Liam was momentarily stunned before he realized what was happening. He burst into laughter. "Are you jealous?"

"Get lost!"

Liam received a boot in his shin just as he was taking advantage of the situation to make fun of his friend.

"Zaria, he kicked me!" Knowing that Zaria would definitely be on his side, he complained, looking extremely wronged.

As expected, the woman shot a glare at Desmond. "When will you stop being childish?"

Liam smiled gloatingly and made a face at the infuriated Desmond. He didn't have anything fun to do with his free time lately, so it was entertaining to spend his time infuriating Desmond.

The latter was on the verge of exploding. However, he knew that Liam was doing it on purpose. He met Zaria's stern gaze with pitiful eyes. "Zaria, he has been harassing me nonstop."

He looked forward to seeing her scold Liam. Just when he was ready to gloat, she pulled on his hand. "Stop being nonsensical. Go home and prepare for tomorrow's meetings."

"Pfft…" Liam was about to burst into another peal of laughter when a pair of ferocious glares restrained him.

Dragging him by the arm, she shoved him into his car, shut the door and then ordered the driver, "Drive."

The chauffeur was on the verge of dying from trepidation when he saw someone audaciously pushing his boss around. He looked back uncertainly. "Sir…"

"Drive! Didn't you hear her?" The man was holding onto his arm where Zaria had grabbed earlier and smiled like a lunatic.

…

Until Desmond's car drove off, Liam was in disbelief. Did his unreasonable friend just leave Zaria behind? What kind of insanity was going on?

When he finally left, Zaria finally retracted her glare, and only then did she realize that the men she had just scolded for being childish were both her superiors. Even so, she shrugged indifferently. "Sir, I'll get going now."

"I'll drop you off." Liam declared with no space for negotiation. He knew that Desmond would bite him to death if he left her on her own.

She knew that she would not manage to talk him out of it, so she followed him to his white sports car.

When they arrived, he walked her to her doorstep.

"Thanks, Mr. Preston." She smiled and walked in.

"Just call me Liam." He smiled. It was odd to hear such a distant form of address from a woman who had the guts to glare at him and shove her boss into a car.

She nodded and turned to walk in.

"Aren't you going to call me in for a cup of tea?"

Her eyes widened at his words. In the next second, she grabbed one of the high-heeled shoes that she had forgotten at the doorstep earlier and pointed it at him. "What are you up to?"

Realizing what his words had implied, Liam waved his hands in a flurry. "Just a cup of tea! I don't mean anything else… I'm so thirsty…"

Since he had said so, and since she knew that Liam was not an insane playboy like his friend, she welcomed him. "Just a cup of tea, and you will leave right after."

He nodded happily and walked in.

Just as he thought, Zaria's home was neither too big nor too small; it was befitting of two occupants. The theme was simple with white and golden tones, and although the furniture was not luxurious, it was quite pleasing to the eye.

He waited on the couch as she made him a cup of tea, which she brought in a few minutes.

While they spoke, he received a call and went out for a moment, returning with a car key. He handed it to her. "Here, this is for you."

Before she could refuse it, he added, "Every executive employee gets one. Sometimes you may have to work overtime or be required to arrive much earlier than usual. It would not be safe for a woman to take a cab or the subway at odd hours."

Since his explanation made sense, she was no longer suspicious about it. But, "I get a Ferrari?"

He scratched his head. "That's because you are one of the most competent employees in the company. The treatment depends on how hard they have worked."

"Thank you." She smiled as she held the key. Even though she knew that Liam was deliberately treating her too well, she would work hard to make up for it.

The man smiled and nodded, then wanted to give his friend a lecture for two hours. Who said it was hard to give a gift to a woman? Zaria had accepted it without any hiccups!

He was just about to take his leave when the door opened, and a joyous middle-aged man walked in. His smile froze when his gaze landed on Liam.

In the next second, he launched a punch. "Bastard!"

"Dad!" Zaria was taken aback. She rushed over to hold him back. "That's my boss!"

"You idiot! What do you take my daughter as? Someone you can bully as you please? And you have the audacity to come here and bully her in her own house?!" He pulled away from Zaria and launched yet another punch.

Liam, who had just been punched for merely being there, was speechless. He didn't dare to fight back and recoiled to a corner as the man angrily rained punches on his shoulders and back.

"Dad, he didn't!" Zaria finally managed to stop her father, sweating from having used so much strength. When Theodore paused, she used the chance to quickly explain. "Liam has never said or done anything to make me feel sad. I'm telling you the truth."

Afraid that he would not believe her, she retrieved the car key and showed it to him. "He only came to give me this. It's a reward for my hard work."

Theodore examined the key and only then did he calm down slightly. In the next second, he glared at Liam. "Why would you give her such an expensive car? Are you trying to take advantage of your status as her boss to lure my daughter?"

"No, no! I wouldn't dare!" Liam shook his battered head vehemently. Inwardly, he cursed Desmond a hundred times. Thanks to that idiot bullying Zaria incessantly, he was being beaten up for merely existing.

Luckily, Theodore was no longer unfriendly after getting reassurance. Even so, he was not welcoming either. "You may leave."

Liam was not planning to stay either, so he scattered away.

Zaria slapped her forehead when Liam left. "Dad, you just beat my boss up."

Not only was Theodore not apologetic, but he was also even more fierce. "And I will do it again if he holds it against you. Tell me if anyone dares to do anything that makes you unhappy."

Zaria didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She hugged his arm with a smile. "How was your day? Does your hand hurt?"

"Not anymore." He smiled and took out his phone. "I received a c all from the court. The suit is called off."