Zared looked up at the people walking by, ignoring his presence. He was outraged by their behavior, he was sitting in the middle of a London street begging,
despite being the CEO of the biggest company at the time. Who would find that acceptable? But once more, this was his decision.Zared was thinking about where he was and what he was doing until he noticed a girl, a girl with blonde hair, emerald eyes, pale reddish skin. She was dressed in a white top with straight biege pants and sunglasses resting on top of her head. Zared was enthralled by her beauty but did not expect her to help him. He assumed she was rich and would never look at Zared, the beggar.He still rolled his bowl of coins in front of her to catch her attention. She looked down at him and then his bowl."I won't give you money" She said raising her eyebrows."Please ma'am, I'm really hungry, I haven't eaten in days" He said hoping she'll help."I can buy you food, but I won't give you any money, is that alright? "Zared's eyes lit up, he couldn't believe she was ready to help him, he has grown up watching how arrogant people like her are, but she was helping him?Zared nodded, curious to see where this would lead. Since most people treated him that way and did not want to reject him outright, he was prepared for her to go and make a fool of him. Zared expected the least and didn't yet trust the girl.He waited for a while longer, thinking she might return, but she had been gone for almost fifteen minutes. Zared sat there clinking the coins in his bowl, having given up on her and realized there was no way she would ever want him.From a distance, he noticed someone similar approaching him. He narrowed his eyes to focus on the person, and sure enough, it was the one he had been hoping for.It was the blonde girl and she had two huge carrybags in each of her hand. When she got to where Zared was sitting, she crouched to his level."Here," she said, moving two of the carrybags from her right hand to Zared."This is your food,"Zared looked at the large carrybags filled with snacks, vegetables, fruits, chips, and other goodies."And these are your clothes" She said raising the other hand holding the carrybags."For me? Why?" With big, sparkling eyes, he asked as if he were not the billionaire who possessed more than just nice things and clothes."Because you need them? You can change in the restroom," she said with a normal expression, which confused Zared even more.Zared was full of suspicion; he had felt almost every emotion up to this point because of this girl, he was confused, but mostly suspicious."Do you always stay here? " She asked"Yeah...Yeah I do""What about your family, do they stay here as well? " She asked looking around other beggars."I..um- I don't have a family""oh, I'm so sorry" She said with an apologetic expression.Zared pursed his lips in response."What's your name? ""Za-Charlie" said Zared almost exposing himself."Nice to meet you, Charlie. My name is Riley, and I will be passing by this area frequently, so I guess it will be my treat every time I pass?"She said smiling widelyZared was confused and didn't want to believe her."Haha I get this reaction a lot, Actually back where I'm from, I had made a lot of friends on the streets, just like you. I really like helping people, I've been doing it since I was little, for personal reasons, I had to move from my city to this one, so here I am trying to make new friends." She arched an eyebrow in completion."Oh... That-thats great" Zared had no other reply to this, he didn't know if he should believe her or not, but his suspicion was slowly fading away.Riley smiled broadly as she said, "I will see you around then, Bye," getting up and walking to the end of the street.Lily was killing time on YouTube at 8pm when she heard the creak of the door opening. As she hurried over to it, she saw Zared walk in smiling, his eyes wide open and slightly pursed lips. This was the first time he was smiling and it was exceptionally mesmerizing to her since she had never seen him smile before.Lily's lips also turned into a smile as she took off his coat and wondered."How was your day?""It was fine" Lily's eyes went wide in surprise.This was the first time he answered this question, or any question."You look....happy today? " She hesitated."Is it bothering you?" Zared asked. Lily could not stand him being happy; it did not please her; she preferred him to be miserable all the time, according to Zared.Her smile faded, and her gaze dropped to the floor as she shook her head."What's for dinner? " He asked, not failing to surprise Lily again.Something was off about him today, Lily noticed and smiled internally. He's not like this, perhaps he made a huge business deal?Lily proceeded to set the dinner table. Lily glanced at Zared and took a deep breath."So, did anything special happen? ""No, why do you ask? ""Just.... You seem happy today""Why can't you just stand me being happy? ""I'm happier now that you're happy, why would I have a problem with you being happy, I wish you were like this all the time"Zared didn't reply.After they finished their dinner, Lily was washing the dishes when she saw a muscular veiny hand snake beside her and felt a hot breath on her neck, way too close, he was way too close. Lily's heart beat fastened, her eyes shut at this action"I can forgive you, I guess. People have done worse than this." She admitted. "Did he do anything to you? What did he come for?" Lily's eyes narrowed. "I’ve had...Damian keeping an eye on you ever since he revealed himself to you...." Aaron admitted, "I didn’t want you to be blindsided by him.” For a moment, she didn’t know whether to be angry or grateful. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, her voice quiet. “Because I didn’t want to scare you,” he said honestly. “I wanted to make sure you were safe, but I also wanted to respect your space. I wasn’t sure if hearing it from me would help or just...make things worse.” Her emotions overwhelmed her, and before she could stop herself, tears welled up in her eyes. Aaron, without hesitation, reached across the table and took her hand. “It’s okay,” he said softly. “You’re safe now. That’s all that matters.” For the first time in what felt like forever, Lily let herself break. She leaned across the table, and Aaron
