Chapter: 060Diego’s POV.Lily stilled for a moment, then she looked up to meet my father’s intrigued stare, before moving from face to face."Perrin's going to raise on the next hand regardless of what he has," she said. "He's been sitting on the same stack for minutes and it's bothering him more than he's showing." She glanced at Isadora. "Isadora hasn't touched her drink since the second hand, which means she has something she doesn't want to affect." She looked at Aldric. "And Aldric…you’re asking me questions to see if you can break my concentration, which suggests your hand is better than you've been letting on."The table went quiet for a second.When Aldric laughed, it was of delight. Lily had read him completely right, which meant she was right about all others, and he found it interesting unlike others who squirmed with embarrassment.“Diego! She’s a very clever one, your wife!” Aldric clapped as he looked at me. Something swelled in my chest as Aldric praised Lily.Her gaze found mine at
Last Updated: 2026-09-20
Chapter: 059Diego's POV.“You don’t have to go.”Lily turned to face me while she adjusted her earrings.She looked stunning in this green dress, especially because it suited her. Everything did suit her, but this seemed like it was exactly for her. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.“Of course, I do,” she replied with a chuckle. “It’s my father-in-law’s birthday. It’s why he invited us.”I couldn’t tell whether she was being sarcastic or not.“Quick, help me with the necklace.” She waved me over to her side of the bed, and I moved to her immediately, looping my fingers around the necklace as I fixed it on her shoulder. When I glanced at her in the mirror, she mumbled a “Perfect!” while she leaned backward slightly into me, giving me a whiff of her beautiful shampoo.“Well, let’s go.” She stepped away, all giddy, and quickly grabbed her purse before leaving the room.Lily had been invited to the Rookwood Vault which hosted his important events, his definition of “important events” being gambling a
Last Updated: 2026-09-19
Chapter: 058Lily's POV."Lily." Frank’s voice came from behind me. "I was hoping to catch you alone.""Were you," I said, turning around to face him. He gave a small, warm smile. "I just wanted to talk, if you have a moment."Well, isn’t this shocking? I thought. I nodded and followed him. He set the pace, leading me down the lawn outside the villa. I wasn’t sure of what he wanted to talk about, and although I wasn’t interested, I still loved me some entertainment, especially with Diego disappearing right after I woke up.He talked about Diego.How he'd always hoped Diego would find someone. That their history was complicated and he didn't expect me to understand all of it. That Diego had a way of making people feel like the only thing in the room right up until they weren't.I listened and said very little and watched him while listening.What does he want? That was the only thing on my mind while Frank spoke carelessly. Did Richard send him? To rattle me?Well, I sure was rattled, wasn’t I?He
Last Updated: 2026-09-18
Chapter: 057Diego's POV.I couldn't find the ceiling of what I'd felt watching her analyze the painting.My father’s friends had spent the rest of the dinner redirecting toward Lily. Aldric had bombarded her with questions before dessert, Isadora for her contact information, which I'd never seen her do with anyone. In truth, I had felt proud when I saw her analyze the painting and correct what Frank had said wrong, which included everything. She had been so detailed and accurately precise that, for a moment, it felt like I was the one being nakedly examined. And the way the dinner took a sharp dive was appalling. I didn’t miss how Frank glowered every time Lily had their rapt attention.My father had not looked at Frank for the last twenty minutes of the meal. She’d grabbed his attention, just at their first official meeting, and she made him realize she was a worthy adversary, and scary as it was, he’d learned to not underestimate her.That’s my wife. Something swelled in my chest.Behind the t
Last Updated: 2026-09-17
Chapter: 056Lily's POV.The dining room seated thirty and we were twelve, which meant the table's shape did most of the talking before anyone opened their mouth.Frank was at their father’s right. Frank spoke to him first between courses in fits of cheap conversations, laughed at things he said even when they didn’t warrant it, and sought his opinions on “business matters.” He scolded him though, but if Frank wasn’t pleased by the embarrassment which even I found embarrassing, he didn’t show it. He’d do anything for his father’s approval. That was obvious by now.I and Diego were four seats from the end of the table, almost segregated like outcasts. I suspected that this had something to do with Frank, as it was too coincidental, but when Diego tried to speak against this, I stopped him. We didn’t need to create a scene over something so trivial.Richard was midway down, seated between two of the cohort, talking to them deferentially, but more relaxed this time, positioned where he could hear bo
Last Updated: 2026-09-16
Chapter: 055Lily's POV.The driveway was longer than it looked from the gates.Diego's hand was still in mine, now pressed firmly against mine.When I glanced at him, he looked straight ahead, at the house with no expression at all, which I'd come to understand was the most expressive he could get, especially for something that affected him so much.The car came to a stop finally and staff appeared before the driver had fully cut the engine, and by the time we alighted, they had already began offloading our bags. As I alighted, Diego by my side, the freshness of the grounds hit me. It smelled clean, like pine and clean air. The last time I inhaled air this clean was when we’d gone to the resort. The city always had a distinct air to it.As we approached the main villa, the rest of the staff bowed. Frank was on the steps.Of course he was.He dressed like you would when you thought about what you were wearing and wanted it to look like you hadn't, standing at the top of the entrance steps with his
Last Updated: 2026-09-15
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