After finishing breakfast, Henry Williams was still doing his morning exercises in the garden.
Emma Johnson was about to go upstairs to grab her bag and phone when, unexpectedly, a young maid from the household handed her belongings to her.
"Oh, thank you. What's your name?" Emma asked out of habit. Whenever someone helped her, no matter how big or small the favor, she always made a point to say thank you.
"Madam, my name is Charlotte. You can call me Charlotte."
"Alright, Charlotte. Thank you." Emma replied with a warm smile.
Liam Williams noticed the girl was sharp and her name was pleasant. He said coolly, "Charlotte, from now on, you'll be in charge of the young lady's daily needs. Let others handle the rest. Just make sure you serve her well, understand?"
"Yes, sir." Charlotte looked up at Emma with a smile, then bowed respectfully.
...
The black Range Rover glided smoothly along the road into the city.
A few days ago, because he'd been staying at Emma's place often, Liam had driven himself. Now that they were back at the Williams estate, a private chauffeur handled the driving.
Liam and Emma sat in the back. Suddenly, Emma remembered the agreement she'd made with Elijah last night.
She stole a glance at Liam. He seemed to be in a decent mood right now. If she brought it up now, she probably wouldn't piss him off.
"Um, Liam, I might be home late today. You don't mind, do you?"
"What are you planning to do?" The moment Liam heard this, his tone turned noticeably colder.
"I have a friend I haven't seen in a long time. I want to have dinner with him tonight." Emma spoke slowly and deliberately, terrified that one wrong word would set the man off.
"Then I'll come with you. After all, your friends will be my friends from now on."
Emma was speechless.
Was he kidding?
She still remembered the first time Liam saw Elijah. He'd acted like a furious lion whose territory had been invaded by another beast!
Would he ever be friends with Elijah?
Only if the sun rose in the west!
"Liam, even though we're married, we should still have our own space and circle of friends, right? I mean, I don't interfere with who you go out with or what you do. So why do you have a problem with me just having dinner with a friend?" Emma's voice rose a few notches. She was defending her most basic rights.
So what if they were married?
Did marriage mean she couldn't meet friends of the opposite sex?
Did it mean she had no freedom at all?
No wonder people said marriage was the grave of love. Hmph.
Seeing that he still hadn't agreed, Emma pouted angrily and turned her face away from Liam.
"Be home before eight. If you're late, you'll deal with the consequences." Suddenly, a voice colder than ice cut through the air.
Emma didn't notice the chill in Liam's voice. All she heard was the meaning behind his words.
Liam Williams, that proud and arrogant man, had actually agreed. So why was he still wearing that poker face?
A smile immediately bloomed on Emma's face, complete with dimples. "Yes, dear husband."
Did she have to look that happy?
Couldn't she see the jealousy burning in his eyes?
Liam frowned slightly, staring at Emma without saying another word.
Matthew, the driver, felt the atmosphere in the car growing tense, so he put on some cheerful music.
Emma immediately laughed. "This song was my favorite back in school! Do you like it, Liam?"
She started bobbing her head and singing along.
Liam shot her a glare, then looked up at the driver. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he stayed silent.
"By the way, driver, what should I call you? There are so many servants at home, I'm afraid I won't remember all their names." Emma leaned forward, looking at the driver.
"Madam, just call me Matthew." The driver replied shyly.
"Oh, alright. I'll call you Uncle Matthew from now on. Thank you for your hard work."
"It's no trouble..." Matthew wanted to say more, but seeing Liam sitting behind him, he hesitated and stopped.
It seemed that if he said even one more word to the young lady, Liam's face would darken even further.
When they dropped Emma off downstairs at the New York Fashion Magazine building, she glanced at the frosty-faced Liam. She wanted to say goodbye to him, but he wasn't even looking at her! So she just stuck out her tongue, waved goodbye to the driver, and said, "Uncle Matthew, drive safe. Goodbye."
Matthew was speechless.
Madam, don't you see the young master?
Really, there's no need to say goodbye to a chauffeur, is there?
Liam frowned, refusing to look at Emma. He said coldly, "Drive."
Matthew's heart trembled at the sound of his voice.
He started the car and turned off the music.
From the New York Fashion Magazine building to Pinnacle Corporation, Matthew felt a chill at the back of his neck, as if an entire century had passed.
Liam rubbed his temples and finally spoke. "Matthew, how long have you worked for our family?"
Matthew's heart skipped a beat. He grew nervous. After a few seconds of hesitation, he said slowly, "If I recall correctly, sir, it's been almost fifteen years."
"I see. If you want to keep your job, drive seriously from now on and don't talk too much." Liam's faint voice was laced with threat.
Matthew couldn't help but fall silent.
Young master, are you really jealous?
Of an old man like him?
Just because the young lady asked him a few questions, and he, as a servant, couldn't help but answer?
"I understand, sir. I'll be more careful from now on." Who could understand the pain in Matthew's heart?
To have such a cheerful mistress and such a sullen, proud master.
...
Top floor of Pinnacle Corporation.
Liam sat in his chair. A mountain of documents lay on his desk, but he had no desire to deal with them.
He kept thinking about Emma meeting Elijah tonight.
His entire being inexplicably grew restless.
Although Christopher Martin was standing right in front of him, he didn't dare say a single word more.
Recently, the young master's temper had been unpredictable. Christopher had no idea what was going on. This morning, as soon as Liam walked into the office, he was gloomy and hadn't said a word.
Christopher had no clue who had provoked him.
Outside the office stood a group of people, all waiting for his signature.
Only with Liam Williams's signature could their work proceed.
The most urgent matter was that the entire design department and the fashion department were waiting for Liam to sign off on the plan for the Milan Fashion House new product launch so they could start working.
Now, time was running out, but Liam was being stubborn. Even Christopher, who could usually get a few words in, was helpless.
"Christopher..." Liam finally called out his name.
"Yes, sir." Christopher felt a sudden surge of joy, as if he'd been granted a reprieve.