It was an autumn morning and the streets of Belgravia were nearly full with tourists from across the world.
Lily Sterling , an 18-year-old, residing in Belgravia, a western central district of London was getting ready for her wedding.She had an elder sister named Rose with whom she was not particularly close.Rose and Lily were the daughters of Ronald Sterling and Rebecca Sterling.Ronald Sterling was the 32nd richest bussinesman in London. Th Sterlings were going through a downfall in their company as The Williams offered to help through partnership. The Sterlings were looking for a man for their elder daughter after getting to know that she had an affair with her classmate from college.The Williams wanted their son to get married as well, as he was now settled and declared as the CEO of their company. Both of the families needed each other and hence agreed upon marrying their children.Rose was to be married to the CEO of the largest company known to London and also a billionaire, Zared Williams, until she ran away.Zared Williams was the only heir of James Williams and Clarissa Williams. Rose didn't want to get married but was being forced to, by her parents.The Sterlings could not inform the Williams about their daughter's runaway on the day of the wedding, it would bring disgrace to their name and reputation and leave them insulted.The only way for the Sterlings to maintain their position was to marry Lily to Zared. Since Lily had no faith in her parents, she was not shocked by their choice. She knew they would go to any extinct for the sake of power. Lily has been physically as well as mentally abused by her parents since she was a child for getting the 2nd rank in school and never the 1st.The Sterlings thought of it as a disgrace to stand second to anyone.Lily was sitting in the dressing room getting ready for her wedding. She sat looking at herself, realizing nothing would be the same again. She didn't know how to feel, if she should feel happy or be sad. Happy that she won't live with her abusive parents anymore or sad that she was forced on someone who didn't want her. The makeup artist was almost finished with Lily’s makeup when her Mother entered the room.“Lily,it's time to walk down the aisle” said Rebecca.Lily took a deep breath and her father entered the room,she looked at her father willing to spot some empathy in his eyes but unfortunately found none.All of them left the room together and were now standing in front of the gates of the church in which the wedding was held. Everything was grand, the decor, the system. It was a beautiful sight for the eye 'but all this for what ?' Lily thought to herself. She walked up to her father and put her arms through his while he opened one to entwine them.When the gates opened, Lily and her father proceeded to walk down the aisle while she kept her eyes fixed on the ground.Meanwhile Zared who was also not happy with this wedding could not take his gaze away from Lily, her almond-shaped hazel eyes, her red flushed cheeks, her dark brown, wavy hair falling down to her waist, her pale skin glowing in the light. He found her exceptionally beautiful,but another thought entered Zared's mind as he saw her beauty...'Every woman craves money and nothing else' with that thought the admiration in his eyes for Lily changed to disgust. Reaching the front of the church Ronald placed Lily's hand into Zared's.Lily lifted her eyes to see a man with ocean blue eyes and dark hair with one part slicked back and other falling on his forehead. He seemed to be around the age of 25 , she was extremely mesmerized by the beauty of Zared until the Priest began with the vows."Do you, Zared Williams take Lily Sterling as your lawfully wedded wife ?" asked the priest."I do" his deep voice echoed,his eyes looking straight into Lily's with no emotions to be seen."Do you, Lily Sterling take Zared Williams as your lawfuly wedded husband ?""I-I do" Lily hesitated, feeling the heat from Zared's stare.Lily’s heart rate was not normal right now and she was imagining her future life and was nervous about how she will handle so much at such a young age without having any experience for even going out to a bakery to buy mere cupcakes. She felt her body stiffened as the Priest declared both of them as lawfully wedded now. Her breath was stuck in her throat."You may now kiss the bride." the priest said.Zared stepped forward placing his hands on Lily's waist, he leaned forward and placed his lips on hers and pulled out just after a second. Lily found this strange but did not pay much attention to it. The wedding ceremony came to an end after a long day of chit chatting with friends and relatives and meeting with relatives and business tycoons of each other's families.Zared and Lily departed for Knightsbridge located in the central part of London where Zared resided.Because Lily and Zared were both exhausted and did not know each other well enough to engage in conversation, the ride was silent.They reached their house after a while and Zared, ignoring Lily, got out of the car and proceeded towards the house.Zared always saw the day of marriage as a day when he'll get married to the love of his life and would live happily ever after but he was forced by his parents to get married into the Sterling family.He didn't want to get married as he didn't know anything about the person he was getting married to and was pretty sure she was just a golddigger who agreed upon marrying him for his wealth."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