Lily let out a shaky breath once Chloe had disappeared. "Well, she seems...lovely".
"Don't worry about Chloe's threatens", James waved a dismissive hand. "She's all bark and no bite most of the time. Everything will be fine.""I wouldn't be so sure about that."James and Lily turned to see a stylishly dressed man strolling into the living room, a bemused smirk on his face. He had an easy, laidback demeanor about him."Louis, my own very voice, what's up" James gave him a sardonic smile. "Coming from someone whose faith in me is staggering as always"Louis clicked his tongue teasingly. "You know I've got your back, J. But you also know the Adams crew aren't to be underestimated."He looked over at Lily with an appraising glance. "No offense to the newly wedded wifey, but getting drunk-married to some random bird has properly stuck a hornet's nest with that insufferable Chloe.""Watch who you're calling a random bird, Mister," Lily arched an eyebrow. Even rumpled in James' borrowed robe, she tried to radiate confidence. She can't be insulted by anybody.Louis held up his hands in mock surrender. "My humblest apologies, Mrs. Watson. I only wish to speak only with James' best interests at heart."James chuckled, tapping his best friend and secretary on the shoulder. "Which is why I have kept you as both my secretary and keeper of my sanity. But have a little faith man, I know what I'm doing with this one... Trust me in this." he gave a pleading look.He pulled Lily close against his side, that devilish gleam returning to his hazel eyes. "Marrying this fiery creature promises to be one hell of an adventure... But don't forget, I had a choice."Lily felt her cheeks warm at his boldness, that dizzying chemistry quickly resurfacing between them. She couldn't deny the inexplicable thrill she got being so near James. Her heart beat against her chest, she somehow felt comfortable beside him.Louis eyed them both skeptically. "If you're sure about taking on this level of drama, then. Just don't come crying to me when Chloe inevitably goes nuclear and remember you're not only going to face her alone""I know," James said dryly. "Now if you'll excuse us, I'd like to properly welcome my new wife to the family."He looped his arm possessively around Lily's waist, steering her from the room with Louis shaking his head in amusement behind them. As they headed back upstairs, Lily couldn't fight the excited flutter in her stomach."Honestly, I feel pity for her. It feels I'm doing the same thing my ex did but in a different war" she gave a worried face."Don't worry, it's not the same... we weren't in love or anything, it was just a business deal... which I guess, I just broke."She sighed.This life with James was sure to be wild, scandalous, passionate...and she didn't want it any other way.******It was a sunny Monday morning. James had insisted that the driver take her to work even if she didn't want to.Lily trudged through the lobby of her office building. It was definitely going to be another long day at her marketing job. She couldn't stop replaying the traumatic events of the weekend in her mind over and over.Alison, her best friend and coworker, gasped audibly when Lily entered their modern glass-walled office space. "Lil? Oh my God, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost!"Ducking her head, Lily tried to ignore all the stares from their confused colleagues as Alison ushered her into a private side room."It's...it's a really long story," Lily stammered as she hugged Alison before sinking into a chair. The complete upheaval in her life had finally caught up in a crushing way.Alison's eyes went wide with concern. "Wait...did this have something to do with your meltdown after that scumbag Ryan cheated? Please don't tell me you did something crazy!""Crazy doesn't even begin to cover it, it's more" Lily muttered darkly. "I...I got married, Ally."The words hung dead in the air between them. Finally, Alison released a nervous giggle. "Okay, very funny joke about hitting the sauce too hard and doing a drunken City thing! Seriously though, what's going on with you?"When Lily didn't laugh or react at all beyond staring at the floor listlessly, Alison's jovial expression slowly drained into one of pale shock."Hold on, you're...you're not joking, are you?" she whispered. "Lily, what did you do?!""I don't know Alison... I..." Before Lily could answer, her phone started buzzing urgently in her jacket pocket. She blinked, puzzled, before reading the caller ID - it was her cousin Maggie."Oh god, I completely forgot about everything going on..." Lily gasped, quickly answering. "Mags? Is it Dad? Is he okay?"Maggie's quavering voice came through the line sounding strained and frightened. "It's not good, Lil. You need to get down to the hospital right away. Dad had another heart attack, the doctors aren't sure if...come please"Lily felt her stomach plummet to the floor as everything spun around her. Sweet, hardworking