CHAPTER 5: Troublemaker

Victor's intense gaze caught Lily off guard, and she immediately began to contemplate how she could discreetly exit the restaurant. She felt a tightness in her chest, and her hand holding the golden card started to tremble.

Drew, noticing Victor's demeanor, inquired, "Is there an issue?"

"No, sir!" Victor quickly responded, adjusting his posture. "I'm the owner of this restaurant. I'm just checking in on our customers to ensure their satisfaction."

"We don't have a problem. She was just feeling a bit overwhelmed," Drew replied.

"Good to hear, sir."

"Please bring the bill. We'll take care of it."

"Of course! I hope you enjoyed your meal." Victor was about to leave when Drew stopped him with a remark.

"And please dispose of this for us," Drew handed him a used tissue that Lily had used to wipe her tears. "Dispose of it properly. I prefer to keep our surroundings clean."

Lily swallowed hard upon hearing Drew's request. Did he notice something?

"Wait a moment, sir! I'll promptly instruct one of my servers to clear your table."

"No," Drew shook his head. "I'm asking you kindly. You're the only one who isn't occupied." He glanced around and indeed, every server seemed to be engaged in various tasks.

Victor clenched his fist slightly but managed to force a smile. "Certainly, sir."

Displeased, he picked up the used tissue and disposed of it appropriately.

As Victor disappeared from Lily's view, her unsettled emotions began to subside. She wondered how Drew had managed to give him such a command. After a while, a female server returned to their table, presenting the bill. Lily settled it without any issues before Drew gestured for her to leave.

"Thank you, ma'am and sir! I hope you enjoyed your meal," the woman at the restaurant's entrance said.

Drew, seemingly intent on causing trouble, muttered, "Please convey to your boss that we won't be returning. The food is tasteless, too cheap for my taste."

Lily felt a sense of dread, thinking that Victor might follow her. Despite their silence, Drew continued to offer his arm as if he were ready to protect her. They headed to his car, concluding their evening. It was there that he confronted her.

"Lily," her husband whispered. She turned to face Drew, who was seated in the driver's seat. "Have you ever, even once in your life, caused trouble?"

She shook her head. No, she couldn't! If she did, it would only lead to slaps or beatings from a family like the Martins. She was too terrified of her father to ever cause trouble.

"I'm asking because you've married the worst troublemaker on this planet," he paused before continuing, "but being a troublemaker isn't the same as being the monster from your darkest nightmares. Considering how disruptive I can be, the monster might see me as Lucifer or his greatest demon. Do you understand?"

No, she didn't understand at all, so she shook her head in response.

"To put it simply, I am the troublemaker, Kenneth is the monster… I'll be the King Demon in their eyes!" he explained, narrowing his eyes.

Why couldn't she do the same? If only she had Drew's strength, she would have sought revenge on Kenneth a long time ago.

"I want to be the King Demon too," she whispered. She longed to confront Kenneth and be the one causing trouble. Tears continued to flow as she recalled the nightmares involving her stepbrother.

But deep down, she knew not to get too arrogant, telling herself, ‘Who are you kidding, Lily?’

"So, don't be afraid. Stand with confidence and look them in the eye if they cross your path."

Even though her stepbrother no longer lived with her, she had been thinking of him since yesterday. Lily desperately wanted to break free from Kenneth, but the overwhelming fear she felt for him still clung to her. It was something she desperately wanted to let go of.

Drew smiled with a meaningful gaze. "You have nothing to fear, Lily. You're not weak; you're simply repaying them for the wrongs they've done to you. There's a difference between being weak and being kind."

***  

Just a few hours later, a truck arrived to deliver the appliances they had purchased for their home. They worked together to set up Lily's room, with Drew taking the lead in moving the items into her room. The task kept them busy until midnight.

"Hmmm," Drew mused as he surveyed the bedroom, and he complimented Lily, saying, "You did a great job, Lily. Everything looks nice and comfortable."

Her cheeks flushed, unaccustomed to receiving compliments. In the past, she had often received praise from her teachers, but it had always been tied to her intelligence, making her feel that she had to be intelligent to be of any value.

Drew then asked, "Could you work on arranging the rest of the house as well, just in case?" as he thought carefully about their new home.

“T-this home?”   

"Yeah! Why not? You can decorate this home," Drew suggested.

"But you might not like it..." she replied, expressing her worry.

"Nah! The living room downstairs is filled with gym equipment, as you noticed. Besides, it's your house too, so how you arrange this place is up to you."

