Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom

Chapter 267

Mandy stared at him, her expression unreadable.

Realizing he'd crossed a line, Liam fell silent. After what had almost happened between them last time, it was no wonder she wanted nothing to do with him-let alone accept a ride home.

He immediately dropped the teasing tone. "Let me take you to your hotel," he offered quietly.

Mandy didn't refuse.

The car ride was tense, weighed down by everything unspoken.

Mandy kept her eyes fixed on the passing city lights, her face half-lit by the golden haze of street lamps flickering by. Shadows danced across her features, revealing nothing.

Liam watched her in the rearview mirror, catching her frosty demeanor. He sighed, resigned. Clearly, his behavior last time had scared her.

He couldn't blame her. She was just a college student-young, earnest, a little naïve. He really needed to stop with the boundary-pushing jokes before she started thinking of him as some creepy old man.

What Liam didn't realize was that, if Mandy hadn't assumed he was gay, she would have made her move on him long ago.

long. Liam parked, stepped out

he handled the check-in process for her,

reached into his pocket and pulled out the debit card he hadn't managed

his voice low and

to sound as gentle as possible, but ultimately pressed the card

to actually see the card

don't need this," she said quietly, her voice as cool as ever. Only she knew how desperately she wanted the money. But she

the card right back. "You

little rebellious, but still

down. But Mandy? She didn't even hesitate.

efforts tonight

for you, so take it. If you don't want it, toss it in the trash. I

left no room for argument, eyes glinting with a trace of

With that, Liam turned to leave. As he walked away, he couldn't help but arch an eyebrow, secretly pleased with himself. Surely that little show of confidence had left a lasting impression—maybe even swept Mandy

no idea that Mandy, watching his retreating back, was fighting