The last thing Ximena expected was for Liam to make a scene upon his arrival at her company—even though she had expected him to come. She feigned ignorance but the annoyance on her face was real. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He glared right at her and wanted nothing more than to rip her into pieces. "Rumor has it that I'm planning to undergo a transgender surgery and become a woman."

She crossed her arms with her eyes wide as though realization had just hit her. "Oh, that would be awesome." She inched closer to offer in a whisper, "Would you like a bra or two? I'm sure I have some that I haven't worn yet. Wait. I'm assuming you are going to have your boobs created… or whatever they do to make men have boobs. If you do, have them in my size so I can give you some of my new bras and you won't have to buy them on your own."

Was she seriously talking about bras and boobs with a man who wanted to strangle her? She had some nerve—but he had to admit that her boobs were just the right size. Neither too big nor too small, just perfect. To be looked at and touched, alright! Not to be duplicated onto his chest.

She made matters worse by adding, "Maybe I should give you some tampons too, in case you are scared of buying them on your own."

"Ximena!" He roared.

She shrank back in feigned fear. "Don't be mad, Mr. Preston. No, it should be Miss Preston."

"I know you have something to do with this." His eyebrows knitted. This woman was driving him crazy in anger. Heaven knew how many media agencies had contacted him since the rumors started, wanting to interview him. They wanted to know why he had made such a shocking decision and their speculations were even more infuriating.

Some of them even guessed that he was in love with a lesbian so he wanted to do it so she would accept him. It was crazy, and it had everything to do with her spinning the tales behind the scenes.

She was guilty but she pretended as if she had just heard the most ridiculous thing. "Please, what would I gain from that?"

"Making a fool out of me." He closed in on her so she was leaning against her desk and he was right in her face. She better not think of escaping this.

She didn't seem to be in the slightest bit fazed. "I don't know about that, but Mr-or-Miss Preston, rumor has it that the rejection from all my potential partners is not a coincidence. Do you have something to do with it?"

He finally understood and pulled away in shock. "You think I did something to stop them? Are you crazy?"

"Maybe." Her expression turned serious. "Whatever it is you told them, retract it."

"I told them nothing, okay?" He glared at her for thinking he could do something so stupid and meaningless. Was this why she started the rumors? To get back at him?

He thought she was going to relent but instead, she had an evil smile as she unbuttoned her shirt.

"What are you doing?" He was shocked stiff. "Look, you don't need to do this for me to retract my words. I…"

He was still speaking when his hands were planted onto the edges of her shirt. She looked horrified all of a sudden which shocked him. He let go of her shirt while trying not to look down. "Fix your clothes."

She buttoned up her shirt and took out her phone to check something, which made her smile. "Ah, that was fast. I didn't think the pictures would be sent to my phone so fast." She grinned and closed in on him before he could storm out, grabbing his arm. "Liam Preston, retract the lies you told them."

"I know you did it. I'm certain if you didn't lie to them at my expense, they would not reject me for no specified reason. At least not all of them."

She flashed a smile. "If you don't…"

"You will scream and accuse me of attempted rape?" He chuckled at her naivety. Did she think such a lousy trick would threaten him?

"Oh no. Why would I do that?" She pretended to be shocked, then waved her phone in his face to show the picture she had chosen.

"The next rumor will be about you trying to sexually abuse a woman for revenge. Try me."

The content on her screen horrified him. There was a picture that was probably from a camera she had hidden beforehand. What a scheming woman. In the picture, his hand was holding the unbuttoned part of her shirt apart and she looked horrified.

He knew that she had placed his hands there and the expression was fake but it looked incriminating.

"You are crazy. You are fucking mad!" He raged.

"And you're not? Do you have any idea how hard I've worked? Just because you have some lousy money and status, congratulations to you, you messed it all up!" She yelled right back at him. "I've been staying up for nights just to get back on my feet."

"Calm down, will you?" He grabbed her hand and tried to pry the phone from her, which she was quick to keep away.

"I'm freaking calm, okay!" She glared at him.

She was crazy, arguing with her might just make him earn a record. "Okay… look. I really didn't do anything to mess you up. I promise."

"So you're saying that all those partners looked at my company information and decided that it would be a losing deal." She found his explanation comical.

"No, they didn't. And it's not. I think it has a high potential for profit." He spoke in one breath. "What I'm saying is, the person who did that is not me. I may mess with a person for ages but I would never touch their company.

If you want, I can help you investigate."

"I'm not offering you help. I just want to clear my name. " He added.

She was silent for a while then she sighed. "No need. I know who did it." It was definitely her parents. That pair of monsters.

Liam was relieved when she figured out who her real enemy was. "So, it's really not my fault. Can you delete those rumors you created to get back at me for something I didn't do?"

"I was enjoying the show but whatever. I will delete them later." She shrugged, making him sigh in relief yet again.

"Good. Can you also delete the pictures you took just now? I don't want my reputation tarnished for something I have never had any intention of doing."

She looked like she was about to delete them, only to cackle. "Why would I do that? They are rare blackmail material."

"You…" A vein almost popped on his forehead.

She smiled and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. I will delete them." He was about to let out a breath when she added, "After sending them to your future wife on your wedding night."