Okay, now Axel was in panic mode. He ran out of the room and soon returned with Lily’s father. Lily watched the two men as they ran back into the room hastily, their faces wearing desperation.Her father approached hesitantly, but Axel maintained a distance, hoping not to send her into fear after the traumatic experience she’d just come out from.“Princess,” her father whispered as he carefully neared her side, “Axel tells me you’re unable to remember him, is that true?”Lily didn’t speak for a moment. She simply stared at both men, her eyes darting. Then a moment passed before she snorted a laugh, immediately regretting it when pain shot through her skull.She groaned painfully and Axel was by her side before she knew it.“Are you alright?” He asked, concern etched to his face. But Lily’s smile did not falter.“You should’ve seen your face when I asked who you were, Mr. George,” she snickered, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “Do you think your face is easily forgettable?”Axel sco
When the first day passed and Kate didn’t come to visit Lily, her emotions went from an all time high to the lowest point.She wasn’t eating, refused to sleep, refused to do anything. She simply was afraid. . .afraid that Kate truly meant it when she ended their relationship.Axel was sitting at the edge of the hospital bed, a bowl of soup in his hands. His brows continued to twitch, pulling into deep frowns, his face etched with worry. His voice was thicker now, firmer as he tried, once again, to coax Lily into eating.“Just a few spoons, Lily,” he pleaded, holding the spoon out. “You need your strength. You need to take your medication. You can’t keep doing this to yourself.”Lily turned her head away, her lips pressed tightly together in defiance. Of course she was hungry, she was extremely hungry, but she couldn’t bring herself to find the energy she needed in order to eat. “I’m not eating, Axel. Not until I see Kate.” She muttered the same words she had been muttering for the mil
Hours dragged by and Kate was taking care of Lily just as she had always done for years. She made sure Lily was well fed and took her medications, and soon, they were immersed in their girly conversations, giggling and snickering.Axel got the memo and stepped out of the room, leaving both girls to catch up on whatever they’d missed.But he didn’t go very far. He just sat by the door.Kate and Lily, however, didn’t know that.After Kate had tucked Lily in, she held her hand and with the other hand, stroked her hair gently, wanting to lull Lily to sleep. But Lily’s eyes remained wide open. “What’s wrong?” Kate asked, concern swimming in her orbs, “don’t you feel like sleeping?”“I’m afraid,” Lily murmured.Axel caught the wind of her statement and his back immediately straightened, his ear peering closer to listen in more depth.“Afraid?” Kate asked, her voice softer now.Lily nodded slowly.Kate's face softened in deep worry as she stared down at Lily with soft eyes, her thumb brushin
Axel waited until the girls were asleep before gently walking into the room with slow strides. His eyes were glued to Lily the whole time, observing the scrunch of her face, the twitching of her brows.How could he have missed such important details of her physical state the day she woke up? How could he have missed the fear in her eyes the day she woke up and even the morning after? Most of all, how could he have missed the fact that she became a bubbly version of herself?These questions gnawed at his mind, leaving him restless and filled with guilt. And for the rest of that night, Axel once again couldn’t afford to blink. Now, he was more determined than ever to keep Lily safe.He had already dispersed his men to find the attacker, and while he waited, all he could think about was all the things he was going to do to the fucker who touched his woman.Axel sat beside her in the dimly lit room, lost in thoughts when suddenly, she began mumbling, her head lolling from one side to th
Lily jerked awake from sleep with a wince, her eyes opening and closing in rapid blinking as they fought to readjust to the blinding white lights emanating from the lightbulbs. When her eyes were finally adjusted, her head lolled to the side, and she almost gasped at the sight she was met with.Axel sat by her bed. Although he looked exhausted, the underside of his eyes decorated by dark bags indicating his lack of sleep, her heart couldn’t help but falter at his handsomeness. And his gracefulness. . .the way he carried himself.He was leaned back on the single-seater chair beside her bed, one leg casually crossed over the other, his hands clasped underneath his chin, eyes intent on her.“Why are you staring at me like that?” Lily asked, her voice hoarse—groggy from all the crying she did last night. Axel’s lips curved into a small, lopsided smile. “Because. . .the doctor said you can be discharged today. I was waiting for you to wake up so I could tell you.”Lily’s heart filled with
“Because I heard you and Kate last night!”Lily froze, her mind running in circles with the weight of Axel’s words. She couldn’t understand what he meant, couldn’t completely process the meaning of the words he had said.A moment passed and then she realized. He heard me. He heard everything. She thought to herself.“You. . .heard us?” Her voice came out small, trembling as though the truth itself was an earthquake threatening to crack her open.Guilt instantly weighed on Axel’s heart. Maybe he shouldn’t have blurted out that confession the way he did. Maybe she didn’t want him to know for good reason.Amidst his guilt, Axel didn’t flinch, but his jaw tightened visibly. “I didn’t mean to,” he said quietly, each word cautious, measured. “But I heard enough to know you’ve been carrying this all by yourself. Enough to know you shouldn’t have to.”The emotion that flashed Lily’s orbs made him feel all the more guilty, but he needed to hold his ground, he needed to let her know that as mu
