Tempted by My Ex’s Brother

ELEVEN

Lily's POV

I didn’t sit. I couldn’t. Dante stood across from me, perfectly calm, like he was discussing a quarterly report instead of… whatever impossible thing he was about to propose.

He watched me for a long moment, then exhaled slowly. “Lily,” he said gently, “I know you’re overwhelmed. But I need you to listen to me fully before you decide anything.”

I swallowed, my throat dry. “Fine,” I managed. “Explain. Start from the beginning.”

He nodded once, slowly, and approached the edge of the desk, not too close, as if he knew I’d bolt if he pushed even a little.

“The engagement banquet,” he began. “It can’t be canceled without a substantial explanation. My mother is… fragile when it comes to family reputations. After everything my father’s second wife did, she clings to order and appearances. She needs this banquet to continue smoothly.”

“And you deciding to replace your brother with yourself is smooth? You want to play with my feelings because of your family's reputation? What kind of sick game is this?” I shot back, unable to keep my voice from cracking.

"I have no intention of playing with your feelings, LiLy," he said, shaking his head.

"Then what are you saying?" I said to him.

"I am simply offering you a deal, a contract. This has nothing to do with playing with your feelings; all you have to do is decide," He said, like he wasn't saying something so absurd. I stared at him, stunned. He continued.

“The contractual engagement is straightforward,” he said, voice calm, almost businesslike. “I need someone I can trust. Someone who doesn’t want my money, my position, or my name. Someone who won’t manipulate me.” His eyes softened slightly, lingering on my face in a way that made my heartbeat stutter. “And you’re the only person my body has reacted to in years. The only one who’s ever… broken through the numbness.”

Heat rushed through my cheeks at the memory of him, his hands, his voice, the intensity of the room that night at the club. I pushed the memory down, hard.

“That was… that was a mistake,” I whispered. “I didn’t even know who you were.”

“And I didn’t know who you were,” he admitted quietly. “But mistakes don’t override the truth.”

I looked away, feeling dizzy. “You’re saying you want me,” I said, “because your body reacts to me?”

“I’m saying,” he corrected softly, “that you’re the only person who makes my condition… fluctuate. I need someone I can trust to help me with treatment, with emotional grounding, with physical connection at a pace I can control, someone who won’t exploit the situation. And you…” He paused, swallowing. “It’s you.”

I stared at him, utterly stunned. “And your family is just supposed to accept this?” I said to him.

“They will,” he said. “They’ll be relieved, actually. They’ve been waiting years for me to settle down. My mother will probably start planning the wedding tonight if I let her,” he said with a shrug.

I felt my stomach twist in panic. This was a bad idea, no, this was a terrible idea. “No,” I said immediately. “Absolutely not. I’m not going through with this.”

“Lily—”

“No,” I snapped, stepping back. “I don’t even know you. And after everything that happened with Connor? You think I can… jump into another engagement? With his brother?”

His jaw tightened, but he didn’t argue. “I won’t do it,” I said firmly. “I refuse,” I said stubbornly. Silence stretched. I expected him to push. Maybe even beg. Instead, Dante inhaled slowly, his expression unreadable.

“I hoped you’d agree willingly,” he murmured. “But I prepared for the possibility that you wouldn’t.”

A chill ran through my body. “What does that mean?” I whispered. He met my eyes; his eyes looked so steady, controlled, terrifyingly calm.

“If you refuse,” he said quietly, “I’ll have no choice but to explain the real reason the banquet must be canceled. To my mother. And to Connor.”

My heart stopped. He continued, tone even, almost gentle. “About how I met someone I am physically compatible with, and that she was the reason for the sudden change,” he said. Blood drained from my face in horror.

“And when they ask who,” Dante said softly, “I won’t lie.”

My voice broke. “You wouldn’t,” I said to him.

My mouth felt numb. “You’d expose me,” I whispered, horrified. “You’d tell them about the club? About what happened?”

He hesitated for one devastating second. “…Yes.” his answer broke me. In that moment, I felt the room spin. I grabbed the edge of the desk to steady myself.

“That would ruin me,” I whispered. “People would think, I don’t even know what people would think. And my job... people would assume I—”

“I know,” he said softly. “Which is why I don’t want to do it.”

I stared at him, chest tight, fury rising like a hot wave. “So you’re blackmailing me,” I said to him with my teeth gritted in anger.

“No,” he said calmly, meeting my glare. “I’m telling you the consequences of refusing. They’re not threats. They’re facts.”

I shook my head, tears burning behind my eyes. “I can’t believe this. Connor cheated on me. Betrayed me. Humiliated me. And now you—”

“I’m not your enemy, Lily,” Dante said quietly. “I’m offering you protection, stability, respect, money even and a controlled arrangement where you dictate the boundaries.”

I wanted to scream. Instead, I forced my shaking voice to steady.

“If I agree,” I said slowly, “I need conditions.”

“Anything,” Dante said immediately.

The word cut straight through me. He said it without hesitation, without bargaining, without asking what I wanted first. For a moment, I stared at him, thrown off balance. “First,” I said, “you can’t force me into anything s****l. Nothing. Not even implications or expectations. If this is supposed to help you, we will do it under my control. My pace and comfort. Not yours.”

He nodded once, firmly. “Agreed,” he replied immediately. I blinked, taken aback by how quickly he accepted it.

“Second,” I continued, “you cannot involve my job. You cannot tell anyone at my company we’re engaged. You cannot use work meetings as excuses to see me, and you cannot interfere with my position. My work is mine, not yours.” I gritted my teeth at him.

“Agreed,” he repeated, voice steady. “I won’t cross that line.”

His sincerity disarmed me. And infuriated me. And confused me.

I exhaled shakily. “And if I want out?” I asked.

“We’ll include an exit clause,” he said. “A fair one for both of us.”

His readiness, his willingness to protect me, even while cornering me, made my chest tighten painfully. I closed my eyes. I was exhausted. Emotionally drained. Betrayed by Connor, mocked by Victoria, dragged into a nightmare of family politics and hidden identities… and now forced into a deal I never wanted. But if Dante exposed me… even unintentionally… my dignity, my career, my entire future would be ruined. When I opened my eyes, Dante was still watching me with his eyes calm, serious, and strangely gentle.

“Lily,” he said quietly, “I promise you I’ll never hurt you. Not in the ways you fear. I just need you beside me.. for now. Nothing more.”

I let out a long, trembling breath. “Fine,” I whispered. “I’ll do it.”

Something flickered in his eyes; it looked like relief. “Thank you,” he murmured.

“Don’t thank me,” I muttered. “You left me no choice.”

He didn’t argue; instead, he gave a side smile. "Let's head back, I'm sure everyone is waiting for us," he said softly, offering his hand. I looked at it for a second before hesitantly taking it. We would be engaged after all, we had to paint a picture of being a couple.

When we walked back into the living room, the moment Connor’s mother saw us, her entire face lit up. “Oh, thank goodness,” she gasped, rushing over to me and enveloping me in a warm, tight embrace. “I knew it. I knew you two were meant to meet and meant to be. This is fate,” she chipped happily.

Fate.

The word lodged like a stone in my throat. I forced a small smile, even though guilt and unease curled inside my stomach. Her arms tightened around me, her voice trembling with joy.

“Welcome to the family, Lily. You're finally going to be a member of the family officially! I'm so delighted!"

I swallowed hard and whispered, “Thank you,” even though it felt like a lie.