Chapter 48

Aurora blinked thrice, swallowing the emotional lump that formed in her throat. She didn't know how to react to this.

Liam was drumming his fingers on his left thigh, a nerve in his temple started to tickle. He was trying badly not to show his lack of patience because he knew how girls like to create drama in everything so he just sat there trying to control his temper.

Aurora's stomach churned as she recalled the moments she spent with Gabriel. She wanted to say no to Liam like she did once before but now she couldn't. There was something that stopped her from declining his proposal.

Whatever it was but still she couldn't let what he did to her go easily. No, when she came back from the island she decided to forget Liam's chapter but now, she wanted nothing else than to smash his moon sized ego.

And as far as his proposal was concerned, she decided that she wouldn't take any chances with her life again. No, she had done that once with Gabriel and Gabriel was still unaware of her decision. She eyed his handsome face, he was waiting for her answer but she had none to give. At least not what he expected her to say. She didn't want to accept him in a hurry just like she did before. Moreover she had an old score to settle with Liam Knight and once it's settled she would think about the chance he was asking for. If he thinks that a few cheesy lines and this decorated dinner arrangement would all it takes for her to say yes then Liam knight forgot who she was.

"Liam...I," deliberately, she drew in a sharp breath before speaking. She swallowed and met his gaze. Masking her face with an emotion of uncertainty while she pretended to test him. "Do you even know what I consider to be my ideal man? Maybe I want someone who you couldn't be! Maybe you are not what or you couldn't be like that ever."

Liam gritted his jaw, his eyes darkened hearing her but he controlled his emotions. "Then tell me what you want?" He let out in a silky, barely controlled voice.

Aurora launched a little on the table, "Are you getting angry, Mr Knight?"

Liam forced himself to smile. "No, I am not, Mrs Knight!" He said with a forced grin but inside he was a burning volcano. "But I want to know what exactly you would like in a man. I am sure you would have found something in that restaurant owner…"

Aurora stiffened at the mention of Gabrial but she calmed herself. "Are we talking about him or you, Mr Knight?"

Liam's brows snapped together. He sensed something in her tone, the way she stiffened at that restaurant rat's name…"no, we are talking about you

giving me an answer to my question, here."

Aurora's eyes shined. "You want to be the man of my dreams and you want me to tell you what kind of man I want. But if I tell you that, don't you think anyone can pretend to be that man, even you."

Liam was losing his patience with every passing second. He was angry at himself, at her but more than anyone else he was angry at Ethan King for forcing him to do something like this. He felt like a caged animal who wanted to strike on its prey but couldn't because he was stuck inside a bar.

"Where is your effort in all this Mr Knight? if you wanted me to give you a chance to be the man of my dreams but you have to earn that chance. Till then, we can be just friends." She said in an over-sweet voice which sounded as if she was mocking him and she was.

And that just friend tag made him want to sew her mouth with a needle and thread. He fisted his hand tightly under the table. He again flashed her a smile, forced to the core. "Alright, Mrs Knight, let's just be friends," he drawled, it was the third time she declined his offer.

Third bloody time! No one has ever raised his eyes in front of Liam knight and here this mere girl who didn't know anything about the real world had declined his proposal for the third freaking time.

"Our lunch is here," he said, pointing at the waiter who was coming with a bug caravan of food. Once the lunch was set in front of them, Liam said, "Enjoy the lunch…" while he cut the piece of red meat slowly, enjoying every moment of it because that was calming his mind.

He wanted to spill blood to calm his nerves which were creating a riot inside his mind at this moment while Aurora was taking pleasure in the situation.

That's what you call Tit for Tat! She giggled inwardly as she took a piece of her steak in her mouth, smiling and chewing it leisurely.

Meanwhile, Alexandrio touched the raw piece of Diamonds. He personally didn't care about all these small matters but just like his friend Liam he too was here just for his girl. Of course, there was a vast difference among their situation as he truly wanted to know Emily while Liam was just interested in increasing the range of his territory.

"What shape did you order? The design which was selected had an oval shape and this is a round cut?" He questioned the person who gave him the report on raw diamonds.

"Uh! Sir, Miss Emily ordered them in this shape."

Alexandrios inclined his head. "Ask her to come to my office, right now," he ordered the worker and darted back to his office.

Emily was working on the sharpness of the metal when the intercom on her table started ringing and she accepted the call but then wished she had not.

"Miss Emily, My Kyshchove, is asking for your presence in his cabin."

Emily sighed before standing up from her chair and walking to Alexandrios office. She knocked on it and entered. "You called for me, Mr Kyschove?" She asked in a professional crisp tone.

