Chapter 6

Liliana’s Point of View

Liliana froze in the corridor. Gerald blocked the doorway to her department, yet her pulse thundered as if she were the guilty one. No—he was the betrayer. She would not cower again.

She inhaled, lifted her chin, and stepped forward. Gerald hurried to meet her, eyes wide with feigned concern.

“Liliana, thank God you are here. I thought you skipped work. Your grandmother said you had errands yesterday. Can we talk?”

“Not now. Be professional, Gerald. This is the office. There is nothing left to discuss. We ended the night you betrayed me.”

She kept her voice low to avoid a scene, but Gerald seized her wrist, fingers biting.

“Let me explain—”

“Release me,” she hissed.

The department‑head door swung open. Asher Windermere appeared, his gaze instantly locking on Gerald’s hand. Gerald’s grip loosened under the CEO’s frigid stare. Liliana yanked her arm free and glanced at Asher.

“Thank you, Sir,” she murmured and bowed slightly. Gerald slunk away without apology. Liliana exhaled and moved to enter the office.

“Miss,” Asher said.

She checked over her shoulder. No one else stood nearby. “Yes, Sir?”

“Are there other people here besides you?” he asked softly.

“N‑no, Sir.”

He stepped closer, took her sore wrist, and inspected the reddened skin. “Follow me, Ms. Liliana.”

All the warnings in her head screamed, yet she nodded. Do not dream, Liliana. He is only being kind, nothing more.

Inside the elevator she stood beside Asher and his aide Caleb. Caleb offered an encouraging smile; she returned a shy one, then fixed her gaze on the polished floor until the doors opened onto the executive level.

Caleb stopped outside the CEO’s suite. Liliana’s nerves jumped. Alone with Asher Windermere? Why?

“Sir, do you need anything from me?” she asked as the office door shut.

Asher pivoted, eyes cool as winter rain. She dropped her gaze to the carpet.

“Why did you leave without saying goodbye?” he asked.

Her breath caught. He does remember. “I—I am not sure what you mean, Sir.”

“Have you truly forgotten the warm night we shared?”

Color flooded her face. “I have not forgotten. I was drunk, Sir. I do not recall every detail, but I am sorry for what happened. I left money and I returned your rings. It was an accident. It will never happen again.”

An accident. Asher pinched the bridge of his nose as if stifling a headache. “You call that night an accident?”

She bit her lip. “Was it not?”

“As you said, it was my first time.” His voice was low, almost wounded. “Do you think a one‑night stand is that simple, my Liliana?”

My Liliana. Her heart slammed. She forced herself to speak. “I am sorry it was your first, Sir. I was reckless.”

His eyes softened. “My wife, I should apologize for making you cry.” He stepped forward and, before she could retreat, drew her into a gentle embrace. His scent—clean cedar and citrus—wrapped around her.

“Wait—Mr. Asher.” She pushed lightly, and he released her at once.

“Why did you call me your wife?” she asked, throat tight.

“We are already married,” he answered and produced two silver rings from his pocket. Carefully he slipped them onto her finger. The metal was warm, shaped to her hand. “These belong here.”

Liliana stared, mind blank. “Married? How?”

“In that hotel, after you asked me to… make love to you, you insisted we go to the twenty‑four‑hour chapel on the ground floor. You said you never wanted another man’s touch unless it was bound by vows.” A faint smile curved his mouth. “You signed ‘Liliana Maeve Windermere’ with a flourish.”

Her knees wobbled. She grabbed the back of a chair. “I do not remember.”

“You were trembling,” he continued softly, “but you looked me in the eye and said you trusted me with your life.” He raised her hand, brushed his lips across the rings. “I intend to honor that trust.”

Shock morphed into panic. “Gerald will—”

“Gerald has no claim,” Asher interrupted. “You owe him nothing. As for your inheritance, as my wife you are still eligible. I have already instructed legal to protect your share.”

Liliana’s vision blurred. “This is too much. We barely know each other.”

“We have a lifetime to learn.” He tilted her chin. “But if you choose annulment, I will sign.”

Annulment. Freedom. Yet the thought carved a hollow in her chest. Asher’s calm respect, his fierce defense in the hallway, even his awkward admission of inexperience—all of it stirred something deep.

“I need time,” she whispered.

“You have it,” he said.

A knock broke the silence. Caleb stepped in. “Sir, board meeting in ten.”

Asher nodded. “Prepare the documents we discussed.”

Caleb’s gaze flicked to Liliana’s ringed hand, then back to his employer. “Right away.”

Asher escorted her to a private lounge adjoining his office. “Rest here as long as you like. No one will disturb you.”

She hesitated at the threshold. “Why did you search for me?”

“Because my wife disappeared before dawn.” He smiled, that rare curve that reached his eyes. “And because I missed you.”

Liliana’s pulse fluttered. She entered the lounge and sank onto a sofa, the rings gleaming like moonlight on her finger.

Outside, Asher spoke quietly to Caleb. The aide grinned. “Congratulations, Sir.”

“It is only the beginning,” Asher replied.

Inside the lounge, Liliana pressed her palm over her racing heart. Yesterday she had believed her life lay in ruins. Today she wore the evidence of a new beginning.

She whispered to the silent room, “What on earth will I do now?”

The rings shimmered, cool and solid—a promise she had made in the haze of heartbreak, but a promise nonetheless. Slowly, Liliana smiled.

Perhaps disasters could blossom into destinies.

******

LMCD22