Chapter 5

Mia immediately answered before Liam's parents could speak, "No one. You misheard." Thomas and Mariana glanced at her in surprise. Liam didn't notice their puzzled expressions. He took Mia by the arm and led her to the car. "Since you're here and the conversation's over, come with me. I want to take you somewhere." The two of them remained silent during the entire ride. She realized he had brought her to a luxury boutique when they arrived. He asked the staff to bring out a pile of clothes, shoes, and handbags before asking her to try them all on. She frowned, confused. "Why am I trying these on?" Liam pushed her toward the fitting room, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Just try them on." She was about to refuse, but the staff had closed the door and started unboxing items. He would snap a photo every time she finished changing into an outfit before she was pushed back into the fitting room again. Mia was forced to repeat the entire process endlessly and was completely drained after trying on what felt like over 100 outfits. Her feet were blistered and bleeding because of the heels. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She pushed the staff away, limped out, and walked up to Liam as she said in a lowered voice, "I don't need your guilt gifts…" "Wrap everything up except for that burgundy gown. Deliver them all to Ms. Chandra at Castella Villa." The rest of Mia's words instantly caught in her throat when she heard that. She stared at him as he swiped his card without hesitation. Her voice was hoarse. "You made me try all these only because you want to buy them all for your girlfriend?" Liam nodded casually, the corners of his lips curling into a faint smile. "Yeah. I wanted to buy her something nice, but I wasn't sure what she would like. You and she are about the same size. If it looks good on you, it'll definitely look good on her. "You're coming with me later. We're heading to the dessert shop, the jewelry store, and the cosmetic counters later. Do me a favour and try out the food, the makeup, and the skincare. I want to make sure everything I give her is the best." Mia could no longer suppress the fury building inside her as she listened to him making all these plans without her consent. "Liam Clarke! I'm not some tool for you to please your girlfriend!" Liam, having never seen her this angry before, looked up in shock and saw her reddened eyes. Mia's voice trembled as she continued, "Have you even noticed? I never treated you like some casual companion. Every hug, every kiss, and even when we slept together—I meant it! It's fine that you don't love me the same way, but I won't let you treat me like nothing!" Hearing that, Liam was stunned and overwhelmed by sophisticated emotion. He tried to explain, but Mia had turned around and walked away. His eyes flickered as he watched her retreating figure disappear into the crowd before his expression returned to normal, as if nothing had happened. Mia pulled out her suitcase and began packing her things when she got home. Her parents would occasionally bring up Liam at the dining table. "I heard Liam had booked out a themed park for three days to celebrate Riley's birthday. He even had roses imported from overseas. He's really going all out." "Didn't he also take her to meet Mr. Clarke Senior at the Clarke residence? I heard he bought some antique gifts and said they were from her. The old man was thrilled and kept praising her." Mia remained silent whenever they talked about the Clarke family. The occasional ripple in her heart no longer brought pain. She stayed away from anything related to Liam, turning down every dinner and gathering where she might run into him. Meanwhile, Liam had pretended like nothing had happened and messaged her late at night a few times while he was drunk, asking her to pick him up. She never went. Some people in their circle would gossip about them when they got a little tipsy. Their tones were filled with curiosity. "Hey, Liam. Where's that childhood friend of yours? Why isn't she sticking to you lately?" Liam brushed it off casually, as if he didn't care. "She's just sulking. Don't worry, she'll come around eventually." However, he still hadn't heard from Mia as time passed. She even stopped responding to his messages in the end. He finally lost his patience the day before his birthday and sent her a digital invitation via email. She replied this time with only two words, "I'll pass."