Lily was almost tempted to open the diary, even though she was scared as hell, but she couldn’t. Also, the old maid’s words still rung in her head. “Do not open it here,” the old maid had said after Lily had promised before leaving Ashley’s room. “Reading it while you are still here is not going to help you, and you might get caught,” the old maid had instructed. After resisting the urge to open it, Lily had tucked it safely away under Ashley’s bed. She could not put it into a box because she wasn’t certain which box would be going with her to Christopher’s house, and she did not want Emily or stumble upon it by mistake. Lily looked around the room and she became afraid. This was the first time that she would be feeling scared of being in Ashley’s bedroom. “What happened to you, Ashley Grander?” Lily asked the air, looking around expectantly as though Ashley would speak to her. “Who killed you? How did you die?” Lily asked. Now, she was more concerned about the person she had be
Lily stared at the blog scandal, anger and jealousy ravaging her very core. It was bad enough that Christopher had taken Aimee to the event instead and even given his phone to her to take his calls, making him unavailable when she needed him the most, but to spend the night at her apartment was something else. ”Don’t feel too comfortable.” Those were the exact words of Aimee Landon to Lily on their wedding day, and it was obvious now that something was going on between them. Lily was angry and jealous, and she could not tell if it was because she was developing feelings for Christopher Bridger, or because it was a ridicule to her personality as his wife. Christopher was obviously not attracted to Lily, because he thought he was seeing Ashley, and their marriage was simply a flipping contract, but then again, they never made any agreement about freedom to cheat and live a life of infidelity, so yes, Lily had every right to feel slighted. Lily was certain that Aimee Landon would be
Christopher was more than furious, especially with the news making the rounds. Who the heck was peddling such lies about him?! Yes, he went into Aimee’s apartment, but it had merely been to switch off her alarm, and even though she had embarrassed herself, nothing untoward had happened, but what the news insinuated was that Christopher had extra-marital affair with Aimee, and that was a deadly scandal that was bad enough to spoil things for him.“Trisha! Trisha!” Christopher called in exasperation. “Where has she gone?” Christopher asked himself.He couldn’t recall whether or not he noticed Trisha there when he arrived at work because he had come in as a furious man; the blog news was the first thing he had seen this morning when he woke up, and his entire mood had taken a downward flop. Angrily, Christopher matched out of his office and stormed off to Trisha’s desk. Unfortunately, it was vacant.“Isn’t it too early in the day to leave her desk?!” Christopher bellowed, his thundering
Aimee smiled coyly; she knew damn well that her plans would work!She knew that she had messed up, and knowing Christopher, he would be thinking of firing her. Aimee deliberately did not go to the company, because she knew that if she showed up there, Christopher would humiliate her by firing her in the presence of everyone.She would not be able to take that.So the very minute that Christopher had left her apartment last night, she had made a call and swung into action.“One thing you should know, Christopher Bridger, is that I am not like any other woman you have ever met,” Aimee said to herself.She had always been smart, right from when she was a little girl. Granted, she had fallen head over heels in love with Christopher Bridger, but sticking by his side all these years even though Christopher tried to push her away several times just as he had done his other friends, had been for a reason. If she hadn’t remained glued to Christopher, she would not have been a senior staff at o
They arrived at the press room about two hours later after Aimee had returned into her apartment and freshened up.When she had entered her apartment, she had danced happily; all traces of sadness and hurt due to Christopher’s stark rejection to her seduction flown out through the window.Christopher Bridger had referred to the company as theirs! He had actively included Aimee in the company for the very first time since she began to work for Christopher. That was all the reassurance and boost that Aimee needed.“Welcome, Mr. Bridger and Miss Aimee,” the presswoman greeted.Christopher had had to pay a hefty amount of money to secure a press release that same day, because he knew how important it was to do damage control as quickly as possible. If he delayed, his business associates would withdraw the contracts they were yet to sign with him, his company would crumble to the ground, and he would be forgotten like he never existed in the entire country.“Thank you,” Christopher said, a
Lily liked the look of shock that she saw in Christopher’s eyes. This was the very first time that she was getting a reaction out of him that wasn’t anger. “Ashley?” Christopher asked, as though he was seeing a ghost.Lily would have been disturbed by that, but the woman that constantly forgot her role as Ashley Grander in Christopher’s life which made her constantly trip or shoot herself in the leg was gone. Now, Lily was more than ready to do the right thing, because some factors had prompted her to.“That’s me, Christopher,” Lily said, her words slurring. Then she got off the bed, ensuring that she made all the right moves.When Lily arrived at the house, it had been as though she was entering a strange place, or maybe it was because she was entering as Ashley Grander for the very first time, and not Lily Bashwood who was struggling to get into character. Just as she had planned it, she had arrived when Christopher was away at work, so that she would have ample time to do what she
