Chapter ONE: HOW OUR LOVE STARTED

Three Years Ago

Simon

Imagining my cold heart turning warm seemed impossible till Lily Stack came into my life six months ago. From the moment she walked into my office, hair dripping wet and clothes drenched, seeking an internship placement, she had my attention.

The spark in her eyes was something I couldn’t resist. I saw in her eyes the fire I had in mine five years ago when I started Siwes Ltd. Hers was filled with a desire for more and mine with a drive for survival. If I were to break out from the Weston dynasty, I had to build my own. Hardwork, sacrifice, determination had brought me this far. Sitting as CEO of a financial service company that operated globally and had amassed a worth of over $30 billion dollars in just five years of its inception. In all that time, I had no interest in anything else until her beautiful brown eyes bore into mine. I started off only intrigued, wanting to know more about her. Unwilling to let her out of my sight, I handed her a job by my side. What came next wasn’t a part of my plan. I didn’t envisage that she’d score my heart.

Walking into my office with a completed report or task and I’d take a look at it or assign a new task had become our usual routine. We’d been working closely together, and I ensured it. I wasn’t about to miss spending time with the young woman who intrigued me.

My eyes followed her as she came into my officeholding two files, one red and one blue. She wore a white shirt tucked into her black pants, looking effortlessly beautiful.

"Mr. Miller," she began, her voice confident, "I’ve completed the performance report based on the KPIs," she said, lifting the red file slightly. "And I’ve also prepared the financial report for the last three months," she continued, raising the blue file.

I knew I should be paying attention to her words, but all I could see was the way her lips moved, the way her eyes sparkled with interest. She was standing right in front of me, yet I felt as if I were in another world, one with an angel. Her beauty was nothing short of angelic. In the past months she had worked with me, I had spent most of the time we’ve had together fighting my attraction for her. Primarily because I’m not the type of man who’d engage in an office romance. Mixing business with pleasure wasn’t my forte; I liked to keep my work and private life separate. More importantly, she was a distraction. One I gave a pep talk to myself every morning to ignore.

"Mr. Miller?" she repeated, a little more firmly this time, pulling me out of my thoughts. We had agreed she’d call me by my surname to keep it professional. Moving to Canada, it seemed fitting to take my mother’s maiden name since I was touring my own path. Of course, she didn’t know this. No one here knew me as a Weston and I had to keep it that way.

I blinked, shaking my head slightly to clear it. "Yes, of course. Sorry," I said, reaching out to take the files from her hands. Our fingers brushed, and I felt a jolt of electricity. I could tell she noticed the slight hesitation in my grip.

"Thank you Lily," I added, trying to steady my voice. "Let’s review these together." She took a seat across me. Her presence drew me in, making it difficult to concentrate on anything else. Her eyes met mine, and for a moment, I was completely lost in them.

She must have grown tired of me by now and all my mixed signals. She had made it evidently clear to me that she had fallen for me. I still remember the embarrassed look she wore when I told her it’d be better we keep things professional.

I opened the red file, forcing myself to focus on the contents. "Good job Lily, you delivered on such short notice, very efficient," I said. But even as I began to discuss the performance metrics, her standing there, staring at me with those eyes, It was going to be hard to concentrate.

I abruptly closed the files, stood up from my seat, and began moving closer to her.

"Sir, you're coming closer," she said, her eyes fixed on me.

"Yes, I am," I replied, but that didn't stop me. I took slow, deliberate steps, drawing nearer. I wanted to keep it professional yet I desperately wanted her.

"Si," she whispered as I was just inches away. She called me by my first name this time, and only she called me Si and I liked it. My self-control was hanging by a thread. She was an irresistible temptation, and I halted, staring into her eyes.

"We promised we’d try to remain professional but you're giving me the look," she said.

"What look?" I tilted my face, waiting for her to tell me what I already knew.

"The look you give me when you're tempted to kiss me but end up running away," she said, biting her lip.