Chapter 128 Her Concerns Lay with Liam, Not Him
Time flies when you're busy, and before she knew it, Monday had arrived.
Gabriel, video calling from afar, assured Teresa everything was going smoothly. The deal was almost sealed. He just needed to sign on the dotted line during the normal work hours, at home, after which he would attend a business dinner and then jet back to her side.
Teresa had an equally busy Monday. Alongside the academy's boards, she was to greet a delegation from a renowned international university in the morning. In the afternoon, there would be a group lunch and two intense lectures.
After a morning video call with Gabriel over a quick breakfast, she scarcely had any time to touch base with him again. Her phone was mostly on silent to prevent any disruptions on her work.
For almost the entire day, Teresa was busy all through, but come six in the evening, her classes were finally over, and she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Exiting the lecture hall after being swarmed by students for an extra quarter of an hour, she was greeted by the reassuring sight of her personal vehicle, always parked close by for her safety, a precaution insisted upon by Gabriel, who also arranged for a couple of bodyguards to keep a discrete distance.
Upon sinking into the plush seat of her car, Teresa fished out her phone.
Amidst several missed calls and a cascade of messages was one from Liam.
She methodically returned the other calls before dialing Liam's number, only to be met with an incessant ring with no answer.
Ever since her marriage to Gabriel, Liam had kept his distance. Teresa was convinced he wouldn't reach out without a good reason. With this in mind, she sent him a message inquiring about the matter.
"Teresa, I feel awful. Can you drop by my apartment?" Liam's text eventually surfaced after several tense minutes.
Her brow furrowed upon reading it. She recalled Gabriel mentioning Liam's overseas investment talks, which were supposed to wrap up soon.
Could it be that he had returned today?
His message hinted at distress, but what kind? Immediately, she sent another inquiry about his condition and if anything had happened.
However, her last sent message seemed to disappear into the void, with no reply for several long minutes. Worried, Teresa tried calling again, but still, no one picked up.
Was Liam feeling unwell? Teresa remembered he had a sensitive stomach and would often suffer from stomach pain. She recalled once seeing him pale as a ghost, sweating bullets from the agony.
Now estranged from the Evans family, Liam was on his own; if he was unwell, of course, he wouldn't reach out to them.
With this thought, Teresa wasted no time, instructing her driver to head straight to Liam's apartment.
The rush-hour traffic made the journey to his downtown apartment a slow crawl.
Impatient, she arrived at Liam's building just past seven in the evening, as night had already cloaked the city. The glittering city lights reignited the urban landscape into a dazzling spectacle.
She hurried out of the car and darted towards the elevator.
Having visited Liam's place three times before, Teresa was familiar with it, even knowing the entrance code, a secret Liam had once shared with her.
Exiting the elevator, she raced to Liam's door and smoothly entered the six-digit code. With a click, the door swung open.
"Liam?" Teresa called as she stepped inside, scanning around, "Liam, are you..."
"Thump!"
The sudden sound startled her mid-shout as the door slammed shut behind her. She spun around...
"Mmph!"
A tall man had been hiding behind the door. As Teresa turned, he moved with lightning speed, clamping a white cloth over her mouth and nose.
Startled and struggling against the strong grip, Teresa's eyes widened in horror. But before she could put up much of a fight, darkness enveloped her, and she fell unconscious.
Seeing Teresa collapse, the man scooped her up and carried her towards the master bedroom.
Liam was there, motionless on the large bed, evidently drugged as well.
After laying Teresa beside Liam, the man took out his phone and made a call.
"Madam, it's done; they're both out," he reported as soon as the call connected.
"Strip them and make it look like they were sleeping together," the stern voice of a woman instructed from the other end of the line, "Then get out."
"Yes, Madam." The man hung up, tucked away his phone, and began undressing Liam.
Once Liam was undressed, he did the same to Teresa.
Teresa possessed the kind of beauty that could make any man's heart race, and right then, the man found it difficult to contain himself, his Adam's apple bobbing. Had Liam's bedroom not been rigged with a network of cameras ensuring a 360-degree view of the room, capturing every detail, he'd have succumbed to the temptation of Teresa without question.
Nevertheless, acting on that temptation was out of the question. The ever-watchful eyes of the cameras kept him at bay.
With his tasks complete, ensuring that Teresa and Liam lay together in an embrace, he exited swiftly.
It wasn't long after his departure that Liam began to stir on the large bed, slowly opening his eyes to a foggy consciousness.
Yet, upon awakening, there was something off about him. A feverish heat emanated from his body, and his eyes sparkled with an unnatural, animalistic desire.
"Teresa..." he murmured.
A sliver of clarity allowed Liam to recognize the woman in his arms immediately. As his palm glided over her silky skin, a torrent of desire surged within him, growing exponentially stronger.
"Teresa!" With considerable effort, Liam fought to restrain himself, closing his eyes, shaking his head. When he looked again, his resolve and clarity had all but vanished.
Gazing down at the delicate figure in his arms, his longings intensified for the woman he had always yearned for; she looked so enticing. Unable to resist any longer, Liam leaned in, pressing his lips softly on her forehead, then with feathery kisses trailed down to capture her lips.
"Teresa..." The sweetness of the woman beneath him was tranquil from the drugs' influence, leaving Liam's logic fractured, his desires unconstrained, craving for more, so much more...
With a startled gasp, Teresa's eyes fluttered open, the weight on her and the discomfort of her body breaking through the medicinal haze. As recognition dawned upon her in a split second, she let out a piercing scream and instinctively shoved the man off, grabbing hold of the blanket to cover herself before tumbling off the bed in haste.
"Teresa..."
"Liam!"
Her first instinct was to flee, and she made it to the bedroom door before a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks. Her steps faltered; she whirled around and found herself face-to-face with Liam. Memory returned swiftly.
How could this have happened? Liam had said he felt ill and asked for her assistance. Why then were they lying together, bare and exposed? Could it be a setup designed to trap her?
"Teresa!" Liam squeezed his eyes shut, trying to fight the disorientation. Teresa's shove had somehow snapped him back to reality, a reality where he realized he had been played.
"Teresa, get out of here! We’ve been set up."
"Liam, what are you going to..." What could he do?
"Go! Now!" Liam didn't wait for her to finish. He gathered the last ounce of clarity within him and growled at her, urgently.
"Liam, just wait. I'll call a doctor," Teresa said. Spinning around, she snatched her clothes from the floor and fumbled for her phone to dial.
But before the call could connect, the same man who'd been lurking earlier darted forward. As Teresa turned around with horror, a hand swiftly struck her on the back of her neck.
And once again, darkness swooped in, sending her into oblivion.
"It's you! What the hell are you doing?" Liam's voice crackled with disbelief as he recognized Yvonne's bodyguard. Finding fuel in the rush of rage bubbling within him, his consciousness sharpened.
"Master, I'm just following orders. Teresa was supposed to be yours, after all. She's right here for you, there's no need to hold back anymore. Enjoy," the bodyguard said nonchalantly, placing Teresa's limp form onto the bed.
Teresa was supposed to be his.
