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LILY RUSSELL'S POV
“Wade Chilton is now the newly appointed CEO of the Chilton Group after his father died in an accident…” I felt like I went deaf when I heard the news on the radio. That name. I could never, ever forget that name. “Lily, don’t you get tired? They make you buy food here almost every day,” Mrs. Bigata, the owner of the restaurant where my coworkers always send me to buy food, said with concern. “I’m used to it. Besides, this might be the last day you’ll see me here.” I clearly saw Mrs. Bigata’s forehead crease. Deep sadness immediately registered on her face. “What you’re doing is right, Lily. It’s only right that you resign from your job because they’re treating you like a servant. You’re smart. I know many big companies would gladly accept you.” I smiled and took the bags containing my coworkers’ lunch. “Thank you very much, Mrs. Bigata. I hope you get even more customers. I’ll be going now.” To most people, I’m just a nerd, gullible, and a weak woman but that’s not who I really am. After submitting my resignation letter, I went straight to my apartment. Before entering, I checked if anyone was following me. There was no one, so I opened the door and turned on the lights. I didn’t stay long. I just changed and got ready, then left again. By the way, I’m Lily Russell. I graduated with a degree in business administration even though my dream was to become a lawyer. Why? Because I wanted to get into the Chilton Group. For years, I’ve studied the kinds of businesses they have, and I’m familiar with the company’s officials and heads. Yes, I diligently and patiently research everything about them because I’m after someone. As soon as I entered the casino, people immediately looked at me. I deliberately dressed up and wore a revealing dress because I wanted to catch men’s attention. Men are visual animals. It’s easy to get their attention, especially if the one doing it has a beautiful face and body. Fortunately, God blessed me with a slender, sexy body and a gorgeous face. I’m just usually too lazy to dress up, but if I want to, I can be the most beautiful woman in anyone’s eyes. “Enjoy yourselves, guys! The boss gave us a big bonus!” I smirked when I spotted a fat, mustached man. A woman was clinging to his left side. I fixed my posture and confidently walked toward my target. I deliberately held his hand to get his attention, and I didn’t fail. He immediately pulled one of my hands, making me move closer to him. “Get your hands off me.” I secretly smiled when he tightened his grip on me even more. “Who are you? It’s my first time seeing you here. Anyway, with all the new staff here, I’m always the first to have a taste.” He laughed along with his companions after speaking. His gaze roamed over me from head to toe. I could clearly see how much he liked my posture and appearance. He even pushed away the woman he had almost been devouring earlier. I moved closer to him, placed my hand on his chest, and slid it inside his blazer. “If you want a taste of me, here’s the key card to my room.” The fat man’s companions applauded, and his smile stretched from ear to ear as if he had already hit the jackpot without even playing. “Alright. I’ll meet you there.” I forced a smile despite being disgusted by his appearance. I immediately turned my back on them and walked a short distance away. “Finally, I have the file,” I whispered while holding a USB in one hand. I glanced behind me. He still hadn’t realized that I had taken something from him. “Boss, we’ll take care of things here. Go follow the beautiful lady.” “Shit!” the fat man cursed when he realized something was missing. I smirked and immediately removed my dress. I was left wearing only a black tube top and black shorts, paired with black boots. I grabbed my black leather jacket and headed to the parking lot to get on my motorcycle. Before they could even leave the casino, I was already on the highway. After getting off my bike, I went straight to the restroom to fix myself and change clothes. Earlier my hair was down, but now I tied it up. I wore a fitted black dress, paired it with one of the fake branded bags I bought, black sunglasses, and a black hat clip. “Wade Chilton, I’m ready for our meeting again. It’s been five years, and no one knows you better than me.” With my head held high, I walked toward a room where an auction was taking place. As soon as I entered, I immediately heard the name of the man I despised. “Item number 5 is sold to Mr. Chilton. Let’s proceed to the next item.” When my eyes landed on Wade, I immediately composed myself. I must not make any mistakes today, or all my plans will be in vain. Wade is gifted with an inherent business sense and an unbeatable instinct. He is wise, strong-minded, and ruthless. As I have said, no one knows him better than me. “The next item is an emerald necklace and ring. As you can see, it looks so elegant and wonderfully made. Now, offer your price.” “Three million pesos.” “Mr. Wade Chilton offers three million pesos.” As expected, Wade loves attention and praise. He is dominant. He hates being overshadowed, and to get his attention, I need to enter his world with the same mindset. “Six million pesos!” I shouted, causing everyone, including my final target, Wade Chilton, to look at me.LILY RUSSELL'S POVI quickly arrived at the bar, immediately greeted by the loud music and the mixed smell of alcohol, perfume, and sweat. I hurriedly went up to the bar’s second floor where the VIP rooms were located.“Alena,” I called my friend. “Which room is Zaid in?”I pressed my earpiece tightly because of how loud the surroundings were. There was no one in the second-floor hallway, but the noise from the first floor still reached here. I didn’t know if my plan would work or not. But I just hoped I wouldn’t make a mistake, and that before anything worse happened to Zaid and me, Wade would arrive.“Room eight, at the end of the hallway,” Alena replied through the earpiece. “I’ve already checked the footage. There are ten men, and they’re all armed. So don’t act recklessly, Lily. I know you sometimes act like a superhero, but don’t do that now. Do not provoke them.”“Yeah, yeah, you talk too much.”I couldn’t help but roll my eyes in annoyance. Alena really was the one who always
