"Are you alright?" Chloe asked worriedly while checking Lily for any physical pain or discomfort. Helplessly, Lily gave a nod for the tenth time since they got home."I am fine, Mom, nothing is wrong with me," she replied."You were going through such a thing, you should have called us! No one can bully my daughter like that and go scot-free!" Chloe fumed angrily."Even that young man, how could you fall in love with such a scumbag? He is nothing but a useless and a fickle-minded idiot!" She continued."I was not in love with him," Lily confessed. It was not a lie, the original Lily, according to her memories, only liked Zach, and she was not in love with him. It was only natural that the bit of likeness would disappear when Victoria replaced her."My daughter has truly suffered outside! Look at you, you have lost so much weight, that your clothes barely fit. I should make a lot of nutritious food for you to take back with you, are you staying the night? You should," Chloe rants, feel
"You want me to apologise to her? On the school platform?" Merissa asked in bewilderment while looking from her father's stoic face to her mother's solemn one, unable to believe her ears she repeated the question."Really?""Yes, you'll have to apologise using your actual profile. It would be good if you did a video, instead of a write-up," Mr Smith replied and Merissa's face turned pale."Father! Why would I have to bow my head to the likes of her? Can't you just settle their family with some money and then have them take the post down? They are the ones that need to apologise to us, not the other way around!" She whined."We can't. You saw the way they reacted yesterday. And even now, the whole thing has escalated beyond what we can control and to settle it, we will need you to apologise to her," Mrs Smith explained calmly."But mother! If I apologise to her, then it would mean I am admitting to doing what she said!" Merissa voiced and Mr Smith scowled."Did you not do them? Did you
"Oh! You are here!" Celina exclaimed as she pulled open the door to see Lily standing by the door awkwardly."Hello!" Lily greeted with an awkward smile, feeling the eyes of those walking by on her. Celina chuckled as she noticed how uncomfortable Lily was, she pulled her into the executive dorm and closed the door behind her."I'm sorry for bringing you here this late," Celina breathed out. "There was no one else I could call," she added."It's fine, I had nothing to do tonight anyway. Is there a reason you have called me here though? And did those securities know I was coming beforehand?" Lily asked curiously."Yes, I told them you would stop by," Celina explained."Oh, that explains it, I was wondering why they casually allowed me into the executive building without question." Lily chuckled as she sat on the couch. She looked around the room, feeling impressed by the extravagant yet simple decorations used."So, the Paris event has been brought forward and it will be taking place
Merissa screamed angrily as she threw her phone across the room. Her face flushed with a bright shade of red, showing how angered she was."Lily!" She gritted out with a cold and malicious tone."I will ruin your life just like you have done to mine! I will make you regret your existence!" She declared. Mrs Smith pushed open the door after knocking twice without any reply. She paused at the door as she noticed Merissa's disoriented appearance and puffy eyes."Mom!" Merissa choked up as she noticed her mother's presence in the room."Did something happen during the dinner with the Stark? Your father has been angry since you two returned," Mrs Smith asked curiously. "Was the deal cancelled?" She asked, making Merissa who had just managed to reign in her tears burst out crying again."I don't want to marry into the Stark family again. My life will be miserable there!" She cried out and Mrs Smith felt an ache in her heart."Tell me, what happened?" She probed as Merissa narrated the din
"Hello, you must be Lily, Celina told me a lot about you," Mrs William greeted as Lily entered William's home. "Hello, Mrs William, I am Lily, Miss Celina's junior," Lily greeted with a polite smile, making the older woman smile."You don't have to be nervous or overly polite with me. Come on in, the others are here." Mrs William beckoned as she led Lily into a large hall where two males that looked to be around the same age as Lily and a middle-aged man were already waiting."These are the other members of your team, try to mingle and get to know one another. Celina will be with you shortly." Mrs William smiled and left.Lily stood awkwardly by the door as all three pairs of eyes were fixated on her, some with curiosity and others with plain acknowledgement. "You are the protagonist of that fashion school gossip, aren't you?" The shorter guy with long and curly black hair asked, his question taking Lily by surprise."I don't think that's the kind of questions you ask people when yo
