Chapter Twelve | Setbacks

“You’re surprisingly childish, you know?” Liviana pipes, arms crossed as she stares at the man across from her, a challenging look in her eyes as she looks him up and down. “For a man with a reputation such as yours.”

“And what reputation is that?” Blaze asks, holding her gaze well as he waits for her to start fumbling, whether it be with her words or the new confidence she had been clutching onto throughout the day, an act he knew she would let slip sooner or later.

“You know which one I’m talking about.”

“Do I?” He asks, resting his elbows on his knees as he leans forward, acting as if this were business now, yet his voice was still low with a rasp as he spoke to her, his demeanor different from when he was dealing with anyone else.

Liviana watches him, nodding and mumbling out a ‘yeah’.

“Spell it out for me.” Blaze says. “After all, I have a fair amount of different reputations. I need some clarity on which you’re referring to.”

“The reputation of being a heartless, emotionless,