The Daring Billionaire’s Wife by Lypstical
Chapter 179

Aileen

As Mrs Richards brings me to the balcony, the cool breeze should help me calm down, but it makes no difference as I keep wondering what else she has to talk about, that which he has to say away from everyone else. "The fact that my son brought you home to introduce you to us means nothing."

She is so blunt with her words as she faces the sky that I part my lips to speak but words escape me.

"From the first time I learned of his intentions with you, I didn't approve and none of us did. Just think about it." She glances at me and says, "Who would?"

Finally replaceing my words again, I say, "Before I came here, Liam told me that it would be a great evening, I would get to meet his lovely family and they were all such nice people."

She chuckles, letting go of the railing. "He wasn't wrong about any of that."

"The way I see it, he was absolutely wrong and I'm extremely disappointed." "Does that mean you want to go home now?" She raises her eyebrows.

It takes me a moment to think about it and then I look right into her eyes.

"No. I'm not going anywhere, unless Liam says it's time to go."

Her eyes narrow. "So, you're willing to stay after what happened?"

"I know what you were trying to do, all of you, but you need to understand one thing. I've faced so much in my life that nothing can break me anymore."

She shakes her head, circling around me. "You make it sound like we're your enemies or something."

"That's exactly what this looks like."

"Because we were curious?"

I turn around to face her. "There was no need for that since Liam already told you about me. And you stand here and say you were curious? Do you think that's all it was when you put me on the spot in the living room?" "Fine, you win. Yes, I did put you on the spot," she boldly admits with her head high.

"And you seem to have enjoyed it."

"On the contrary, no." "What?"

"My first born, Charlotte, got married to a man worthy of her status and Dominic and I expected nothing different when it was Liam's turn. Imagine the shock when we first heard about you and he didn't even know you. Even after he began telling us all about you, it didn't change our minds. He hoped that by giving us the details about you, things would be different but they only got worse because by the looks of things, you have absolutely nothing going for you."

"Now I know that my eyes didn't deceive me." I force a smile.

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw your disdainful face when I arrived."

"Was it that obvious?"

"Of course it was, but I told myself I must have been seeing something else. What a fool I was."

"And with that in mind, what's your next step? Breaking up with my son?"

"Of course not."

"You make it sound like you're so determined to have him."

"That's not what I meant, but why would I break up with him because of this? It took a lot for me to get to a point where I gave him a chance."

"You actually rejected him initially. I didn't believe him when he first told me that."

"I really wasn't interested at first and it would've made no difference if I knew who he was."

She raises the corner of her mouth. "You really mean it when you say you didn't know?"

"I really didn't know. What else should I do to prove to you that it's the truth?"

"You don't need to prove yourself. I'm starting to believe you."

"Why?"

"I don't sense any lies behind your words and I'm very good at that. Now, about my son, what has he told you about him? Do you really think you'll become part of this family as his wife? He's probably just taking his time with you and when he's done, he'll get rid of you." "That's what I thought at first, but I've seen a different side of him."

"A different side of him? How's your relationship? That's not even what I want to specifically ask so I'll get straight to the point. How's your intimacy with him?"

My jaw drops. "I understand that you're his mother, but why would you ask me such a personal question?"

"I have my reasons for asking and I need you to be honest with me."

"Well, he hasn't touched me yet. He promised me he'd keep it that way until I become his wife."

She raises her eyebrows with a chuckle. "I can't believe he's taking this seriously."

"Isn't he supposed to?"

"Liam never takes any relationship seriously. Actually, he rarely takes anything seriously."

"That's where you're wrong. He's observant, kind, encouraging, not judgemental, empathetic, the list goes on."

"Oh, really? I've never seen him display most of those qualities before. Looks like you're bringing out a different side of my son."

At this point, I can't help but brag. "I've known him for a month now and it seems I know him better than you do."

"I was just about to say that. Enough

about him. Let's talk about you and

your biological parents. You have absolutely no idea who they are, where they are, or what they do for a living?"

en Narugi

"No."

"And your adoptive parents?"

"Like I said, I don't have the best relationship with them."

"Alright, Aileen, let's see how this goes."

"I don't understand."

"It's not like you and my son are getting married tomorrow. Let's see how this goes. I'm curious about how the events will unfold and how long you'll be around. One of the reasons I'm giving this a chance is because I also want to replace out about your parents."

"And the second reason?"

She chuckles. "You remind me of myself."

"I do?" My eyes go round.

"Absolutely, you definitely know how to stand up for yourself no matter the pressure, but keep this in mind." She turns serious and takes a step forward. "You and I aren't equals, so know your limits."

I look away, realizing she doesn't expect me to size her up. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Good. Now, let's return to the others. Not a word about this."

Just as we return to the living room, everyone goes silent, trying to figure out what just happened.

"Is everything alright?" Liam instantly rises to his feet.

She firmly nods. "Of course. Everything's fine. I'd like to have a word with you in private."

"Is this the part where we wait for our turn?" Charlotte asks.

"Of course not." Mrs Richards shakes her head, then approaches her husband and whispers to him.

Quietly, he rises to his feet, leading the way as she motions for Liam to follow them.

Once the three of them are out of sight, I bring my hands together, now completely feeling out of place with the others as I don't know what to say.

"So, what did my mom say?" Charlotte suddenly says, her eyes beaming with curiosity.

"I'm not supposed to talk about it, but one thing I can say is that I remind her of herself."

"See?" Uncle Jake chuckles. "That's exactly what I said. You're like the younger version of Vanessa. I wonder where Charlotte gets all this softness from."

Sophie playfully rolls her eyes. "Come on. It's obviously from her grandparents. May their souls rest in peace."

"There's nothing wrong with being sweet. That's why I'm already raising my children the same way." Charlotte crosses her arms.

As she banters with her aunt and uncle, I silently look on, now feeling a little more comfortable, especially after everything Mrs Richards told me by the balcony.

The long wait comes to an end when I hear footsteps and leading the way is Mr Richards, followed by his wife with stone cold faces.

It's only after they get out of the way by taking their seats that I see Liam and he smiles as he sits beside me. But I've studied those eyes so much to know that something's not right.

"Is everything okay?" I ask quietly.

"Yeah, everything's perfect." He forces a chuckle as he glances at his parents, both of them looking at me and it gives me an unsettling feeling.

What was it that they discussed?