Forced To Love | ✔

Chapter 23

Henry's POV

What the f*uck?!

I was fuming with rage inside. This must have been one of the guys she had been having an affair with.

But, what is he doing here now?

My grip on Liam's hand tightened unconsciously.

"Woah, you're quite strong buddy!", Liam laughed. I came to my senses and immediately eased my hold on him.

I had to stay calm. I released his hand and tried to compose myself.

I managed to keep my face void from any emotion. However, that was not the case for Alyssa.

She looked paler than ever and had a shell-shocked expression on her face. I couldn't blame her. I was just as dumbfounded as she was.

"So, this must be Anna's little sister. Alyssa, right?", Liam extended his hand towards her.

She took his hand reluctantly and shook it.

"It's nice to finally meet you. Anna has told me a lot about you. You're just as beautiful as your sister." Liam grinned at Alyssa, a little too long for my liking.

Alyssa blushed at his compliment and it irked me.

"Yes, she is beautiful, isn't she?", I intervened, throwing my arm around Alyssa's shoulder and brought her closer to me.

She gave me a lost look, clearly puzzled by my sudden display of affection.

Liam's smile faded a little when I stepped in. It felt good to put him in his place. I knew what he was trying to do. I saw the way he was looking at Alyssa. There was something unnerving about him.

And, it all made sense as to why Anna didn't want to join us for dinner. She was afraid of how I would react if I found out that Liam was one of her boy toys. I had to be wary of him, especially around Alyssa.

I wanted to know more about him. There was no way I could find out anything about him from Anna nor did I want to speak with her ever again.

"Let's have dinner, shall we?", Alyssa's mom beamed cheerfully at us and we proceeded to the dining table. I sat next to Alyssa and Liam sat directly opposite us.

"I have prepared your favourite meal today. It's chicken roast with potatoes.", my mother in law smiled affectionately at Alyssa.

Alyssa returned the same loving smile to her. I still couldn't believe that she was adopted. She looked alot like her parents and Anna. No one would ever guess she was adopted. But all that mattered that her parents loved her unconditionally.

"Really? Well, its my favourite too. Nothing beats mom's cooking.", Liam chimed in enthusiatically and I wished I could punch that stupid mouth of his. 

"Liam, would you like to properly introduce yourself to Henry and Alyssa? I'm sure they would like to know more about you?", my father in law spoke and I'm glad he did. I could probably learn a thing or two about who this guy really was.

While we were eating, I listened in patiently to the boring details of where he grew up, about how he is a successful business man running a markerting firm. I was done waiting. It was my turn now to ask him questions instead.

"So Liam, how did you meet Anna?", I asked.

He looked up from his plate while he was chewing his food. His eyebrow lifted in surprise, as though he didn't expect that question or rather a question from me.

"We met online, actually. We chatted for months and then we decided to finally meet. It went from there and we have never looked back since. We have been dating for a year now.", his response was curt, as though he was hiding something and didn't want to reveal much.

A year? I can't believe this sh*t.

I glanced over at Alyssa and it looked like she was having a hard time understanding what was going on. I reached for her bare knee under the table and squeezed lightly to reassure her. She peeked at me and gave me a weak smile.

"So, how did you two meet?", Liam asked Alyssa with a smirk on his and even bother looking at me while he did.

"Umm...he asked for my hand in marriage. He came and spoke to my parents about marrying me.", her voice was soft and hesitant.

"You both weren't dating before marriage? So wait, did he really ask your parents to marry you?", he asked quizzically.

Alyssa nodded and he erupted into a loud laughter.

"Wow, I can't believe this. I mean don't get me wrong but I can't believe arranged marriages are still a thing now. It's really old-fashioned, if you ask me.", Liam chuckled, making it feel like a light hearted joke.

No one asked you, a**hole!

Alyssa's parents laughed along with him. What the hell was wrong with them?! He already had them eating out of his hand.

It was clear as day that he was taunting me. I wanted to break his f**king jaw at that moment.

"I'm glad Henry asked for my hand in marriages. Not alot of people get to say that they had an arranged marriage. It may be old-fashioned but its an honorable thing to do.", Alyssa smiled at me affectionately and weaved her hands through mine, kissing the back of it infront of everyone. I was pleasantly surprised. Never would I have thought that Alyssa, who was always shy would be bold enough to stand up for me or let alone act lovingly towards me infront of anyone, especially her parents. Her gesture made me feel warm. Above all, I felt safe and secure.

This was not something I had with Anna. I had lied to myself when I was with her. Making up excuses for why she didn't want to be seen with me or kiss me in public. Everything was done behind closed doors. Life with her was like living on the edge. It felt scary and uncertain. I was always the one giving and receiving nothing in return. It infuriated me how I had been brainwashed to think that she loved me when in reality, I was only used by her. I wondered if she used Liam just like me? I could care less about Anna or her dumb boyfriend now.

"Thank you dear. And, it was the best decision I ever made.", I returned her smile back and laid a long kiss on her soft lips. And, I meant what I said.

With Alyssa, every moment I spent with her, I found something in shifting in me. Her laugh, her smile,every single thing about her began to fascinate me. I couldn't admit to myself or to Alyssa just yet. I felt guilty after hurting her so much. I wanted to tell her badly how I felt but I had to make things right with her first. I would tell her soon, when the time was right.

"Awww...that's so sweet. And I do agree. We're glad you asked us. We're so happy to have you as our son in law", Alyssa's mom gushed and her dad gave the approving nod as well.

Everyone expect for myself was oblivious to Liam. It looked like he had swallowed a bitter pill. He forced a fake smile towards us before he distracted himself by drinking some water.

What bothered me most was that when he thought no one was looking, he had a salacious look in his eyes. They were trained on Alyssa like a hawk. I wanted to rip his eyes out but now wasn't the time to act rashly. He can look all he want but Alyssa is mine and she will always be mine. I needed to get as much information as I could on him. There was something was genuinely unsettling about him.

"Sorry, I need to make an urgent phone call. I will be right back.", I kissed Alyssa's cheek and passed Liam a furtive glance before I left to call to my detective.

Hi guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. What do you think about Liam? Let me know in the comments below. As always, remember to vote, comment and share.

Thanks for reading bye! :)