The day remained overcast, heavy clouds looming low over the building, casting everything in a muted gray light. Lily sat by one of the bay windows in the library, a thick knitted blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she absentmindedly flipped through the pages of a novel. But no matter how hard she tried to focus, the words seemed to blur together. Her mind kept drifting back to the night before-to Aaron's intense gaze, Damian's cryptic questions, and the feeling that something monumental was being kept from her. The way they kept exchanging glances.Downstairs, in one of the smaller meeting rooms, Aaron and Damian stood facing each other. The air between them was heavy with unspoken tension. A map was spread across the table, scattered with marked locations and hastily scribbled notes."The man near the gates might've been a decoy," Damian said, his voice low. "But someone left a footprint near the east perimeter-fresh. Someone else was there."Aaron's brow furrowed as he studied
Aaron stepped inside Lily's room, his expression softened by the dim glow of her bedside light."Lily? What’s wrong?"She hesitated, her voice trembling. "Aaron... can I trust you? Truly? Completely?"Aaron froze for a moment from the direct and sudden question, his silver eyes searching her face. He stepped closer and knelt beside her bed. "Lily, I need you to trust me. Please. I promise... when the time is right, I'll tell you everything. But for now, you have to believe in me. I know you're confused, love, but trust me."His voice was low, steady, and for a moment, it anchored her fears. Lily nodded faintly, though the doubt still lingered at the edges of her mind.Aaron brushed a strand of hair from her face and stood. "Get some rest. I'll be outside if you need me,"As the door closed softly behind him, Lily lay back against her pillows, staring into the darkness, her thoughts still restless.Outside her window, the wind howled, carrying with it the promise of a storm already br
The room was suffocatingly quiet. The storm had finally settled, but the weight of the previous events hung in the air like a thick fog. Lily stood by the window, watching the last few droplets of rain trace paths down the glass. Her heart still raced from the encounter-one that should never have happened. She felt the deep ache of vulnerability, her mind still haunted by the man’s cold grip.She hadn’t wanted to admit it, but the fear had taken root deep inside her. The world outside felt foreign now, dangerous and unpredictable. She wasn’t sure who she could trust anymore, not even herself.The door creaked open softly, and Lily’s pulse skipped. It was Aaron-though he wasn’t alone this time. His presence in the room seemed to fill every inch of space with tension. His suit was damp from the rain, his expression shadowed by the worry that clung to him like a second skin.Lily’s breath caught as their eyes met, but the softness she had once found in them was absent. His gaze was hard,
She didn’t know if she was more scared of the danger she was in or of the way Aaron was looking at her now. Was she finally a burden to him? Was he regretting keeping her and protecting her?Aaron disappeared into his study, closing the door behind him with a soft click. Inside the quiet space, the weight of the world seemed to settle onto his shoulders. His fingers hovered over the phone for a moment, his mind racing. He glanced at the door, ensuring no one could overhear, and then dialed the number.The call rang twice before someone picked up, their voice muffled but cold.“Got me, little boy??” the voice on the other end asked, unbothered, almost indifferent.Aaron’s voice was low, almost a growl. “You listen to me,” he began, his words sharp, each syllable laced with venom. “You stay the hell away from Lily. Don’t even think about coming near her again. You’ve pushed me too far this time.”There was a long pause on the other end, but Aaron wasn’t waiting for an apology or excuse.
