Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Chapter 52: Asking to Be Provoked

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Samantha realized that the scumbag was always able to rile her up despite her best efforts to try and ignore him.

It made her feel that Timothy actually remembered her birthday, but because he hated her so much, he decided to piss her off by deliberately bringing back another woman!

She put the sliced piece of steak into her mouth, chewed it vigorously, then swallowed it. After that, she raised her head with a smile and replied, “Well, Mr. Barker, you’ve acted so swiftly that I doubt whether you still need to recuperate.”

There was hardly any noticeable difficulty in his leg movements.

Timothy cocked an eyebrow. “What’s the matter? Do I need to show it to you?”

“No thanks.” Samantha’s lips curled up even more. “There are other people who will show concern about your injury, Mr. Barker. I, for one, am not interested!”

Timothy’s eyes sank and his expression became as cold as a blade.

Samantha was not at all daunted when she made eye contact with him and chased him away unceremoniously. “If that’s all, Mr. Barker, please make yourself at home. I’m going to continue having my dinner.”

When she said that, Timothy’s gaze landed on the two steaks and two glasses of red wine on the table. He smirked yet again.

Could he have thought that she prepared it for him?

Ah!

Samantha immediately reached out for the plate in front of him and placed that steak directly on her plate. Next was the glass of red wine: she took it, raised her head, and drank it all in one gulp.

Those actions would probably suffice to dispel his delusion that she did it all for him!

She would rather eat until she vomited than give him a single bite!

Seeing the woman’s provocative gaze, Timothy’s eyes sank but it was still as unemotive as before. In the end, he merely got up and walked out of the dining hall.

…

After touring the villa, Tiana walked back to Timothy with a beaming smile. She raised her hand, tucked her hair behind her ear, and asked softly, “Mr. Barker, which room will I be staying in?”

Timothy squinted at the dining room from the corner of his eyes and withdrew his gaze. In his ever-lukewarm voice, he replied, “You can choose whichever.”

That would mean Tiana could stay in any room she liked. She was so excited that her heart could not stop throbbing.

From the moment she started working at the Barker Group and first laid eyes on Timothy, she had already fallen head over heels for him. After working under him and witnessing his capability and boldness first-hand, she became even more obsessed with him.

She frequently thought about being his woman and would be happy even if it was only for a short time.

During the past few years, however, Penelope was always around Timothy and kept a very close watch on him, thereby preventing Tiana from getting any chance. Another factor was Timothy’s daunting character—he had a strong aversion to being approached by other people.

She had witnessed the countless number of idiotic women trying to seduce him in the company—all of them eventually disappeared from the social circle. For that reason, Tiana would not have made a move so hastily if she was not completely confident.

In the end, it was clear that the heavens rewarded those who were determined. Penelope was no longer worthy of Timothy due to those scandals. With Timothy suffering from an injury, her daily inquiries on his well-being must have touched his heart, which was why he chose her to take care of him.

He not only brought her back to his private residence, but was even willing to let her choose whichever room she wanted. Timothy had already looked at her in a different light, and the opportunity she longed for had finally arrived!

Tiana was determined to put on a good performance and become Timothy’s woman!

…

The villa was so quiet that every single word of their conversation was picked up clearly in Samantha’s ears. She clenched her hands very tightly, with the blue veins on the back of her hands popping up into view.

Her eye sockets stung all of a sudden and she felt something choking her airways. She raised her head, took a few deep breaths, and suppressed her emotions as best as she could.

She continued her meal and finished her steaks bit by bit. Half a bottle of wine was gone by then!

Samantha even raised her wine glass, clinked it with the air, and said softly to herself, “Happy birthday, Sammy!”

Her voice was slightly hoarse.

After satiating herself with food and drink, Samantha cleaned up and did the dishes. She stood in the kitchen in deep thought, then decided that she would head upstairs to pack up some clothes so she could stay somewhere else for a few days.

Out of sight, out of mind! There was no point making life difficult for herself!

If that scumbag wanted to humiliate her like that, he could try in the next life!

Once Samantha had that thought, she adjusted her mood right away, then walked out of the kitchen and went upstairs.

She walked to the door of the master bedroom and saw that the light inside was turned on. Her first thought was that Timothy had returned to the room. She wanted to turn around and leave. Seeing him was the last thing on her mind, and she wanted to wait for him to come out before going in there.

To her surprise, she looked in through the half-open door and saw Tiana’s figure instead. More importantly, she even saw the clothes that Tiana was wearing.

Samantha froze right away as her black pupils contracted. Unable to take it anymore, she pushed the door open and strode in.

She barged in so abruptly that it caught Tiana by surprise. Though Tiana was startled at first, her expression soon turned to that of arrogance and disgust when she saw Samantha. “Ms. Larsson, did no one teach you any manners? Don’t you know how to knock on the door before entering someone else’s room?”

Deep down, Tiana felt that Samantha really did fit the character of a rich family’s daughter who had fallen from grace. If basic manners were all forgotten just like that, it was no surprise that Timothy despised her!

‘Someone else’s room? As if!’

Samantha was so angry that she smiled and even spoke in a very calm voice. “Did Timothy agree to let you stay in this room?”

Tiana smiled triumphantly and said as-a-matter-of-factly, “Mr. Barker said that I can stay in whichever room I like, so of course he would agree to let me stay in this room!”

She knew that was the master bedroom, where Timothy slept in. Although she never definitively asked Timothy for permission, she felt that it was not necessary to spell it out.

Samantha clenched her hands and looked at Tiana’s nightdress again. It belonged to her, so she asked, “In that case, did Timothy give you permission to wear that nightdress?”

Her expression and voice were so calm that Tiana could not ascertain what kind of mood Samantha was in. For some reason however, she felt that Samantha’s words were very scathing, making her feel exceptionally uncomfortable.

Why would an abandoned woman be worthy of talking to her?

Tiana straightened her body to display her assets and looked impatiently at Samantha. She then said coldly, “Am I obliged to answer your questions, Ms. Larsson? You’re just a guest taking up lodging here. What grounds do you have for asking so many questions?”

She said all that while beaming with a condescending smile. “Ms. Larsson, do you really think you’re the host here? Don’t invite yourself to get snubbed. Mr. Barker and I are going to spend a marvelous evening together. It’ll be a pitiful scene once he comes back and chases you out.”

Samantha felt nauseated and was thoroughly repulsed!

Since she and Timothy were an estranged couple, she initially felt that she had no right to bother about Timothy’s misdeeds—not that she cared about it in the first place. Tiana, however, seemed to find joy in provoking her...

Samantha’s lips twitched slightly, and a cold glimmer surfaced slowly from the bottom of her eyes. “I’ll give you two choices....”