*Lily*I didn't remember the last time I’d slept so late. My body must have needed a good night's rest. I sat up in my bed and stared glanced at my recent paintings. Patrick and Adam were worried that I was doing too much since I had practically locked myself away and painted for days on end. I couldn't help myself; I was in a zone, and every emotion I had felt within these past few months came rushing out of me. I walked toward the last painting I’d made before my deep slumber–a butterfly. The vibrant red, yellow, black, and orange colors were like a burning flame, which I’d felt as I painted this picture. Similar to my cave painting, the butterfly reminded me of the transformation that was taking place in my life. It was as if I was morphing into a new person, yet its beauty reminded me of the end of what was blooming into a beautiful relationship between William and me. The weight of sadness quickly overshadowed my sense of pride, and the memories of our time together replac
*William*"Willam, your lawyers require your review of these documents," Grace announced as she entered my office and added the papers to the pile already cluttering my desk. "You look stressed, William. You should take a day off." I could hear the concern in Grace's voice, and she was right; I was stressed, but more than that, my mind was preoccupied with Lily.The thought of not having any information about Lily's well-being was unbearable for me. Despite Eva's past wrongdoings, what she had done to Lily was the worst. It was infuriating to know that Eva was aware that by hurting Lily, she was also hurting me, yet she seemed completely indifferent. This was a new and unexpected side of her that I had never witnessed before.Grace knocked on the door again."Come in," I shouted.Grace hesitantly opened the door."I'm sorry, Grace. I didn't mean to snap at you. Lily broke up with me because of Eva and her heartless behavior.""I'm sorry, William. I figured something wa
LilyI felt delighted when William allowed me to keep the apartment. I was ready to make any sacrifice to find a place to live, but having a residence already paid for eased a lot of my stress."Thank you for helping me move my stuff. I promise you this will be the last time I move." I walked towards Patrick and Adam as they sat my boxes down. "You know we don't mind helping you, Lily. I'm just glad you don't have to worry about this anymore." Adam sighed in relief. Returning to this place brought me a sense of satisfaction. I eagerly anticipated adding a personal touch by displaying my paintings. I have yet to finalize the design, but it must reflect the fresh start I am embarking upon."Do you need any food?" Patrick asked before walking to the door. "No, I don't want to overeat. I have the Art Galla tonight. The last thing I need is to burp and belch in front of people." We all laughed before sharing a warm embrace as Adam and Patrick shared their go
*Lily*As I stood back and watched, I couldn't help but notice the sudden tension that overtook Eva's body upon hearing William's voice. Though I was furious at what Eva had done, even I was surprised at the intensity of his anger, as it was unlike anything I had ever seen him do before. His complexion was flushed with fury, and his nostrils were flared in a display of raw emotion. Meanwhile, Eva's complexion had paled as she fully comprehended the gravity of her actions and the potential consequences that could arise from them.Despite knowing that she had upset her father, Eva remained steadfast in her argument and continued to assert herself."What!" she huffed with indignation. "What do you think you're doing, Eva?" William shouted. "Did you do all of this for her?" Eva rolled her eyes. "Eva, I'm not your child, and neither is Lily. Don't ever question what I do with my money." William was standing inches away from Eva's face. I found myself in a difficult and del
*William*While Lily greeted the guests, I patiently waited for her. She acknowledged my presence with a few glances and occasional nods, indicating that she would attend to me shortly.I was surprised by the way she remained composed despite Eva’s relentless attempts to ruin her evening. It was a remarkable display of resilience, and it only deepened my already considerable attraction to her. Lily finally looked up, making eye contact and walking toward me. My chest clenched at the sight of her. The dress perfectly accentuated her curves and she had the presence of a goddess. As our gazes locked, I struggled to determine if she was exhibiting any signs of unease or discomfort.I followed her to the office and shut the door behind us as we entered. Her eyes were filled with sadness as she finally turned to face me, any calm facade fading away. I needed to make this right, but as she stared at me I found myself at a loss for words. She crossed her arms."William, what i
*Lily*After meeting guests and selling some of my paintings, I invited William to my apartment. I wanted us to talk without distraction and share more of my feelings with him, and we needed to rekindle the flames within our relationship. He tried to plan a romantic evening for us, but I didn’t care where we were. I just wanted to be with him. "Please excuse the mess. I haven't had a chance to redecorate yet." I had tubes of paint, canvas, and paintbrushes everywhere. "Wow! You have been busy." Willam looked around the room, taking in all the half-painted canvases. "I started a few more projects but wanted to complete the ones I had worked on in my last collection." I stood behind him as he stared at an uncompleted painting of the Eiffel Tower. "William, the care you show for me is beyond what I could have ever fathomed. I don't know what I would do without you…what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry for breaking up with you and want nothing more than to be in your life. I ca
