Lily's POV
My hands gripped the door handle shakily and turned it. I felt sore and painful. My body hurt all over and the headache wasn't gone. It had been a hassle leaving the hotel. I didn't have a purse or cash with me and when I had asked the receptionist for some money, she had looked at me as if I were the gum underneath her shoe.One of the hotel workers took pity eventually and gave me just enough to hail a cab and get my ass home.My family hadn't even thought about how I would return home. As usual, they only cared about Natalie. It was always Natalie."Don't you dare take a step in here!" My mother yelled, throwing a slipper at the door. I dodged just in time to miss it.What now?! What was she so angry about?! I did what they wanted!"You bitch!" Natalie screamed, rubbing towards me to grab my hair. "You ran away from that room, didn't you?! I knew we should have dumped more molly in you!""What are you saying?!" I screamed in reply, tears streaming down my cheeks. "Listen to yourself! I just slept with a stranger for you!"A loud smack hit my face, stunning me momentarily. "Liar!" Natalie hissed. "Ford Maxwell called, he told me to forget about modeling because I didn't show up last night! Mother swears she left you in his room! So why on earth did Ford Maxwell not see you–”"–I hate you!" I screamed. Her callousness, her selfishness burned deep in my bones. How could she do this to me? How could they all do this to me? "Someone slept with me last night, Natalie! I don't care what your Ford Maxwell said, but I couldn't leave the room because my family drugged me! I hate you all!*"Well, you can have a nice life without us then." My father boomed.I froze, taking in his words. He walked toward me speedily, grabbing me by the hair. The hazel eyes I had inherited stared down at me in anger."You made your sister lose her dream. Her future. You are the selfish one here, Lily. You are no part of our family." He spat."D-Dad," I called weakly, tears pouring down my face. "How can you say that-"With a growl, he dragged me by the hair out of the door and hurled me to the ground."Do not ever return! From now on, I have just one daughter and it isn't you!" He snarled, turned his back on me and slammed the door.*******Noah's POV"Will that be all, Mr Vernon?" I asked the proud-looking jackass who sat before me, his nose raised in the air snobbishly. Even though I wanted to yell at him, I still maintained eye contact with him and offered him one of my beautiful, charming smiles, showing him that I was interested in him and whatever complaints he must have had.I had woken up to a call from my secretary that one of our clients claimed the gadgets supplied to him were mediocre.I had known it would be Vernon. He had to be by far, one of the most infuriating clients I had worked with.Most people would wonder why I keep someone like him around, but I was one to listen to complaints so as to make my company better. That was after all how I managed to be one of the youngest rich Billionaires in the whole country.A bit of a sense of humor. Insight and passion. And a positive attitude toward criticism. Social grace and poise. A genuine smile. An interest in others. Those were good qualities I had learned to possess.And while I was used to his antics, I had been pissed as hell that morning.Because I had to leave her.Her.My body tightened as I recalled the girl I had left at the hotel. Ah hell, just thinking about her made me mad with hunger. She had felt so soft, so fucking soft and supple and too damned tight for an escort.My hands twitched and I ran it through my mass of black hair, trying to regulate my breathing. I had gone to the bar of that hotel to cool off and have a few drinks. Ended up drunk as hell and booked my usual room because I hadn't wanted to drive home with all the alcohol swimming in my veins.And like a dream, she was there. Sprawled seductively on my bed, dressed in the most flimsy dress I had ever seen, ready to be opened up like a fucking present. It wasn't unusual to find a woman waiting up in my hotel room. My brother, Ethan, had a knack for hiring female escorts to 'surprise' me as he'd always put it.And while the women he hired were quite good, she, this one had been phenomenal. Her curves. I hadn't been able to see her in the dim room but I had felt her, everywhere. How could I not? She was so fucking responsive and made the most seductive noises. Her breasts, I doubt I could ever forget how they filled my hands, how I'd wanted nothing more than to taste her than to be buried balls deep inside her. How her wet hot heat had clamped around me, milking me, driving me mad with need."That will be all for now, Donovan," Vernon said, breaking through the dirty thoughts that plagued my mind.I looked up to see the sneer on his face as he rose and left the office. That jackass. Perhaps by the end of the year, I would terminate the business contract between us. Now that he was gone though, I could go back to the hotel.I rose as well and strode out of the office. I hadn't seen much of her that morning because I was in a rush and she had slept so peacefully. Her hair, brown, was splayed all over the pillow, making her look Innocent. There had been some blood stains on the sheets. We must have gotten so crazy