It was an autumn morning and the streets of Belgravia were nearly full with tourists from across the world.Lily Sterling , an 18-year-old, residing in Belgravia, a western central district of London was getting ready for her wedding.She had an elder sister named Rose with whom she was not particularly close.Rose and Lily were the daughters of Ronald Sterling and Rebecca Sterling.Ronald Sterling was the 32nd richest bussinesman in London. Th Sterlings were going through a downfall in their company as The Williams offered to help through partnership. The Sterlings were looking for a man for their elder daughter after getting to know that she had an affair with her classmate from college.The Williams wanted their son to get married as well, as he was now settled and declared as the CEO of their company. Both of the families needed each other and hence agreed upon marrying their children.Rose was to be married to the CEO of the largest company known to London and also a billionaire, Za
Lily quickly followed Zared before he disappeared from her sight.She went behind him and followed him upstairs to where his room was."Come with me" Zared said with a straight face and went along the hallway of the first floor. Lily followed him quietly until he stopped at the end of the hallway. "This will be your room. I don't like anyone invading my privacy so you'll stay here and I'll be in my room" He completed his sentence with a cold voice and a straight face and made his way to his room without turning back to even take a glance at Lily or wait for her to reply.It was as if he was talking to himself. “Wait” Lily said, making Zared sigh and turn around with his eyebrows raised in question.“I know we've both been forced into this, but let's just accept it? After all, there's nothing else we can do“ Zared scoffed a little, turned around and brought his steps forward towards Lily. “That's probably what you wanted all along. Listen to me, I'm never going to accept you neither t
Lily woke up to the sound of the ringing alarm, her hands stretched and found her phone to dismiss it. She lied on the bed, staring at nothing, contemplating that today would just be another day of trying to gain Zared's attention and trust. It was Lily’s ultimate goal since she got married to Zared nearly 6 months ago. You can also say it was her daily routine now. She had been misunderstood and mistreated for far too long and she deserved to be trusted and loved, is what she thought. She was madly in love with Zared, and every time her gaze met his ocean blue eyes, she would fall in love with him all over again, but she could not do anything to prove that it was genuine. Tearing the blanket off her body, she got up and made her way towards the shower.Over the course of the six months, Zared never gave Lily a single tender glance, instead, he would yell at her and beg her to leave him alone. It seemed to him that Lily was only seeking his attention in order to get his credit cards s
Lily was determined not to give up because she was concerned that if he went to bed empty-stomach, he might become ill. She also noticed that he's getting skinnier which made her more worried and she unknowingly blamed herself for it. She went towards him and held his arm before he reached the stairs trying to stop him. "Zared, you-""WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LET ME LIVE?!, EVERY TIME I WAKE UP, I NEED TO SEE YOUR DISGUSTING FACE, EVERY TIME I COME FROM MY OFFICE EXPECTING TO TAKE SOME REST, YOU START IRRITATING ME. JUST STOP IT.YOU. ARE. NOT.MY.WIFE. STOP ACTING LIKE MY F*CKING WIFE"He shouted and yanked her hand. She was frightened by his action ,tears started forming in her eyes as she processed what he just said. It was never unknown to Lily but it was just hard for her to hear it from him in this clear words, to accept it, to accept that this was the reality. "I'm-I'm sorry" Lily said with a trembling voice, trying not to break down. "Your sorry won't do a damn thing, I would appr
She didn’t know if she was more scared of the danger she was in or of the way Aaron was looking at her now. Was she finally a burden to him? Was he regretting keeping her and protecting her?Aaron disappeared into his study, closing the door behind him with a soft click. Inside the quiet space, the weight of the world seemed to settle onto his shoulders. His fingers hovered over the phone for a moment, his mind racing. He glanced at the door, ensuring no one could overhear, and then dialed the number.The call rang twice before someone picked up, their voice muffled but cold.“Got me, little boy??” the voice on the other end asked, unbothered, almost indifferent.Aaron’s voice was low, almost a growl. “You listen to me,” he began, his words sharp, each syllable laced with venom. “You stay the hell away from Lily. Don’t even think about coming near her again. You’ve pushed me too far this time.”There was a long pause on the other end, but Aaron wasn’t waiting for an apology or excuse.
The room was suffocatingly quiet. The storm had finally settled, but the weight of the previous events hung in the air like a thick fog. Lily stood by the window, watching the last few droplets of rain trace paths down the glass. Her heart still raced from the encounter-one that should never have happened. She felt the deep ache of vulnerability, her mind still haunted by the man’s cold grip.She hadn’t wanted to admit it, but the fear had taken root deep inside her. The world outside felt foreign now, dangerous and unpredictable. She wasn’t sure who she could trust anymore, not even herself.The door creaked open softly, and Lily’s pulse skipped. It was Aaron-though he wasn’t alone this time. His presence in the room seemed to fill every inch of space with tension. His suit was damp from the rain, his expression shadowed by the worry that clung to him like a second skin.Lily’s breath caught as their eyes met, but the softness she had once found in them was absent. His gaze was hard,