"Welcome to the Paris fashion show of the year!" The host announced and cheers erupted through the hall as the audience clapped with enthusiasm. "As you all know, this event is held once every year ranging from three days to one month and this year we have something more exciting to add!" he added and the audience cheered even more. "Alright! This year we've seen a lot of business growth fashionistas. We are proud to announce to you that seven companies are participating in this event this year. Each company has a representative for both senior and junior segments!""These are the list of the companies participating in this year's fashion show! First, we have our three big sponsors, Gefine, Lam and Brianz. And then there is Apil, Maxi, Gaven's and PeenPii...""Huh! I always hate the introduction part of these events. It's always so boring and too long. I would not have attended this part if it weren't for Mrs Williams insisting," Avon complained while making a disgruntled face. "Sh
"You still have not gotten in contact with the expert who developed the Waves software?" Chairman Watson, Mark's grandfather asked with a dissatisfied tone as he poured himself a cup of freshly brewed tea."They told me they had some other commitments and it takes them a while to settle it," Mark replied calmly, unbothered by the old man's temper."And you let them off just like that? What if they are going to work for another company? What should we do by then? For those genius experts, their newest works are always better than the last one and you know what that means when our rivals get them to work for them?" The old man argued, his face contoured in annoyance as he glared at his grandson.Despite Mark being his favourite amongst his children and grandchildren, Chairman Watson forgets the favouritism when the group business is involved. Mark smiled and picked up a cup of tea. "You have nothing to worry about, I already have a project planned with them and it is scheduled to begin
"Pardon?" Light asked in surprise as he looked Lily over, wanting to see if they'd ever met."You don't know me?" Lily asked with a creased brow and Light frowned in dissatisfaction, thinking she was a fan who was trying to get close to him by acting familiar.Despite his dissatisfaction, he smiled politely towards her. "I don't think I have ever met you ma'am," he replied and Lily scoffed before bringing her phone out to show him a picture she had snapped with Alana and Gary at the studio."Are you trying to hide your identity from me or something? You said you don't know anything about modelling while you are an artist!" She voiced, feeling somewhat annoyed.Light pursed his lips as he looked over the picture, his heart racing while looking at the other him in the picture."I think there is a misunderstanding here," Celina cut in. "And why don't we talk about this when the introduction is over?" She suggested and Lily turned to leave.Celina looked at Light and noticed the unreadab
"What are you doing here?" Lily asked, surprise as she saw Mark stepping out of his car in front of the courthouse."I came to support my beautiful and hard-working girlfriend at her trial," he replied with a cheeky smile. "Can't I be here?" Lily's eyes narrowed her expression to a mix of amusement and annoyance. "You know you can't just show up unannounced. What if the press sees you?""I'm willing to take that risk. Besides, I want to be here for you. You've been stressing about this trial for weeks," Mark replied with a shrug as he got closer to Lily. Close enough for them to feel comforted with each other's scent but far enough for it to look like any regular business partner talking. Lily sighed, her shoulders relaxing slightly. "I appreciate the thought, but you're going to draw attention. This is a high-profile case. Unnecessarily so, since Ryder Technologies publicises it more than expected.""I'm quite curious as to why they are doing something so foolish, but I guess we wi
Celina settled into the chair opposite Lily's desk, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "Spill the beans, girl!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with curiosity."Spill what?" Lily replied, feigning nonchalance, as she continued to focus on the file in front of her. "What are you talking about, Celina?"Celina's grin widened. "Don't play dumb, Lily. I know all about your weekend with Mark. I want juicy details.""You can't leave anything out! The good, the bad, and even the erotic," she added. "Seeing how Mark was glowing when he returned, you'd think he went to paradise and came back!" Lily's cheeks flushed, despite her attempts to maintain a poker face. "He did go to paradise," Lily replied with a cheeky smile, making Celina roll her eyes. "Come on, share!" Celina urged, leaning forward. "How was the trip? Did Mark sweep you off your feet? And, more importantly, did you two take things to the next level?"Lily sighed, setting the file aside. "Celina, you're relentless.
