Chapter 5 The Offer

Lily had just stepped out of the elevator when she realized something was wrong.

The air in the lobby of Stone Tower crackled with tension, the kind of quiet that whispered of secrets and staring eyes. Employees paused mid-stride, their gazes sliding toward her, then darting away just as quickly. The front desk attendant gave her a tight smile that didn't reach her eyes.

She knew that look. Pity. Or worse, curiosity dressed as politeness.

Her stomach twisted.

Alexander had gone to work early that morning, leaving her a note on the pillow and a kiss on the forehead that still lingered on her skin. But now, walking through the heart of his empire, Lily felt less like the mysterious new woman in his life and more like the main character in a scandal.

When she reached the building's exit, her phone buzzed.

UNKNOWN NUMBER

She hesitated.

Then picked up.

"Miss Hart?" A cool, female voice purred through the line. "I'd like to meet. It's about your future."

"Who is this?"

"You could say I'm someone who's intimately familiar with Alexander Stone... and what he's done to women like you."

Lily stopped walking. Her heart raced. "Excuse me?"

"There's a cafe on West 47th. Blue door. Noon. I suggest you come alone. It could be... enlightening."

The line went dead.

Lily stared into her coffee for several minutes before the woman arrived.

She expected someone loud. Aggressive. Plastic.

But the woman who slid into the seat across from her was refined. Ice-blonde hair swept into a chignon, perfectly tailored blazer, no makeup except a cruel red lip.

She didn't offer a name. She didn't need to.

"You're sleeping with him, aren't you?"

Lily stiffened. "If this is about..."

"I'm not here to insult you," the woman cut in smoothly. "I'm here to offer you something better."

She reached into her handbag and placed a sleek envelope on the table.

Lily didn't touch it.

"What is this?"

"An opportunity. One that doesn't end with your name being dragged through tabloids, your dignity in tatters, or your bank account frozen the moment he loses interest."

Lily's jaw tightened. "You don't know anything about me."

"Oh, but I do." Her smile didn't touch her eyes. "You're young. Struggling. Attractive. The perfect candidate for a contract girlfriend, or should I say, accessory."

"I'm not for sale."

"No, darling. But your silence might be."

Lily's pulse spiked. "You think I'm some kind of risk to him?"

"I think he collects women. And when he's done, he disposes of them in very calculated ways. Some of us walk away quietly. Others don't get the chance."

Lily's fingers curled around her mug.

"I'm giving you the option to walk away first," the woman continued. "With a generous settlement. No press. No scandal. You disappear from his life and start over somewhere warm. Spain, maybe."

Lily stared at the envelope.

"What's in there?"

"A check. Low seven figures. Enough to build your own life. Your own legacy. Free from the mess that man always leaves behind."

For a long moment, Lily didn't speak.

Then, quietly: "Why now?"

The woman's smile twisted. "Because you're starting to mean something to him. And that makes you dangerous. To him. To us."

"To us?"

"Women who came before you. Women who didn't have choices."

Lily pushed the envelope back. "I make my own choices. Not ones that come with blood money."

The woman stood, calm and composed. "Then don't say you weren't warned."

That night, she sat in Alexander's penthouse, curled on the window seat, staring down at the glowing city.

He came in late, shirt unbuttoned at the collar, his expression tired. He saw her and smiled.

"Miss me?"

"Depends. Am I the first or just the latest?"

His smile faltered. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"A woman approached me today. Said she knew you. Offered me a payoff to walk away."

Alexander's entire body went still.

"What did she look like?"

Lily described her. Alexander swore under his breath. "Evelyn Marks. PR damage control expert. And my father's former mistress."

Lily blinked. "Your father's?"

"She was sent by the board, probably. They're worried I'm getting too... attached."

"Are you?"

He crossed to her, slowly. Knelt in front of her.

"Lily, when I touched you that first night, I felt something I hadn't in years. You're not a game. Not a phase. But they think you are. And they'll come after you."

She met his eyes. "Then maybe we stop giving them something to talk about."

His eyes darkened. "What do you mean?"

She stood, heart hammering. "Maybe we cool it. No more public events. No more appearances. We take a break."

He stood too, towering over her. "That's what you want?"

She nodded, throat thick. "Yes. For now."

He stepped closer. "But I still get to touch you. Right?"

She hesitated.

He cupped her cheek, thumb brushing her bottom lip. "Because I'm not ready to give that up."

Neither was she.

He kissed her, slow and sensual, until her knees nearly buckled.

And then he whispered, "I'll wait. But just know, if you walk away, I will chase you."