billion book
Chapter 24
24 In Love, There Are No Pules
From the corner of the hotel hallway, concealed behind one of the doors leading to the venue, Liam Bennett had been covertly observing the heated exchange of words unfolding before him.
Initially, he was struck by how calm and composed Amelie remained despite the utterly exasperating situation. Her stoicism was admirable, yet he also -yearned to see her finally lose her temper. He longed
for her to display her true emotions because that would confirm to him that she harbored no lingering feelings for the man who clearly did not deserve her.
“Jealousy doesn’t suit you, Amelie. Is your ego so fragile that you get worked up over this so easily?”
Richard’s low voice reached Liam’s ears, sending a chill down his spine. He clenched his fists, his knuckles whitening, and hissed under his breath, ready to intervene, “What the hell did he just say?”
He was about to abandon his eavesdropping spot and confront Richard when his assistant, Austin Hall, grabbed his arm and pulled him back, a worried
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expression on his face.
“Here you are, Mr. Bennett!” Austin exclaimed. His nervous smile quickly shifted into a stern, menacing grimace. “Let’s go.”
“But wait, Austin!” Liam began to protest, but his assistant silenced him with a sharp, warning look. “Shut up.”
Austin swiftly dragged him toward the elevators and headed straight for Liam’s suite. Once they were alone in the room, Austin released his grip on Liam, loosened his tie, and sighed, reverting to his usual subordinate demeanor.
“Don’t get involved in their drama, Mr. Bennett! That’s the last thing you need as the future president of the Diamond Group. It’s crucial to maintain good terms with the JFC Group right now. They’re far too influential for us to rival openly before you solidify your position in the business world.”
Liam couldn’t help but feel frustrated, knowing his assistant was completely right. If he wanted to achieve his goals, he needed to be careful and patient. He sighed deeply, then collapsed onto the couch in the
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middle of the room, closing his eyes.
“Fine… whatever.”
A tiny orange corgi slowly approached Liam and flopped down beside his head, tilting its head as if trying to understand the man’s distress. When the dog couldn’t fathom the human’s troubles, it resorted to the one thing it knew always worked: licking Liam’s face to irritate him.
Liam instantly frowned and turned away, gesturing for Austin to take the dog.
“Ew, for God’s sake! Austin, take him away for tonight. His annoying behavior won’t help me calm down.”
“How can you get so annoyed by this cute doggo?” Austin gently grabbed the dog, patting him on the head and mum‘ ing some incomprehensible, cutesy things into his big, floppy ears.
“Alright, get some sleep, Mr. Bennett. I’ll come for you tomorrow as usual.”
Once he left, the penthouse suite turned silent again and despite his expectations, that silence didn’t help Liam calm down at all. Closing his eyes once more, he let out a long and loud sigh, honing that it would ease
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at least some of the tension that wouldn’t le his body
- go.
“What a shitty situation you’re in, Liam Bennett. Even on the verge of becoming a successor, you’re still as powerless as the little boy you have always been.”
***
The last day of the benefit was restricted to a simple
luncheon between the members of the board and the foreign guests and business partners, therefore, it was decided that it would be held in the closed VIP area of
one of the hotel’s restaurants on the first floor.
Once the luncheon was over, Elizabeth walked up to Amelie, who was standing on the adjacent terrace. She stood next to her and hugged her shoulders.
“That was a hell of a benefit, Lily. Are you sure you are
fine?”
Amlie patted her friend on the head and nodded, “Yes, I’m just glad it’s finally over. Fortunately, people didn’t seem to have any real issues with what happened the other night.”
Moving her head away from Amelie’s shoulder,
Elizabeth looked around to ensure no one was near
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them. She then lowered her voice, “So the man texting you turned out to be Liam Bennett… how do you feel
about this?”
Amelie sighed deeply. “I feel like I should just stop. It won’t lead to anything good anyway.”
Elizabeth released a long sigh as well and shook her
head.
“I think you’re missing out, Lily. I know you care about your reputation and how people see you, but… well, you’re human. Don’t suppress your true feelings. Whatever this might lead to… perhaps it won’t be that bad in the end. The way he tried to protect you when Richard shut you down – he seems to be a good person after all.”
Her words made Mrs. Ashford smile. Elizabeth cared
deeply for her best friend, but even she had no idea how complicated Amelie’s circumstances really were. Now, Amelie wondered if she truly understood them
herself.
“Let’s just forget about it. Go now, your husband is waiting for you.”
She pointed at Elizabeth’s husband standing next to
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his car and gave her friend a gentle push, prompting her to unwrap her arms and finally leave. Amelie, too, was about to go back inside when a light gust of wind carried a strong, flowery scent, reminiscent of burning
incense.
Turning her head toward the source of the scent, she noticed Einar smoking quietly by the entrance to the gardens. Locking eyes with him, she offered a brief nod and was about to turn away when he suddenly
called out her name.
“I am truly impressed, Mrs. Ashford,” the man said as he stood next to her. Although he moved the hand holding the black cigarette away, the pungent smell seemed to envelop them like a thick, invisible veil. “You have managed to secure quite a lot of donations.”
For some reason, Amelie couldn’t hold back a sarcastic response “I’m glad you were impressed by something, at least.”
Einar stood silent for quite some time before finally replying, “Í ástinni eru engar reglur.”
Amelie answered almost automatically, “In love, there are no rules.”
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The man raised a brow and asked, “Do you speak Icelandic?”
Mrs. Ashford smiled and nodded, “Yes, I majored in literature and linguistics; particularly in the North Germanic group of languages.”
It looked like Einar was finally impressed by something new again. Placing the cigarette between his lips, he added quietly, “It’s a pity… that this saying is true.”
Amelie offered him a bewildered look but the man only put his cigarette out, nodded, and walked away, mysteriously disappearing in the shadows of the
trees.