Lily was sitting in her living room, her mind a whirlwind of the confrontation with Zared and Aaron stepping in, having her back-as always. After all that happened, she wondered if her pushing Zared off was selfish of her. While Lily had grown more mature these years, she had also become cold and made sure to keep herself first at any cost-but this Lily...it was the old Lily...who wanted to think that she was wrong for mistreating Zared-maybe her was disturbed, what could have possibly been the reason for him to fake his death-how big the problem must've been? A knock at the door startled her from her thoughts. Frowning, she checked the time-it was late, far too late for visitors. Cautiously, she approached the door and looked through the peephole. It was Zared. Her breath caught, and her hand instinctively tightened on the doorknob. Part of her wanted to ignore him, but the other part-the one still grappling with the guilt of his supposed death-compelled her to open the
Lily sat across from Clara in her cozy apartment after the massive shock she had, the glow of the city lights filtered through the windows. Clara had invited her over for an evening of conversation, sensing something was weighing heavily on her friend. As Lily sipped her tea, her fingers fidgeted with the rim of the cup. “Clara,” she began hesitantly, “something happened yesterday.” Clara raised an eyebrow. “What is it?" Taking a deep breath, Lily placed the cup down and looked Clara in the eye. “Zared is alive.” Clara froze, the mug in her hands suspended mid-air. “What?” “He came to my office. I didn’t recognize him at first, but it was him, Clara. He’s alive, and he... he apologized for everything.” Clara placed her cup down, her expression a mixture of shock and confusion. “Zared? As in Zared Williams?The same man who k*lled himself? How is that even possible?” Lily shook her head, her voice shaky. “I don’t know. He said it was complicated and that he was tryin
Lily sat at her desk in her company, her fingers hovering over her keyboard. The day had been long and draining, but there was still a stack of work to get through. She sighed, rubbing her temples, when a soft knock interrupted her thoughts. “Come in,” she called not lifting her head up. The door opened and closed behind. “Do you need anything, ma'am?” "No, thanks." "Would you like some coffee?" "No, you can go." Lily said, her tone cold as her eyes remained on the screen. “Some tea?" he asked Her brows furrowed but her eyes remained on her paperwork. "I dont need anything, leave before I fire you." There was a pause, but the person in front of her didn’t leave. Instead, he took a step closer. “Are you sure? I can fetch you tea, coffee... water, maybe?” Lily looked up briefly, irritation flickering across her face, though she still didn’t focus on him entirely. “No, thank you. And I think you should go.” But the man didn’t move. “How about I help you
It had been two weeks since the gala, and life had settled back into its usual rhythm for Lily; or at least, that’s what she told herself over the weeks. The days were packed with meetings, client calls, and deadlines, leaving her little time to dwell on anything else. But no matter how busy she was, Aaron’s presence lingered in the back of her mind like a stubborn shadow. She hadn’t expected to see him again so soon, and certainly not like that-standing across a room, looking at her with a mix of longing and regret. Lily shook her head as she sat at her desk, trying to push the memory aside. He doesn’t matter anymore, she reminded herself. You’ve moved on. Your life is yours now. But the truth was harder to face. A part of her was still drawn to him, to the man who had once made her feel like the center of his universe. Later that evening at her apartment, as she stepped into the kitchen, her phone buzzed on the counter. She picked it up to see Clara’s name flashing on
Aaron was already making his way toward her, his steps purposeful but hesitant. “Do you want me to distract him?” Clara asked, noticing. “No,” Lily said, surprising even herself. “I’ll handle it.” When he finally reached her, he stopped just short of invading her space. “Lily,” he said, his voice a mix of relief and uncertainty. “Aaron,” she replied, keeping her tone neutral. Clara took that as her cue to slip away, leaving them alone. “You look...” Aaron trailed off, his gaze softening. “You look beautiful.” “Thank you,” Lily said, her walls firmly in place. There was an awkward silence before Aaron spoke again. “How have you been?” “Busy,” Lily said simply. “You?” "Same. Busy." He said, his eyes boring into her's. Aaron Knight had never been one to doubt himself. His confidence, honed over years of navigating ruthless boardrooms and mastering impossible deals, was unshakable. But now, sitting in his empty penthouse with the city lights stretching endlessly b