that someone got cut or something.Fuck! Where on earth did Ethan get these women from? I wanted more of her. So much more. Perhaps I could make her my mistress, she had the supple body for that.With that thought in mind, I drove down to the hotel to see her and was quite disappointed to hear she had left. I had to see her again, which was crazy since I never cared about the women I slept with in the past. And believe me when I say there were tons of them. Back in the car, I dialed Ethan's number. He had sent her to me so he had to have a means of contacting her again."Please tell me you have a valid reason for calling so early?" His playful teasing voice reached my ears, and I grunted. How anyone could sound so fucking cheerful all the time, was beyond me.Ethan had always been my stark opposite. Hell, my mother used to say the only similarity we shared was our dark hair. He had gotten father's playful blue eyes, and I'd gotten mother's green ones. He'd inherited my mother's bubbly nature, I had always been reserved. That explained why he would have to hire escorts to please me in the first place."It's two in the afternoon," I told him, and heard him chuckle."My point exactly. Need anything?""Yes, the woman you sent to me last night," I mumbled. "I need her contact."Ethan remained quiet for a while before speaking. "I didn't send anyone last night.""Ethan, I have no time for games–""–I hadn't! The agency said they had no women available so I hadn't sent anyone!" He defended."Then who the fuck did I sleep with?!" I bellowed, horror filled me. The blood stains. The fucking blood stains. It couldn't be, she couldn't have been!"I don't know! You slept with someone who isn't an escort? If you didn't sound so scandalized, I would be overjoyed right now." He scoffed."This is no time for jokes! I have to find her. She must have been drunk and... Shit! I fucked an innocent girl-""If she didn't push you away, then she wanted it." My brother said nonchalantly.True.It was also not the first time such a thing had happened. But for some reason, I felt like that wasn't the case in this scenario."She must have been drunk!" I snapped, rubbing my forehead. Hell, now that I thought about it, her movements had been odd and slow. She slurred half the time when she managed to speak. She had to have been drunk and slipped into the wrong room and then I... I slept with her.“She was a virgin,” I told Ethan. I could tell how the news caught him off guard from the way he breathed deeply."I doubt she was-"“–I am serious,” I said, cutting him off. Silence reigned between us for a minute or two, each of us weighing the thoughts of what I just revealed."You have to find her," he finally hissed through his teeth. “You have to take responsibility.""It's just a one-night stand, Ethan, calm the fuck down!" I yelled at my brother."Until you see her, until you confirm that she had wanted it too, I cannot calm down!" Ethan yelled right back. “Think about the effect it would have on you as a person and on the company if this girl comes out to tell the world what you did to her while she was not herself and couldn't refuse you.” My brother added and ended the call.I wanted to shrug his concern off, but I found that I couldn't.Somehow, I knew he was right. The fact that the girl was drunk and was also a virgin was oddly against me. If she decided to press charges or even blackmail me with those facts, nothing and no amount of money and influence would change that.I knew I was overreacting at this point. I was never one to care about whether or not a girl wanted sex as long as she didn't push me away during the act, but this was different.I raised my phone and dialed a number. It barely rang for three seconds before it was picked up."Mr. Donovan?" A gruff voice said on the other side. That was the family's private investigator."I need you to find someone. As soon as possible."The next morning, my phone pinged and an address flashed across the screen. Her address. I had to find her and make things right. PAnd so without hesitation, I drove down to the address. I knocked on the door a few times and after what seemed like forever, a girl with brown hair and the most feline brown eyes I had ever seen, opened the door."Who are you?"Lily's POV"Make sure to scrub those dishes sparkling clean! We have customers waiting, so hurry with it!" "Yes cook," I replied, watching the tall, boisterous woman storm back into the kitchen. My hands were sore from scrubbing dishes. I felt hot and sweaty all over. My hair was matted to my head due to the sweat and I was sure I stank like hell. I picked up a stainless steel tray I had washed and stared at my reflection. I looked terrible. Three weeks living on the streets, scrounging for scraps of food and hanging onto my life, barely. Three weeks of madness. It felt like I was stuck in a never-ending nightmare. For the first week, I had roamed about. The shelters were terrifying.They mostly housed men and those men had a certain leer in their eyes whenever I walked in. I'd managed to find benches and stalls to sleep but it was brutal getting chased daily. A few days later when it felt like I was going to be completely dead if I didn't do something to save myself, I went bac