Aaron stepped inside Lily's room, his expression softened by the dim glow of her bedside light."Lily? What’s wrong?"She hesitated, her voice trembling. "Aaron... can I trust you? Truly? Completely?"Aaron froze for a moment from the direct and sudden question, his silver eyes searching her face. He stepped closer and knelt beside her bed. "Lily, I need you to trust me. Please. I promise... when the time is right, I'll tell you everything. But for now, you have to believe in me. I know you're confused, love, but trust me."His voice was low, steady, and for a moment, it anchored her fears. Lily nodded faintly, though the doubt still lingered at the edges of her mind.Aaron brushed a strand of hair from her face and stood. "Get some rest. I'll be outside if you need me,"As the door closed softly behind him, Lily lay back against her pillows, staring into the darkness, her thoughts still restless.Outside her window, the wind howled, carrying with it the promise of a storm already br
The day remained overcast, heavy clouds looming low over the building, casting everything in a muted gray light. Lily sat by one of the bay windows in the library, a thick knitted blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she absentmindedly flipped through the pages of a novel. But no matter how hard she tried to focus, the words seemed to blur together. Her mind kept drifting back to the night before-to Aaron's intense gaze, Damian's cryptic questions, and the feeling that something monumental was being kept from her. The way they kept exchanging glances.Downstairs, in one of the smaller meeting rooms, Aaron and Damian stood facing each other. The air between them was heavy with unspoken tension. A map was spread across the table, scattered with marked locations and hastily scribbled notes."The man near the gates might've been a decoy," Damian said, his voice low. "But someone left a footprint near the east perimeter-fresh. Someone else was there."Aaron's brow furrowed as he studied
The sky was painted in hues of deep orange and soft lavender as the sun dipped below the horizon. The grounds were cast in long shadows, and the air carried a biting chill. Lily stood by one of the grand windows in the drawing room, her arms wrapped around herself as she gazed out at the vast expanse of the building's gardens. There was something unsettling about the way the shadows seemed to move tonight.Aaron was seated on the edge of one of the leather armchairs, a phone in his hand as he spoke quietly to someone on the other end. His voice was low and clipped, his usual calm edge fraying slightly with each passing moment. Damian leaned against the mantelpiece, his sharp gaze fixed on Aaron as if trying to glean information from the one-sided conversation.When Aaron finally ended the call, he exhaled sharply and rubbed a hand over his face. "The man we caught lurking near the gates last night? He had nothing on him. No ID, no phone, nothing that could give us a lead."Damian cro
Downstairs, Damian stood by one of the large windows overlooking the front gates. His arms were crossed over his chest, his sharp gaze locked on a car parked just beyond the building's boundary. Its engine was off, headlights dark, but Damian knew someone was inside, watching. Clara approached quietly, her slippers muffled against the polished floor. "It’s been there for hours, hasn’t it?" Damian gave a curt nod. "They’re getting bolder." Clara crossed her arms, a shiver running down her spine. "Should we wake Aaron?" "No," Damian said firmly. "Let him stay with Ms. Lily. I’ll handle this." Clara hesitated before nodding and stepping back into the shadows of the hallway. Damian’s focus returned to the car. His expression was cold, calculated, and dangerous. Moments later, when Aaron was returning to his room, he caught a sight of Damian and Clara by the window, approaching them, he hauled his steps just when he was about to reach them, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pu
He stepped forward, making Lily step backward until the cold wall hit her back, Aaron lowered her head towards her and rested his hand on the wall beside Lily."Are you playing dumb, love?" he asked, his voice raspy and deep.No words escaped Lily's throat."I just..I would like a direct answer, please." she finally said, almost like ordering a coffee.“No. I wasn’t jealous of a mere bodyguard-but if you’re asking me…yes, I envied whatever he said that managed to pull even the faintest smile from you. But it’s more than that, Lily. I’m jealous of every single breath you take because it’s unshared. I can’t feel it, can’t claim even a fragment of it. That’s why I stay close, why I hover around you more than I should-because it’s the only way I can steal even a sliver of your world.” He pushed a strand of her hair away from her eyes."Was that direct enough, love?" He asked looking into her hazel eyes.Without responding Lily pushed him-not too hard, and fled from there as fast as she
"I guess, I'm smarter than all of them then." Lily replied earning a shrug from Damian.Damian had picked up a book from the library. Their conversation carried on in between-about his experience in the Navy and several other curious questions from Lily.They weren’t talking loudly, their voices hushed, but there was an easiness to their interaction.Aaron stepped into the library, his sharp silver eyes immediately spotting them. His gaze lingered on Lily’s faint smile and the relaxed way she leaned slightly toward Damian as he spoke. Something cold and sharp twisted in his chest.His polished shoes clicked against the wooden floor as he strode over. Both Lily and Damian looked up at the same time.“Mr. Knight,” Damian greeted, his voice neutral.Aaron’s gaze flicked between them before locking onto Damian. “Don’t you have something better to do than sit here chatting, Damian?”The words cut through the quiet air, laced with authority and something sharper-something possessive.Damian
Lily took her own cup, her hands trembling slightly as she lifted it to her lips.Clara sat beside her again, her voice soft. “Sweetheart, I know this is hard. But you'll be safe. Trust me, I know Aaron, he wont let anything happen to you. Ever."Lily nodded, though the fear gnawed at the edges of her mind. No matter how many cameras or precautions they set up, she couldn’t shake the feeling that danger was already here, lurking just beyond their walls.Aaron’s voice broke the silence. “We’ll handle this. We’ll find out who they are and stop them before they can come any closer.”His words were firm, resolute. But as the night settled around them and shadows stretched across the floor, Lily couldn’t help but wonder if it would be enough.The night stretched on, heavy and silent. The faint ticking of the clock on the wall was the only sound breaking the stillness of the apartment. Lily sat cross-legged on her bed, her knees drawn close to her chest as she stared at the faint gl