Chapter 82 Sharp Remark
“She said nothing at all, mate. All she did was put on a mask, look a little hurt and teary–eyed, and <b>that </b>gor you riled up? You were so ready to jump in and defend her like she’s some sort of helpless damsel. <b>Did </b>she get you conditioned? Is she holding a bell somewhere? You’re just going to show up like some kind of trained pup the moment she rings it?”
From the day he was born, Liam had been sheltered and praised. Never once had anyone spoken to him with such biting contempt. For a moment, he simply froze.
The fine lines of his youthful, handsome <b>face </b>shifted through sharp shes of color, pale one second, flushed the next, like an artist’s palette tipped and spilling.
Ronald gave him no time to regain his footing. He sped Tracy’s hand and steered her away.
They had barely covered any ground before Ronald let his voice carry, every word sharp enough to reach Liam. “I’d rather not stay and see what a rabid dog would get up to. Let’s move before it tries to take <b>a </b><b>piece </b>out of you, CeeCee.”
The lingering cloud in Tracy’s chest broke apart with his remark, and she found herself letting out a soft, genuineugh.
At that very moment, Liam’s mind snapped back into focus, and his anger surged hot and fast.
“Don’t you walk away from me!”
He lunged forward, but Ronald had already pulled Tracy into the back seat of a taxi.
Liam stood seething, his fury burning for somewhere to go. With no target but himself, he turned and kicked his luxury car, each thud of leather against metal echoing his frustration.
Erin flinched at his outburst. Tears began streaming freely down her face. “Liam, are you mad at me?
“It’s my fault. If you hadn’t stepped in for me, you never would have gotten in a fight with Tracy. If I had known it would lead to this, I would have just kept my mouth shut and let her pick on me.” Her voice cracked, and she buried her face in her hands.
Liam had indeed been holding onto resentment, but those words stripped it away and left only regret. Erin’s nature was pure and gentle. He could never direct his anger at her.
“Erin, this isn’t about you. I’m furious with Tracy. She’s the one who doesn’t know how good she has it.” “Really?” Erin’s expression loosened and her eyes warmed. “I’m d you’re not upset with me.”
She looped her arm through his with easy familiarity. “Liam, I think Tracy only spoke out of temper. If I talk to her, maybe I can give her a way out, and she won’t stay upset.”
He felt no unease at her closeness, only concern for her well–being.
“You can’t go alone. What if she turns on you?”
Erin gave a fragile little smile. “If it makes you happy, Liam, I can take it.”
<b>1/3 </b>
<b>09:18 </b>Frt 3 Sept
Chapter 82 Sharp Remark
Liam exhaled deeply. “Erin, you’re far too kind. If only Tracy had even half your sense?
Inside the taxi, Ronald nced back just in tinie to see Liam charging forward, only to choke on a puff of exhaust from the departing cab.
Ronaldughed so hard the sound bounced off the ss.
The amusement was catching, and Tracy’s lips curved upward, though she kept herughter to herself
When the moment passed, her voice turned steady. “That man is the Jackman family’s son. The rich family in Cloudville.”
She had long suspected Ronald stayed close to her to hide who he really was. If not, he would never have used her name to open a bank ount.
The Jackmans stood at the very top in Cloudville, and crossing someone like Liam so openly was anything but wise.
Ronald caught her meaning and dismissed it with ease. “Who he is doesn’t matter. What matters is–did that feel good, CeeCee?”
Her fingers tightened slightly where they rested on her knees.
The way he seemed to center her above all else was like the brush of a feather over her heart.
She studied his face for a long, thoughtful moment before the faintest smile touched her lips. Yes.
The dimple deepened in his cheek. “Then tell me, does it still bother you when I call you CeeCee?”
The question gave her
her pause.
Because of Liam and Erin, the name had always carried a bitter edge. Every time Ronald used it, something inside her recoiled.
Since they were hardly close, she had kept quiet about it. Yet she hadn’t expected him to read her so easily.
She wasn’t sure if it was the weeks she had spent hearing it from him or what had happened moments ago, but suddenly the sound of his “CeeCee” no longer stung.
She turned her head and met his gaze fully for the first time.
“Are you this sincere with everyone?”
She couldn’t gauge how much of it was genuine, but what she felt now was real enough.
Ronald tilted his head slightly, his eyes bright and unguarded.
“I am, but not everyone is worth it like you are, CeeCee.”
To most people, he had been a pawn from the moment he was born, one meant to be discarded <b>when </b><b>the </b>game demanded it.
The taxi settled into a quiet lull.
<b>2/3 </b>
Chapter 82 Sharp Remark
Something small but undeniable shifted between them after that
Yet neither spoke of it, and life continued as before.
When Ronald bought himself a phone, the very first thing he did was save his number in Tracy’s contarts and pin it to the top.
She let him.
She was bent over her work, adding thest careful touches to her sketches.
Not wanting to disturb her, Ronald left her in peace and went into the kitchen to cook.