Mike Walker, her devoted single father, is clinging to life after suffering from chronic heart issues the past year. She had to go to him right away."I'll be right there," she choked out, ending the call and turning numbly back to a bewildered Alison. "Ally, I need you to cover for me. It's...it's an emergency."Minutes later, Lily rushed through the hospital entrance, having swung through her apartment to change into fresh clothes.Maggie spotted her and pulled her into a fierce hug. "Thank god you're here, sis. They've got him stabilized in the ICCU for now.""I came as fast as I could," Lily sniffed, fresh tears stinging her eyes. The whirlwind of marital chaos with James and the Adams family was temporarily shoved aside by this crisis."Watch over him while I go get something" she hurriedly left.Lily walked directly to the elevator and was about to press the button when she startled slightly as a hand came to rest protectively on the small of her back. Turning, she saw James beside her looking concerned."I'm so sorry about your father, darling," he murmured. "Louis informed me right away. Let's go be with him, hmm?""Did..." she paused. Lily could only nod, allowing James to steer and comfort her as they headed for the elevators. His solid, reassuring presence was so at odds with the upheaval surrounding their ill-conceived marriage.At that moment, she was just grateful to have him anchoring her world, even if she didn't fully understand why yet. The battle with Chloe, the future of this outrageous marriage...it could all wait, she had got some more important things to deal with.Right now, Lily needed to draw strength to face this personal crisis. And somewhere deep down, she had a feeling James would ensure she didn't have to go through it alone." Thanks" she said as they got into the elevator" You're my wife, your happiness is my happiness and yourworries are my worries", he gave a reassuring smile.They finally came to a stop as they got off the elevator. They were ushered to the waiting room as she was informed that he had been wheeled into surgery.Shortly after, Maggie joined them in the waiting room. She looked at James with confusion but didn't say anything.The hospital waiting room felt suffocatingly tense as Lily sat sandwiched between James and her cousin Maggie. Her father had been urgently wheeled into surgery, and now all they could do was anxiously await an update.Maggie kept shooting furtive, confused glances between Lily and the intimidatingly wealthy-looking James Watson, trying to keep her cool. For his part, James simply held Lily's hand in a reassuring grip, his presence remarkably calming despite the chaos.After what felt like an eternity, a haggard-looking doctor in scrubs entered and made a beeline for them. "Family of Michael Walker?"They all rose to their feet expectantly as the doctor clasped his hands grimly. "I'll be direct with you. Your father's
The courtroom felt like a arena of hostility, tensions crackling thick in the air. On one side sat Chloe and her vernomous family legal team, radiating icy disdain. Opposite them, the regal elderly woman named Granny Daphne held court imperiously, clearly not one to be trifled with.And in the middle, Lily sat sandwiched between James and the attorney he'd hired to represent them - looking every bit the proverbial fish out of water."Your Honor, this entire situation is a despicable sham concocted by that girl and my grandson," Granny Daphne declared in ringing tones, taking the floor first. "But make no mistake, their marriage vows were very much legally binding."She turned to fix Lily with a withering look. "Despite Miss Walker's...compromised state at the time, I can vouch that my grandson acted with full capacities. He upheld the letter of the law to a conditional wife, even under suspect circumstances."Lily felt herself shrink slightly in her seat as murmurs rippled through the
Chapter 6As the decide's final ruling echoed thru the demanding court docket, Lily felt a regular experience of clear up wash over her. She became now legally bound to this enigmatic billionaire, James Watson, whether or not or not she had intended it or now not. And irrespective of the swirling vortex of chaos surrounding them, she discovered herself oddly comforted by way of the use of his steadfast presence.When the choose officially adjourned the hearing, Chloe and her circle of relatives stormed out in a huff, spewing venomous glares at Lily and James as they went. Lily couldn't help however turn away slightly under their scalding animosity. This became a ways from over.Once the court had cleared out, keep for the few lingering journalists, James located a reassuring hand at the small of Lily's once more. "Well, that changed into in fact an eventful first day as Mrs. Watson, could now not you are saying?" he murmured with a rueful snigger.Lily glanced up at him, forehead crea
