Chapter Four

The First Month

Lily's Pov

Three weeks passed like a blur of loneliness.

Alexander left before I woke up and came home after I went to bed. When we did cross paths, he looked through me like I was invisible.

Elena became my only companion. She taught me Alexander's preferences, his schedule, his habits. Not that he noticed anything I did.

I cooked dinner every night anyway. His favorite dishes that Elena mentioned. I set the table for two and waited.

He never came. The food went cold. I ate alone. Threw the rest away.

Every single night.

"You should stop," Elena said one evening, watching me plate another untouched meal. "He's not going to eat it."

"I know."

My phone rang. Sophie's weekly call.

"Lily! Guess what? My physical therapy is going so well! The new doctor says I might be able to walk with braces in a few months!"

"That's amazing, sweetheart." I forced brightness into my voice.

"It's all because of you and your new job. How's everything?"

"Just working hard. But I'm happy." Lie.

We talked for an hour. Her voice was the only light in my darkness.

After we hung up, I wandered the penthouse. Alexander's office door was open for once. I shouldn't go in. He'd made that clear.

But I was so desperately lonely.

I stepped inside. A file sat on the corner marked "CONFIDENTIAL - VALE."

I shouldn't look.

I opened it anyway.

Financial records. Cassandra's name on every page. Transfers. Withdrawals. Highlighted sections. Notes in Alexander's handwriting: "Embezzlement. Evidence. Keep close until ready."

My hands shook. Cassandra was stealing from him. And he knew.

"What are you doing in here?"

I spun around. Alexander stood in the doorway, his face carved from stone.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

"Get out."

"Alexander, that file—"

"Is none of your business." He crossed the room in three strides and snatched it from my hands. "I told you my office is off-limits."

"But she's stealing from you!"

"I know exactly what she's doing." His voice was dangerously quiet. "And I'm handling it."

"By keeping her around? By letting her—"

"You don't understand anything about my life or my business. You're here to play wife for my grandmother. That's it. Stop trying to be more."

The words cut deeply.

"I was just trying to help."

"I don't need your help. I don't need anything from you except for you to stay out of my way." He pointed to the door. "Out. Now."

I ran to my room and locked the door.

Stupid. So stupid to think he'd ever see me as anything but an inconvenience.

A text came through. David Chen.

"Lunch tomorrow? You look like you could use a friend."

I'd seen David twice in the building. Both times he'd been kind.

I texted back. "How did you know I needed one?"

"Because I know Alexander. And I know what it's like to be invisible in his world. Tomorrow. One PM. Italian place on Fifth Street. Please say yes."

"Yes. Thank you."

The next day, I met David at a small restaurant. He stood when I arrived, pulled out my chair, and smiled warmly.

"You look exhausted."

"That obvious?"

"Only to someone paying attention." He ordered us wine. "How bad is it?"

"I can't talk about—"

"The NDA doesn't cover talking to me. I know about the contract marriage, Lily. Alexander told me everything."

My face burned. "You know?"

"I'm his best friend. Only one who puts up with him anymore." David's expression was sad. "I know why you agreed. I know about your sister's medical bills. I know he's keeping Cassandra around despite her stealing from him."

"Why is he protecting her?"

David was quiet for a long moment. "Because Alexander thinks controlling people is the same as loving them. He has evidence of her embezzlement. As long as she thinks he doesn't know, he thinks she'll stay loyal."

"That's insane."

"That's Alexander Hunt." David took a drink. "His father raised him to see everything as a transaction. Everyone as a tool."

"Then why did you tell me to be careful?"

"Because I've watched him become more like his father every year. Cold. Empty. Cruel." David met my eyes. "I hoped maybe someone like you, someone genuine, might remind him there's another way to live."

"I'm just here until his grandmother dies. Then I'm gone."

"Is that what you want?"

The question caught me off guard. "It doesn't matter what I want."

"It should." David reached across the table and squeezed my hand. "You deserve better than this, Lily."

His kindness made my eyes sting.

We talked for two hours. When we left, he hugged me. "Same time next week?"

"I'd like that."

Walking back to the penthouse, I felt lighter than I had in weeks.

Until I opened the door and found Alexander waiting in the living room.

"Where were you?"

"Out. Having lunch."

"With who?"

"Does it matter? You don't care what I do."

His jaw clenched. "I saw the charge on the credit card. You were with David."

"He's your friend. We had lunch. Is that against the rules too?"

Something flashed in Alexander's eyes. "David is off-limits."

"You don't get to control who I talk to."

"I control everything about this arrangement." He stood, towering over me. "David works for me. You work for me. Don't forget that."

"I'm not sleeping with him, if that's what you're worried about!"

"I don't care who you sleep with. I care about appearances. What will people think if my wife is running around with my CFO?"

"We had lunch! In public!"

"Nothing about this is normal, Lily. And the sooner you accept that, the easier this will be."

He walked toward his office, then stopped.

"My grandmother wants us for dinner this weekend. Sunday at six. Be ready."

"Fine."

"And Lily?" His back was still to me. "Stay away from David. That's not a request."

He disappeared into his office and slammed the door.

I stood there shaking with anger and something else. Something that felt dangerously close to heartbreak.

My phone buzzed. Unknown number.

"Saw you having lunch with a handsome man today. Does your husband know you're already looking for upgrades? Careful, Mrs. Hunt. People are watching. -VS"

Vincent was following me.

Another buzz. Elena.

"Mrs. Hunt, Mr. Hunt's father and brother will be joining you for dinner on Sunday. Mrs. Margaret requested a family meal."

My stomach dropped.

A third message. Cassandra.

"Heard Alexander's upset about you and David. Guess the little mouse is showing her claws. See you Sunday, sister-in-law."

I threw my phone on the couch.

Sunday dinner with Margaret, Alexander, his cruel father, his brother I hadn't met, and Cassandra.

I went to my room and found a gift box on my bed. Inside was a designer dress. Navy blue. Conservative. Expensive.

A note in Alexander's handwriting: "Wear this Sunday. Look like you belong to me."

I crumpled the note and threw it away.

Then I hung the dress in my closet because I had no choice.

That night, I cooked dinner again. Set two plates. Waited.

Alexander came home at midnight. I heard him go straight to his room.

The food had gone cold hours ago. I threw it away and went to bed.

But I couldn't sleep.

I kept thinking about David's words. "You deserve better than this."

Did I though?

My phone lit up with one final message.

David: "I'm sorry if I got you in trouble. But I meant what I said. You deserve better. Don't let him convince you otherwise."

I turned off my phone and stared at the ceiling.

In three days, I'd face the Hunt family dinner.

In six months, Margaret would probably be gone.

In two years, this nightmare would end.

I just had to survive until then.