Lily made sure to maintain a safe distance between herself and Axel as they walked through the hallways of the hospital.Her footsteps echoed across the marble floors of the hospital lobby as she moved slowly, Axel trailing a step behind her. When they stepped out, she couldn’t help but shiver.It had been days since she stepped foot outside. And she liked how chilly the weather felt against her skin. Still, she was overwhelmed by the chaos swirling inside her mind.Axel.Why does he want to move in with me? She questioned herself internally. Then there was Axel who had barely spoken since the argument he and Lily had, since he declared he would move into the fashion house whether she gave him the permission to or not. They were arguing a lot lately and it seemed to bother Axel just as much.Lily heaved a sigh, wondering if Axel was truly intending to push through with his plan of moving into the fashion house. At first, she thought it was another one of his empty ultimatums meant t
The car ride was silent. A little too silent for Lily’s liking. She sat on the other end of the backseat and Axel sat on the other end, both of them not daring to look at each other or even breathe too loudly.It was in that moment that Lily wished Kate was riding with them as she had a way of lighting up the mood. But Kate had other things to attend to.Soon, the car was slowing to a stop in front of the tall glass house—her fashion house. She could see her workers and assistant designers filing around, moving fabrics from one place to another, sketching new designs—it warmed her heart to know that even in her absence, her brand wasn’t collapsing.“We’re here,” Axel whispered, his voice cutting through her thoughts.Lily looked at him for a moment too long, then she rolled her eyes before muttering, “I’m not blind.”Sassy—Axel liked it when she was sassy and snappy.Before he could say a word, Lily was out of the car, slamming the door shut. Chuckling, Axel exited the car and followe
Lily and Axel continued exploring the facility, moving through hallways filled with laughter and the vibrant energy of children. Axel loosely held her hand as they walked, guiding her from one room to another. Every now and then, they stopped to play with the kids, their conversations filled with giggles and wide-eyed admiration.“I think whatever you told Mia has spread like wildfire,” Lily teased, watching a group of kids blush and whisper as they passed. “They can’t stop staring at us.”Axel smirked, his eyes warm with mischief. “It’s fine if they know, but you? You’ll never find out.”Lily rolled her eyes dramatically, letting out a groan. “You’re so. . .impossible.”Their tour finally led them to the children’s drawing room. They settled at one of the small tables, joining a group of kids who eagerly handed them paintbrushes.As Lily dipped her brush into the vibrant colors, she felt a sense of peace wash over her. She wasn’t thinking about the past, the pain, or even the uncer
The sun was yet to rise when Axel arrived at Lily’s home. Today, he drove himself, in a way to give him and Lily more private time to bond.He was dressed in a casual attire—grey sweatpants and a black T-shirt, then a baseball hat on his head.Without wanting to disturb Lily’s sleep, he sat in his car and waited for hours until the sun began to rise. And to his greatest surprise, he spotted Lily gently jogging back to the manor after her morning run.His mouth pulled apart, pupils dilating as he watched her move so smoothly, sweat trickling down her face, a few strands of her hair matted over her forehead.Beautiful. . .so fucking beautiful.His head voice kept whispering as he opened the car door and stepped out. Lily’s steps slowed to a stop the moment she spotted him getting out of his car and she almost stumbled. Axel was quick to reach her side before she crashed, his firm hands holding her up.“Axel?” Her voice was breathless, partly from her run and partly from the shock of se
Axel weaved the lunch bag’s handle through his fingers, the other hand formed into a fist and steepled underneath his chin, his eyes observing the city light outside the window of his office.It was dark into the night and yet, Axel’s mind was nowhere near ease. “Fuck. . .” He grumbled, fingers diving into his hair, his head dropping low, shaking.He rose to his feet and approached the window, staring at his reflection as though it were a stranger.“You had to mess it up, didn’t you?” He asked himself as he massaged his temples with his fingers.He was unnerved by the thought that he might’ve ruined his chances at repairing his relationship with Lily, that his pride and slightly loose tongue might’ve cost him his last chance at having this love he craved so much.But he shut her out for good reason.All these weeks that turned into a full month of no communication with Lily, he had taken his time to plan out the perfect apology.He wanted to be the one to beg her, he wanted to be the
The next day, Lily found herself walking through the lobby of Axel’s establishment. She had a bouquet of white roses in one hand, and in the other, she carried a small bag containing a lunch box.She was afraid of the outcome of her visit especially as her mind replayed the events of last night. The way Axel sent her out of his house, the way he looked down at her with so much anger and resentment.It terrified her to be here in his workspace, but she was a woman on a mission. She needed to repair the relationship she ruined and nothing was going to stop her.When she arrived at the private floor, she approached the receptionist with a warm smile. “Hi, I’m Lilian Daniels.” She said.And that was all that needed to be said for the receptionist's smile to widen. Everyone knew Lilian Daniels—not just as a fast growing fashion mogul, or even the only daughter of a powerful business man, but as the woman who has Axel George’s heart.“You’re here to see Mr. George?” The receptionist asked.
