Chapter 18: Stronger Than Blood  

Lana's mother was more than happy to meet Liam, and when he was about to leave after dinner, she asked Lana to see him off. Lana came out with Liam.

Liam could not help but feel happy about all the things he did to irritate her tonight. As they both came out, Liam was about to sit in his car but turned towards Lana. He came close to her and said, "Don't overestimate yourself and this is only because your mother is watching us from the window. I have to do this to save you from her nagging."

He came closer while talking and grabbed her by her waist. He put one hand on her nape, bent down and kissed her. He inhaled her mesmerizing scent and left her all shocked and furious after a small simple kiss.

"Mr. Liam Sy, what is the meaning of this?" She gritted her teeth and demanded an explanation in a very low voice from him.

Liam smirked and used his thumb to silence her lips and said, "Your mother is watching us and I just wanted to put the best show in front of her."

Lana was about to turn her head to look back to check if her mother was really looking, but Liam cupped his face and said, "I will pick you up tomorrow, little tigress, be ready in time."

He had that triumphant evil grin as he quickly went back inside his car. Lana would have slapped him if not for her mother, who according to Liam was peeking on them.

She was so furious that she blasted on Liam's car as it left, cursing him as she tried to compose herself back to normal before going back inside her house.

Finally, Lana was at peace when Liam left. Her face crumpled because she could tell that Liam was doing it on purpose. She went back to the kitchen to wash the dishes, but her mother pushed her away and told her to clean up already and that she would follow her soon.

She was still irritated while she washed herself and changed her clothes. She felt that Liam?took too much liberty with her and tried to annoy her every single opportunity that night!

"Since when did he learn to act so charmingly? Smiling widely the whole evening like that? Shrewd sniffer!" Lana hissed as she lied down on her bed and stared at the ceiling.

She smirked at the thought of planning out how she could get even with him when the weekend came.

"You're acting smart in front of my mom huh… Let's see when my chance comes… how will you take it then!" she whispered while she started devising a better scheme to return the favor to the shrewd man once she met his family. Vengeance was a must!

She was lost in her planning and smirking when her mother finished cleaning up herself and joined her on her bed.

"Thinking about Liam?" She heard her mother whisper.

"Yes." Lana unconsciously said and then jolted back to reality. She turned crimson red because of embarrassment caused by her mother's out of the blue question.

"Since I found Liam to my satisfaction, then I will not scold you for not telling me about him beforehand." her mother spoke next.

Lana closed her eyes and remained quiet. 'Less talk, less mistake.' She thought. Besides, she knew her mom. She would never stop asking too many questions as soon as she answered her, so Lana pretended to be asleep already.

Mrs. Huang looked at her daughter intently. Lana had changed a lot after she did her military training with Keira and the rest of her friends. Before that Lana was a very timid lady who was also prim and proper in every way, but after she returned from that military training she became too stubborn. She often took bold steps and did things on her own.

She heaved a lengthy sigh as she continued to stare at her daughter. All she wanted was for Lana to settle down and have a family of her own. It scared her to think of seeing her only daughter become an old maid.

"Mom, stop staring at me and sleep," Lana whispered.

Mrs. Huang wrinkled her forehead and asked, "How did you know that I'm staring at you?"

Lana opened her eyes and moved sideways to look at her mother. She smiled and said, "Well… That's one thing I learned inside the military. Good reflexes. And it's very beneficial for me."

Mrs. Huang could no longer help it and exhaled loudly before voicing out, "You have changed a lot…"

Lana moved again, laying her back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. "Yes mom, I know, and I prefer this new me…" she murmured.

'Stronger and carefree…' Lana wanted to add. The prim and proper mask that she donned always earlier was suffocating her for too long already. Doing things though she did not want to, just for the sake of following the rules, even if it was against her will.

"Are you disappointed in me mom?" Lana asked. Her voice was almost like a hush.

"Hmm, at first I was not used to it but then I realized that you're already old enough to make your own decisions, so whatever makes you happy my dear then I will try to understand." Mrs. Huang mumbled.

Yes, the new Lana often wrecked storms in her head often because of her bold and stubborn acts. However, seeing her daughter smile at her more than she ever did was something she would not trade for anything.

Lana was her only daughter who brought her so much joy and contentment in life. And that would remain true forever without fail. Lana was hers no matter what others said, because what bonded them was way something stronger than blood.

Lana faced her mother and closed into her embrace to snuggle and hug her. For her, she was the best mother in the world.