Agreement Behind Her Marriage

Months have already passed. Lily nearly missed noticing that she and Danica were about to finish their class. To avoid Brian, she was the one who refused to take the service to his home because she didn’t want to leave any of her traces there.

Orion suggested she should keep her distance from Danica’s boyfriend. However, she could still see him when he picked up Danica from school. Yet, both of them were aware of respect for each other’s space.

Upon exiting the school, Drew was waiting on the hood of a high-end sports car that was parked directly in front of the main entrance. On that hot afternoon, a light shirt was all he needed to flaunt his attractive form.

When Drew took off his sunglasses, some students were so excited that they couldn’t contain their screams.

“Drew!” Some young women screamed his name and even wanted to demand photos of him.

It perplexed Lily.

“Oh, no way!” Lily murmured upon noticing what was happening and halted her walk a short distance from Drew.

Danica frowned before continuing to follow her gaze. “Do you know him?”

Lily was certain she would draw attention and wanted to hide behind the book she was clutching. Nobody at school, not even Danica, was aware that her husband was a young millionaire and the only heir to the Walton Group, Drew Walton.

But it was too late when he smiled, waved at her, and said, “Babe!”

Everyone turned in her direction, even Danica. Her friend followed her in a perplexed manner, approaching Drew.

“W-why are you here?” she asked Drew agitatedly because she knew the women at her school were squinting their eyes at her.

Her husband smiled. “Happy birthday, babe!”

That startled Lily. She forgot. When was the last time she received a birthday greeting? She took the huge arrangement of lilies Drew had handed her and couldn’t hold back the tears.

“Today is your birthday?” Danica asked in disbelief.

“Oh, by the way, she’s Danica, my friend,” she pointed to the woman beside her. “And he’s Drew, m-my husband,” she said, almost whispering. It’s a secret at school.

“Whaaat?” The majority of the onlookers’ pupils were as surprised as Danica was.

“My apologies. We still need to go somewhere, so I’ll take Lily,” he said to Danica.

Danica nodded as she was still reeling from her shock. When Lily excused herself to get in her husband’s car, her expression was pleading. Once she was inside, she was no longer visible to the bystanders, allowing her to finally take a breath.

“Ah, God! Why the sudden grand welcome?” she asked Drew.

He gently stroked her cheek. “This is your birthday, and I wanted to surprise you. My grandfather has planned a celebration for you, so we’ll head directly to the hotel.”

Lily hugged the large bouquet of flowers. Her heart was blazing with love, but she had no idea how to stop herself from sinking.

Lily and Drew arrived at the Grand Palace Hotel a little while later. Before giving the car key to Orion, who had followed them, he opened the door and assisted her in exiting. After meeting Sarah, his secretary, they were led to the rented suite.

They went into a big room where several stylists were waiting to assist Lily with getting change.

“I’ll be back later.” Drew smiled and excused himself from the room.

She had never experienced a celebration intended only for her. The stylists quickly changed her appearance into a new look. She regrets not having the opportunity to invite Danica or Manang Puring. Apart from Orion and her husband, does she know the other attendees?

She changed into a long red gown. She had little, sparkly ornaments placed in her beautifully braided hair that was collected at the side. A thick diamond was worn around her neck. On the reflection, she hardly recognized herself. This was an entirely different woman than the one who married Drew Walton months ago.

Her mouth opened a little, realizing she had been married to Drew for eleven months. As the end of their agreement comes closer, she becomes more and more anxious.

She saw Drew enter after the door had swung open, giving her a smile.

He gave her a mixture of light and a solemn glance. As he drew nearer, he became compelled to grasp her waist. He took one of her hands to his lips after feeling his warm breath in her ear.

“You’re gorgeous!”

Lily’s cheeks flushed. “Thanks!”

He whispered, “Let’s go before I ruin your clothes right now.”

Lily avoided the gaze of the people who were still in the room, admiring them.

After taking her hand, he cautiously led her to the event hall. At the gathering, Lily ran upon a few of Drew’s business partners and friends. As she anticipated, she didn’t know anyone besides Lauren and the woman’s husband, Finn. Lily could not sense that the gathering was actually intended for her.

Lauren waved at her while continuously talking to Kori and the other women with them.

“Grandpa,” greeted Drew to his grandfather, who was conversing with a businessman.

Lily smiled simply.

“I hope you enjoy the party, Lily. This is yours,” Master Walton declared.

Though I believe it’s not! She won’t express those opinions to the person who organized the birthday party.

“Thank you for the beautiful present. I heard that your garden at the mansion was being remodeled; I will bring plants that are not difficult to maintain.,” said Lily.

“Thank you, Lily! Happy birthday!”

“Drew!” called one of the investors. Her husband excused themselves to his grandfather and led her closer to the lady.

“Madam!” Drew kissed the lady’s hand, then introduced her. “She’s my wife, Lily.”

They were talking about unfamiliar topics like stock markets, money, business, and other things that Lily had no idea about, so she stopped paying attention to what they were discussing. Even the name of the lady escaped her memory. She permitted herself to stick by her husband since she didn’t want to leave abruptly.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Drew’s conversation with the lady grew by one each time until he was the focus of attention. In a situation like that, Drew was aware of how to use his charm. He was the one who interacted with the guests, making jokes and laughing, while Lily could not follow any of the discussions. She appeared to have turned into Drew’s ornament, demonstrating that this was not actually her true self. She would want to spend all of her time with Drew if she could.

“Are you okay, babe?” asked her husband after observing how sleepy she appeared at the gathering.

“Yes.” Lily mustered a smile.

“No, you’re not.” Drew saw how she was constantly kicking her leg to move it because she was tired of standing. “I’ll take you to the lounge.”

They headed to the hotel’s lounge area, where soft jazz music was playing. Orion followed them, keeping a constant watch over her.

“Drew!” called the woman along the hallway. Both of them halted and turned in her direction. She has short, blonde hair and a slender body. Her whole face was touched by light makeup while her body’s curvature was accentuated by her long dress. Overall, the woman appeared doll-like in person.

“Remi? What are you doing here?” exclaimed Drew. She could see her husband was uneasy seeing the woman.

“I need to talk to you!” The woman held her husband by the arm with concern on her face.

Orion pulled the woman away, covering his boss, and said, “Leave!”

“Orion! You know I won’t hurt your boss!”

“Really?” the bodyguard replied sarcastically.

Drew grasped the woman’s arm firmly. “What game is this, for fuck’s sake, and why are you still here after four fucking years?”

“I need your help!” she pleaded.

“Seriously! Are you fucking kidding me right now?”

“As we previously agreed, I shouldn’t approach you, but I’m at a loss for words because Ryle is missing! Someone abducted our son!”

Drew gritted his teeth and cleaned his jaw even more. “Orion, bring Lily to the lounge.”