When Axel walked into his home in the dead of night, the aroma of something delicious—of his favorite meal wafted through his nose. He stopped dead in his tracks, his brows pulling into furrows as he remembered instructing his chef not to make dinner.He began approaching the kitchen but then he stopped at the dinning. The dining is perfectly set up. With soft candles burning, rose petals scattered across the silk cloth covering the dining table, and elegant dinnerwares sprawled out.Do I have a visitor? He wondered.But he didn’t dwell too long in his thought when Lily walked out of the kitchen with a serving spoon.She quickly noticed Axel’s presence and that made her stop in her tracks, a gasp falling free from her throat.Both their eyes locked and they stared intensely for seconds that could pass for hours.In Axel’s heart, he was confused and happy all at once, but he couldn’t bring himself to show her his excitement even if he wanted to and he didn’t know why.“Hey,” Lily final
One month later.Lily paced her room, thumb between her teeth, phone pressed to her ear as she listened to the person speaking on the other end.A business partner—no, a major business partner.“Of course, Mrs. Baldwin, I understand what you mean. You trust me to deliver a good job and be punctual about it too, don’t you?” Lily asked and quieted herself once more until she heard a response.“Good. Now rest your mind. I’ll make sure my team gets to you before the weekend,” Lily assured her, finally removing the phone from her ear and letting her body collapse onto the couch. She groaned, running a hand through her hair in frustration.Kate, who was already sitting beside her the entire time with a bowl of ice cream in hand, chuckled softly. She nudged Lily with her elbow, a proud smile playing on her lips. “Look at you,” Kate said, a teasing lilt in her voice. “Who would’ve thought you could expand your brand this much in such a short amount of time, especially with everything you’ve b
By the time Lily was out in the driveway, her father’s car was already there to pick her up.A little backtracking here: while Axel and his legal team were busy negotiating terms with Alice’s team, Lily had quietly reached out to her father, asking him to come for her. Now. . .She opened the back door and slid into the backseat. The moment she closed the door behind her, Lily scooted closer to her father and leaned against him. Mr. Daniels’s face contorted with displeasure, his face lined with concern. He wasted no time wrapping his arms around her. His embrace was warm and it felt like. . . a safety net she desperately needed.“Shh, it’s okay,” he murmured, his large hand stroking her back gently. “It’s going to be okay, my princess.”Lily buried her face deeper into her father’s shoulder, her tears soaking into his shirt. “I’m fine, Dad,” she said, even when her voice betrayed her with a tremble. “I just. . .I just need a moment.”Mr. Daniels leaned back slightly, tipping her chi
“Maybe this. . .me being here is a mistake. Maybe you need time to heal from whatever Alice did to you. Maybe we need some time apart.”The moment Lily said those words, she began making her way out of the office, but Axel wasn’t going to let her play with his feelings anymore. He was tired of the push and pull, he was tired of feeling like a fool.If Lily didn’t love him enough to be straightforward with him, then she needed to say it to him instead of playing mind games on him.Before Lily could get her steps in, Axel’s fingers curled around her forearm, holding her in place. She turned back to face him and the moment their eyes locked, emotions were high.Axel’s grip on Lily’s arm tightened just enough to hold her in place, but not enough to hurt. His jaw was clenched, and the vulnerability in his eyes was quickly overtaken by frustration. “What do you mean by time apart, Lily?” he demanded, his voice hard and unyielding. It was a tone he rarely ever used with her, one that cut st
It was barely a few hours after their conversation that the estate began buzzing with visitors. Sophisticated men and elegant women dressed formally filed into the manor and were led into Axel’s office.And then soon, Austin and Alice arrived. Lily watched the visitors through her window, and she couldn’t help but notice that Alice brought her own formally dressed men and women.Lawyers.She tiptoed out of her room and made her way down the stairs, following the long hallway until she was in front of Axel’s office. She pressed her ear near the door, ready to listen in on their conversation.Inside the office, Axel sat at the head of the table, his fingers clasped tightly together, jaw locked. The tension in the room was thick, almost suffocating. His lawyers sat to his left, their legal pads and laptops open, ready to defend him. And to his right, Alice, Austin and their legal team sat. Alice sat with perfect posture, her face a mask of cold detachment. Beside her, Austin leaned back