Chapter Fifty Six : A Love TestedLily's POVThe ride home was quiet. Not like last time, the heavy kind, but a quieter one, as if we were in our own worlds. Simeon gripped the steering wheel tightly, his jaw clenched as if he were afraid I would have second thoughts and run again.I stared out the window, the city lights blurring outside us. Somewhere in my mind, a part of me still refused to believe I was here, next to him all this after all. My heart was still broken, still dazed, but when he wrapped his arms around me again back on that sidewalk, I knew—I couldn't go yet.When we arrived at the house, Simeon drove into the driveway and cut the engine. We didn't budge, though. The house towered in front of us, dark and empty, but I could still feel the memories inside, waiting for me.Simeon broke the silence at last. "Lily," he said, softly but resolute."Before we go inside, there is something I need to tell you."I swallowed hard, fingering my locked hands. "Okay."He rose to fa
Chapter Fifty Seven: The Fire in Her EyesSimeon's POVThe sun was high in the sky, casting a golden glow over the training ground. A warm breeze swept through the open space, rustling the leaves of the tall trees surrounding us. But I wasn’t paying attention to any of that. My eyes were fixed on Lily.She stood in the center of the training arena, her body tense with focus. Dressed in a fitted black training outfit, her curves were on full display—the toned muscles in her arms flexing with each controlled movement, her strong legs shifting effortlessly as she dodged and countered. Sweat glistened on her skin, making her look even more breathtaking under the sunlight.Her ponytail was tied high on her head, loose hairs sticking to the wet forehead. But she was not aware of this. Her sharp eyes remained fixed on her opponent, her chest rising and falling steadily as she prepared for the next strike.Lily was always elegant, but watching her fight now was something entirely different. E
Chapter Title: Shadows in the LightSimeon's POVThe sun was out in the afternoon, and the garden was bathed in its warm, golden light. Lily and I sat on a wooden bench beneath the sprawling branches of an ancient oak tree. The air was filled with the sweet scent of blooming jasmine and the distant buzzing of cicadas. It was one of those moments when everything felt just right.Lily laughed, a laugh that always had the effect of making me more cheerful. "Do you remember when we tried to cook together?" she teased, her eyes sparkling with amusement.I shook my head, rubbing the base of my neck. "How could I forget? We nearly burned down the kitchen."She elbowed me, her expression teasing. "That was because someone thought that adding extra chili would be a good idea.""Hey, I like spicy food," I protested, grinning.Our laughter echoed in the garden, a concord of shared memories and unspoken promises. I touched a loose curl of hair behind her ear. "I'm glad we have these moments," I b
Chapter Fifty Nine:Unseen ThreatsSimeon's POVThe tension still lingered heavy in the air as we stood among the bodies of the attack. The attackers that had fallen were scattered around the training grounds, some writhing in pain, others unconscious. The sun had started to dip lower in the sky, dark shadows spreading across the ground. But my focus wasn't on the attackers. It was on Lily.I couldn't tear my eyes from her.She was in the midst of it all, barely breathing, her fists still curled. Her skin glistened with sweat, and her hair, which had been neatly tied up, now had strands framing her face. She looked fierce, powerful—more than I had ever seen in her before.I knew she could fight, but this… this was something else.She had fought so fast, with an instinct and skill that left even the veteran warriors agog. The way she evaded, counterattacked, and brought down men twice her size—it was amazing.I had trained for years, fought wars, combated enemies that would send most me
Chapter Sixty : The Strength WithinLily's POVTension filled the air. Attacker and attackers were sprawled on the ground, whimpering in pain, some knocked unconscious, others weakened beyond ability to stand up. Simeon and I faced them together, watching closely over them, seeking answers. Sun had just begun to set, casting long shadows across the practice field, and the reek of blood and sweat permeated the atmosphere.My heart was still racing from the fight. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins, my muscles tense, waiting for anything. I glanced at Simeon, who was still looking at me in shock. He hadn't expected that I would fight so fiercely. I could see in the tension of the way he clenched his jaw, folded his arms over his chest. He had always known me to be powerful, but he had never actually seen me like this before.I had surprised everybody—including myself.The crunch of footsteps grew louder, and the two of us spun around fast. The tension was thickened ev
Chapter Sixty One: A Perilous SchemeVivian's POVPain scorched my body as I sat on the edge of a chair in Nelson's bedroom, my fists gripping the armrests. My entire body ached, and every movement lanced my muscles with agonizing pain. My clothes were torn, my arms bruised, and a small rivulet of blood flowed from the corner of my lips. I still felt the numbness of Lily's blows, the stinging precision of her punches.How had it come to this?Nelson stood in front of me, carefully wetting a cloth in a bowl of warm water. His face was pinched with rage, his brows furrowed deep. He didn't speak at first, but instead pressed the cloth against a particularly filthy wound on my shoulder. I hissed and flinched, but he held me in place."Stop moving," he growled. "You'll make it worse."I gritted my teeth, trying to ignore the sting. My pride hurt worse than my wounds. Lily. That girl. That dainty little thing I used to mock—how had she bested me?"This is crazy," I snarled, my voice slicing
