Lily and the Cold Billionaire

Lily's POV:The buzz of my alarm jolted me awake, but I didn’t need it. My eyes were already open, staring blankly at the ceiling. Sleeping has become impossible since yesterday. How could I possibly rest when the strange man’s words kept playing on a loop in my head?After our bizarre conversation in the hospital lobby, I tried to return to the restaurant, but Jasmine insisted I go home to gather my thoughts and rest. "You look like a ghost." She said, shooing me off with her apron in hand.Rest? How was that possible?“Would you like to marry Lucas Hawke?” He asked.I scoffed out loud, even now, chuckling bitterly at the memory. Was this some kind of joke? Some weird social experiment? Or was I a protagonist in a web novel where the scandal-ridden CEO needs a fake wife to redeem his name?At the time, I waited for him to laugh and admit it was a prank. But no. His face remained stern, his gaze piercing. He meant every word.“Wait, you’re serious?” I asked him.Dead silence.I clasp

Lily’s POV:Two weeks ago, I married The Lucas Hawke.Well, not exactly “married.” We didn’t have some grand wedding, no white-draped ballroom, no aisle to walk down. Instead, we legally joined. Just the two of us and the civil registry. But we did take pictures, in Rome.I’ll never forget the dress I wore—Yumi Katsura’s White Gold Dress. It cost $8.5 million, an absolute masterpiece. Crafted from the finest silk and satin, with hand-stitched zari embroidery that sparkled in the sunlight, 1,000 pearls woven into the fabric, and a rare 5-carat white gold diamond at the center. The centerpiece though—the 8.8-carat green diamond glowed like the sun.Lucas looked the part too, in his black tuxedo from Kiton, a luxury clothing brand known for its tailor-made suits. His tuxedo alone was worth $85,000.After taking pictures, we boarded his private jet to Tokyo for our “honeymoon.” I couldn’t quite get over the irony of it all. Our honeymoon wasn’t about connecting emotionally or starting a

Lily’s POVMy body is glued against my mind for it could not accept the reality that lay before me. Ava had curly herself around Lucas like a snake, manicured nails tightening into the expensive fabric of his suit. My stomach sourly vomited something bitter and raised towards my throat.I want to believe that this was some mix-up maybe I was seeing things but how she pressed herself against him and the smirk that flared on her lips told otherwise. He is just standing there, stiff as a statue from discomfort, and holding her arms as if trying to shove her off. "Ava," said he coldly, with irritation dripping from his voice, "Get off me."Instead, he chosed to laugh and lean close to whisper something to the ear of the man. He caught his stare through that muscle in his jaw, starting to tick, dangling like he was about to snap at an instant. The grip on either of her arms grappled hard, and then he pulled away to set her back on her feet, as though she were a clipped annoying child.Ava

Lily’s POVThe next morning, the weight of my conversation with Lucas still lingered in my mind. He had let his guard down—if only for a moment. And it left me unsettled.I knew better than to assume it meant anything. Lucas Hawke was a man of walls, built high and reinforced with steel. He carried himself with an air of untouchability, his every move calculated, his every word precise. But that fleeting vulnerability… it made me wonder what lay beneath the surface. Was there more to him than the cold, composed businessman he presented to the world? Or was I simply grasping at something that had never truly existed?Shaking the thought away, I forced myself out of bed. I couldn’t afford to be distracted. Not now.I made my way to the bathroom, my bare feet padding against the cool marble floor. The mirror reflected a face that wasn’t quite mine yet—at least, not the version of me I was used to seeing. There was something different in my eyes, something wary. Perhaps it was the exhaust

Lily’s POVThe rest of the day went by in a blur of emails, meetings, and trying to ignore the lingering looks from employees who were still processing the fact that Lucas Hawke was married. I could hear the whispers, the murmured conversations just out of earshot. It was clear that I was the anomaly in their well-structured world, an unexpected piece in their carefully crafted puzzle. By the time Lucas finally wrapped up his last meeting, I was exhausted. I had barely done anything, yet the sheer tension in the office left me drained. Sitting in his office, pretending to be productive while keeping up appearances, had been more taxing than I expected. The weight of every glance, every hushed conversation, pressed against my shoulders like an invisible burden.Lucas stepped out of his office, rolling his sleeves up as he walked toward me. The sight of him, slightly undone after a long day, was surprisingly humanizing. It was a stark contrast to the composed, untouchable version of hi