Noah's POV"Here comes the groom, here comes the groom!" Ethan yelled as I stepped out of my company's building. He stood beside my car, eyes glinting in mischief. I punched him in the arm as soon as I reached him, annoyed at his antics. The jackass laughed his head off as if he enjoyed teasing the hell out of me. Oh, who was I kidding? It was Ethan. Of course, he enjoyed teasing me. At this rate, I was certain he had been sent to earth to torment the daylights out of me. "You're crazy," I grumbled, pulling open the car door. "I'm crazy?" He snorted. "Says the guy who got himself engaged. To a bitch no less!" "Natalie is not a bitch!" I snapped, irritated at his words. He was talking about my fiance, dammit! "Her name sounds like a bitch's name too!" He chuckled, slipping into the front seat of the car. I settled into the driver's seat and kick-started the engine. It had been a month since I had met Natalie in person. When my private investigator had sent the address of the g
LilyAs I walked away, thinking about what just happened, alarm bells began ringing in my ears. I had no idea what just happened or who that crazy man was but still, I had a feeling that I knew him from somewhere but I had no idea where or how I had known him. As soon as he entered the house, his eyes never left me. They bored into me, searching me out and followed me with every corner I took.It was unnerving to say the least but even in his stares, I found comfort. There was this assurance I had when he was staring at me that I just couldn’t place. I also noticed the way he looked deep into my eyes, like he was searching for something I didn't even know existed. It was charming when you thought about it but at the same time, it was unnerving too and the last thing I wanted was for a damn attractive stranger to stare at me like I had stolen something from him.“Oh, Lily, why don’t you join us?” Mrs. Donovan smiled.Ever since I came to her house, she had been nothing but nice to me,
NoahAs soon as I laid eyes on Lily, something shifted within me. It was like the world around us dimmed, and all I could see was her. Her presence was magnetic, drawing my attention like a moth to a flame. We were at the dinner table, my mother, my brother Ethan, and me. But as hard as I tried to focus on the conversation, my gaze kept drifting back to Lily."Pass the salt, Noah," Ethan said, breaking through my trance.I nodded absentmindedly, handing him the salt without tearing my eyes away from Lily. She was chatting animatedly with my mother, her smile illuminating the room. I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to hear her laugh, to see her eyes light up with joy."Is everything alright, Noah?" My mother's voice brought me back to reality.I blinked, realizing I had been staring for too long. "Uh, yeah, everything's fine," I replied quickly, hoping they hadn't noticed my distraction.But deep down, I knew that everything was far from fine. Lily had captivated me in a
LilyI closed the door to my room behind me, my mind still reeling from the encounter with Noah. The words he had spoken echoed in my head, refusing to fade into the background like I wished they would. "You are here," he had said, his voice tinged with a mixture of excitement and disbelief. But why? Why would he tell me that? I barely knew him.Sinking onto the edge of my bed, I tried to make sense of it all. Noah was practically a stranger to me, yet his words had stirred something deep within me. There was a familiarity in his eyes, a sense of connection that I couldn't quite explain. It was as if he had been a part of my life for far longer than I realized.As I sat there lost in thought, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Noah than met the eye. His mysterious aura, coupled with his cryptic words, left me with more questions than answers. What did he mean by I was here? And why did it feel like there was some unspoken bond between us?Lost in my thoughts, I didn'
Lily.The morning sun streamed through the bathroom window, casting a warm glow across the tiled floor as I eased myself into the soothing embrace of the bathwater. The gentle scent of lavender filled the air, and for a moment, I allowed myself to forget about the world outside and simply enjoy this moment of peace but as I settled deeper into the water, my thoughts inevitably turned to the undeniable truth that lay beneath the surface of my skin.My hand instinctively drifted to my abdomen, where the subtle curve of a baby bump was beginning to make itself known. It was still small, barely noticeable to anyone but myself, but with each passing day, it seemed to grow more pronounced, a silent testament to the life that was growing within me and with that realization came the sudden rush of emotions that I had been struggling to contain.Tears welled up in my eyes as I traced the outline of my bump, feeling the weight of the unborn child resting there. I knew that soon, everyone would
