Against Cruelty, She Grew Strong (by Anastasia Glover) novel Chapter 611

Chapter 611 The Unyielding Defense

Was it nothing more than an absolute illusion?

The welcome dinner banquet.

Every single notable individual scheduled to attend the ribbon–cutting ceremony was present inside the grand private dining hall. Unsurprisingly. Liam was seated directly among the elite delegation.

Compared to the convoluted, restless storm raging in his mind. Tatiana was perfectly serene, demonstrating complete composure even as his intense gaze repeatedly drifted toward her position throughout the evening.

The clinking of delicate crystal glasses and the smooth flow of polished conversation filled the room. As the guest of honor, she spoke with absolute economy, choosing her words carefully, yet not a single person at the table dared to overlook her presence.

Suddenly, Liam broke his silence, steering the conversation directly toward her. “What are your specific thoughts regarding the long–term structural framework for this orphanage?”

In an instant, the focus of the entire room pivoted sharply to her position.

Tatiana offered a flawless, radiant smile, handling the sudden spotlight with absolute elegance as she laid out her analysis piece by piece.

Vivian’s ironclad trust in Tatiana was far from a shallow reflection of her vast financial reserves. Vivian had interacted with an absolute abundance of wealthy tycoons throughout her career, yet she had never crossed paths with anyone who aligned so perfectly with her standards, combining elite intellectual capacity with breathtaking refinement.

Tatiana had prepared comprehensively before making the journey to Hundsville. Being singled out by Liam didn’t trigger a single second of hesitation, and she detailed her concepts with total mastery.

Liam kept his eyes pinned to her face, completely mesmerized as she used a perfectly tranquit, professional tone to map out highly practical operational solutions and multi–year development goals.

Her beautiful eyes sparkled with a sharp, brilliant focus.

This was yet another side of her character. It was exactly as she had stated during their race down the ridge; she possessed multiple dimensions, and each successive layer she exposed proved to be infinitely more captivating than the last.

When the dinner finally concluded, Tatiana stood up to make her exit.

“Tatiana,” a voice called out behind her.

She halted her steps, turning her head to offer a perfectly courteous acknowledgement. “Liam.”

Carilyn, who had been following closely behind her, demonstrated exceptional situational awareness. “I will wait for you by the main vehicle bank, Ms. Tatiana,” she chimed in smoothly, executing a rapid, tactical

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Chapter 611 the Unyielding Defense

refreat to give them space.

Once she reached a safe distance down the corridor, Carilyn couldn’t resist spinning around to catch a lingering glimpse of the interaction.

Oh my god, what an absolute power couple!

One was a high–ranking, immensely successful heir to an elite dynasty, and the other was a brilliant corporate queen commanding a multi–billion–dollar empire. It looked exactly like a top–tier romantic dynamic ripped straight from the pages of a fiction novel.

She was completely invested in the scene, her face flushing with excitement as she kept backing down the hallway, her focus so thoroughly compromised that she crashed violently into a body walking from the opposite direction.

“Ouch!”

She nearly lost her footing entirely, stumbling backward on the carpet. Snapping her head up to review the collision, she locked eyes with a gaze that was completely, terrifyingly frozen.

The raw, lethal hostility radiating from the man’s pupils was enough to make her feel as though she were being violently dismantled on the spot.

A sharp gasp escaped her lips. This utility worker was absolutely terrifying.

“My apologies,” the man muttered, his voice raw and low as he quickly reached up to yank the brim of his cap down, shielding his features from the light before turning on his heel and disappearing down the intersecting corridor.

Carilyn stared at his retreating silhouette, a heavy layer of goosebumps coating her skin from the sheer, unsettling malice of the encounter. Even though the individual was dressed in the standard coveralls of a maintenance technician, the underlying authority radiating from his frame was far from anything a common laborer could mimic.

“How incredibly aggressive…” she muttered to herself, shaking off the residual dread as she continued down the hall. “I didn’t even do anything to provoke him, yet he looked as though he wanted to rip someone apart.”

Back near the entrance of the banquet hall, Tatiana’s expression turned into a mask of pure, polite bewilderment. “Is there something specific you require?”

She had fully believed that her brutal confession back in the capital would be more than enough to force Liam into a permanent retreat. After all, a monolithic institution like the Langstrom family would never, tolerate a matriarch burdened with another man’s children, and she had zero remang incentive to continue investigating their network anyway.

Their lives were supposed to be two parallel lines that would never intersect again.

Yet Liam’s current behavior suggested he had absolutely zero intention of letting the matter drop.

It was thoroughly exhausting. Suppressing her intense impatience, she stood perfectly still and waited for

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furn to state his business

“We have yet to finish the drinks we agreed upon during our last encounter.”

She paused for a fraction of a second, entirely unable to read his strategy. “Do you truly comprehend the weight of what you are suggesting right now?

“Of course I do,” he replied smoothly, a self–assured smile breaking across his features. “Since a formal agreement was established between us, it is only proper that we fulfill the parameters of the meeting.”

Technically speaking, she had agreed to a drink before their chaotic race down the highway disrupted the imeline, causing her to cut the evening short and return to her estate. Strictly speaking, she had defaulted on the arrangement.

But she refused to continue participating in this hollow game of passive–aggressive courtship, delivering a lean, unyielding refusal. “I believe it is entirely inappropriate for us to be consuming alcohol in a private etting.”

What exactly makes it inappropriate?”

iam took a decisive step forward, his tall, imposing silhouette looming directly over her frame. “Are you not completely single at this current moment?”

Tatiana offered an immediate, firm shake of her head. “No. I have a boyfriend.”

Liam’s pupils shrank to pinpricks, the smooth, confident smile freezing instantly on his lips. For a split econd, he genuinely suspected his hearing had failed him.

A boyfriend?”

Yes, I have a partner,” she reaffirmed, keeping her voice perfectly steady.

Even if that specific partner’s current status remains an absolute mystery.

That is impossible,” Liam countered, his voice tightening. “Based on the comprehensive profile we compiled…”

Profiles capture a single snapshot in time,” she cut him off smoothly. “There is absolutely no regulation reventing me from entering a committed relationship recently, is there?”

Liam found himself entirely stripped of a counterargument.

Who is he?”

“That information is completely confidential, as it falls strictly under my personal privacy. I appreciate the immense interest you have shown in my affairs, but I must speak frankly, I am not a suitable match for your household I sincerely wish you the absolute best in locating someone better aligned with your standing.”

Leaving him with that absolute dismissal, Tatiana pivoted and began walking down the corridor.

As she attempted to brush past his frame, Liam’s hand shot forward with lethal speed, his fingers locking firmly around her wrist.

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Tatiana, you are lying to me.

She gave her arm a sharp decisive yank, but his grip remained unyielding. Her brows furrowed in immediate irritation. “Release my hand.”

This mysterious boyfriend doesn’t even exist, does he? You are creating a phantom.”

A cold, mocking laugh escaped her throat, her patience entirely depleted as she discarded the last traces of her superficial politeness. “What earthly reason would I have to invent such a story just to deceive you?”

“Because you are desperate to reject my pursuit.”

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