He tilted his head, "Yes, you see Miss Smith, please have a seat." Emily nodded and sat on one of the chairs in front of him.

"Yes."

Alexandrios handed her the file, "why did you order the oval-shaped diamonds when the head designer asked them in round shape?" He asked her in a cute business-like tone. Emily was stunned for a moment but she reminded herself that it was good for both of them.

"Well I checked the designs and discussed it with the head of my department and he also thinks that it will look much better with an oval shape. Also, I asked Aurora before doing that."

He raised a finger. "Aurora is not the boss here nor is she the head designer. Second, your department head is the head of raw material not designing. This is not a local Goldsmith's shop where you can do what you like. You are working here as an intern, Miss smith so don't cross the limits of that.``

Emily gulped at the harshness of his words. She fisted her hands under the table to get hold of her bawling emotions. His words should not have affected her in any way but they did. She was hurt, really very much.

Alexandrio knew his words affected her, the wet sparkle in her eyes was the proof in front of him. He gritted his jaw as it was not his intention to make her cry but to tell her the difference between their status. He wanted to show her the works he had to offer if she agreed to date him.

He stood up from his chair, walked to her and leaned down.

Emily's heart started beating faster. She raised her eyes and met his dark gaze. Alexandrio touched her silky hair and inhaled sharply. The intensity in his eyes made her toes swivel in anticipation.

" But you can have the power of doing that if you agreed to date me, Miss smith. You can have the world under your feet if you accept me as your boyfriend."

It happened right at that moment, the memory of her classmates laughing at her flashed in her mind. She could hear the words of Victor who mocked her in front of the whole college by calling her a disappointment in physical activity and calling her a gold digger who wanted to trap him with herself. How everyone started looking at her from admiration of being a topper to a social climber and today another man was offering her the same thing.

She was furious. She pushed Alexandrio with both her hands and stood up abruptly. " I am not some whore who accepts to sleep with you to raise her social status, Mr Kyschove and I would rather you don't speak to me like that again. If you don't like my work then scold me but don't ever try to insinuate these horrendous terms to me!" She jeered at him and turned to walk outside but before she could take another step forward, Alexandrio grabbed her hand and pushed her against the table. She clutched his hand to remain standing. Once again their eyes locked but this time, there was anger in Alexandrio's.

"What is your problem, Miss smith. You are speaking as if I am harassing you, as if we didn't share a history. Maybe you forget but let me remind you, it was you who wanted to do the hanky-panky with me since the first time you saw me in that contest. Should I remind you of your wild acts in that cruise cabin when you were horny and wanted to rip my clothes off from my body? Do I need to tell you how many times we had sex that night and in how many ways…"

Emily gulped. His words affected her, she never let herself let go of control like she did that night and that scared her. But no, she would not let his words affect her anymore. "So what,? Chill dude! It was just sex we had. If I am not taking it seriously then why are you? Don't you boys want exactly that, no strings attached, sex. Yes you were great and I enjoyed it but I don't want to have a relationship with you…"

He yanked her to him. "And why the hell not?"

"Because I don't want to be with you and I am not liable to answer any of your questions. You reached me about boundaries just a minute ago then I would say you remember about them as well and if you can't keep it in your pants go find a whore for I am not interested in you anymore," she pushed him away from herself in anger and walked out of his office with shaky legs and without looking back a single time, leaving a furious Alexandrio with stiff body and balled hands.

Meanwhile, Liam's hands were itching for violence. He forced himself to smile when they reached the office. "Hope you liked the lunch?" He drew smoothly.

"It was nice, thank you," Aurora opened her seatbelt and stepped out of the car and Liam did the same. She said goodbye to him waving her hand. Liam watched her departing back. A riot was arising in his head as he sprinted towards his personal elevator with his hands clenched in fists as he walked inside the elevator, punched the button in anger and once he reached there he unchecked his hands.

"Fucking hell!" He screamed in anger.

He rubbed his face with his hands, his breaths shortened as his manager spiked to the level of fury and he started pacing in his office.

The girl had insulted him, not once or twice but thrice and he didn't do anything. He felt caged, soy if she would have been someone else. Only if but damn her father.

"Aurora King, you should have done anything but this. You should not have insulted me again, I would have been easy on you after our marriage but no, you don't deserve it. You don't deserve my kindness. You wanted me as your friend, I will give you a lesson on friendship that you will never forget," he drew in a sharp breath as he sat on his rolling chair and started moving.

The movement calmed his mind a little, "You will be my wife and once you are under my rule, once you have my surname with you, you will surrender to me like a slave to it's master. You will be welcomed into hell, the hell I will design just. For. You. Mrs. Knight!"