Chapter Sixry Two: The Last ChoiceVivian's POVPain still thumped in my body as I and Nelson rode in silence to the well-guarded mansion where the mafia elders resided. Lily's fight had embarrassed me, and my blood boiled every time I even recalled. We underplayed her, I underplayed her. She was stronger and faster, and that should not have occurred. No one from outside the mafia should be able to fight like this.Nelson, sitting beside me, was equally furious. His grip on the steering wheel was so tight that his knuckles turned white. “She humiliated you,” he muttered darkly. “And Simeon… He stood there watching, laughing. This has gone too far.”I clenched my jaw. “That’s why we’re going to the elders. They will listen. They have to.”The mafia elders occupied the highest seat in the underground society. No important decision was made without their input, and whatever they decreed, happened. If we could prove to them that Lily was a threat to the underworld of the mafia, they would
Chapter Title: The Calm Before the Storm(Simeon's POV)The air in the evening was cool, redolent of the scent of rain and fresh earth. It was a deep blue outside, dotted with faint, scattered stars, and above us, a silent watch was kept by the moon. I sat on my balcony, surrounded by the windows of my house, and viewed the city down below. There was a hush over the place—too hushed.Lily sat next to me, her long hair streaming over her shoulders. She had a cup of tea in front of her, her fingers wrapped around it as though she was searching for heat. I looked at her for a moment, admiring the way the faint light danced in her eyes. Something was different with her recently—something I couldn't quite define."Why are you looking at me like that?" Lily said, leaning to one side.I smiled. "Can't I just look at you?"She rolled her eyes but smiled. "You always stare at me like you're trying to figure out a puzzle."I leaned back, grunting. "Maybe because I am."She raised an eyebrow. "A
Chapter Ninety OneChapter Title: A Brother's DilemmaNelson's POVThe silence in the room was oppressive, the air thick with unspoken words. My men were gathered around me, their gazes trained on me, waiting for commands. We had always been a well-oiled machine—swift, ruthless, and precise. But now, everything was different.Lily.My little sister. The one I believed was dead. The one I'd spent my entire life seeking revenge for. Now here she was, alive, in the middle of my world, telling me to let go of all I'd fought for."What's next, boss?" one of my men finally broke the silence and asked.I didn't answer immediately. I glanced instead at Lily, who was seated on the couch, arms folded across her chest, watching us cautiously. I could feel that she was waiting, seeing if I would continue in the same vein or if I would change for her.I had to be careful.I held up a hand briefly, a gesture for my men to be silent. Not now. Not in front of her. They understood immediately, shiftin
.Chapter Ninety : Torn Between Them(Lily’s POV)The room was quiet. The weight of my decision pressed down on me like a rock, crushing me. I had decided to leave Simeon, to stand with my brother, to honor the blood that coursed through my veins.Why did it have to hurt so much that I felt like I had ripped out my own heart in doing it?I sat on the cold floor of the dark room, legs pulled tightly into my arms. Nelson had stepped outside for a moment or two, but even when he stayed with me, there was that awful tension between us. He thought I'd made my decision, that I'd accepted his war as mine.Inside me, I was breaking.My mind was a battlefield of emotions—grief, guilt, yearning, and a pain so raw it was as if I was being pulled apart from within.I missed Simeon.Every breath I drew in his absence was tense. I tried to hold back the memories—the weight of his arms wrapped around me, the calmness of his voice telling me everything would be all right, the gaze in his eyes like I
Chapter Eighty NineTorn Between Love and BloodLily's POVThere was an aura of tension around me as I sat alone in the darkened room, my heart heavier than ever. I had locked the door, thinking that I could shut out the world and hence ease the pain inside me. But nothing could quell the raging tempest in my heart.I had only learned that my brother, Nelson—the sole survivor of my family—existed. I had long believed him to be dead, then suddenly he appeared and reversed my world. And now, I was being required to make a decision between him and the man I loved—Simeon.A soft knock against the wooden door, a knock accompanied by a voice I had long tried to quell."Lily, please. open up."Simeon.His voice was taut, the sound of it ready to crack. I closed my eyes, putting my palms over my ears as if that would be sufficient to block out the anguish in his voice. But it was useless. I could feel his pain even through the door.Another knock. Harder this time.Lily, if you don't want to