*Lily*God, what a night. My mind was still in disbelief from the ruined painting selling for one million dollars. It's funny how the things some deem unworthy can be considered worthy by others; truly, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I couldn't believe it. My, how the tables have turned. I didn't have a place to stay last week and was living with friends. Now, I was dating a billionaire with one million dollars in my bank account; it was like a dream come true. I stood in the shower watching the red paint stream down my body from last night's hot and steamy sexual encounter with William. He had taken a shower last night after I had fallen asleep.I was so overcome with excitement between rekindling the flames with him and my artwork selling that I stayed up half the night and crashed a few hours ago.I finished blow-drying my hair, grabbed my towel hanging from the rack, and dried my body. I had yet to unpack all my belongings but managed to find a pair of red leggin
*William*I arrived at my office prepared for the emergency meeting with our stakeholders. Grace provided me with the company's reports for the last quarter, and the numbers were not good. As I entered the meeting room, John wasted no time. "William, what the hell is going on? The stock has fallen by twenty percent." He flung his report across the desk in anger. John had invested the most money out of all the stakeholders. He is a few years older than me, and his tall stature often intimidated the rest of the group, but I was determined to stand firm by my decisions. "Please calm down, John. We are going through a growth period, and I assure you this is normal," I replied, hoping to ease his anxiety. The only thing he cared about was money. "Normal. I've lost fifty thousand dollars," Bob angrily leaned forward. He was one of the first people to invest in LIVO Technologies, and I was shocked to see him so upset. This wasn't our first rodeo of experiencing some financial lo
*Lily*With the wedding day already here, I felt jittery as I prepared to walk down the aisle toward my beloved, William. It had been a busy morning filled with preparations for hair and makeup and I was more than ready to get the show on the road. I could feel the excitement in the air surrounded by our friends and family. My excitement was apparent too, with adrenaline pumping throughout my entire being.My heart had been pumping fast as I stepped into the foyer, waiting for the doors to open so I could make my debut. My heart was also overflowing with love for William and the joy he brought me. As tradition usually went, we hadn't seen each other that day yet and I missed seeing his face. I couldn't wait to embrace him and marry him. I heard the organ start its tune, the music carrying to the foyer where I was waiting. We had picked out our songs together and I recognized it immediately. The doors opened slowly and I saw the audience members stand and turn to face me. Holy sh
*Lily*Sometimes life just needed a welcome distraction. I knew my life had been a roller coaster lately, and I gladly jumped at the chance for a change in routine. My mission today was to find a wedding dress.This was all surreal to me. Little old me marrying a handsome and amazing man like William. I needed to find the perfect dress!I couldn't keep our engagement a secret with the tabloids already running many heated articles about us. I had called friends and family to tell them of our engagement, hoping that I’d reach them before the news articles had. I would have rather them hear from me or William directly. I wasn't sure if I'd ever get used to this much publicity.Having run to a nearby coffee shop to meet my dear friend, Farrah, I awaited her arrival sipping on a caramel latte. I had been apprehensive to look up on Google what the current fashion wedding dress trends were. I wasn't the most fashionable person in the world, and Farrah had helped me often in this realm
*William*After spending the night together making love, I found myself at work the next day still somewhat happily in shock. On Lily's finger rested the ring that I had given her when I asked her to marry her. I was lucky to find a woman like her at my age. She was everything I wanted and more. The second my foot stepped over the office threshold, Grace Kim smiled over at me with a knowing look. She had known about the dinner plans, but she must have found out either from Lily or Jim about our engagement with the way she grinned at me. She licked her lips and had just finished up a phone call placing the receiver back in its holder.She stood and greeted me, smoothing her dress. "Mr. Shaw, congratulations are in order! I've heard the wonderful news about your engagement to Ms. Lily Matthews. I hope you both are happy and spend many long years together. I had a feeling she was the one the minute I heard about her.""Well, thank you very much, Grace. Your kind words mean a lot