She felt a small sense of joy. Drew had given her a task, indicating that she wasn't worthless in his view. "I can use your card to make payments, right?"

"Sure!" he answered with a chuckle. "If you need help, I'll have someone come. Let's get some rest. I have to get up early for some unfinished work at the office. I'll ask a friend to come here."

“A friend?”  

"Yeah, you met Lauren, right? I don't understand why she keeps bothering me and asking if she can come, even though I've already assured her that we're alright."

Lily remembered Lauren, the woman who had discovered her secret. "T-thank you!"

Drew left the room to give her some space. Lily glanced around the bedroom. It was three times larger than her room at the Martin residence. This was her new home, hers!

Since she first met Drew, he had been guiding her to face and understand the possibilities. However, she was hesitant to fully embrace her new life. What if she couldn't adapt? What if Drew decided to change his mind?

***  

When morning came, Lily descended the stairs to find Drew running on the treadmill. It was six o'clock in the morning. Sweat dripped from his neck and trickled down his lean body. She swallowed hard while looking at her husband.

He took good care of himself, which Lily found admirable.

Drew slowed down when he noticed her.

"Oh! You're already awake." He approached, making her feel even more embarrassed.

Did she mention he was half-naked?

"Change your clothes. Your training starts today," Drew stated.

"Huh? But I don't have any clothes." She no longer had any extra clothing, and the outfits she had worn since yesterday were provided by Master Walton, Drew's grandfather. To avoid conflict with Drew, her father had asked her not to bring any of the clothing she typically wore at the Martin residence.

Drew realized she was right. "Oh, I see! I will tell Lauren to take you to Kori's shop. Make sure to get some activewear because you'll start your workout tomorrow."

She couldn't seem to take her gaze away from her husband's body as she looked at him.

"Would you like to prepare our meal instead?" he asked, wiping his sweat with a towel.

"S-sure! You can continue to work out. I will prepare breakfast."

He smiled before returning to his workout. In the kitchen, Lily began to search for ingredients. She found fruits, eggs, and sausages inside his fridge.

As there were no dividers separating the living room from the kitchen, she kept glancing at her husband. It wasn't the first time she had admired a man. She once experienced love, but that was a long time ago—before Kenneth had destroyed her character.

Drew is unreal. He's twice as big as she is, and despite her efforts to resist, her attraction to him remains irresistibly strong.

Lily, stop! That’s right!  

In their story, Drew is a prince, and she is a frog.  

***  

Drew instructed his assistant upon entering his office, "Retrieve the contract from the Italian Club in our West Mall."

"Right away, boss!" Sarah promptly responded; she was well aware that questions were unnecessary.

In just 15 minutes, Drew was in possession of Victor Panganiban's contract, the owner of the Italian Club where he and Lily had dined the previous day. He swiftly entered the name into his laptop's search bar. Drew was not disappointed as numerous images from various social media sites filled his screen.

As expected, there was a photo of Kenneth Martin along with four other men. Drew considered them to be his intended targets, but the specifics of what they had done to Lily remained a mystery to him.

She said they molested her. In what way?  

Are you sure you wanted to know? 

He began by reviewing the contract before turning to Sarah. "What are your thoughts on this restaurant?"

"The Italian Club's business is expanding as they are quite profitable. Their food is excellent! They already have three locations within the Walton Group, and to my knowledge, they plan to participate in the bidding for the mall branch we'll be opening in the North."

"Are they adhering to the mall policy and kitchen rules?" Drew inquired.

The woman responded, "As of now, boss, there haven't been any issues."

"Oh, really?" Drew scoffed. If there are no issues in that restaurant, he'll soon find one. Even if Victor owned ten restaurants, it was clear that he had merely rented a space within Walton's Mall.

How dare he use Lily's mall?

"Also, boss, last weekend, Vivian visited. She inquired about when you would be stopping by Bar Vivi and expressed her disbelief that it was your wedding day," Sarah added.

"I'll give her a call later," Drew replied casually. He had once hired Vivian as an entertainer at Club Erotica, though that had been quite some time ago. Drew had also invested in the bar she had founded, Bar Vivi. It made sense to him; partying and sex were two of his greatest passions.

He admired people like Vivian who pursued their desires as it kept them away from prostitution. Despite her past attempts to seduce him, their relationship had evolved into a business partnership.

Drew shifted his focus back to Victor Panganiban, his current priority.