Chapter 4

• Liza’s POV
• I blinked in realization then shifted my attention back to the certificate.
• Gavin Stone was still written there, simple, sturdy and completely unremarkable.
• What the hell!
• “So you are the notorious Gavin Stone from the Stone Family of the Li City?” I asked him to be sure he was the true uncle of Brandon.
• He smiled at my choice of words and I bite my lips instantly in regret. I shouldn't have added the word notorious.
• His name was not a name to be taken lightly. Gavin Stone as a name carried weight, strength and a reputation that made even the boldest cautious. He was notorious for being brutal. Crossing someone like him was not only hazardous; it was dangerous.
• I began to wonder if I made a mistake marrying him without knowing who he was. But I knew the fact that he was Brandon's uncle was enough to help me with my revenge against the Sinclairs and even against Brandon.
• I imagined how pale Serena’s face would be when I eventually inform them that I was married to Brandon’s uncle and I was now Brandon’s aunt by marriage.
• Brandon would throw a fit.
• A cackle of laughter left my lips before I knew it.
• Gavin raised a brow at me. “Are you still thinking of my notorious nature? Is that what's funny?”
• I flushed red in the face and shook my head. He nodded and pointed to the opened Maserati. I should have known he was a prominent figure the moment I saw this Maserati but I didn't think twice about it before jumping in and asking him to marry me.
• He slouched next to me in the back seat and closed the door. The car surged to life immediately.
• “I'm sorry I came onto you like that. Still, I'm not going to go against my agreement. As soon as I get it, I'll transfer the shares to you.” I didn't want him to think that because he was a prominent figure and had all the wealth in the world, I wouldn't bother to give him the shares again. “Once the share is transferred, we can….”
• Go out separate ways?
• That was the deal initially. Get married, get the shares and get a divorce but now that I think of it, I think staying married to Gavin Stone wouldn't be such a bad idea.
• “We can do what?” Gavin asked, and I blinked, jerking back to life. I turned to see him staring at me with curiosity written all over his face.
• I shook my head intermittently. “Nothing.”
• He didn't look convinced. He leaned back nonchalantly, his face impassive. “Miss Sinclair, weren't you about to say something? What would happened when the shared are transferred?”
• Before I could think of something else other than a divorce to answer him, the car slowed and I glanced out of the window to see a familiar name on a nearby sign: Longwan Residential.
• My breath hitched.
• Longwan was not just any neighborhood. It was an elite enclave for Li City’s most powerful and wealthiest citizens. Properties here were not just pricey but essentially untouchable unless you belonged to the elite of this society.
• I snapped my head back towards him to ask if that was where we would be staying henceforth as couples when I felt a sudden warm pressure on my lips.
• My eyes widened.
• Gavin’s lips were on mine. Instead of pulling away, our eyes locked on each other and quickly he pulled back.
• “I'm so sorry, I was curious to know what you were staring at.” He moved away, embarrassment clouding his face.
• The unintentional contact left me stunned beyond words and leaving my mind in a haze of confusion. Not just at the sudden contact of our lips but at the sweetness I had just tasted on his lips.
• Mint flavor.
• For years, I have been suffering from a strange disease. Everything I ate tasted bitter, including pastries, plain rice, and even water. It was a constant, smothering bitterness that made every meal a chore.
• But for the first time in years, I tasted sweetness again. On Gavin Stone’s lips. Like a lovesick teenager, I licked my lips, as if to savor the taste again. Instinctively, my eyes still locked on Gavin’s again.
• He stiffness at my reaction and I muttered shamelessly. “That was sweet.”
• Confusion and shock skated his expression as he exclaimed. “What? What are you talking about?”
• “Your lips. They tasted sweet.”
• A rich sound of laughter vibrated from Gavin’s mouth. He still looked stunned and I perfectly understand that I sound weird and crazy.
• “You're weird.”
• I wanted to tell him I wasn't and I knew what I meant when I said his lips were sweet. They were indeed sweet. But he would never understand if he had no idea about the type of illness I have been battling with for years.
• If we were not in the back seat of his car, with his driver driving us into his residence, I would have leaned in, to try to get that taste again.
• But I knew better than to do that.
• Even if I had wanted to announce my decision to abandon this marriage as soon as the transaction was completed, the taste of sweetness from him was enough to cloud my sense of decision.
• The taste clung to my memory making me realize this might be my newest obsession.
• “About the question,” I reminded him as soon as I reached a decision. The car drove into the automobile large gigantic gate and stopped in the driveway.
• Gavin nodded at me to go on. “What will happen after the shares are eventually transferred, right?”
• My intention before I tasted the sweetness of his lips was to inform him about my decision to consummate the agreement and go our separate ways.
• However, that intention had changed.
• “Right,” I agreed. “Once that is done, we could both relax and enjoy our money together without a care in the world and see where all of this leads to.”
• “What?!” Gavin narrowed his gaze at me.
• My smirk deepened and I finalized. “Let's see where this marriage leads to, my dear husband.”
• Gavin slumped back into the seat, his face was filled with shock.