Chapter Eighty Eighte: Broken and LostSimeon's POVThe moment Lily turned her back on me, a part of me broke that I didn't realize it could.I stood there, frozen, staring at the emptiness she had left. My heart was raging so fiercely it ached, my chest tightening as if someone had stabbed it with a knife. The room was suffocating, crushing down on me with the weight of her words."I love my parents too much to let this pass.""I can't be with you, Simeon."Her words echoed in my head, each one cutting deeper than the last.I was a fool.Everything that we had, everything that we shared—it meant nothing to her?No. I would not believe it.Lily loved me. I knew she did. I could see it in the way she looked at me, in the way she held on to me in the evenings, in the way she whispered my name like it mattered.But now, she was gone. And she had chosen her brother. Chosen revenge over love.My fingers curled into fists, my nails digging into my palms. I had to leave.Without uttering a w
Chapter Eighty Seven : Broken HeartLily's POVWhen the second Simeon walked out that door, I felt like I had lost a part of my soul.I stood there, frozen, my body trembling with the weight of what I had just done. My breathing was in short, pained gasps, and my chest ached as if someone had stabbed me through the heart.I had let him go. I had told him that I was not interested. I had put my past, my family, ahead of the love of my life. And yet… why did it feel like I had destroyed myself in the process?Tears forced me to blink, but I did not break—not yet. I stepped back from the door, not wanting to go running after him, even when every part of my body was screaming at me to run, to scream at him to return, to take back every awful thing that had escaped my mouth.Nelson stood by my side, looking at me with an impenetrable expression. For a moment, he didn't say anything, simply studying my face as though he wished I would change my mind."You did the right thing," he said at l
Chapter Eighty Six: A Love Broken by WarLily's POVThe air between us was thick with tension, so dense I could barely breathe. My heart pounded within my chest, my rib cage aching under the weight of my own speech. I'd just told Simeon—the man I loved, the man who had stood as my foundation—that I could no longer be with him. That I couldn't be a traitor to my parents' memory.Simeon just sat there, his black eyes staring back at me, hoping for something—anything—that would make him think I was kidding about what I had just said. But I wasn't kidding. Not one word.I needed to mean it.He blinked once, his jaw tightening as if he were trying not to break. I had never seen him like this before. Not even in battle, not even when his life had been on the line. He was always so tall, so powerful, so in command. But now, he looked. broken."I don't want anything to do with you, Simeon," I repeated, my voice shaking. "I love my parents. I love them more than anything. I won't let this pass
Chapter Eighty Five : A Line DrawnLily's POVThe quiet between us was as sharp as a knife pressed to my throat.Nelson was before me, his chest rising and falling in ragged breaths, fists clenched at his sides. His face burned with rage, his jaw locked so tightly I feared it would break."You love him?" His voice was low, but the rage underlying it was unmistakable. "You love Simeon?"I swallowed hard. My hands trembled, but I steeled myself to incline my head. "Yes."It was barely louder than a whisper, but it was enough to provoke him.Nelson's face twisted with pure rage. "How dare you, Lily? How dare you betray our family in such a manner?""Don't!" he bellowed, his voice slicing as a knife. "Don't you dare even say you didn't betray them! Our parents are dead! Do you hear me? Dead! And those responsible are the very people who gave birth to that man you claim to love!"I swallowed hard, but refused to look away. "I know," I whispered barely above a breath. "Do you think I don't?
Chapter Eighty Four : The Man I LoveLily's POVI sobbed as I hugged Nelson. My brother. My blood. The man whom I had thought I had lost forever. The only one whom I had cried for in the dark, wondering if he was alive, if he even remembered me.And here he was now, hugging me just as hard as I hugged him. But it did not take away the years of suffering, the loneliness, the torture."I have suffered so much, Nelson," I wailed between tears. "You don't have any idea what I've suffered. You don't have any idea how much I missed you."Nelson eased his grip a bit, his arms wrapped around my shoulders as he looked into my eyes, his eyes filled with pain. "Lily, I—" He broke off, his voice cracking. "I thought you'd died."It shattered me once more to hear him say that."I thought I was dead too," I breathed. "Every night I wept myself to sleep wondering if you were out there somewhere. Wondering if you were alive. But I had no one. Had nothing. Had to fight for everything, Nelson. Had to b
Chapter Eighty ThreeLily's POVThe room was silent. My heart pounding against my chest, my breathing rapid. I could still feel the warmth of Nelson's embrace, his body vibrating against mine. The weight of his words, the truth of who he was, slammed into me like a tidal wave, covering me in emotions I couldn't even categorize.Nelson Williams.My brother.A name I had long suppressed in the depths of my mind. A name I never thought to hear again.I leaned back slightly, my hands still on his arms as I looked at him—really looked at him. My eyes were wide, taking in his face, hoping to see the boy I once knew.The little boy who played barefoot, chasing butterflies in the garden. The boy who took my hand when the nights were too dark and the thunderstorms too loud. The boy who promised to protect me.And here he was now, a man hardened by time, by war, by a fate that neither of us had planned.Tears streamed down my face, and my lips trembled as I took a soft breath, "Nelson… how?"Hi