The deep intensified as Lily used her teeth to subtly and gently part Christopher’s mouth open, and Christopher did so with abandon. They kissed, deeply and passionately, and in that moment, it seemed as though Lily was in a different world entirely. Their tongues intertwined, their lips locked, and they tasted each other completely. Lily wasn’t expecting that she would be this good with kissing Christopher, because she had never kissed a man before, but more importantly, she never knew that kissing him would taste this good and make her entire body tingle with pleasure. Then Christopher lifted Lily effortlessly and took her towards the bed. Lily already suspected how it was going to end, because the kiss and Christopher’s strong hands around her set her entire body on fire. She wanted Christopher Bridger to take her in that moment, but her heart beat even with all the lust and desire. Lily Bashwood had never been intimate with a man before and regardless of how she felt in Christ
It was a splendid night for Aimee Landon, and she woke up with a great mood, so much so that she practically danced like a happy princess as she went about her morning routine, from brushing her teeth to making her coffee, and of course, having breakfast of toast and jam. “Today is a perfect day!” Aimee sang to herself. The previous day had gone way better than she had expected. The press release, although not what Aimee would have wanted in a lifetime, was released almost immediately after, and those companies that were threatening to withdraw their contracts from Christopher’s company retraced her steps, and that was coupled with the fact that Aimee had also texted her source and asked her to take down the post about Christopher going into her apartment. Who could play the game this good? Definitely no one else! All that had happened had put Christopher in a better mood, and because he had been in a better mood, he was more than cordial with her. Aimee had feared that Christophe
Christopher arrived at the company from the hotel in a grand style. He was looking dashing and stunning, and more, he was impressed with what Aimee had come up with in the crunch of time.His company was buzzing with elegance and class, and with everything that had been scheduled to happen tonight, Christopher had no doubt that it would be a successful night for him. The papers he would use in sealing the best deal the company had ever had was with him.However, Christopher was troubled.In all honesty, he had a pretty rough night last time, because while at the hotel room, he kept battling his conscience.“I should have gone home to her,” Christopher told himself.Lately, especially after their intimate affair, he had been unable to get her off his mind, and last night, he regretted allowing Aimee persuade him into sleeping in a hotel home. Christopher had also battled with anxiety and nervousness, and he knew that if he simply wrapped his arms around her, he would have felt better.
Lily stayed in the bedroom and waited for Christopher, but she was downright scared to her bones that something might go wrong and nervous.It was as though the time was ticking by too slowly, but she had no choice but to wait for him in his mansion. However, she was very restless.Lily thought of Don Grander who she guessed must have realized that his papers were missing and would be searching frantically for them. He would kill Lily if he knew that she had taken it, and worse, wanted to show them to Christopher.In thinking of the devil, Don Grander began to call Ashley’s phone, and she jumped in fright.Lily contemplated on not answering the call, but then if she did that, Don Grander might suspect her, because she had never ignored his call before, so Lily took a split second to catch her breath before picking the call.She would have to act normal otherwise Don Grander would know that something was amiss.“Where are you?” Don Grander asked gruffly as soon as the call connected.“
“Monk!” Don Grander yelled at the top of his voice, almost tearing out his lungs. He was in his bedroom, and he paced furiously. Some minutes later, Monk rushed into his room.“Boss, you sent for me,” Monk said, confused, because he was just with Don Grander about an hour ago in the study where they talked at length.“Something has happened,” Don Grander said through clenched teeth.“What might that be?” Monk asked.“Before you and I went out, I was going through the original and fake document that I and Bridger signed before his demise, and the one that Benedict drafted for me which he showed to Christopher to make him believe and succumb to what we want,” Don Grander explained.“Okay…” Monk said, paying rapt attention to what Don Grander was saying even though he was wondering why Don Grander decided to go through the papers in the first place.It was as though Don Grander could read Monk’s thoughts, because he answered right away. “You know that this last deal is very huge; it is t
