Bound by Fate

Chapter 9: Jealousy

Ethan Blackwood had always been known for not getting involved with the maids in his household, which was why David West had felt comfortable letting Lily Thompson serve him. But now, it seemed he had been mistaken. Not seeing Lily early in the morning made him wonder—had she spent the night here?

Seeing the unpleasant look on David’s face, Ethan’s eyes narrowed dangerously. He glanced at the woman in his arms and coldly commanded, “Get out!”

At that moment, Lily finally snapped out of her daze. She turned her gaze to David and flashed him a sweet smile. “David!”

David smiled back at her, but his expression remained troubled, and guilt was evident in his eyes. It was his fault—how could he have believed this girl was truly smart? She was indeed clever, but she was also easily deceived!

Noticing David’s worried expression, Lily became concerned. “David, are you sick?” she asked, reaching to move Ethan’s arm from around her waist.

Ethan’s face darkened further, tightening his grip on her to prevent her from moving. His voice was even colder as he repeated, “Get out!”

Seeing that he was genuinely angry, Lily shrank back, giving David a worried look before staying still in Ethan’s arms. David hesitated, then set the breakfast down and quietly left the room.

Lily kept glancing at Ethan, noticing how frighteningly dark his expression had become. Carefully, she reached out and tugged on his shirt, speaking softly, “Ethan… You said you wouldn’t be mean to me!”

Ethan took a deep breath, trying to calm the anger in his chest. He looked at the girl in his arms and asked, “Do you like him?”

Without hesitation, Lily nodded. Ethan’s teeth ground together in frustration. “And what about me?”

Lily, frightened by his terrifying expression, buried herself further into his chest. “I… I like you too…”

“Like me too?” Ethan’s tone was laced with irritation. “Who do you like more?”

Lily furrowed her brow, seriously considering the question, oblivious to the fact that Ethan’s expression was growing darker by the second. Finally, she said, “I don’t know.”

Those three words were enough to make Ethan more wary of David West than he had ever been of anyone else.

Lily looked up at him cautiously. “Ethan, are you angry?” she asked, noticing the tension in his jaw.

Ethan glared at her. She actually noticed that he was angry!

“I… I…” Lily stammered, unsure of what to say.

Seeing her flustered expression, Ethan’s heart softened, and his expression eased. “From now on, you have to like me the most. No, you have to love me the most. No—only love me. Understand?”

Lily obediently nodded, and seeing that his expression had softened, she grew bolder and whispered honestly, “But I don’t love you.”

Ethan’s face darkened again, but then, as if considering something, it slowly relaxed. A sly smile curled his lips as he gently stroked her cheek and asked softly, “How do you know you don’t love me?”

Huh? Lily bit her lip, tilting her head as she seriously pondered the question. Her eyes grew more confused as she became increasingly uncertain. The TV had said that liking someone a lot was love, and she did like him, but how much did she have to like him for it to be love?

Ethan’s smile widened as he leaned closer and asked seductively, “Little One, do you want to kiss me?”

Lily snapped back to reality, her gaze drawn to his sensual lips. Her eyes lit up, and she asked eagerly, “Can I?”

“Of course you can. You can kiss me whenever you want, Little One,” Ethan murmured, his voice full of temptation.

Lily happily wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his, mimicking the way he had kissed her before. She tentatively slipped her tongue into his mouth.

Ethan’s eyes gleamed with amusement as he took control of the kiss, deepening it with a possessive intensity. He devoured her soft lips, teasing her sweet tongue with his own.

For a moment, Ethan was surprised at the intensity of his emotions, but that feeling—the feeling of truly being alive—was exhilarating.

After a long while, Ethan finally released her, holding her trembling body close. “From now on, you’re not allowed to kiss other men, and no other man is allowed to kiss you. Got it?”

Lily, still dazed, nodded absentmindedly, not really understanding what he had said.

Whether she understood or not, Ethan wasn’t willing to take any chances. Now that he had decided to claim her as his own, he wasn’t going to give anyone else the opportunity to take her away. For the next few days, Ethan wouldn’t let Lily out of his sight, especially not with David West.

“Hey? Boss, when are you coming in?” came the voice from the phone.

Ethan glanced at the small woman sitting on the couch, smiling foolishly at her laptop, and his mood inexplicably improved. A small smile tugged at his lips. “I’m not coming in today. You handle the signing.”

“What? Boss… beep…” Patrick held the phone, listening to the dial tone, feeling utterly dejected. Who exactly was the boss of this company?

Ethan walked back into the room and saw that Lily’s silly grin had faded, replaced by an expression of longing.

“Little One, could you get me a cup of coffee?”

“Oh, okay!” Lily reluctantly tore her gaze away, then headed for the door. After spending the past few days together, Lily finally believed that Ethan wouldn’t do anything rash. But now, the roles had reversed—Ethan was the one who wouldn’t leave her side!

Ethan looked at the screen, raised an eyebrow, and shook his head with a smile. This little fool—why didn’t she just ask him directly?

“Ethan, here’s your milk!”

Ethan sighed in resignation. He hadn’t had a single cup of coffee in days. Every time he asked for coffee, she automatically replaced it with milk!

Ethan preferred to work in his bedroom, but lately, he had been using the study. Two laptops were set up side by side on the desk, and Ethan had Lily sit on his lap while he worked. Lily obediently watched her TV shows.

Even though they were each doing their own thing, the effect on their relationship was undeniable. For example, after watching a movie, Lily blinked a few times, feeling sleepy. She rubbed her eyes and then snuggled against Ethan, drifting off to sleep.

Ethan looked down at her, gently stroking her hair. “Do you want to sleep on the bed?” he asked. Lily’s room had long been moved next to his. Who would have thought this little rabbit would be the first to successfully enter his territory?

Lily hugged him tighter and shook her head. “No!”

Ethan kissed the top of her head and continued his work until her breathing evened out. Then, he carefully carried her to her room.

“What?”

The sharp voice on the other end of the phone made Ethan pull it away from his ear in annoyance. His voice turned cold as he asked, “Is there a problem?”

“No… no problem…” The voice sounded reluctant. Seriously? He was an assassin, wasn’t he? A feared leader of killers, and now he was being asked to do this? Why did the boss have to choose him? Was it just because he was cute, so he had to do cute things? Nameless felt utterly aggrieved, but little did he know, that was exactly what Ethan had in mind!

“I’ll send you the picture. It better be identical, or you’ll lose your head.”

“Are you serious? Is it really that bad? When did you develop this kind of fetish, Boss?”

“Enough with the nonsense!”