"Sit down Amelie!" He ordered once more, but the effects of his charm had worn off. I wasn't listening anymore, neither did I plan to obey him. In a minute, I was outside the café waving down a the nearest taxi.
He didn't chase after me, not like I expected him to anyways. He was probably too busy admiring himself to care that I just walked out on him without any care for his threat. Would he do everything humanly possible to ruin my life? The answer was yes. Would I survive for twelve months and watch him go bankrupt? Absolutely.
For three years I have lived off the support of my family and friends. And have survived without Liam. It was embarrassing for a grown woman like myself to depend on her parents for funds and all that. But for the sake of ruining Liam Hardwood, I would gladly embrace the shame without a second thought.
A taxi stopped just before Liam could make his exit from.the café. I knew that if he had managed to catch up to us, he probably would have paid off the cab driver, and kidnap me once more. However, luck was on my side today.
*
*
I opened the door of my apartment, and the moment I stepped in, I locked it up. If he could locate my workplace even with my identity change and all, it was safe to assume that Liam knew exactly where I lived.
Throwing my shoes and work clothes aside, I collapsed down to the king-size bed in my room. It was barely past noon, but this already the most exhausting day of my life. As I laid back on my bed, I seriously wondered if I had what it takes to carry on. I began to visualise my future being broke and dependent on my parents. We didn't have much, and with my brother still in college, fending for themselves and two adults would be especially hard for my parents.
I cursed at Liam for making me resort to this decision. Not only has he made living life a burden, now he was also trying to make me a burden to the lives of others.
He was like a parasite, feeding off the misery of others to keep himself fresh and well. With no regards for the wellbeing of those he fed on. At this point I was tired of him and all his games. I might not be as cold and ruthless as he was, but I wasn't going to let him win in every battle. Not anymore.
I probably should call Colin and tell him to brace himself for what was coming next. Knowing Liam, he would've probably fired everybody the moment I walked out on him. And without a doubt, he was going to find a way to pin everything down on me. And make me feel bad about myself.
But I was ready for the worst. Whatever game he was willing to play, I was willing to play too.
The vibration from my phone snapped me out of my plotting schemes, and I picked it up to see a call from Colin. Just the man I was about to call.
"Amelie where are you?" Was the first question he asked. He sounded frantic, or perhaps excited. I couldn't tell from just his voice.
"What's going on?" I returned now curious of what was going on.
"Guess what?" Again with the guessing. I didn't need to guess, I could already tell Liam had them all fired or demoted whatever.
"We all got fired?" I answered with little confidence, not to give myself away.
"What?! No!" He sounded as though he was rebuking my words, and it got me even more curious. Just what on earth has Liam done this time.
"Tell me what's going on?" I demanded.
"Liam Hardwood is our new boss." My curiosity levels dropped down to the negative scale, and I felt like slapping Colin through the phone. I guess for someone like him, having Liam as his boss was a big deal. But for me who already knew the monster hidden behind those alluring muscles, powerful thighs and enchanting eyes. It was a nightmare.
Also, did he just refer to Liam as our boss?
"You mean he didn't fire everybody?" I asked for clarification. Surely this was a prank, orchestrated to bring me back to the office. To work under him, and have him control me even if wasn't in the manner I desired.
"What's with you and getting fired today? Is everything alright with you?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine." I assured. "Have a good day."
Now I was confused, why would he do the exact opposite of what he told me. Could it be possible that Liam has changed, or was there an ulterior motive to this sudden change of heart.
"You're worrying too much." I said to myself. I should be glad things were actually working in my favour. I shouldn't be worried about the blackmail. If he was going to leave everybody employed, then there was no reason for me to be worried.
I had probably concluded way too fast, because in the next second I received a text message from an unknown number.
Shakily, I grabbed my phone and opened the text body to find the picture of a lady I could barely recognise. It said nothing else, just an image. It was weird, but I didn't waste much time thinking about it. Instead I focused on getting the thoughts of Liam out of my head. But I was distracted again. This time, by a knock on the door.
It's not Liam,is it? I wondered as I approached the door. Luckily it wasn't that monster, it was the landlord, and he came bearing news.
"Is anything the matter Mr Peterson?" I asked with a casual tone.
"There's a slight problem, but I'm sure you'll be fine." He sounded confident about my safety, almost too confident.
"What could the problem be?" I asked.
"This house has been sold."