After boarding the bus, Emma noticed Liam suddenly leaning toward her. His breath was so close it felt like he might merge with her at any moment.
"What are you doing?"
Emma's eyes widened. She thought Liam was about to do something to her right there in the vehicle. Her entire body tensed up, and even her breathing became uneven.
Liam's slender arm reached around her, but he only grabbed the seatbelt behind her and fastened it. Then he sat back in his original position, looking at her with an amused smirk.
"I just noticed you forgot to buckle up, so I did it for you. What, what did you think I was going to do to you?"
Seeing Emma's cheeks flush red, looking charming and adorable, he couldn't resist teasing her.
"What are you talking about? Who asked you to do that? It's you who's always up to no good. What were you planning to do to me?"
"I never deny what I want to do to you. On the contrary, you're the one who's always inconsistent. That's not cute at all."
"You—"
Emma was left speechless. She turned her head away in anger, refusing to argue with someone as unreasonable as him. It was pointless.
Watching her like this made Liam's heart itch. He wished he could really pin her down right there in the car. Unfortunately, Emma would resist fiercely, and that would make him look like a bully.
Fortunately, he still had time. One day, she would truly be his woman.
The next day, Emma watched helplessly as Amelia fluttered around Liam like a magpie, chattering happily about Benjamin. Emma thought this was supposed to be a staff party for Liam's company. What did Benjamin have to do with any of this?
And then there was Benjamin himself. Wasn't he always busy taking care of things at Las Vegas Entertainment City lately, coming home very late? Why did he suddenly have three days off to join them for an autumn outing?
Something wasn't right. Something definitely wasn't right.
She just hoped the outing would go smoothly and nothing would happen.
Liam owned two villas on the mountain—one for the staff and one for themselves. This made Emma realize once again how nice it was to be rich.
"Sister-in-law, we're having a barbecue outside this afternoon. Would you like to join? But I think you look pretty tired after the long ride. You'd better rest in your room."
Emma was unpacking when Amelia knocked on the door. Without waiting for permission, she walked in and asked with a look of concern.
Emma could hear the hint in Amelia's words. But the more Amelia didn't want her to go to the barbecue, the more determined she was to go.
"I'm in great shape. You can't judge by my complexion. Amelia, thank you for your concern, but your sister-in-law and I have a wonderful body."
The smile on Emma's face was so forced it was almost painful. She left her room with a few words and a smile.
"Amelia, what's wrong with you?"
Benjamin, who was with Liam in the villa's kitchen looking for barbecue utensils, happened to see Amelia come down the stairs looking unhappy.
When Amelia heard his words, she quickly put on a very aggrieved expression.
"Nothing. I just came out of my sister-in-law's room."
"Then why are you so unhappy?"
Although Liam didn't ask anything, Benjamin never let Amelia down. She knew Benjamin would take the bait.
"My sister-in-law didn't look very well just now, so I was just concerned. But she looked at me very unhappily and said I didn't want her to go to the barbecue. Brother, I remember Dr. Moore said she should have a light diet. She misunderstood me. I really don't know what to do."
Amelia looked like she was about to cry.
"What? Sister-in-law. Amelia, you don't need to pay attention to her. Since she doesn't appreciate your kindness, you don't need to care about her."
If it weren't for Liam, his words would have been even harsher.
Liam didn't believe Emma would say that to Amelia, but he wasn't there after all. Besides, this kind of thing was trivial to him. There was no need to investigate. He ignored it and went to the kitchen to get the utensils.
When Amelia saw that her brother wasn't moved, she was furious. But Benjamin's care and comfort meant nothing to her.
When Emma finished unpacking and came downstairs, she saw Benjamin glaring at her angrily. She thought, I didn't offend him. Why is he looking at me like that? It's as if I've done something terrible to him.
"Why are you looking at me like that? What did I do?"
"Don't you know what you've done?"
Benjamin left this cold remark and walked out of the villa, taking Amelia with him. Emma was completely confused.
"Liam, what's wrong with your brother? Who provoked him to take it out on me?"
Emma saw Liam coming out of the kitchen and asked suspiciously.
"Nothing. By the way, Amelia might be a little mean sometimes, but her intentions aren't that bad. You shouldn't overthink things."
At that moment, Emma was even more confused. Although Liam's tone was very gentle when he said this to her, why did she feel so angry?
What exactly was she supposed to be overthinking? What did Amelia say to the two brothers to make them misunderstand her like this?
But she didn't know how to bring it up. This kind of quarrel was neither big nor small. If she kept pressing, Liam might think she was petty.
Forget it. She wasn't going to pursue it.
Anyway, it wasn't a big deal. But she had lost all interest in talking to Liam. Besides, Liam had told her not to eat this or that at the barbecue.
If there weren't so many company employees around, she would have left on the spot. But she was still Liam's wife in name. As a wife, she had to save face for her husband in front of outsiders.
Liam was still the boss, so she couldn't throw a tantrum like she did at home. She held it in so hard she felt like she was getting an ulcer.
Finally, after eating a skewer of roasted garlic sprouts, she decided to take a walk in the woods to clear her head.
"Are you going to the woods, sister-in-law? I've just eaten a lot too, and I was thinking of taking a look. Let's go together."