Sunday, early in the afternoon.

Liam had been unable to meet up with Zaria, so he had no choice but to meet Samantha as they had agreed earlier.

The woman had sent him the restaurant location that the Fort Family frequented, so he made his way over. However, he never would have expected that he would be searched using a camera detector as soon as he arrived. He held back his disgust. Did she think he was so childish as to carry a camera to his meeting with her?

If it wasn't for the sake of Desmond, he would have turned on his heel and walked right out.

"Mr. Preston, this way please." An attendant led him to the sixth floor, to a VVIP room exclusive to the Fort Family.

Inside the room was a beautiful woman sitting elegantly on the couch, wearing a fiery red deep V dress with a long slit at the side. Her blue eyes lit up radiantly when he walked in. "You came."

He took a seat opposite her. "Why not?"

"I thought you would stand me up." Her red lips parted into a smile as she crossed her legs at the knees.

He ignored her little provocative actions. "Sam, let's cut the chase. You know what I want to talk to you about."

"Do I?" She shifted her weight onto her left hip, her shoulders twisting as if she was trying to give him a clearer view of her upper body.

"It's about Jaime. I want to know who his accomplice is." He went straight to the point without sparing her an ounce of attention.

"I don't know." She shrugged.

"Yes, you do. You were there that night." He narrowed his gaze insistently.

In response, she let out a soft chuckle. "Liam, you already know that I won't tell you anything about him."

"Why did you do it? Is it because you hate Alyssa, or are you under a threat?" He didn't want to believe that she would testify against her mother for no good reason. Something shifted in her eyes, and he knew that he was right.

"You can make it right, Sam. Do you want to keep living in guilt?"

"Guilt?" The woman burst into laughter. "Are you trying to make me laugh?"

His eyebrows furrowed. How could he forget? She was such a heartless woman. As if she had a conscience.

He was slightly irritated. "Whether you have been living in guilt or not, you have forced an innocent person into prison. Why don't you tell the truth at the very least?"

"And go to jail myself? Do you think I'm stupid?" She scoffed.

He held back the urge to bang the table and clenched his fists under the large table. "If you were forced to do it, you are a victim too. We can file a complaint against Jaime."

"Forget it." She sprung her shoulders.

He nodded slowly and prepared to leave. He knew from the start that it would be a lost cause. Even so, he had decided to try because Desmond asked him to. Seeing that he was about to give up, she smiled as she looked at him. "Actually, I can tell you a little."

"It's not that simple." If she did not extort him, she was not Samantha Fort.

"No, it's not. I'm glad you're not naive." Her fake smile made the hair behind his neck rise. What was she up to this time?

"What do you want in return?" He asked, even while knowing that it was going to be something he was unable to give her. If this woman wanted to help him, she would have done so without needing this meaningless negotiation. She was Alyssa's daughter, after all.

To his question, she looked shocked. "I can't believe you're asking me that when you know what I want."

Rolling her eyes, she planted her hands onto the table and used them to support her chin while leaning over towards him. "Be my husband, and I'll tell you everything you want to know."

As if she had not just said something outrageous, she continued, "Not only will I give all the information I have to the police, but I will also do what you want. This includes…" She lowered her voice as though whispering a secret. "Testifying against Jaime."

His brows knitted. "Never."

"Why? What's so bad about me?" She snapped at the rejection.

"Samantha, it's impossible between us." He stood up to leave. If this was the only way he could get her to reveal Jaime's accomplice, he would rather leave everything to Desmond.

"Why? You loved me so much before. You still love me!" She stood up angrily.

Liam was almost unable to hold back his anger. After what she did, she expected him to continue loving her? Did she think he was a fool?!

"Not anymore." He said through gritted teeth.

"Is it because of some other woman?" She asked with a tone full of ridicule as if she was sure that there was no way Liam would love anyone but her.

He frowned and turned to leave. "Yes"

"Who is it? In what way is she better than me?" Her voice raised uncontrollably. He ignored her and strode towards the door.

"Is it Natalie?"

He stopped in his tracks.

As if she had discovered a huge secret, she laughed out loud. "Ha? You fell in love with your best friend's fiancée...Liam, are you insane?"

The man shook his head. What kind of woman did he fall for in the past? Was he blind?

He left the room and gave Desmond a call as soon as he found a vacant corner.

"I can't believe you still try to find excuses to justify her actions." Desmond laughed when he was done explaining what had unfolded.

Liam slapped his forehead. "Just shut up. I thought she was manipulated. I still think so, okay? I mean, no matter how evil she is, it's hard to believe that one would testify against her mother for no apparent reason." He was going insane just thinking about it. "The point is, I didn't manage to get anything that makes sense out of her mouth. However, this proves one thing, she knows the truth."

He was on the verge of cursing from the difficulty of this task. Did Desmond have a grudge against him?

On the other end, Desmond listened to Liam's rambling as he stared out through the window.

From his tone, Liam didn't seem to be in a good relationship with Samantha? Then, what was the meaning of those few instances when he made it seem like he was in love with her?

"That stupid bitch." He cursed when Liam was finished explaining. A life depended on this!

When he hung up, his smile faded off his handsome lips.

Oh, Samantha… I tried to offer you a peaceful approach, but you preferred violence. Don't blame me for not being polite then.

He averted his gaze and went to take a shower. Zaria arrived just as he left the bathroom. He gazed at her gently. She looked as beautiful as ever, wearing a burgundy a-line dress.

"Good afternoon, sir." Her voice was low when she greeted him.

Zaria tried her best to look at everything but her boss. Having just taken a shower, he had nothing but a white towel loosely draped around his waist. It looked like it would drop if he made a careless step. It wasn't the first time she saw his sexy body, but when she unexpectedly saw his firm abs, she was still impressed.

His lips curved into a smile when he noticed her gaze. He pointed at a console table. "Place the files there and wait for me."

She nodded and took a seat to wait. He was back in a few minutes, clad in casual clothes.

He grabbed a key and waved at her. "Let's go."

"Huh?" She was confused.

"Weren't you planning to go shopping?" When she finally understood his implication and nodded, he asked, "What were you going to shop for?"

She jolted back to normal. "My dad's present. It's his birthday soon."

"Let's get something together. I can give you a few opinions."

"Uh... No thanks." With his horrible taste? What the hell was he capable of choosing?

As if understanding her thoughts, he turned gloomy. "Are you saying that my taste is bad?"

She realized that she had been too obvious and shook her head vehemently. "No, of course not! You are the most fashionable man in the whole of Europe, so obviously, your taste is excellent."

"Then let's go." He happily led the way.

Zaria was speechless.