Chapter 17 Sending Flowers to Liam
The moment they left, Liam sent her a message.
Vampire Boss: \[Come to my office for lunch.\]
Emma: \[Understood, Mr. Hayes.\]
Liam’s gaze darkened when he saw the message.
…
As soon as the lunch break began, she slipped into the elevator while everyone else headed to the cafeteria. Ryan had already registered her in the facial recognition system for access.
“I’m heading down for lunch. I won’t be joining you,” Ryan chuckled and left, leaving her flustered.
She smoothed the front of her blouse, feeling awkward.
“Knock, knock…”
“Come in.”
She pushed open the door and was greeted by the aroma of food.
“Mr. Hayes.”
Liam rose from behind his desk and approached her while Anna was crouching beside the sofa, arranging tableware.
Emma instinctively took two steps back.
He naturally took her hand and led her to sit on the sofa.
Anna finished setting the table, closed the door, and left.
“Don’t be so tense. When we’re alone, there’s no need to call me ‘Mr. Hayes.’”
Okay.” She nodded, trying to relax.
He pushed the soup bowl toward her.
“Thank you.” Heat crept up her neck as she picked up the spoon.
“Am I making you feel pressured?” He took a sip of soup and turned to look at her.
“No.”
“That’s not like you.”
After getting married, he found that she had become timid.
“Just rest here during lunch. There’s no need to make the trip back and forth,” he continued, his tone calm.
“No, I can rest at my own desk,” she said.
He remained silent, his expression unchanged.
“Did your home chef prepare this?” she asked, trying to ease the awkwardness.
“No.” He paused. “My mother cooked it herself.”
She was so startled that she nearly choked on a bite of beef.
“Amelia told our parents about your early pregnancy test at the hospital,” he said calmly.
Her heart raced, but his composure made her uneasy.
“What about our marriage registration?”
“They know. I’ll take you to meet my family when we have time.”
“Ok.”
After lunch, Liam took the initiative to clear the table, refusing to let her help.
“I’ll head downstairs then,” she murmured, wanting to escape.
Being alone with him made her feel suffocated, her heart racing and her cheeks burning.
“Wait a moment.” He walked toward the desk.
Liam pulled a bank card out of the drawer.
“Here,” he said, handing her the card.
“Hm?” She paused but didn’t reach out for it.
Then, she took out her phone and opened the mobile banking app to show him.
“Thank you. But I have plenty of money.”
“You’re my wife now, Emma. This card has no spending limit—use it freely,” he insisted, catching sight of the contact label on her phone: Vampire Boss.
He smiled, took her phone, and changed it to “Honey.”
“I’m not good at sweet\-talking. If I mess up, just tell me straight—I’ll fix it,” he added, handing the phone back.
“Okay.” She nodded; her gaze shifted nervously.
Finally stepping out of the CEO’s office, she breathed out a long sigh of relief.
…
After work, Emma drove to the mall.
Unexpectedly, she ran into her mother’s closest friend, Lillian Cox, a university professor.
“Emma!” Lillian approached.
“Ms. Cox!” Emma smiled.
“What are you doing here?” they asked at the same time.
“I’m buying clothes for my son. He’s busy with work and leaving on a business trip tomorrow,” Lillian added, then studied Emma intently. “You look absolutely stunning!”
“How about shopping together?” Emma blushed and quickly slipped her arm through Lillian’s.
“Perfect!”
Two or three hours later…
The two sat on a mall bench, their coffee cups balanced on their knees beneath a pile of shopping bags.
“Would you like to have dinner at my place?” Lillian asked.
“No, thank you, Ms. Cox. I need to hurry back and prepare some things.”
Liam had requested her to come home for dinner. It was already past eight—she wondered if he was still waiting.
“All right then. Let’s meet again next time!”
“Yes, Ms. Cox.” She gave Lillian a warm hug.
The two parted reluctantly.
…
As she got into her car, she checked her phone and saw Liam’s message.
Liam: \[When are you coming back?\]
Startled, she hurriedly called him.
“Sorry, I ran into some acquaintances at the mall,” she explained.
“It’s fine. When will you be back?” he asked.
“Heading out now. I should be there in about ten minutes.”
“I’ll wait.”
“Okay.”
She started the engine and drove toward the villa.
As she passed a flower shop, she pulled over and bought a bouquet of tulips.
After parking in the underground garage, she stepped out with the flowers, her face beaming.
“You’re back.” Liam’s voice echoed.
Emma stumbled back in surprise.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Waiting for you,” he replied.
“The flowers are for you.” Her ears burned as she cautiously offered the bouquet.
He gazed at her for a moment before slowly reaching out to take them.
“Thank you,” he murmured, a fleeting flicker of delight crossing his face.
She pressed her lips together, suddenly regretting giving him flowers.
Just as the awkwardness peaked, he drew closer and pulled her into his embrace.
His arm holding the flowers wrapped around her slender waist, while his other hand gently rested on her shoulder.
“!” Emma gasped; her body stiffened.
The rich scent of pine enveloped her. His body heat radiated through the thin fabric of his shirt.
Her breath caught.
Should I return the embrace?
Emma hesitated, tiny beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
She swallowed hard and finally let her small hand lightly touch his back.
It was a long time before they slowly pulled apart.
“Did you eat yet?” she asked.
“Not yet. I was waiting for you.”
“Sorry, I forgot…” She lowered her head.
“It’s fine…”
Liam handed her the bouquet and took the shopping bags. He carried them upstairs while she followed behind with the bouquet.
It wasn’t until she was arranging tulips in a glass vase in the study that she suddenly remembered the newly purchased lingerie.
She hurried back to the walk-in closet and found that he had already finished organizing all her clothes.