Chapter 58Back in her luxurious private villa on the sun-drenched shores of Bali, Lily was doing her best to embrace the carefree bliss James had sent her there to find. Reclining by the glittering infinity pool, she let the warm tropical breeze wash over her as Maggie and some of her other friends laughed and sipped fruity cocktails nearby."I'm telling you, girl, this is exactly what the doctor ordered," Maggie sighed contentedly, wiggling her bright pink toes in the crystalline waters. "No stress, no drama - just pure relaxation and living our best lives before that little bambino of yours makes their debut."Despite herself, Lily felt the knots of tension easing from her shoulders at the soothing surroundings. It was as if an entire world of crushing pressure and violence had simply been...switched off for these few tranquil moments."Not gonna lie, it is pretty nice to tune out the chaos for a bit," she admitted with a soft smile, cradling her rounded belly. "Though I've got a f
Chapter 59The next few days passed in a blissful blur for Lily. True to their word, Maggie and the others kept her on a non-stop regimen of indulgent activities and luxurious pampering. Massages, beachside yoga sessions, decadent spa treatments - if it existed to soothe the body and spirit, they threw it Lily's way with gleeful abandon.Not that she was complaining, of course. After so many relentless months of chaos and violence, Lily was surprised by just how easily she was able to slip into this new mindset of tranquility and serenity. With every passing day cushioned in paradise, she felt the remaining knots of dread and anxiety loosening their insidious grip over her psyche.On one particularly glorious afternoon, after an invigorating al fresco brunch, Lily found herself wandering the lush grounds on her own while the others went off for ocean kayaking. She let her feet carry her almost unconsciously toward the private corner of their villa's gardens, lush and vibrantly bloomin
Chapter 60Back at James' compound, things were getting tense. Louis paced back and forth as James sat hunched over the desk, his brow furrowed."You're telling me Chloe Adams could be involved in this Petrov mess?" James said gruffly. "But she's supposed to be locked up in that psychiatric hospital."Louis shook his head. . "I realize, that's what we concept too. But a number of the intel we have accrued factors to her having a hand in things from the inside.""How's that even possible?" James slammed his fist at the desk. "We've had spherical-the-clock surveillance on that area since she went nuts.""Could be she has some inside help," Louis said grimly. "Maybe one of the guards or staff is working for her, keeping her in the loop."James let out a frustrated growl. "Damn it, I should've seen this coming. That woman's obsession knows no bounds."He stood up, taking a deep breath and running a hand through his hair. "Alright Louis, here is what we are exactly going to do. Double the
Chapter 61 A few days later, James was in his office looking over some files when Louis came rushing in. His face was pale. "Boss, we can also have a huge hassle," Louis stated, out of breath. "I simply got a disturbing report about one of the nurses on the psychiatric hospital." James looked up, narrowing his eyes. "What is it?" "Apparently this nurse, Emily Davis, has been acting really strange lately. Calling in sick a lot, getting caught sneaking around restricted areas, that kind of thing." "And you think she could be the Chloe mole we've been looking for?" James asked gruffly. Louis nodded grimly. "It definitely seems suspicious as hell. We pulled her personnel file and there are some big red flags." He slid the file over to James, who began flipping through it with a furrowed brow. There were notes about Emily having past issues with drugs and gambling debts. "Yeah, I can see how someone with problems like this might be easy to bribe or manipulate," James said. "
Chapter 62 It's been few days, James sat at his desk looking through some papers when Louis rushed in. He had a big smirk on his face. "We got them, boss! Our intel finally paid off on the Petrov operation." James looked up, eyes narrowing. "You're sure about this?" "Damn sure," Louis said, tossing a file onto the desk. "Our undercover guy was able to get video evidence of Petrov meeting with that dirty cop we've been after. They're caught red-handed discussing payoffs and illegal activities." James flipped through the record, analyzing the pictures and transcripts with a satisfied nod. "Well, I'll be. Looks like the rat finally took the cheese." "Should we move in and take them down?" Louis asked eagerly. Leaning again in his chair, James thought for a moment then shaking his head "Not yet. Let's have a little fun with them first. Set up a meet, just me and Petrov's top guys. I want to see the fear in their eyes before we burn their whole operation to the ground." Louis grin
Chapter 63Four years later..."Mummy, mummy, look!" Lily turned towards her 4-year-old daughter Ava, with a warm smile as she came running over, a masterpiece of finger paints clutched boldly in her little hands. "Well, well, would you look at that?... Nicely done" Lily said, bending down to get a better view. "This may simply be your simply first-rate paintings yet, candy pea!"Ava beamed, her cherubic face lighting up with pride at the praise. "It's you and daddy and me, see? We're all holding hands in the park!"Indeed, amid the vibrant swirls of color, Lily could make out three stick figure forms, one smaller between two taller ones, their stick arms linked together. Her heart melted a little at the innocently joyful scene her daughter had captured."You're such a talented little artist already," Lily said, pulling Ava into a warm hug. "Just like your mommy."Ava giggled, smearing a streak of purple paint across Lily's cheek as she squirmed playfully. "When I get bigger, I'm go
Chapter 64The next morning, Lily awakened to the tantalizing aroma of sparkling espresso and some thing splendidly sweet wafting up from the kitchen. Smiling, she stretched languidly before slipping out of bed and into her preferred silk gown.Padding downstairs, she saw James already dressed for work and expertly flipping golden pancakes on the stove at the same time as Ava sat at the kitchen island, fortuitously coloring away in her pajamas."Well, well, looks like I married a regular master chef," Lily quipped, coming up behind James to wrap her arms around his waist and press a kiss between his shoulder blades. He chuckled, turning his head to capture her lips in a proper good morning kiss. "Don't let the pancakes fool you, this is about the extent of my culinary prowess. Figured I'd treat my girls before heading into the office."Ava glanced up from her coloring with a grin. "Daddy makes the best pancakes ever! He even put chocolate chips in mine, see?" She held up a forkful o
Chapter 65Lily pushed the uneasy thoughts of the embezzlement to the back of her mind as she walked into their home, determinedly retaining a smile on her face for Ava's sake. She saw her little girl within the residing room, having a very extreme tea celebration with her teddy bear."Mum, you're back!" Ava chirped, leaping up to hug Lily's legs. "Come have tea with me and Mr. Snuggles!""It will be my pleasure ," Lily said, placing a kiss on her daughter's head and letting herself be tugged over to the adorably mismatched tea set. For the subsequent hour, she immersed herself within the magical global of make-believe, sipping imaginary tea and listening raptly to Ava's stories.It was a welcome respite from the stricken mind niggling at her, a chance to just be surprised at her daughter's innocence and bright imagination. These precious moments of bonding and silliness were exactly what Lily needed to keep herself centered.Eventually, it was time to start on dinner. Lily got Ava se