Chapter 10: The little thing that could drive you to an early grave!

Sia Thubron refused him flat-out, and she felt the aura rolling off the man grow heavier. She was Young Mr. Yoxal's wife. People said Young Mr. Yoxal's methods were terrifying. If he ever found out she had gotten involved with another man, she would be dead. Worse, it could drag her grandmother down with her. The thought sank like a stone. Fear darkened Sia's eyes, and it felt as if her heart were being torn apart. "Why?" Liam Hawksford's large hand supported her long leg. The warmth of his palm seeped through the thin fabric, scorching her skin anyway. "B-because… because I already like someone." The butler had warned her to keep her identity secret, so she had no choice but to lie. After she said it, she hoped he would back off. Instead, a sharp, icy glint flickered in Liam's deep-set eyes, like thunderclouds churning before a storm. "You already like someone?" His voice dropped, heavier than before, laced with bone-deep cold. "Mm." Sia nodded. Her clenched palms were slick with sweat. She thought that would make him take the hint and let her go. She had overestimated herself. Liam's temper was nothing she could predict. He lifted her leg higher. His solid body pressed down, and even though they were both properly dressed, his searing heat swept through her, inch by inch, driving straight for her chest. Thump, thump, thump! Her heart hammered wildly. When he closed in, Sia bit her lip to keep from making a sound. Her white teeth sank into her full red mouth, leaving her looking soft and wronged. The more innocent she looked, the more it tempted someone to do something unforgivable. "You've got someone you like, and you still went out looking for another man." Liam's handsome face drew close, the edge of his thin lips curled in mockery. "Looks like he can't satisfy you." Satisfy… Like hell. Nothing about this felt good. It hurt like crazy. She didn't want it. "No." Sia's stance stayed firm. He was handsome enough to make people scream, but she still didn't want him. She shook her head. Her slightly baby-fat cheeks puffed as she frowned and pouted, stubborn to the core. Her resistance only made Liam more displeased. The faint curve of his mouth flattened into a hard line. Suppressed anger burned in his black eyes, as if he meant to reduce her to ash. In front of him, Sia was like a fawn on the butcher's block. "Don't want what?" he murmured, wickedly. "Don't want me to stop? Or don't want it here, hmm?" The words were shameless enough to make her head spin. As he spoke, the crisp scent of cedar on him grew stronger. His warm breath brushed across Sia's already burning face, leaving her tingling and itchy all over. If her head hadn't been injured, she would have smashed it into him. How could he say something so brazen? Her face reddened, her body heating up. Liam's arm tightened around her waist, lifting her and pulling her closer until she was pressed against him. His gaze lowered to her lips. They were full and red, and she was biting her lower lip as if she were wronged, yet it only made her look heartbreakingly seductive. Liam's throat tightened. He decided he was done holding back and leaned in to kiss her. Sia went on high alert. Her eyes widened. Even if she died, she refused to be bullied by him in broad daylight in a place this exposed! As he came in, she lifted her small hands and cupped his face. Her soft palms against his cheeks made Liam pause. He raised his eyes to her. Sia gave him a sweet smile, three parts pure and seven parts captivating, obedient to an almost unbelievable degree. Liam froze. Then the little thing parted her lips slightly, her tempting red mouth drifting toward him as if she were going to kiss him first. Who could withstand that kind of initiative? But Sia's expression changed in the blink of an eye. Screw this. I'll bite you to death, you pervert! She suddenly opened wide. "Ah!" She snapped down hard. She was too short. Even on tiptoe, she barely reached his jawline. Her white teeth clamped into his cheek. A sharp, piercing pain shot through him. Sia bit down with everything she had. She would rather get fired than become this dangerous man's plaything. "Hiss…" Liam sucked in a breath, his grip loosening. Sia seized the moment and shoved his tall body away with all her strength. Her petite figure bolted to the side like she had seen a ghost. She moved too fast. Focused only on escaping, she accidentally knocked over a blue-and-white porcelain piece displayed beside the rosewood table. Clang! The crisp sound scared Sia out of her wits. Liam covered his bitten cheek. There was saliva on his face, and a clear set of teeth marks. This little lunatic. His gaze dropped to the shattered celadon vase on the floor. "Sia Thubron!" Liam's voice sounded like he was grinding his teeth. "This isn't something five million can fix anymore!" Sia ducked behind the sofa, wrapping her arms around herself. Her watery eyes were full of wariness. She glanced at the broken porcelain, then at Liam's face. "I-it's just a display vase. I'll pay you back." She lifted her chin stubbornly. "I've seen this kind of vase at the market. It's only… like, twenty bucks." Twenty bucks! Liam laughed in disbelief. His cheek hurt too much to keep it up, and the smile vanished. "The Golden Prosperous Sovereign Age Famille Rose Pierced Revolving Vase. Market value: over a hundred million. And you're telling me twenty bucks? You bumpkin!" And it wasn't just any piece. It was one of Liam's favorite collectibles. Sia's eyes nearly popped out of her head at the number. A random decoration was worth over a hundred million? That was daylight robbery! She snatched her hand off the sofa as if even touching it once more would make him jack up the price. "T-this… how is that possible? Isn't it just a vase? If it's really that expensive, why didn't you lock it up? Leaving it out here is basically inviting thieves!" "…" Liam pressed a hand to his forehead. His breathing turned heavy. He was clearly furious. Sia wanted to run, but this was his company. Even if she fled, she wouldn't get far. Besides, she still needed him to stamp her internship certificate. And after smashing something that expensive and biting him on top of it… God. Sia Thubron, you really had the worst luck in eight lifetimes. "I'll buy you another one to replace it. As for that five, five million, that was your price. What I was going to give you was five hundred bucks! So we're going by my price. I'll even give you another hundred as hush money. I'm broke. I don't have cash. I'll pay you when I get my salary. And anyway, I didn't sign a contract. Plus, I'm the employer. What I say goes! You can't just name any number you want!" Sia wasn't stupid, but she had to play dumb. A hundred million plus five million? Selling her wouldn't cover it. She couldn't pay. If the Yoxal family found out, she wouldn't just be finished. Her grandmother would suffer too. Liam had never seen bargaining like this in his life. He was so stunned by it that he couldn't even get a word out through his anger.