AllFreeNovel
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Or maybe it was when he first saw me and decided I’d be his wife.
When was that exactly? When he saved me from the passing van? Or was it when he asked me to clean my face as if the smudges on his wife’s lookalike features offended him? Or did he perhaps see me in the shelter and has followed me since then?
The entire time Emily and the others transformed me into Lia, I kept thinking about how he found me in the parking garage. I didn’t sense anyone following me, and I have an acute awareness of my surroundings, considering my homeless status.
Ex-homeless now.
Any of my fellow homeless people would feel flattered by this opportunity, but my stomach has been knotting in and out of itself ever since Bulky Blond grabbed me by the hood and thrust me in his boss’s direction.
When we exit the elevator, Bulky Blond hurries to the car and opens the back door. That’s when I notice Adrian is only wearing a shirt and pants. “Your coat is upstairs. Should we go get it?”
“No.”
“But it’s freezing.”
He stares at me for a beat. “Are you warm?”
“Yeah, but I’m already wearing a coat.”
“It’s fine then.” He flattens a palm at the small of my back and places his other hand on top of the car to stop my head from bumping against it as he guides me inside.
My fingers tremble and I clasp them on my lap as I’m surrounded by the smell of leather from the seats. What is this feeling? No one should be this chivalrous yet terrifyingly dangerous at the same time.
But I have to remember that he’s not seeing me right now. He’s seeing Liainme. I don’t know why that makes me want to reach out and…what? Remove myself from her skin? Would that even be possible anymore?
As soon as Adrian joins me and the guards take their seats up front, my stomach growls. The sound is so loud that Bulky Blond and Crooked Nose freeze.
I purse my lips, but I can feel the blood rising up my cheeks.Damn it.I’ve never been embarrassed about my hunger until this very moment.
Adrian’s calm gaze slides to me, unaffected—bored, even. I wonder if he ever gets mad, then immediately push that thought out of my mind. He’s terrifying in his calm mode, and I don’t want to imagine how he is when he’s angry.
“What do you want to eat?” he asks.
“I’m okay.”
He taps an index finger against his thigh before stopping. “You’re obviously hungry. Food comes with the deal, and, therefore, you don’t have to feel self-conscious asking for it.”
That’s right. It’s one of the main reasons I agreed to this in the first place.
“Anything.” My voice is just above a whisper.
“Anything isn’t food. Pick something.”
“I don’t care as long as it’s…food.”
“What if I get you fried cockroaches?”
My nose scrunches as I stare at him.
He raises a brow at my reaction. “You saidanything.”
“Not that.”
“Then specify. If you don’t express yourself, you’ll get nothing from me.”
Wow. Is he always this…infuriating?
“A sandwich,” I snap and clamp my lips shut, hoping he didn’t catch it.
