CHAPTER 149: CHAPTER HUNDRED AND FORTY NINE

Liam listed, his thumb moving to her lips. "Lacking in courage. Lacking in wit. Lacking in the fire that makes a woman interesting."

He dropped his hand from her face as if he were bored with touching her.

"You are loyal, Jane," Liam said, stepping around her, walking toward his bed. "Like a dog is loyal. But do not mistake your obedience for value."

He sat on the edge of his massive bed. He looked back at her, standing alone in the center of the room, devastated by his words.

"Marissa," he said, saying the name like a prayer. "She is not lacking. She is full."

He lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, his hands behind his head.

Jane’s crimson dress was bunched in her fists, the expensive silk wrinkling under the pressure of her humiliation. She stood rooted to the spot, the echo of the carriages departing still vibrating in the air, but the echo of Liam’s words was far louder in her mind.

"Lacking on everywhere."

The insult wasn’t just a slap; it was a slow poison, seeping into her bones, turning her blood cold. She stared at Liam’s back, at the careless, arrogant way he lay on the bed, already dismissing her.

But he wasn’t finished.

Liam spoke again, his voice still terrifyingly calm, staring up at the painted ceiling.

"Like you would ever be able to be on par with Marissa," Liam mused aloud, as if discussing the difference between a diamond and a piece of glass.

He turned his head on the pillow, his cold blue eyes fixing on Jane, dissecting her.

"She is a very smart woman," Liam said. "Sharper than a blade. Unlike you, she would never cheaply give up her dignity for anyone. Not even for a Prince."

He sat up slowly, the movement languid and powerful.

"Her haughty temperament," Liam continued, "is rightly deserved. She has earned her pride. You, on the other hand..."

He stood up and walked back to her. Jane didn’t move. She couldn’t. She was paralyzed by the mixture of love and terror she felt for him.

He stopped in front of her. He looked down at her trembling form.

"There is no need to try and overcome your natural inadequacy, Jane," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper that sounded almost kind. "Do not strain yourself trying to be something you are not. Your flaws... they have their own uses."

He reached out and grasped her hand—the hand that had been clenching her dress. He pried her fingers open, smoothing them out. His touch was warm now, but it felt dangerous.

"You are a woman who knows what is important," Liam said, lifting her hand to his chest, placing it over his heart. "You are willing to make sacrifices to get what you want. Even if it means belittling yourself. Even if it means crawling."

He let go of her hand and reached up to caress her cheek once more. His thumb traced the line of her jaw, a lover’s touch.

"You have already decided to be devoted to me unconditionally," Liam murmured, his eyes searching hers. "Whatever I ask, you do. Whatever I take, you give."

Jane leaned into his hand, her eyes fluttering shut. Despite the insults, despite the pain, this touch was what she lived for. This crumb of affection.

"Apart from your blind devotion," Liam said softly, "there is another thing I like about you."

Jane’s heart skipped a beat. He likes something?

"It is how you can never stop being sneakily calculative," he whispered.

Jane’s eyes snapped open.

His gentle expression shifted instantly. The lover vanished. The monster appeared.

His hand, which had been caressing her face, moved up. His fingers tangled in her intricate, pinned-up hair.

And then he pulled.

He grabbed a fistful of her hair in a painful grip, yanking her head back. Jane let out a sharp, painful sound, a gasp that was half-cry, half-shock. Her neck was exposed, her eyes forced to look up at him.

He leaned down, his face inches from hers. His breath was hot on her skin, close to her ear.

"Stay away from Marissa," Liam hissed.

The order was absolute.

"I have given my warning," he growled, tightening his grip on her hair, making tears spring to her eyes. "I saw the way you looked at her. I saw the jealousy. I know you already have something in plan. Some petty, spiteful little trap."

He shook her head slightly, jarring her.

"If so," Liam said, his voice dark, "you should redo your calculations. Throw them away."

He stared deep into her eyes, making sure she understood the weight of his words.

"And once you are done," he whispered, "you should finally realize that the likes of you can never hold a candle to Marissa."

He released her hair abruptly.

"Do I make myself clear?" he asked.

His voice boomed in the quiet room, a sudden shout that made Jane flinch violently.

She whimpered in pain, her scalp throbbing. She nodded her head rapidly, her eyes wide with fear.

"Yes, Your Highness," she whispered. "Yes. I understand."

He shoved her. It wasn’t a hard shove, but it was dismissive. It sent her stumbling back.

Liam looked at her with disgust. He wiped his hand on his trousers, as if he had touched something dirty.

"Get out," Liam said.

He turned his back on her again, returning to the window, returning to his thoughts of the woman he actually respected.

Jane scrambled for the door handle. She pulled the heavy door open and slipped out into the corridor.

She leaned against the cold stone wall, her chest heaving. She touched her hair, which was now loose and messy. She touched her cheek where he had caressed her.

She felt humiliated.

But under the shame, something else was burning. A cold, hard knot of resentment.

"Marissa," Jane thought, the name tasting like bile. "He thinks you are untouchable?"

She straightened her dress. She fixed her hair as best she could.

"He told me to stay away," she thought, her eyes narrowing in the darkness of the hallway. "He thinks I am not a match for you."

She began to walk down the long corridor, her heels clicking a steady rhythm.

"Calculative," she whispered to herself. "He likes that I am calculative."

A slow, twisted smile spread across her lips.

"Very well, Your Highness," she thought. "I will redo my calculations. But I won’t stay away. I will just be... quieter."

She would prove him wrong. She would prove that she’s the only woman he needs in his life even his wife, the Crown Princess, won’t be a match for her .

She walked into the night, her devotion still intact, but her hatred for Marissa burning brighter than ever before.