THE SCANDAL THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

Lily Harper suddenly woke up, with her racing...

Her eyes got nervous around, her veins were nervous. The sheets under it felt impossiblely feeling soft, some rich and the masculine smell sticks to the wind , sandalwood and expensive colon. Her breath became shallow.

This was not her room.

The huge windows flooded the place with morning lights, revealing an breathtaking horizon she had only seen in magazines. Crystal chandelier sprinkled the overhead, and smooth black furniture shines in a soft glow. The room launched luxury calm, distant luxury.

Her stomach tightened.

no heat. No familiarity.

Nervousness hit her like a wave of tide.

How did I get here?

she threw the cover aside, her barefoot hit the cold marble floor. A sharp pain beat in her head. she pressed her fingers trembling her temples, preparing to clean the fog in her mind.

Think, lily. Think.

The glow of the last night was in her memory.

Emily's tired smile, whispering, "Please go for me, lily. I'm fine."

the glittering Gala Hall, indulged in money full of strangers and cloacked in wealth.

the weight of stares when she stepped inside underdressed and out of plt

And then...

Liam Montgomery.

Her breath caught. A pair of cold, silver-gray eyes had penetrated into her brain-calculating, calculation. The richest man of the city. Ruthless. Untouchable.

But that couldn't explain why she was here.

Her gaze again drove the room flowing. When she saw it.

News paper.

It lay neatly on the nightstand, as if intentionally kept there. Her blood cooled down.

While shaking hands, she snatched it up.

BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET LOVER? LIAM MONTGOMERY’S MYSTERY WOMAN REVEALED

SCANDAL AT THE MONTGOMERY GALA: WHO IS LILY HARPER?

“INTIMATE NIGHT OR CALCULATED MOVE?”

Her fingers tightened around the paper until it crumpled. Under the bold headlines, a picture was staring at him back.

Her Hair tickle. Eyes wide. Leaving the penthouse of Liam Montgomery.

"No ... no, no, no," she whispers, staggering back.

Tears blurred her vision.

This was a bad dream. A cruel joke. How can everything be spiral out of control completely?

Lies in the headlines which will destroy her family already delicate reputation.

Emily.

Thought about the delicate frame of her younger sister, struggling with the state of the heart, piercing Lily's chest. Emily could not handle such stress. Her mother was working dual innings to pay for Emily's medicine. How will they avoid such scams?

Her pulse got thundered in her ears.

the door clicked.

Lily froze.

the footsteps. Measured. untoward. confident.

she slowly turned, her heart in her throat..

And there he was.

Liam Montgomery.

He stood tall in the door, wearing a crisp white shirt, which was rolled on the sleeve, revealed strong cells. The dark trousers completely stuck to her lean frame. His face ..very beautiful, very cool and was unmatched. His silver gray eyes were fixed with an intensity on her WHICH took her to the spot.

Lily swallowed hard.

His presence filled the room. Calm. Controlled. Dangerous.

"You are awake."

The deep timbre of his voice sent a shiver down her spine.

"I—" Her voice broke. She gripped the newspaper. "What... what is this? Why am I here?"

He didn’t answer right away. He stepped forward, slow and deliberate, his gaze dropping to the crumpled paper in her hands.

"You tell me," Liam said, his voice ice-cold. "Because, according to this, you’re my fiancée."

The word hit her like a slap.

"No!" she gasped, backing away. "That’s not true—I don’t—I didn’t—"

"Didn’t what?" he interrupted, stepping closer. His eyes narrowed, glinting with something sharp. "Didn’t plan this? ?"I did not get out of my penthouse and caught by every tabloid in the city

Tears burned behind Lily’s eyes. "I don’t remember anything after the gala! I would never—"

"Save the act." His voice dropped lower, colder. "My company’s stock is dropping , sponsors are threatening to walk, and all because of you."

His words cut deep.

Lily shook her head, breathless. "I swear, I didn’t do anything! You have to believe me—"

"I don’t have to believe anything."

He was close now, too close. Lily could see the faint scar along his jawline, the tension in his throat. His expression softened just for a heartbeat then hardened again.

"You dragged my name into this mess," he said, his voice dangerously soft. "And now you’re going to fix it."

Her lips parted, confusion flickering in her tear filled eyes.

"Fix it? How?"

Liam reached into his pocket and pulled out a sleek envelope. He held it out to her, his gaze sharp and unrelenting.

"Marry me."

Lily stared at him, the words echoing in her head like a cruel joke.

Marry him?

Her legs weakened beneath her. She gripped the edge of the window for balance, the city skyline blurring behind her.

"You’re joking," she whispered.

His face remained expressionless.

"Does it look like I’m joking?"

Her fingers trembled.

"Why? Why would you—"

"It’s simple. You marry me, and we clean this mess up. The media moves on, and my company stabilizes. Six months. A contract marriage. Nothing more, nothing less."

"A contract marriage?" Her voice cracked. "I can’t—I won’t—"

"You don’t have a choice."

His cold tone shattered the last of her hope.

"If you refuse, everything you care about gets dragged through the dirt. Your mother. Your sister. Their lives ruined. All because you couldn’t play along."

Her heart stopped.

He knew.

He knew about Emily.

"I’m not the villain here," Liam continued, stepping even closer. His voice was low, almost gentle, but each word struck with lethal precision. "But I can be if you force me to."

Lily’s chest tightened. Her world spun.

Her family. Emily. Their fragile lives hung by a thread.

And Liam Montgomery held the scissors.

Her gaze dropped to the envelope in his hand.

"Decide quickly," he said, his silver eyes gleaming with cold finality. "My patience isn’t endless."

Lily’s fingers hovered above the envelope, trembling.

The room seemed to shrink around her, the walls closing in.

Her choices were gone.

Trapped.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she realized the nightmare wasn’t over.

It had just begun.