Noah. I couldn’t stop thinking about my mother’s new maid. Everytime I glanced at her, it just seemed like she had the answers to all of my problems, like she had this peace I had been looking for for a very long time. Heck, I couldn't even get her out of my mind and with every minute that passed, stuck in this same house with her, I was slowly losing my mind.I wanted to feel her, wanted her very close to me so that i could hold her in my arms as she assured me that everything was going to be fine. I didn’t know what had gotten over me but I knew it was a sudden attraction towards her. There was just something about her that told me that she was a woman who needed to be cared for and when it came to do, I would do that without any hesitation.“What has gotten into you?” Ethan asked, barging into my room.I glanced up from mindlessly scrolling through my phone as I watched him take the seat opposite my king-sized bed. I knew what he meant and I wasn't sure I even had the answers to t
LilyHumming to myself, I had no idea I was being watched. My duty that day was to make sure that the kitchen was spotless even as I tried to make sure that everything was in place. Mrs Donovan would be having some guests over later on and I wouldn't want Chris to have a hard time locating where each item should be.“I told you Lily, you need to take more rest. I really don’t want you doing this.”I turned towards the direction of the voice to see Mrs Donovan walking towards me with a small smile on her face. She had told me times without numbers that I should learn to take some rest but how could I do that when things seemed to be in place.“Okay, I promise. As soon as I'm done with this, I'll take that rest.She hugged me gently before walking away, leaving me to continue my work. I knew she meant well for me but at times, her over protective nature had me worried because i didn’t want to let her down. She held me in high esteem and letting her down will no doubt break the trust she
LilyThe moment I walked up to the front door, a strange but exciting feeling bubbled up inside me. It was like my whole body was tingling with anticipation, even though I had no idea why. There was no reason for this giddy feeling, or at least none that I could see but something told me that I was about to walk into the most pleasant surprise of my life. I paused for a second before opening the door, letting the sensation wash over me, wondering what could possibly be waiting on the other side.As I stepped inside, the first thing I noticed was the soft, delicate petals of my favorite flowers—lilies—scattered all over the floor. They formed a beautiful, fragrant path leading further into the house. My heart skipped a beat as I took in the sight, my eyes wide with amazement. This was all too perfect, too magical. I followed the trail, my breath catching in my throat, my mind racing with possibilities.And then, I saw him—Noah, my love, my heart, my everything. He was there, at the end
NoahI knew it was time. I could feel it in every beat of my heart, in the way my breath caught whenever Lily walked into the room, and in the way her laughter filled the empty spaces in my soul. We'd been through so much together—every trial, every challenge had only strengthened the bond we shared. There was no doubt in my mind that she was the one, my other half, the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I had thought about it for a long time, turning the idea over in my mind, imagining the look in her eyes when I finally asked her that all-important question. But today, as I sat in the quiet of the morning, I knew there was no better time than now."Ethan," I called out, my voice trembling slightly as I walked into his room. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, scrolling through his phone, but he looked up at me immediately, sensing the seriousness in my tone. I hesitated for a moment, trying to find the right words to say. Ethan had always been my rock, my confidan
NoahI walked into my mother’s house that morning, the scent of freshly brewed coffee lingering in the air as Monica and Charles were engaged in their usual morning routine. Their eyes lit up when they saw me, a subtle reminder of how my presence could break the monotony of their workday.“Good morning, Noah!” Monica greeted me with a bright smile, her enthusiasm evident even before she glanced up from her paperwork.“Morning, Monica. Charles,” I said, acknowledging Charles with a nod. “I’ve got some important news. Lily and our daughter are coming back soon.”The room buzzed with a sudden wave of excitement. Monica’s eyes widened, and she quickly straightened her desk, the anticipation clear on her face.“Really? That’s wonderful news!” she exclaimed.“We’ve missed them so much. It’s been too long.”Charles, who had been quietly organizing files, looked up with a grin that spoke volumes. “It’s about time, Noah. We’ve been eagerly waiting for their return. The house isn’t the same wit
LilyThe evening sun cast a warm, golden glow across the room as I sat by the window, my hands resting on my swollen belly. The baby kicked softly, a gentle reminder of the life growing inside me, a life that would soon be born into a world of peace and safety—thanks to Noah. I couldn’t help but smile as I thought about how much he had done for us, how he had moved mountains to ensure that I never had to face the nightmares that had once haunted my every waking moment. I knew I was safe, and that knowledge was a comfort I clung to with every fiber of my being.“Noah,” I whispered, my voice barely audible, as if saying his name would summon him. I could almost feel his presence, his unwavering strength, and the way he always seemed to know exactly what I needed, even when I didn’t know it myself. “You’ve given me everything I never knew I needed. How did I get so lucky?”It hadn’t been easy. I knew that. There were days when I could see the exhaustion in his eyes, the weight of the wor
