Chapter 6

Lily POV

That name rang a bell, a loud one. But it was just a pinch in my memory, where I had heard that name stayed hidden in my memory.

“What the hell? Why is he calling me all of a sudden?” he muttered to himself as he stared at the phone, finding it hard to make a choice

.

William was nervous and just as much irritated. Whoever was on the other end of the phone must have tried to wrangle his last nerve.

He stood up to take the call and left the living room. I would have hoped it was business getting him so worked up. I have never seen him so pissed off.

However, my mind derailed into what was more important. The headline! I grabbed my phone and began to scroll through social media.

Damnit! They were everywhere. Every major blog, bulletin and news site has the same headline. Whoever was leaking this wanted everyone to know.

And boy, they painted me in no clean light.

“Famous billionaire mogul settles down with a stripper and a single mother.” Mind you, the titles were kept in all caps just to stress it.

As if that wasn't all, they were the comments. Jealous fans who probably had expected him to settle down with one of those popular models flocked to their keyboard spilling their hatred.

“That gold digger trash.”

“Why would he let such a dirty woman seduce him?”

“Someone get that whore out of there!”

They were a lot to read, each one more relatable and hurtful than the other. I wished I hadn't even gotten myself mixed up in the whole drama in the first place. If only I had put a tape on my desires, If only I hadn't filled my head with fantasies which could never come to pass.

I couldn't believe I thought me and this man would ever workout. The things I would have to deal with. Now the whole of social media is on my neck.

I heard a set of footsteps as they stopped down the stairs. It was no regular walk. Whoever it was probably had a load of trouble and was in search of where to keep it.

“William!” I heard someone scream. I had stayed with her long enough to know that it belonged to Aria.

She hurried down the stairs in a fit like she was being chased.

“William!” She screamed again and by this time she was in the living room.

William rushed in, thinking it was an emergency. I, too, had jumped to my feet wanting to find out what was going on. Everyone else went down, and soon the entire house was congregated in the living room.

“I thought I warned you not to bring this prostitute into this house. Have you seen the disgrace she has brought to this household?”

The words broke me. At that point, everyone was against me. They looked ready to devour me.

“What the hell are you talking about?” William challenged her.

“If you need a decent girl to keep down as a wife, I have a ton of recommendations. Beautiful, prestigious women who would fit your status quo. You don't just go out into the streets and drag this piece of garbage and her son in here.”

I wished for support but no one stood up for me. Not even Sarah, who had been acting all caring just a few minutes ago. Truly, they were all wolves in sheep's clothing.

Their mother cleared her throat and everywhere went silent. She has so much authority in the home. Being that she was the only one who had agreed to hug me when I had first arrived, I thought I was going to get in her good books.

“I don't like what I am seeing, William! Why is your wife bringing trouble to the company? Our investors are threatening to pull out if we don't clear up this scandal just in time.”

I could feel Aria's eyes burn into me as she turned to face me. She turned to her mother.

“Mom, it's high time we kicked this woman out of here before she drags us down with her. Do you want your rivals to laugh at us?”

I stomached it all. It was not an easy crunch, but I took the insults and jives like a champ. I had no choice.

This was my only chance to give my son as well as myself a good life. Especially my son. He would have the best of healthcare. I wasn't going to jeopardize that over the remarks of a spoiled brat who didn't know the first thing about suffering.

“No one is leaving!” William said with a note of finality. He turned to Aria. “I thought I told you to stop belittling my wife. You had better apologize before you see your dark side.”

“You want to beat me, William? You want to beat your sister because of a woman who is just working for you because of your money and fame?” She snorted. “You had better remember that day how you spoke to me because of this prostitute.”

“Not another step, Aria!” Her mother obeyed and she obeyed. “I don't want any more of this. Damien will be coming back soon and I don't want him coming back to see whatever drama is going on between you two.”

“Finally, a brother that will have my back when I need it,” Aria muttered, finally putting in a smile. “When will he get here?”

“He's coming back?” William asked no one in particular. He is in no way concurring with his sister's excitement. He was particularly angry.

Someone ought to fill me in here because I am lost. Who is this Damien and why is he freaking William out as well as evoking not so friendly memories from me?

“Yes, William. Your brother is stopping by for the holidays and I expect that you accord him respect,” his mother scolded.

William scoffed. “I can't believe you're going to let that monster back here after all he had done. The sooner you keep letting that boy off, the more he's going to become causing serious problems.”

His mother retorted. “Well, what don't you tell him when you see him at the wedding!”