*Lily*As we walked into our front foyer, we kicked our shoes off and William eagerly watched me as I took my jacket off. He seemed to groan out loud watching me stretch out of the fabric and before I could hang it, he pushed me up against the wall groaning against me. His erection was thrust hard against my soft thigh as he breathed in my ear.Whispering softly he said, "I have to worship you, my love, stay right here. My new little fiance.""But William, I want to make you happy too," I whined but he shushed me holding a finger to my lips.I gasped as he encouraged me to flatten against the wall behind me and then seized my lips with his own, roughly kissing me. I kissed him back feverishly, placing my hands on his pecs, starting to feel his muscles and massage him. He felt amazing with his sexy, hard body against my own. I wanted him badly and wondered what plans he had in store for me.William pulled my dress over my head and continued kissing me. He kissed down my neck a
*Lily*Looking into William's eyes I could hear his voice trembling with anticipation. No wonder he had been so distracted today. He slowly brought a velvet-covered box out of his suit pocket and my eyes widened in shock. This was it, it was really happening. It had to be exactly what I thought it was, a marriage proposal.I couldn’t believe my eyes. He wanted to marry me? Little old me?William smiled at me as he spoke, "I've often wondered what our future would hold. And then I realized we have power over our future, and I took control of it. Lily, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want your love, support, and time. I want to be with you forever."My heart seemed to jump in my throat as I eyed the box and looked back at him. My mouth opened incredulously. I was at a loss for words, the joy exploding in my chest."Lily Matthews, will you do the honor of marrying me? Would you be my wife? Would you spend the rest of your days with me?" William asked as his voice
*Lily*The fall of my footsteps clicked on the pavement as the sidewalk lay before me. I was on my way to meet William and was excited to share the news. The interview I had with the magazine was finally published! It had been released today and potential client inquiries had come pouring in through my phone. It was an amazing day, I couldn't help but feel thrilled that my work inspired others and caused them to reach out.I clutched a copy of the magazine in my hand proudly. I felt like I was on top of the world, or rather on cloud nine. I couldn't wait to show William the magazine article.I stared into the tall windows of the Italian food restaurant where William said he'd meet me. It was extremely elegant with long tall blue curtains swept off to the side. I could hear the typical Italian music playing and it sounded so romantic. The wait staff bustled around inside with pressed white and black uniforms with a professional air about them. This was a stunning and fancy restaur
*William*After arriving back in New York, Lily wanted to focus on her paintings. I could do nothing but oblige because it must have come as a welcome distraction. Paris had been a dream until Jean Laurent ruined our visit. That mother fucker got what was coming to him. I was glad to put even more distance between him and Lily. I'd protect her with my life if I had to, I wouldn't lose her again.Pretty much the second we were back in the States, my friend Jim asked me to go golfing with him. Jim and I had been longtime friends, practically since young teenage boys. We had been through some interesting times together pranking classmates, causing mayhem for our parents, and throwing some wild parties. Now that we were older we mainly smoked cigars or played golf. We weren't as wild as we had been once upon a time.I owed him after the favor I called in while I was in Paris. I knew he’d risked a lot by sharing information with me but it was what helped me confirm Jean Laurent’s iden
*Lily*I fully submerged myself in the warm water to wash the slime out of my hair. Having no shower or real toilet for those hours I was with Jean had taken its toll on me. I squirted a large amount of shampoo and conditioner into my hair, scrubbing hard. William swatted my hands away as he began to massage my scalp and temples.."I said I want to help, I'm not leaving you alone another second," he said sitting on the edge of the tub focused entirely on me.I blinked with surprise and dropped my arms back into the warm, bubble-filled water. I hadn't taken him seriously but I chastised myself now knowing when William said something he meant it. I felt spoiled knowing most men just said whatever women wanted to hear, while William always followed through with his words and put them into action. I sighed feeling his fingers scrub away, and I could finally rest comfortably."I'm so happy you are back with me," he said, plunging his hands into the water to wash away the suds. "You
*Lily*I sighed with relief hearing Jean Laurent being placed into the cop car. I didn't register what all of the voices were saying around us. Only William. His hands hadn't left my body, touching me everywhere as if to make sure I was actually there. We hadn't said a word about our previous fight, it had been forgotten.I still couldn't believe I was out of the basement. I had been rescued by the exact person I had wanted to see. William and I were finally reunited, our embrace had offered me a sense of safety and solace in the midst of the chaos. His arms had felt so large as they tucked me closer into his body. I was safe again.I frowned trying to remember what had happened, like the trauma was already being blotted from my memory. From what I could recall, William had thrown Jean off of me in a fit of pure rage. I had never seen William like that and if it had been a different circumstance I would have been shocked. I realized now how much William cared for me the more time