?"
Liam looked at her, slightly concerned. Everything up to that point sounded too good to be true. And he could tell from Lee Hua’s gaze that there was something more behind it.
Still, he wanted to win. He desperately wanted to destroy that bastard who had hurt Vanessa.
Besides, what could Lee Hua possibly ask of him that would be so bad? With that in mind, he responded immediately with confidence.
"And what will you want in return?" His eyes burned with determination. "Whatever it is, I’ll do it."
"Straight to business, what a smart kid..." She smiled, pleased with his attitude.
Still, it was a bit disappointing that Liam was so willing to meet her demands. Negotiations were more fun when they were tough.
What she really wanted to ask of Liam was something no man would refuse anyway.
But what could she ask just to tease him... something he would reject? A playful smile formed on her face as an idea lit up her eyes.
"Are you sure about what you’re saying?" she asked with a provocative tone. "Don’t be so decisive without at least hearing what I’m going to ask first."
"And what do you want?" he replied with the same determination as before.
The girl leaned toward him, then touched his muscular chest with the tip of her index finger.
"I want you," she began, "to break up with those two cute blondes and become my lover. What do you say?"
Immediately, Liam’s expression hardened, and it was clear he wouldn’t accept it.
"I’m not doing that," he replied with impressive firmness.
*Perfect, but I wonder how he’ll react if I push him a little more?* Lee Hua thought.
She couldn’t contain her amusement. So, she took a step forward and whispered in the boy’s ear.
"Are you sure? I can give you a lot of money, you know," she said, lightly nibbling his earlobe. "Not just money, I can give you anything in the world. But this will be your only chance to accept."
"I’m not doing that," Liam stepped closer, pressing the woman against the wall. His powerful gaze pierced through her. "No matter what you offer, I’ll never abandon any of the women I love."
*What an excellent response!* she thought, taking a deep breath to keep her true emotions from showing on her face.
She could see the absolute conviction in his eyes, making it clear that no offer would sway him.
But what about threats?
She couldn’t resist her curiosity, so she decided to provoke the man in front of her.
Lee Hua narrowed her eyes, letting the tip of her tongue slowly glide over her lips, as if savoring the tension hanging in the air.
"Okay, Liam..." she whispered, her voice honeyed but laced with venom. "If you don’t accept my offers... I might need to be a little tougher. Imagine if those precious little blondes were to suffer some unexpected accident... Just know that I have the power to make anything happen."
She spoke in a light tone. But as soon as she finished her sentence, Liam fixed her with such a cold, deadly stare that Lee Hua’s blood froze for an instant.
"If you were going to make that kind of threat," he began, stepping closer, "you should at least have brought along your hulking bodyguard."
Without hesitation, Liam seized the girl by the neck, choking her as he slammed her against the wall.
His gaze showed no hesitation, no trace of doubt, it was the expression of someone who could kill without the slightest flinch if anyone dared lay a hand on his women. And his hands were so large and powerful.
"If you touch her, no matter what happens to me, I’ll find you and kill you."
Hearing that, her heart pounded, beating like a war drum. For the first time, Lee Hua felt truly threatened.
And paradoxically, that only confirmed what she had already suspected: this man was exactly what she had been looking for. Someone who wouldn’t be afraid of her.
Then, suddenly, she laughed. A crystalline, almost childlike laugh that shattered all the tension in the air.
Lee Hua clapped once, as if she had just witnessed a magnificent performance.
"Just kidding, boy, just kidding..." she said, shaking her head with a playful smile. "Don’t take it so seriously. I only wanted to see how far your determination would go."
At those words, Liam let go instinctively, before he actually ended up suffocating her.
Recovering, Lee Hua tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and winked at him.
"Sorry for going too far, okay?" She held out her hand to him. "As an apology, I’ll take care of that guy for you, free of charge. What do you say?"