ZAID’S POV“Are you scared now, kid?” the leader of the group said mockingly. His deep voice echoed inside the VIP room.We are in the VIP room of the bar. Not too big, but not too cramped either. The smell of alcohol, cigarette smoke, and strong perfume mixed in the air. They brought me here after the chaos. Everyone earlier just watched as I was beaten by these men. Not a single one of them cared to help me. Maybe they were afraid of getting involved in trouble, or maybe they knew who these people were.“You look like you come from a wealthy family, huh,” the man said, shaking his head. He dragged out his words as if stripping away my identity. “I should’ve asked for more money. I wouldn’t have lost anyway. Looks like the woman coming here is beautiful. What, is she your teacher? Miss? Miss Lily Russell?”I closed my eyes for a moment. I could feel the heat of my blood in my cheeks. But despite everything they had done to me earlier, I suddenly gained strength. A strength coming fro
Lily Russell’s POVI almost fainted when I heard the next line.“Your voice alone is already so beautiful, Miss Lily. You also look like someone who won’t back down. Maybe you’re also fun to kiss. Do you fight back when you’re being kissed?” A malicious laugh followed, and my heart beat wildly fast.“Miss Lily, don’t listen to him—ahh!” A voice screamed...Zaid, I couldn’t be mistaken, that was his voice!“Don’t hurt her! Let Zaid go! What do you want? Money?”The man went quiet for a moment, then lowered his voice again. “Oh, so that’s how little you think of me?” he said, his playful mockery obvious. “Because of what you said, go to the black alley of D’beat bar. Bring one hundred thousand pesos. I want it in one-thousand peso bundles, got it? If not, you’ll just find this man’s corpse.”Before I could respond, he hung up. Alena and I looked at each other, and she quickly shook her head.“I know what you’re thinking, Lily. You can’t go there!” Alena’s voice was almost crying. “What i
Lily Russell's POV“Can you stand living in that house?” Alena asked with a faint smile, though there was pain in her voice. “I know it’s Wade you’re after. But don’t you know his younger brother Zaid also has feelings for you?” I took a deep breath. “If I’m the one you’re asking, I don’t want to live there because Zaid is there. But Wade is the one who wants me to stay with him there. I can’t exactly refuse because I need to uphold my role as the obedient girlfriend of a Wade Chilton.” There’s a small part of my heart that worries I might hurt Zaid again once he finds out I’m already his brother’s girlfriend. But my anger toward Wade is stronger, so I need to set aside whatever pity I feel for Zaid. If I let compassion take over, I’ll lose the chance to reclaim the justice that I and my family are seeking. Zaid has a kind heart, but he is only a tool in my plans, and I won’t allow emotions to ruin the strategy I’ve built over many years. “Seriously,” Alena exclaimed in disbel
Lily Russell’s POV“Lily, maybe you should just stop this?” Alena, my best friend, said worriedly.I shook my head. “You know that’s not possible. And it’s not that easy for me to just give all of this up, Alena. I spent so long building everything. Then I’ll just give up? I can’t do that.”Alena’s expression turned serious. “What’s all of this even for, Lily, if you’re the one getting hurt? Look at yourself. Who would be happy with you in this condition?”After what happened earlier, I decided to cool off and go to Alena. I just wanted to breathe for a while. I felt like if I stayed there any longer, I’d go insane. I only wore a mask to hide my swollen lips and cheek. I also wore a turtleneck top to cover the bruise on my neck. Even so, it still didn’t escape Alena’s notice. After she saw my bruised face, she examined every part of my body.“I don’t care about all the wounds or bruises I get, Alena. What matters to me is uncovering the truth behind my father’s death. If I have to bec
ZAID’S POV“Give me one bottle of whiskey,” I said, as I placed my card on the counter. This is the first time I’ve disobeyed Kuya’s orders. The first time I’ve fought back.Whenever Kuya Wade and I meet, it’s always just jokes and teasing. I never talk back no matter what he says. In our family, he is the perfect one, the praised one. Me? I’m what they call a stain, the one without direction, the one going nowhere. But tonight is different. Tonight, I couldn’t stay silent.“The hardest whiskey,” I added, saying it firmly.As the bartender handed me the bottle, Lily’s face was all I could think about. The way she looked earlier, as if all the strength in her body had melted away. Her clothes torn, lips swollen, traces of tears still on her cheeks. She looked like a broken toy, played with too much by a child.I don’t know what’s stronger, the anger I feel toward Kuya or the pain of seeing Lily in that state.She is a woman. And above all, she is a person.How could Kuya do that? How c