Chapter 7The following couple of days had been a whirlwind for Lily as she juggled her father's fitness crisis and the developing media frenzy surrounding her surprising marriage to James Watson. After the dramatic showdown within the court docket, Lily had again to the clinic with a renewed experience of desire, buoyed by using James' swift movement in bringing within the renowned Dr. Callahan to take over her father's care. Michael Walker's condition had stabilized, and the outstanding cardiac physician had assured the own family that he turned into carefully constructive approximately Michael's possibilities for recuperation.But Lily's respite from the chaos was quick-lived. As soon as information of the Watson marriage and Ryan's downfall hit the headlines, the vultures descended in full pressure. Paparazzi camped out relentlessly on the hospital, snapping photographs and shouting invasive questions any time Lily stepped outside. The tabloid headlines had been a never-ending ba
Chapter 8After James had rushed off to have a tendency to his grandmother, Lily found herself alone within the health center room, the load of the whole lot pressing down on her. Her father's precarious fitness, the constant media scrutiny, Chloe's vicious blackmail scheme - it became all becoming an excessive amount of to undergo.Lily glanced at her father's slumbering form, his face gaunt and light, and felt her coronary heart clench. She reached out and lightly squeezed his hand, silently inclined him to pull via. "I'm so sorry, Dad," she whispered, tears stinging her eyes. "I never meant for any of this to happen."She sat again in her chair, trying to accumulate her mind. Chloe's chilling words echoed in her thoughts, the chance of her "sordid past" being exposed sending a kick back down Lily's backbone. Whatever skeletons had been in her closet, Chloe has decided to use them against her.Lily's thoughts raced, seeking to figure out a way to cope with this modern crisis. She c
Chapter 9Lily took a deep breath as she strode out of the hospital, her thoughts racing with the sports that had simply unfolded. Chloe's despicable threats weighed heavily on her, but she knew that she had to put an end to this as soon as all.she was filled with tension throughout the ride to the press conference. So many things ran through her mind. She wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing or not, but she knew that she had to do something.As she stepped out of the car, she ended up greeted by a swarm of newshounds and paparazzi, their cameras flashing and microphones thrust in her face. Squaring her shoulders, Lily raised a hand to quiet the cacophony."Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here in recent times," she said, her voice clean and constant. "I recognize there has been plenty of hypothesis and rumor surrounding my marriage to James Watson, and I'm right here to set the document immediately."She paused, collecting her thoughts. "It's real that our wedding c
Chapter 10The medical institution room turned deathly silent, keeping for the consistent beep of the machines tracking Granny Daphne's vitals. James sat beside her bed, his forehead furrowed with worry as he watched the upward push and fall of her chest.When the decision was available Daphne's crumbled, his coronary heart had almost stopped. She turned into the one consistent in his existence, the unwavering pillar of assistance that was visible to him through even the darkest of instances. The thought of dropping her turned into a pain he couldn't even start to fathom.But as he sat there, keeping vigil by way of her aspect, his mind stored drifting again to Lily. Maggie's frantic telephone name had sent him into a tailspin, his belly knotting with fear at the thought of Lily going through Chloe by myself.He must be there, along with her, shielding her from the vicious schemes of the Adams circle of relatives. Not here, powerless to do something but wait.A tender groan from the m
Chapter ElevenThe search for Lily felt relentless, with every passing hour most effectively heightening the feeling of dread that gripped James and Maggie. They had scoured the town, following each possible lead, however thus far there had been no signal of her.As they sat in a quiet corner of the health facility cafeteria, nursing cups of coffee, the exhaustion turned etched into every line on their faces."Any phrase from the police?" James requested, his voice weary.Maggie shook her head, blinking back tears. "Nothing new. They're even though looking the river, however..." Her voice trailed off, the unstated phrases putting heavily between them.James reached through the desk, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "We cannot lose now, Maggie. Lily is a fighter - she's not going to surrender that without trouble."Maggie managed a watery smile. "I apprehend. It's in reality...This entire state of affairs is so messed up. If handiest I had attempted more difficult to prevent her...""