Chapter 7 Take a Close Look
A few momentster, Amber received a text message that had Liam''s office address written in it.
Liam''s office was in the heart of the CBD, where every inch of thend is worth the price of gold.
The gleaming curtain walls shone with elegance as natural light reflected on them. Men and women
who entered or exited the building were all dressed modernly and fashionably, looking sleek and
confident.
Feeling a tad embarrassed, Amber lightly tugged at her clothing in hopes that she''d make the old and
washed-out jacket appear a little more decent.
She never felt out of ce at school; but as she came to such a fancy location, she became acutely
aware of how miserable and shabby she was.
"May I know who you are looking for?" ady at the reception counter stopped Amber in her tracks.
"Hi, I''m looking for Liam Croft," replied Amber with a friendly smile.
The receptionist started scrutinizing Amber from her head to toe when she heard the name of the
person she was hoping to find. Her judgmental eyes skimmed from her old jacket to her worn-out
leather shoes. Eventually, the receptionist who had delicate makeup on said with an unfathomable
expression on her face, "Why are you looking for Mr. Croft? Do you have an appointment?"
Amber was rendered speechless.
"What could I want from Liam?
I''m here to sign a contract with him so I could pose as his fiancée and coborate with him on a public
rtions stunt!" Amber thought to herself.
Seeing Amber stammering, the receptionist smiled contemptuously and went on to examine her
makeup with a mirror on the counter. Then she purposefully made a loud deration: "Oh my, liars
can''t lie nowadays. I guess anyone without talents or skills could easily be one!"
Amber was dumbfounded. "What! What did she say?"
She had never encountered such a humiliating situation before. Upon hearing the insult, she was
enraged and her cheeks turned a bright red
.
An idea popped up on Amber''s mind: I guess I could only behave more condescendingly in the face of
such a conceited individual!
She took action by straightening her back and spoke authoritatively, "Lady, lift your head and take a
close look! I''m Liam''s fiancée! I''m here to talk to him about our engagement party tomorrow!"
At once, the receptionist''s eyes widened in fright, and her mirror fell from her shaky grasp.
"You''re telling me that this shabby-looking young girl is the same person as the girl in the news? The
skimpily dressed Amber who has an amazing figure?" the receptionist couldn''t believe her eyes.
"Oh, dear! She looks so different in real life! Indeed, she looks simr to thedy on the news and is
N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.
pretty attractive, but how did she manage to capture the CEO''s attention with such a scruffy outfit?"
In a daze, the
receptionist was still at loss for words. "For someone like her to be the CEO''s mistress: it was
unbelievable!
Amber held her head up high, appreciating the receptionist''s shocked expression. "So, can I go in
now?"
As the words left her mouth, sheposed her posture, strode swiftly and confidently towards the
elevator without sparing the receptionist another look.
The receptionist''s gaze was fixated on Amber''s figure as her fingertips danced on the screen of her cell
phone. She was typing on it furiously, eager to spread the breaking news to thepany''s gossiping
group chat: [Guys! Mr. Liam''s mistress has arrived! She''s about to enter the lift now!]
Suddenly, the gossip group erupted in a frenzy as the messages flooded in. [Is she going to meet Mr.
Croft? I''ll fetch him some coffeeter!]
[I''ll get Mr. Croft to sign the budget sheet!]
[As for me, I''ll get confirmation from Mr. Croft on the location of thepany''s overseas trip!]
*
Liam was on the phone when Amber was ushered into his office by his secretary.
An unexinable look shed in his eyes when he spotted Amber. He motioned for his secretary to
leave the office and shut the door.
Amber waited by the entrance as she watched him talking into his cell phone
. "There is no going back now. It''s merely a title, don''t worry about it. I''ll divorce her in six months, that I
can assure you," he was speaking very gently and affectionately
to whoever was on the other side of the phone.
Amber was surprised to see no warmth in Liam''s eyes when he turned around to face her.
"Was that his fiancée, Mia, on the other end? Why didn''t he avoid me when making such a personal
phone call? What was the point of doing that? Was it simply to berate me? Or was it because he didn''t
give a damn about Mia?" Amber was confused, and at the same time, her impression of Liam
had gotten worse.
He was fake, apathetic, and scheming.
The phone call had finallye to an end. "Miss Amber, have a look at this first. If you have no
objections, we will sign the contract immediately," said Liam as he handed over to Amber a piece of
document.
Amber had just started scanning a few pages of the contract when the secretary arrived with coffee. A
few minutester, the finance officer came in to submit the financial statement...
There was another knock on the door just as the finance officer left the room. "From now on until the
end of the day, no one is allowed toe to my office for any reason. If anyone is seen hanging
around my office, they will all be fired," Liam said to his assistant over the inte.
Secretly making an ugly face, Amber mumbled sarcastically, "Wow! What a powerful CEO!"
One of the conditions of the contract was as follows: The two must act like a loving couple whenever
they are out in public. Respectful physical contact such as holding hands, embracing, and kissing on
the cheek may take ce.
Amber knitted her brows as she pointed to the particr line. "This provision was not included in our
verbal agreement earlier on, Mr. Croft. I''m not agreeing to this condition."
Liam nced at her. "These requests are only to appease the public. Don''t worry, I''m not going to do
anything to you."
Amber shook her head stubbornly. "No. I''m not an actress who could portray Mrs. Croft to perfection."
"Are you sure?" Liam shifted his gaze towards the window, admiring the outdoor view. "I think you
yed the character of my fiancée quite well just now at the reception counter!"
Amber was dumbfounded, her face gradually turning crimson.
"I sympathize with your staff, Liam Croft! They are always under your watch!"
"Of course. This is a working space. Surveince cameras aren''t prohibited," said Liam boldly. He went
over to her side and looked her in the eyes sincerely. "I''ve already scheduled an appointment with
Abby''s surgeon. We can put Abby on a flight tomorrow if you sign the contract now."
“Abby”, he pronounced her name so lovingly, as if she were his biological sister.
Amber''s heart pounded violently as she peered at his icy and deep-set eyes, leaving her strengthless.
Her entire body slumped in exhaustion as she stepped out of Liam''s office, as though she had just
survived a war that expended all of her energy.
Realizing the weather change, Amber cursed under her breath, "Damn! It is pouring outside!"
She firmly clutched her arms against her torso, shivering slightly as the chilly wind battered her with
rain.
At that moment, Liam''s cold voice sounded from behind her, "Didn''t you bring an umbre? Let me give
you a ride then."
"No, thanks. I''ll just ride a bus," Amber turned him down without hesitation.
Liam turned around and went away without more ado.
Amber waited for a bit, but the rain didn''t seem to be letting up. Just when she was ready to dash into
the rain, a ck sedan abruptly came to a halt in front of her.
"Get in," said Liam with an expressionless face as the passenger door opened.