Lily's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Mark across the table. "You want me to move in with you?" she repeated, her voice laced with incredulity. "Like, for us to live together?"Mark nodded, his expression hopeful. "Yes, exactly. I want us to take our relationship to the next level, and I think moving in together is a good place to start.""I honestly didn't see this coming," Lily chuckled as she relaxed into the chair, her hair dancing to the rhythm of the air. "What made you think of this?""It's not just some spontaneous thoughts after last night, I promise," he teased a Lily flushed at the thought of their steamy escapade the previous night. She playfully glared at him, and he chuckled before continuing with our explanation. "I've been thinking about it for a while now. We spend most of our free time together anyway. It just makes sense to make it official.""I mean, we don't have to wait until both of us have some free time before we see each other. I want to see you all
The next morning, Lily woke up to the sound of gentle waves and the warmth of Mark's embrace. She smiled and gently turned to face him while trying not to startle him awake, only to see his eyes were wide open and he was fully dressed in a white t-shirt and grey shorts."Good morning, beautiful," Mark whispered, his lips brushing against her nose. "Did you enjoy your sleep?""Good morning, handsome." She greeted, "I did; I feel so refreshed."Mark sat up and reached out to the bedside table. He handed her a bouquet of roses and a small, elegantly wrapped box. "I thought you deserved a special surprise."Lily's heart skipped a beat as she opened the box, revealing a stunning silver necklace with a tiny crystal pendant. "It's so beautiful, Mark."He helped her put on the necklace, his fingers tracing her skin, sending shivers down her spine. "It's not as beautiful as you are." Lily's cheeks flushed as Mark's words sent a flutter through her chest. "You're making me blush, Mr Watson,
Lily's eyes sparkled as she boarded the private jet, Mark waiting with a warm smile. "Surprise time," he whispered, taking her hand. "You look beautiful as always." He complimented while kissing her gently on the cheek. "You don't look bad yourself," Lily replied with a blush as they stepped onto the jet. "Where are we headed?"Mark chuckled. "Patience, my love. You'll see. I'm sure you will like it." He assured her. "I personally made the arrangements." As they settled into their seats, Lily buckled up and turned to Mark, her smile widening as she realised his eyes were on her, gentle and full of love. "I'm so excited for this weekend! I needed this break." She breathed out. "Of course I was also looking forward to spending some time with you," she added with a wink, making Mark laugh. "Oh, of course. I'm feeling as if I got used by my girlfriend, who wants to get away from her work," he joked with his hand on his chest, feigning hurt. Lily laughed at his childishness. "I hope
"You are always all over the news recently," Mrs Turner breathed out in frustration. "It's either someone is suing you or you are releasing a new product; aren't you overworking yourself too much?""Look at you, you are all skin and bones! When was the last time you ate good food three times a day?" She complains while checking out Lily, going from one side to the other. "Mum, why are you here?" Lily asked in surprise as she allowed her mother to fuse about her wellbeing. She closed the door behind them and led the way to the living room.Mrs Turner's eyes widened as she took in the chaotic state of the living room. Papers, coffee cups, and takeaway boxes littered every surface, with Lily's laptop open on the couch, screen covered in codes."Good Lord, Lily! What's going on here?" Mrs Turner exclaimed, her hands on her hips. "You're not just overworking yourself; you're living in chaos! Do you even know what day it is? When was the last time you went out?"Lily chuckled sheepishly. "
"We are getting sued for plagiarism?" Mr. Wallace asked in bewilderment as he read the contents of the letter the lawyer had brought to him. "Why would we get sued for plagiarism? We didn't steal anything from your company.""Mr. Wallace, what you are getting sued for is right in there," the lawyer replied with a stoic expression. "Your latest software, 'Dream,' is a copy of our latest product, and it was released just a few days after our. The action is suspicious, and your company will need to prove you created your version." Sighing, Mr. Wallace frowned deeply, trying to make sense of the situation. There was no way they could have plagiarised their product when they were supposed to release the software a few weeks before their company released theirs.It was due to the delay from the team and Lily's absence that the release date was delayed. Besides, StarLite's product is way better than theirs; who should be the one suing for plagiarism?Massaging his temple, Mr. Wallace met t
"We meet again," Lily chuckled as Roseline walked into her office. "I was surprised when my assistant said you are here to see me."Roseline smiled wryly, her eyes locked onto Lily's. "I'm sure you were. Even I was surprised that I'm seeking you out first. Be happy you are the first to make me bend like this." She snarled and sat down opposite Lily without being invited too.Lily's expression remained amused, but a hint of curiosity crept into her voice. "What brings you here, Roseline? I thought we settled our... differences last time."Roseline's smile faltered, and for a moment, Lily glimpsed a flicker of rage. "I would not call that settling differences," she replied. "However, I'm here to offer you a proposal."Raising a brow, Lily relaxed into her chair, eyes full of curiosity. "Proposal?" She echoed, and Roseline hummed while fishing out a small white envelope with the Anderson logo on it. "That's a fifty million dollar check and some sure investment links. I'm offering it
Lily pursed her lips as she narrowed her eyes towards the document placed in front of her. She sighed, looking from the papers towards a solemn-looking Bryan on the other side of the table. "Say something," Bryan urged, feeling uncomfortable by her silence. "I'm not sure what exactly I'm supposed to say," Lily replied. "I've gone through all sorts of possibilities. Every possible scenario I could ever think of has played continuously in my mind while awaiting the result of the investigation. And now you are providing me with this?" She breathed out. "I swear it would be more believable if you said one of Henry's people betrayed him. Hell, it would have been more believable if you said it was his wife that decided to make his life miserable by threatening him with that information." She continued, her brows furrowing deeper as she continued to glare at the papers laid in front of her. "Honestly, I would have believed anything but the fact that all those threat notes and pictu