Leland, without a word, pulled Winifred to switch places with him, making her sit on the outside while he sat next to Liam.
Luckily, Liam retracted his hand quickly; otherwise, Leland would have caught him red-handed. Liam gave Leland an awkward smile.
Leland frowned deeply. Did Liam always smile foolishly at people? Was something wrong with his brain?
Leland didn’t bother with him further.
Liam appeared calm on the surface but was panicking inside. Thankfully, he managed to keep his composure and didn’t reveal anything. Secretly harassing Leland’s woman under the table was quite thrilling for him. Seeing how much Leland seemed to like this woman named Gu, Liam felt a sense of pride and accomplishment in stealing her away from him.
Men naturally enjoy competition and are very prideful. Since Leland’s sudden rise, Liam’s reputation had diminished, and he was often belittled wherever he went.
In the animal kingdom, males compete for females; it’s not much different among men.
The private room was spacious, about two to three hundred square meters. After dinner, some played games while others discussed business. Winifred was extremely bored, sipping room-temperature juice and occasionally giving Liam a flirtatious glance while smiling at Jade nearby.
Jade’s face almost froze from smiling so much. Unlike Winifred, she couldn’t show her true feelings freely. Following Liam’s instructions, she obediently went over to talk to Winifred.
Leland noticed from a distance. He had brought Winifred here to let her get some fresh air and was concerned about her health. A normal person confined at home for too long without social interaction could fall ill, let alone someone like her who already had bipolar disorder.
Interacting with people to relax was good, but Leland didn’t want Winifred talking to Jade, fearing she might be negatively influenced.
Sensing Leland’s displeasure, Jade greeted Winifred and then left with her head down.
With one less person to pass the time with, Winifred glared at Leland in dissatisfaction.
“Stay away from people like that,” Leland said while patting her head.
Winifred turned her head away. “You’re so strange. You bring me to a place like this and then tell me not to interact with anyone here.”
“I didn’t think it through,” Leland admitted. He had brought Winifred here on a whim without considering the variety of people present. Next time, he thought it would be better to just invite a few friends rather than attend such gatherings.
“If you don’t want to stay, we can go back.”
“No need, I’ll go for a walk.”
As soon as Winifred stood up, Leland grabbed her hand. “I’ll go with you.”
“Do you need to accompany me even to the restroom?” Anyone could tell she was using this as an excuse to brush him off.
“Didn’t you just go?”
“I need to go again; is that not allowed?”
Leland remained silent but kept holding onto her arm.
“Are you afraid I’ll run away? I have a tracker on me, and this is Peachshire Town-your territory. Do you think I can escape?” Winifred mocked him, her eyes reflecting a shattered light like broken glass.
Leland released her hand.
Winifred indeed couldn’t leave; the place was filled with staff and surveillance cameras. To take the elevator downstairs required an elevator card, and the staff on this floor had seen Leland bringing her up. If she tried to leave, they would likely ask Leland first.
Holding her bag, Winifred walked out. The staff at the door respectfully asked where she was headed.
“I’m just going for a walk; don’t worry. I won’t go downstairs; I’ll just get some fresh air outside.”
Hearing this, the staff said no more and watched as she walked toward the restroom.
The restroom was some distance from the private room. After glancing at the sign above, Winifred walked in another direction. She stood in a long corridor, leaning on the railing and looking outside deep in thought. She wondered if Liam would understand.
The second hand on her watch ticked away; three minutes had passed when footsteps sounded behind her. Without turning around, Winifred knew it wasn’t Leland approaching.
“Miss Dawson, what are you doing here alone instead of enjoying yourself in the private room?”
Hearing Liam’s voice, Winifred sneered but quickly replaced it with a bright smile as she turned around.
“Of course I’m waiting for Mr. Burkhart. Jade has already explained everything to me. I’m not someone who doesn’t understand the situation. I’ve always admired someone as impressive as Mr. Burkhart and have long wanted to meet you.”
Men love being admired, especially by beautiful women showing adoration in their eyes.
Liam swallowed hard secretly. “What about Leland then…”
Winifred chuckled softly. “He can’t compare to you at all. In my heart, you’re the best, Mr. Burkhart. I’ve known of your reputation for a long time now; if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have come here with him today. Now that I’ve met you in person, you’re even more impressive and handsome than I imagined.”
The ability to say what someone wants to hear is something she honed while with Gregory. Being stared at by her “sincere” eyes was something no man could resist.
Today Winifred dressed conservatively in a slip dress covered by a cardigan that revealed nothing but her collarbones-yet that was enough. Her skin was so fair it seemed to glow under the light.
Even in the private room earlier with people around, Liam couldn’t resist touching her hand lightly; meeting alone now made him want more.
No one else was around outside either; even if there were staff watching them, they wouldn’t dare do anything since he was a valued customer here.
Moreover, Miss Dawson seemed equally interested; even if they booked a room together directly, no one would say anything against it.
Her waist looked so slender that one hand could encircle it easily-her skin so white and tender that even a gentle touch might leave ambiguous marks?
So Liam acted boldly as usual; seeking thrills made his adrenaline surge as he approached and hugged Winifred’s waist while inhaling her scent and trying to kiss her.
Suppressing nausea inside herself yet allowing Liam’s hands roam over her back freely-Winifred’s smile grew brighter despite feeling disgusted within herself-as he leaned closer intending kiss-she blocked his mouth saying “Mr. Burkhart-I’m still Mr. Burns’ woman-for now-you should inform him first-so we can proceed smoothly…”
Though annoyed initially being stopped midway-but considering what she said made sense-he couldn’t afford offending openly right now-maintaining appearances mattered-
“Alright-I’ll let him know once we return-you’ll stay tonight-with me here-isn’t it?”
Holding tightly around slim waist pressing against railing beside them-Winifred feigned calmness brushing stray hair behind ear placing hand upon shoulder glancing behind-
“No need waiting-you can tell him right now.”