Chapter 59: He Believed in Her

The atmosphere in the car was anything but warm.

Several times, Bronte had the impulse to bail out of the window, so overwhelming was Angelo's presence. She had no idea how Livia could put up with this man, let alone consider marrying him.

Angelo maintained his stony silence, making the air in the car seem suffocating.

Bronte glanced at Livia next to her, who looked surprisingly calm.

When they stopped at a red light, Angelo's phone rang. He answered with an emotionless face, the call connecting directly to the car's Bluetooth.

"Where are you? I'm done having the stitches removed," a familiar voice sounded.

Livia's lips curled slightly, saying to herself, so much for coincidences. She now understood he had been with Valentia for the procedure.

She couldn’t blame them — the fault was hers for choosing to go to Saint Mary Hospital.

"I'm heading home," Angelo replied coldly.

"What? You're leaving for home now? Didn't you say you’d stay with me?" Valentia’s tone carried evident disappointment.

Livia raised an eyebrow, gazing out the car window.

Bronte was frozen in discomfort, finding it hard to even breathe, let alone speak.

"Get home on your own. I'm hanging up."

He ended the call without giving the other person a chance to respond.

As the light turned green, the car moved on.

The car, with superior performance, accelerated swiftly and soon left the other vehicles waiting at the light far behind. It didn't take long for them to arrive at the house where Livia's parents lived.

Livia and Bronte stepped out of the car together. Angelo didn't get out but called out to Livia.

"I'll give you ten minutes. I'll wait for you," Angelo said with a tone that brooked no argument, causing Livia to frown.

She slammed the car door shut without a backward glance.

Finally, away from the car, Bronte took a deep breath. "His presence is too overwhelming. I was about to suffocate."

Livia knew that Angelo could be genuinely threatening when he was angry, but she had her own reasons to be upset. Why should she have to put up with his temper?

"Maybe you should go back and talk to him. It doesn't seem like he's that into Valentia. They might just be friends," Bronte suggested. "Things need to be cleared up."

Livia climbed the stairs. "I don't want to talk. Let it be."

Watching her retreat, Bronte reflected on how Livia had always been the obedient girl in the eyes of their relatives, but she was actually quite rebellious.

One simply could not fully understand or empathize with the emotions involved in matters of the heart, so Bronte felt she had no right to press Livia.

"What if he keeps waiting there? What if Matias sees?" Bronte worried a bit.

The mention of Matias made Livia's brow furrow.

She gripped the railing and eventually conceded.

"Go back and tell Mom I've got something to do and won't be home tonight."

"Alright," Bronte said, comforting her. "Talk it out, no matter the outcome. Don’t make it too awkward. And if you really like him, don't let go too easily."

Livia nodded and went back downstairs.

She approached the car, a rare sight in their neighborhood, and sat in the backseat.

"Come sit in the front," Angelo said, unsurprised by her return.

Livia didn't move. "I don't want to sit where someone else has sat."

Angelo glanced back at her while Livia stubbornly gazed out the window.

As the car drove away, they happened to pass by Matias, who was returning from work.

Matias recognized the car. After all, as the head of security, it would be embarrassing not to recognize the plates of the cars coming in and out of the company lot.

'What's the boss's car doing in our neighborhood?' he wondered before shrugging it off and whistling his way home.

From the car, Livia saw her father pause and look back, clearly recognizing the vehicle. A sour feeling suddenly swamped her heart as her middle-aged father was working for the owner of this car.

It wouldn't have mattered if it weren't for her entangled relationship with Angelo. Their connections were far from innocent.

Angelo drove the car straight back to the parking lot beneath his apartment building. He locked the car doors, showing no intention of letting her get out.

"Don't you think you owe me an explanation?" Angelo asked, looking at the expressionless woman through the rearview mirror.

Livia met his gaze in the mirror with a cold laugh. "Me? I've been at home, waiting for your call every day, ready to pick you up from the airport at a moment's notice. But I get no reply to my calls or messages. I had to hear from my dad that you were back, and you were seen coming and going from the company with Valentia. So, really, who owes whom an explanation?"

Angelo's eyes narrowed. "That video of you hugging that man has gone viral. Everyone's saying how well-matched you two are. Were you basking in those congratulations? When you read those comments, did you ever think about how they would make me feel? If you cared about me even a little bit, shouldn't you have explained it to me right away?"

Livia froze.

She had thought about the possibility of Angelo seeing the video, expecting him to confront her about it immediately, but he didn't.

So, she just assumed he was unaware.

"Lost for words now?" Angelo taunted her. "You left reluctantly when you dropped me off, not even looking back. And in the blink of an eye, you're cozy with another man, giving interviews and farewell hugs."

Livia knew she was in the wrong.

She was well aware she shouldn't have acted that way and found herself at a loss for words.

Now, any explanation seemed pointless.

Both of them sat in silence until Angelo suddenly slammed his hand on the steering wheel, startling Livia with the loud honk.

"Speak!" Angelo's voice was tinged with anger.

Livia was frightened. Swallowing nervously, she looked at him, wanting to escape.

Her hand reached for the car door handle, trying it, but it wouldn't open.

"What do you want me to say?"

"Explain!" Angelo's gaze was fierce in the rearview mirror.

Livia took a deep breath. "Would you believe anything I say? If I say it was a coincidence, just a polite gesture between friends, would you accept that?"

"I'd accept it."

Livia was taken aback.

But then she saw the danger in Angelo's eyes had dissipated.

She thought she had seen it wrong, but his demeanor did soften.

Angelo had unlocked the car. He got out, then moved to the backseat and opened the door for her, extending his hand.

Livia didn't know what he was up to. She felt that he was acting too quickly, and it scared her a bit. As he furrowed his brows, Livia moved to get out, intentionally not placing her hands in his. Angelo quickly grabbed her hand, slamming the car door shut the moment she stepped out, and then hauled her into the elevator.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, Livia felt her back pressed against the elevator wall. Angelo lowered his head and fiercely, passionately, dominantly kissed her lips. She was unprepared. Her hands lifted above her head, forced to intertwine fingers with his against the wall.

His kiss was too intense, leaving her gasping for air. Her chest heaved more and more with each passing moment, her breaths becoming quicker and quicker.

Just when she was about to pass out from lack of oxygen, he released her, panting heavily against her forehead. His sexy Adam's apple bobbed as he spoke in a husky voice, "This won't happen again."