All Chapters of Tangled in His Web: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

The hum of the city changed after lunch. It wasn’t the traffic, or the horns, or even the buzz of people outside — it was inside Lily’s chest, a quiet, restless vibration she couldn’t shake.She had followed Alex back to the hotel after the Hawthorne meeting, expecting maybe an hour to regroup before the next round of negotiations. Instead, the moment they stepped out of the car, Alex diverted sharply.“Upstairs. Don’t leave the room until I say.”Lily frowned, falling into step. “What is this, a field trip? I don’t need babysitting.”“You do,” he said flatly. “You just don’t realize it yet.”The way he said it silenced her. He pressed the elevator button, jaw locked, eyes forward. She didn’t argue again.______________Back in her room, Lily paced. She hated being sidelined, hated being told “wait” without explanation. But she’d seen the look in Alex’s eyes — that flicker of recognition when he’d read the card in the flowers downstairs.Something about it wasn’t business. It was pers

The suite had always felt spacious. Neutral cream walls, floor-to-ceiling windows with a skyline view, the polished chrome of the minibar and desk gleaming under soft lamplight. But now, with two additional security men posted discreetly at the door and Alex refusing to leave Lily unaccompanied, the walls seemed to press inward, shrinking the room.Lily paced. The carpet swallowed the sound of her steps, but the rhythm betrayed her restlessness. She had never been good at stillness, at waiting. And now she was supposed to “stay put” like a fragile glass vase perched on a shelf while Alex orchestrated the world outside.He was seated at the table by the window, jacket off, sleeves rolled, the sharp line of his shoulders cutting against the city glow. A laptop was open, files spread out beside it, but his eyes weren’t on the numbers. They were on her. Tracking each step like a hawk watches movement in its periphery.“Could you not?” she asked finally, stopping mid-stride.His brow arche

The first threads of morning light pressed through the half-drawn curtains of Lily’s hotel room, pale and golden, turning the edges of the crisp white sheets into ribbons of warmth. For a few blissful seconds, she lay still, cocooned in the unfamiliar quiet. No alarm. No rush. Just the muffled hum of London traffic far below.Her body wanted to stay in that soft in-between place, half asleep, half awake. Her mind, however, betrayed her. A nagging restlessness curled in her chest, the echo of yesterday’s tension with Alex lingering like static.With a groggy sigh, she rolled toward the nightstand, blinking at the blinking light on her phone. Three notifications. She ignored the first two — junk emails from stores she hadn’t shopped at in months — and then froze at the third.The sender: Mother.Her thumb hovered over the screen, hesitant. The last time they had spoken had ended in a clipped call, her mother’s voice sharp with disappointment, throwing barbed words about Lily’s choices —

By the time they left the café, Lily had managed to wrap herself in her usual humor again — thin armor, but armor nonetheless.Alex was already reviewing something on his phone, his stride purposeful as ever.They stepped out into the street where the cold London wind cut through the morning sun. Taxis honked. Pedestrians weaved through the crosswalks. Everything moved fast, chaotic — exactly how Lily liked it when she wanted to avoid thinking.As they walked toward the waiting car, she noticed Alex glancing at her reflection in a nearby window — subtly, but enough to catch.He wasn’t looking at her out of suspicion or annoyance. It was something else. Something quieter.He opened the car door for her without a word. She slipped inside, clutching her tablet, watching the city blur past as they drove.But no amount of glass or distance could keep her mind from spiraling.Her mother’s voice echoed in her head — sharp, manipulative, familiar.She had spent years building walls between he

The suite felt too quiet after Alex left.Lily sat on the couch, still wrapped in the comfort of his steady presence — and then, suddenly, he was gone. The click of the door echoed, and the silence that followed wasn’t peaceful. It was heavy. She told herself she should sleep — that it had been a long day, that tomorrow was just another series of meetings and travel arrangements — but her body wouldn’t listen. Her heart was still racing, her hands still cold from the earlier confrontation in the lobby.She glanced at the clock. Nearly midnight.The city lights outside the window shimmered like scattered stars, far too alive for how exhausted she felt. She rubbed her temples, leaning back against the couch cushions. Just breathe, she told herself. It’s over. Whatever that was — it’s done.Her phone buzzed.The sound startled her. She picked it up, half-expecting another company update from the Knight Enterprises team or a hotel notification — but it wasn’t that.Alex Knight:Come to t