Aimee threw herself into planning this special event for Christopher and his company. He did not give her the full details, but she worked with what she had anyway.She had been busy contacting vendors and planners, making plans and readjustments; Aimee wanted complete perfection, because this was the event that she was banking on completely. She was fed up of waiting for Christopher to come by, and even though he had reinstated her with even better promotion, Aimee feared that Christopher had fallen for Ashley, and she could not let that happen.After this event, she would have exactly what was hers!Aimee was still in deep thoughts when her phone rang. When she checked the caller ID, it was the new man that she had hired to do her dirty business. The moment Aimee realized that Derek was no longer on board, she had had to find someone else. This time around, Aimee ensured that she went for someone who was fierce and dangerous.“What news do you have for me?” Aimee asked.Now that she
Lily covered her mouth in shock and dreadful fright as her heart slammed against her ribs. At first, she thought that Don Grander was going to hear her gasp, and she feared for her life. If she was caught hiding by the stairs and eavesdropping, she would be dead even before the actual time, but thankfully, Don Grander and Monk were too engrossed in the whole conversation to even hear her.“I just want this to be over and done with so that Emily and I can finally go for that vacation. We have already missed our flight and she is breathing down my neck…it can be really frustrating,” Don Grander said to Monk.Then the two men stopped right close to Lily, making Lily more afraid.She needed to get away from this mansion before they either discovered that she was here, or that the papers were missing. As far as Lily knew, no one saw her come in except the security at the gate, and hopefully, she would be able to get out before Don Grander declares that anything is missing.“When she steals
“What?!” Lily was stunned and afraid and alert.Her mind instantly went to Monk and Don Grander’s threats that they would kill Joe if she failed on any of her tasks.“Yeah, and it was pretty weird. It made me feel uncomfortable,” Joe said over the phone.She could feel the discomfort in his voice, and Lily’s heart broke into more pieces. She even began to wonder how much heartache she could take at once.“I really wish you were here, Lily; I feel safe with you around,” Joe said warmly and sadly. “It has been over a year, and this is beginning to look creepy to me. Even Rudney does not exactly know where you are,” Joe admitted.Lily did not think that Joe would think too deeply about everything. She hadn’t even really been thinking about Joe and how her absence might have affected him. More tears dropped from Lily’s eyes in pain and regret. If only she could tell Joe exactly what was going on, but then again, she did not even have the liberty of brooding about that for so long, because
Lily felt like she had been hit with a ton of bricks at the harshness and cruelty of Christopher’s words, and when she managed to look into his eyes, she could see all the emotions right there.“Let me say what I came here to tell you, please,” Lily begged deeply.“How did you manage to bleed like a virgin when everyone knows that you are not, huh?” Christopher asked bitterly and angrily.Lily opened her mouth to say that it was because she was a virgin, but no words came out of her mouth, and Christopher mistook Lily’s inability to say the words as guiltiness.Christopher shook his head. “You are my worst mistake, Ashley, and I blame myself for not fighting this arrangement when I was told. After this party, you are going to return to your father’s house discreetly until this whole crap of a marriage is over; I never want to see your face again,” Christopher said firmly.Lily squeezed her eyes shut as the words sliced through her heart. She felt like Christopher had literally taken a
Lily could not wrap her head around everything that the old maid had revealed to her.Ashley Grander was alive, and no one knew!A tiny part of Lily was relieved that she was, because after all she had found out about her, it just didn’t sound fair that she would have been murdered. Indeed, she played her game well. Another tiny part of Lily wanted to see Ashley, the only girl in the world that looked almost like her, but according to what the old maid said, Ashley was in a far away country where no one knew her and with a new identity. She was living with the old maid’s distant relative, and to ensure that she is completely safe, she and the old maid had had to keep off communicating.Ashley Grander was smarter than anyone Lily had ever met.Thinking away from her now, Lily thought about herself. As much as she was relieved that Ashley wasn’t truly dead after all the evil that surrounded her, she had been the unfortunate person forced into living her life, doing her job, and cleaning
“What?” Lily was stupefied.She could not believe that she had been played so well, but then again, a lot of questions were already running through her mind. Now, nothing seemed clear and she needed it to be, so she sat back down again.“You knew from the beginning that I wasn’t Ashley,” Lily stated.It was a statement that required an answered, a clarity of some sort.“Even if Ashley was truly dead, I would have known,” the old maid responded. “I raised her, you know,” she started as tears gathered in her eyes. “When her mother mysteriously and tragically passed, she was left in my care, and I loved and nurtured Ashley like she was my child. Do you know how heartbreaking it was for me to see her being constantly maltreated and punished?” The old maid asked.Lily could feel the raw pain in her heart as she spoke, and she shuddered at it.She would never be able to grasp the life of the wealthy and powerful. The more she thought she knew, the deeper the whole thing went. When she worke