One Night Stand With Alexander Blackwood-Chapter 71 — Seventy-one

She forced a smile onto her beautiful face while she took a deep breath.

"Liam, it’s been a long time since we talked. How are you doing?" She inquired, directly evading his question.

Liam chuckled from the other end of the call. "You’ve not answered my question, beautiful. Did you miss me?"

Serena swallowed as her gaze drifted to Clara who mouthed, "are you alright?"

Serena opened her mouth to speak but Liam cut her off. "Forget it. If you missed me, you’d have reached out to me. But you didn’t."

Serena exhaled deeply as Liam’s voice returned to normal. "It’s not that. I just have a lot going on with me currently." She gave a vague explanation.

"How about I treat you to lunch? We could catch up. Only if that’s fine with you." Liam suggested. .

Sensing no hostility in his tone, Serena agreed. "Sure. You can send me the address."

"How about I pick you up from the office?" He offered, but Serena was quick to reject him.

"You don’t have to worry. Just send me the address?"

After everything was discussed and finalized, Serena disconnected the call and collapsed on a chair behind her.

Clara stared at her worriedly. "You look pale. Who were you conversing with?"

Serena rubbed her eyes as she answered. "It’s an old classmate of mine. But I don’t know why I feel that something seems to have..." she hesitated before continuing. "Something seems to have changed. It’s just a gut feeling."

Clara crouched by her side. "There’s something your mom always did when she was alive which made her earn my respect."

m mm wrong, follow it. You never can tell right from wrong."

Serena was silent as she contemplated Clara’s words.

"But if you need confirmation of your instincts, you can always do so."

"You are right, Aunt Clara." Serena took a deep breath. "I’d see what he has to say."

When Serena finally stepped out of the bakery, the afternoon sun hung low in the sky, casting shadows across the pavement. She adjusted the strap of her bag on her hand.

The driver pulled up in front of her, and walked out of the car.

"Where are we headed to now, Ma’am?" He asked politely.

Serena looked at her phone, then mentioned the name of the restaurant. The driver’s eyes flashed, but he respectively opened the car’s door for her.

Before he drove off, the driver sent a text message while staring at Serena through the rearview mirror.

-------------------------

XXX Restaurant

Serena took a deep breath then walked into the restaurant.

The restaurant Liam had chosen was modest but elegant. There were glass walls, muted lighting, and soft instrumental music humming in the background. Serena paused briefly at the entrance before stepping inside.

She spotted him almost immediately.

Liam stood up when he saw her, a slow smile spreading across his face. He looked... different. He looked sharper than when she saw him.

Serena took slow steps towards him. Once she finally reached his side, he took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of her palm.

"Thank you for honoring today’s lunch invitation." He smiled at her. "Please, have a seat." He said pulling out a chair for her just like a gentleman would.

Serena smiled lightly before she took her seat. "It’s been a long time since we last met." She commented.

"You are right." He remarked with a light smile as he took his seat. "Ever since you ran away from the bar last time." He chuckled, laying strong emphasis on the word, "ran."

Serena lowered her head as a complicated look flashed through her eyes.

"You should know that the bar isn’t just my thing."

"I know." Liam extended his hands so he could hold hers, but she pulled away.

Liam’s gaze darkened as the smile vanished away from his lips. But a few seconds later, he signaled to the waiter.

"I asked the restaurant to prepare your favourites." He stated.

Serena froze, but she forced a smile into her face. "You shouldn’t have."

"I wish to." He gave her a big smile.

Serena shifted uncomfortably on her seat, but she still offered him a polite smile.

Liam didn’t comment. Instead, the waiter arrived with a tray of dishes.

Serena lifted her brow seeing the lavish spread, then turned her attention towards him. "What’s the occasion?" She asked him, her tone filled with guardedness.

Liam shook his head. "Nothing too much. I just wanted to celebrate with you."

Serena tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Although Liam was all smiles, she felt that there was something off about his smile. He felt... dangerous and all her instincts scream for her to run.

But no. She was stuck here. Exchanging words with someone she felt scared of.

She knew she shouldn’t have been here. But curiosity got the best of her, and now... here she was, opposite someone who she felt was different.

When Serena was done gathering her wandering thoughts, the waiter had already finished setting the table. He bowed before taking his leave.

But while Serena was distracted, the waiter exchanged a knowing glance with Liam who had a faint smirk dancing at the corner of his lips.

Serena felt anxious. She didn’t know why, but she felt something was about to happen. To calm her anxiety, she poured a glass of wine for herself.

Liam watched her take two glasses of wine, and his smile widened. But when she was about to take the next, he stopped her.

"Careful." He said gently, as he pulled the glass of wine away from her hands. "You don’t want to have a full belly before the main dish now, would you?"

Serena looked at him, her sight unfocused. "And you are..." She slurred, blinking to regain focus in her eyesight.

"Liam." He answered with a small smile. He rose to his feet, and walked around the chair. "Don’t you remember who I am?" He whispered slowly into her ears.

Serena stared at him intensely, but she could only outline a blurry figure.

"I need water." She mouthed. "And Alexander..." she trailed off, her head falling to the side and she almost fell off the seat, but Liam was quick to catch her before she fell.

"Silly girl. You belong to me only, do you get that?" He planted a kiss on her forehead, scooped her up, and walked out of the restaurant amidst the people’s gushing gazes.