An unfinished story
1351 Words
Lily woke up to the sound of her alarm blaring. Her head pounded, her mouth was dry, and her entire body felt weighed down with exhaustion. Blinking against the morning light filtering through her tiny apartment window, she tried to piece together the fragments of last night.
She remembered the party. The flashing lights, the heavy bass thumping through her veins. A drink too strong. Then... nothing.
Her stomach clenched as she sat up too quickly. The last clear memory she had was standing at the bar, sipping a cocktail Emma had warned her about. Then, everything blurred together—a hazy recollection of stumbling through a hotel hallway, pushing open a door, a deep voice murmuring something she couldn’t quite grasp.
But whose voice?
She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force the memories back, but it was like reaching for smoke.
Her gaze flickered to her body, still wrapped in last night’s oversized dress shirt. Not hers. And underneath... she was wearing fresh clothes. A soft gasp escaped her lips. Someone had changed her.
Panic surged through her, but as she forced herself to take slow, even breaths, she realized something there was no fear, no lingering sense of violation.
Whoever had been with her had done nothing but take care of her.
But who?
Lily swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood, gripping the nightstand for balance. She needed to focus on something else, anything else.
Her phone buzzed loudly, cutting through the fog in her head.
Mom Calling.
Her chest tightened. She let it ring until it stopped, but almost immediately, a message appeared.
Dinner. 8 PM. Don’t embarrass yourself.
No greeting. No kindness. Just an order.
Lily let out a slow breath. She had moved out of that house for a reason, scraped together enough from her café job to afford this tiny apartment just so she didn’t have to live under their judgment.
But ignoring them wasn’t an option.
She grabbed her purse and keys, shaking off the eerie feeling from the night before. She had a shift to get through before dinner, and no matter what, life had to go on.
Later That Evening – Edwards Estate
Walking into her childhood home felt like stepping into a different world. The Edwards’ brownstone was nothing short of luxurious high ceilings, crystal chandeliers, a dining table that could seat twenty. But for Lily, it had always been suffocating.
She entered the dining room, her mother’s disapproving gaze scanning her outfit the second she stepped inside.
"You could have at least tried to look presentable," Madeline Edwards sighed, setting down her wine glass.
Lily forced a smile. "Good to see you too, Mother."
Across the table, Camille barely glanced up from her phone, a smirk playing on her lips.
"Long shift at the café?" Camille asked sweetly. "Still serving coffee to people who actually matter?"
Lily’s grip tightened on the chair she was about to pull out. Breathe. Don’t let them get to you.
Dinner played out exactly as expected her mother praised Camille’s upcoming campaigns, subtly criticized Lily’s choices, and made it clear that, once again, she was the family disappointment.
"You could have been something," Madeline said with a shake of her head. "If only you had my ambition. Or Camille’s grace."
Lily stabbed her fork into her salad, swallowing the sharp retort on her tongue.
She had heard it all before.
As soon as she could, she excused herself, stepping out into the cold night air. She had barely made it down the steps when her phone vibrated in her pocket.
A text from Emma.
Did you make it home okay last night? You disappeared.
Lily hesitated before typing back.
Yeah. Just… don’t remember much.
She bit her lip, staring at the message. Something told her that last night wasn’t as simple as a blackout. Someone had been with her. Someone had taken care of her.
But who?
Meanwhile – Lancaster Tower
Christian Lancaster sat in his penthouse office, staring at the city skyline, his mind somewhere else entirely.
Her.
Lily.
She had stumbled into his suite, drugged and disoriented, but something about her had held his attention in a way he couldn’t explain. He had spent the night making sure she was safe, watching over her as she drifted in and out of consciousness, resisting the urge to ask questions she wouldn’t have been able to answer.
And this morning, he had let her go without revealing who he was.
A knock on his office door pulled him from his thoughts.
His father, Arthur Lancaster, stepped inside, his presence commanding as always.
"We need to discuss the Valdez merger," Arthur said, his tone all business.
Christian leaned back in his chair. "The terms are nearly finalized."
"Nearly isn’t good enough," Arthur snapped. "Francisco Valdez is old-fashioned. He values stability. Family. Which is why he’s hesitant about finalizing a deal with a man who has no wife, no heirs, and no proof that he understands the importance of legacy."
Christian clenched his jaw. "My ability to run this empire isn’t dependent on my marital status."
Arthur’s sharp smile didn’t falter. "Perhaps. But perception matters. The board is watching. Valdez is watching. You have three months to fix this. Find a wife or I’ll find one for you."
Christian exhaled slowly, his patience wearing thin. He had built Lancaster Entertainment Group into a global powerhouse, yet his father still treated him like a pawn.
"Understood," Christian said evenly.
Arthur gave a satisfied nod before turning to leave.
Once the door shut, Christian turned his chair back to the city, his thoughts drifting back to Lily.
She didn’t remember him.
She didn’t know that the man who had held her in his arms last night was him.
But Christian knew one thing he wasn’t letting her disappear from his life that easily.
Lily spent the next few days in a haze, caught between her exhausting shifts at the café, the cold silence from her family, and the lingering mystery of that night.
The more she tried to recall what happened, the more it slipped through her fingers. Emma had asked repeatedly if she was okay, but Lily brushed it off, pretending it was just another late night she wanted to forget.
But she didn’t want to forget.
She wanted to remember.
Because somewhere deep in her bones, she knew something important had happened.
And for reasons she couldn’t explain, she felt like someone had been watching over her not in a menacing way, but with a quiet, protective presence.
Someone had saved her.
Lancaster Tower – Christian’s Office
Christian sat at his desk, reviewing the final details of the Valdez deal, but his mind was elsewhere.
Lily.
He had expected her to reach out by now, maybe even search for him, but there had been nothing. No sign that she even remembered the night they spent in the same room.
She was going on with her life as if nothing had happened.
And somehow, that irritated him more than it should.
"Sir?"
His assistant, Julian, stepped inside. "Your father has arranged another meeting with Valdez. He wants you to bring a date."
Christian let out a slow breath, his father’s words still echoing in his mind.
"Find a wife or I’ll find one for you."
He had spent years carving out his own identity, proving himself beyond his father’s influence, yet Arthur Lancaster still had the power to manipulate situations to his advantage.
Christian hated being backed into a corner.
But if there was one thing he hated more it was losing control of his own future.
And right now, there was only one woman on his mind.
He reached for his phone and dialed a number.
"Find out everything you can about Lily Edwards," he said. "Where she works, where she lives, and how she spends her days."
He was done waiting for her to come to him.
If she had forgotten that night, he would remind her.
And he had every intention of making sure she never forgot him again.
- Writer
