The man gently brushed aside the loose strands of her long hair from her forehead, tucking them behind her ear.
"I don’t care about what you've been through in the past or any man you may have dated before. I don't even care to know who the father of your son is. But Lily, now that you're with me, I won’t allow you to think about any other man. Not even to cook soup for him—do you understand?”
"Are you seriously punishing me all night just because I made soup for Dr. Edsel?”
Though this unreasonable man kept causing her trouble, Lily still softened her tone with him. Her exhausted arms drooped at her sides as she whispered, “Enough… I’m done… Please, Max, can you let me go?”
Lily thought she could reason with him! She assumed he would stop after she’d begged like that, but instead, his body pressed closer. Leaning in, Max murmured softly into her ear, “Are you still looking for a man who’s a good match for you?”
“No, no… I only want you… You’re all I need, Max,” she cried out in a voice filled with fatigue and surrender, her hands weakly pressing against his chest.
Finally, she heard his deep voice say, “Alright.”
Only then did he release her, lifting her into his arms to carry her to the bathroom, where he carefully washed her. By then, Lily had fallen completely unconscious. Max didn’t understand the hold this woman had over him, but he knew he had no intention of letting her go, no matter what happened.
That night of wild passion was entirely unlike the usual cool-headed Max Thornton. Now, as the woman lay nestled against him, her fair skin bearing traces of their passionate night, her soft hands moved unconsciously toward him as she murmured in her sleep, her pink cheeks alluring in their warmth.
The next morning, the aftermath of such an intense night left her unable to wake up. It wasn’t until a familiar, soft voice sounded by her ear that she began to stir.
“Lily, it’s already late in the day.”
A small, chubby hand suddenly pressed against her forehead, and a gentle voice told Emily, who was sitting nearby, “Lily doesn’t have a fever; she’s just exhausted from her date with Mr. Thornton.”
At first, still half-asleep, Lily wanted to continue sleeping, but as soon as she processed those words, her eyes snapped open. Staring back at her was her son’s cute, round face, and she quickly realized that both he and her best friend were at her bedside, watching her closely. Fully alert now, Lily’s immediate instinct was to check if Max was still beside her. Luckily, he had already left; the other side of the bed looked untouched, as if no one had even been there last night. If not for the lingering soreness in her body, Lily might have thought the events of last night were just a dream.
Seeing Lily look around in a daze, her little boy touched her face with worry, “Mom, are you sick?”
Lily laughed, pulling her son into a hug and planting a kiss on his small hand. “Maybe I am… Maybe it’s all just a fever dream.”
When she glanced at the clock, she saw it was already 2:30 in the afternoon.
Emily ruffled the child’s hair affectionately. “Sweetie, could you go unpack your things? Let your moms have a little chat, okay?”
Nodding earnestly, Liam took his cue and headed out of the room.
Still dazed, Lily began to stand, but Emily abruptly yanked the blanket off her, leaving her fully exposed. With a gasp, Lily sat up in shock, only to discover she was still in a shirt—Max’s shirt, to be exact. Recognizing the garment, Emily shot her a knowing look.
“So, you brought a man home? Bold of you!” Emily teased, a playful grin spreading across her face.
Blushing deeply, Lily muttered, “I need to wash up.”
When Lily came back from the bathroom, she found both Emily and her son seated on the couch in the living room, ready to interrogate her.
“I really need to go to work…” Lily stammered, eager to escape.
“Oh, no, today is the last day of your annual leave. You don’t go back to work until tomorrow,” Emily replied pointedly, blocking her attempt at a quick getaway.
Liam spoke up, watching her intently, “Mom, should I call Mr. Thornton ‘Uncle’ or ‘Dad’ now?”
“Just ‘Uncle’!” Lily answered instinctively.
Liam’s face fell a bit as he whispered a dejected “Okay,” clearly disappointed. He had hoped he could start calling Max “Dad.”
Emily sighed, her tone stern. “I tried calling you so many times, but you didn’t pick up. When I got home, I found your precious phone lying abandoned on the floor with a cracked screen.”
“I dropped it when I was opening the door,” Lily admitted, feeling a pang of guilt. “I’m sorry.”
Emily shook her head. “Aside from your phone, was anything else broken last night?”
Lily’s response was a bitter laugh. “Oh, everything was broken—me. All of me!”
“Where are you broken?” Emily pressed, amused.
Lily pointed to her head, then gestured to her entire body. “Here, here—let’s just say everywhere.”
Just then, the doorbell rang, and Emily began to rise to answer it. “Wait!” Lily exclaimed.
Emily sat back down, but the front door had already opened. Liam stepped to the door and found a man standing there. The man bowed courteously and addressed Lily.
“Dr. Bennett, hello.”
Lily was stunned to see Simon’s sudden appearance. Noticing her surprise, he handed Liam a small box. “The Chairman asked me to deliver this to Dr. Bennett,” Simon said with a polite nod, then left just as quickly.
The exchange happened so fast that Lily hadn’t even fully processed it when Liam walked over to her, holding the box. “Mom, this is for you.”
“Sweetheart, I don’t think that’s for me.”
“Only if it’s from Mr. Thornton—it’s fine,” Liam insisted solemnly.
As she looked at her precious son, Lily felt both touched and amused.
While she pondered what to do, Liam chimed in thoughtfully, “It’s for you, not for me.”
“Oh, let’s open it!” Emily urged, her curiosity clearly getting the better of her.
Lily shot her a glare. “There’s nothing worth seeing here.” It was probably just another birth control pack like last time. Max was certainly thorough, always erasing any traces of their nights together.
She reached out to take the box from Liam, but Emily quickly snatched it away, examining it with raised eyebrows.
“It’s beautifully wrapped—and so meticulously.”
Lily instinctively pulled her son into her arms, hoping to keep him from seeing what she assumed was a pack of birth control pills. Meanwhile, Emily unwrapped the box, revealing an elegant, high-end iPhone. Lily’s eyes widened—so it wasn’t birth control pills after all?
“Look, just a phone,” Emily chuckled. “I thought it might be a diamond ring or some extravagant jewelry, but I guess the Chairman is a bit stingy!”
Liam nodded seriously. “If it were a ring, a watch, or a necklace, Mom definitely wouldn’t accept it.”
“You truly are a sweet, perceptive boy.”
Moved by his words, Lily hugged her son again, then glanced at the phone resting in the box. Just as she debated whether to return it to Max, the phone suddenly rang.
Noticing the caller ID, Emily’s eyes sparkled with surprise. She read the screen aloud, “My Man!”
Seeing the name “My Man” flashing across the screen, Lily let out an exasperated sigh. All these games—did he find this amusing?
Emily giggled as she handed the phone to Lily. "Hurry up and answer! Don’t keep your man waiting too long."
"I don’t want to hear it. You tell him I’m not home," Lily replied, her tone icy as she turned her head away, refusing to take the call.
As the saying goes, it’s better to break down a wall than break up a marriage, let alone a relationship in its delicate, budding phase. Without hesitation, Emily took matters into her own hands. She answered the call, put it on speaker, and addressed Maxwell on the other end of the line.
"Lily says she’s not home, Mr. Thornton. I’ve turned on speakerphone, so go ahead and say what’s on your mind."
Lily nearly lunged at Emily, ready to cover her mouth to stop her from talking any further.
From the other end, Maxwell’s deep, smooth voice came through, “Lily, pick up the phone.”
Lily glanced over, but still refused to reach for it. Sensing her resistance, Maxwell’s voice came through again, this time with a teasing edge. "I wanted to talk about last night, but if you’re not going to pick up… Since everyone’s here, should I go ahead and say it?"