Noah The moment I stepped into the police station, the air felt thick with tension. The fluorescent lights flickered slightly, casting a cold, sterile glow over the room. My heart pounded in my chest, but I forced myself to remain calm. I knew what I had to do, and I wasn’t about to let my emotions betray me. As I approached the front desk, the officer on duty barely glanced up from his paperwork. "Name?" he asked in a monotone voice, as if he had done this a thousand times before. "Noah," I replied, my voice steady. "I'm here to speak with Detective Carter about Natalie." The officer finally looked up, his eyes narrowing slightly as if he recognized the name. "Wait here," he muttered before picking up the phone and making a quick call. Moments later, a tall man with graying hair and a stern expression emerged from a side door. Detective Carter. He gave me a once-over, his eyes lingering a little too long as if trying to read me before I even opened my mouth. "Noah," he said, his
Lily As I rocked my baby to sleep, the rhythmic motion of the chair seemed to lull not just the little one but also my restless thoughts. The night was quiet, save for the soft, steady breathing of my child against my chest, but my mind was anything but calm. There was this gnawing feeling at the pit of my stomach, an unease that I couldn't shake off no matter how much I tried to convince myself that everything was fine. I hadn't heard from Noah in hours, which wasn't entirely unusual—he was a busy man, after all. But tonight, the silence felt different, more profound, like an omen hovering over me, warning me that something was off. I looked down at my baby, their innocent faces so peaceful, so unaware of the turmoil swirling inside me. I should be focusing on them, on this perfect moment, but instead, my thoughts kept drifting back to Noah. "He’s fine," I whispered to myself, almost as if saying it out loud would make it true. "He’s always fine." Yet, the words felt hollow, like
Ethan I was lounging on the couch, trying to unwind after a long day when my phone buzzed in my pocket. The screen lit up with Noah’s name, and a knot tightened in my stomach. We hadn’t spoken in a few days, and I could sense the urgency in his voice the moment I picked up. "Ethan," he said, skipping any formalities. His voice was steady, but I could hear the underlying tension. "Did you do what I asked? Did you hide all the evidence of Natalie’s disappearance?" I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice calm and reassuring. "Yeah, Noah. I took care of everything. I made sure there’s no trace left behind. No one’s going to find anything." There was a brief silence on the other end, and I could almost picture Noah running a hand through his hair, a habit he had when he was deep in thought or worried. "Good," he finally said, though he didn’t sound entirely convinced. "But we’ve got a problem. The police... they’re snooping around. They’ve been asking questions, poking into pl
Noah I was sitting in my office, the warm glow of the afternoon sun filtering through the blinds, casting long shadows across the room. The paperwork on my desk seemed never-ending, a constant reminder of the chaos Natalie had unleashed on my life. I had been trying to focus, to push all thoughts of her out of my mind, but the gnawing anxiety was hard to shake. My pen hovered over a document, the ink pooling at the tip as I paused, lost in thought. Just then, the door creaked open, and my secretary, a woman who rarely showed any emotion, stepped in with an unusually tense expression. I looked up, catching the tightness in her jaw, the way she hesitated for a fraction of a second before speaking. "Boss" she began, her voice steady but laced with something I couldn't quite place. "There are some policemen at the reception. They’re asking to see you in connection to the disappearance of... Natalie." The mention of her name sent a cold shiver down my spine, but I forced myself to rema
Lily It had been a long day, and the quiet of the evening settled around me like a heavy blanket, reminding me of just how much I missed the familiar buzz of the office. With a sigh, I reached for my phone, my fingers instinctively finding Monica’s number. As the line rang, I felt a pang of homesickness wash over me, stronger than I had anticipated. The warmth of her voice when she answered immediately brought a smile to my face. “Lily! It’s so good to hear from you! We’ve all been missing you so much around here,” Monica’s voice was full of genuine enthusiasm, and I could almost picture her bright smile on the other end of the line. “Chris was just saying the other day how quiet the place has been without you.” I couldn’t help but laugh softly, the sound of her voice easing the tightness in my chest. “I miss you guys too, more than I can even say. It’s strange being away for so long. Sometimes I feel like I’m missing out on everything happening back at the office.” “We’re just c