CHAPTER 11
1359 Words
LILLIAN
“Stop the music!”
My father’s voice boomed across the room, silencing everything.
I looked to where he stood, forcing myself not to glance back at the doorway. But my eyes betrayed me.
And there he was.
Ronan.
He filled the doorway like the evening belonged to him. His hand rested on the curve of the woman beside him—a beautiful woman, and an elegant woman, the kind that could sell out a whole magazine stand in minutes.
My breath hitched, making the glass in my hand tremble.
Why is he here? Why won’t he give me a break?
I won’t let him get to me.
I tore my gaze back to the stage, where my father now wore a full smile.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” his voice rang through the speakers, thick with pride, “we are honored tonight to welcome one of our most distinguished and influential guests. A man whose reputation precedes him. Please raise a toast to Ronan Carter.”
A few heads that didn’t notice his presence earlier on turned around in amazement. Whispers filled the air as applause swelled the air like roaring waves.
A nudge at my side jolted me. “Holy s**t,” Vivian hissed. I hadn’t even realized she was standing next to me. “I promise you, Lily, I had no idea he was going to be here.”
Neither did I.
When I read the headline yesterday, it stated nothing about him attending an event. Not a single hint. But then again, I didn’t read through the whole article.
I pressed my lips into a thin line. My lungs refused to work. His assistant sent an email saying he wouldn’t be in town. In that moment, I felt relief thinking he was oceans away, giving my mind its personal space. And yet—here he was. Not just in town, but at the event that was surprisingly hosted by my father.
This had to be what my father meant when he hinted about a deal between the two of them. If not, why else would Ronan be here?
Ronan was scanning the room. Both young and old women lit up when he nodded at them. But once again, his eyes caught mine.
And for a fraction of a second, my mask slipped.
His smile didn’t falter, but his hand tightened at the woman’s waist. She glanced up at him, uneasy, before adjusting into his grip.
I looked away first, shoving my champagne to my lips like the glass could shield.
“Do you want to leave?” Vivian murmured, her face laced with concern.
“No,” The word came sharply. Pride pinned me in place. “I’m fine. I’m not running.”
My pulse thundered anyway, and Vivian knew it.
The party carried on, people talking and laughing over champagne. Waiters slipping through with trays, glasses clinking as if nothing had shifted.
My heels ache, begging for a seat and a drink stronger than champagne. “Bar?” I muttered.
Vivian’s gaze snapped across the room. “I think he’s coming over here.”
“Who?”
She didn’t answer me. She didn’t have to. Her eyes said enough.
I followed her line of sight.
It was Ronan.
He bent, whispered something into the woman’s ears. Whatever he said made her laugh. She touched his arm and murmured back. He kissed her cheek—then started towards my direction.
I clenched the glass in my hand. What is he doing?
My best friend glanced at me, reading too much in my face, but nodded towards the bar. “Go. I’ll stall him.”
I moved fast, weaving through the crowd, heels striking against the marble like a countdown. My hands were as cold as ice, though heat radiated from the room with too many bodies.
The bar came into sight with few people around it, and the bartender was buried in his work.
Relief slid through me. Finally, I was going to have a second to myself.
But it didn’t last long.
Because he followed me.
Of course he did.
I didn’t have to turn to know it. I felt it. His presence wrapped around me like a shield with thorns.
“So your—”
“Don’t,” I gripped the counter, hard enough that my fingers turned white.
He ignored me, stepping into my space until I could feel the heat radiating from him. His scent was clean and musky, evading my nostrils and maddening my senses as it slipped under my skin like it knew where home was.
“I didn’t know you’d be here,” he said, his voice low and husky.
My jaw locked. And I didn’t know you were a liar.
I really wanted to say those words out loud, but it’s none of my business, so I shut it out.
“You cancelled,” I said flatly, turning to face him with a smile pressed onto my face. “The appointment. You canceled on us.”
A muscle thickened in his jaw. His throat worked as he swallowed. “Something important came up.”
“But you said you were going to be out of town.” I let out a bitter laugh, lifting the glass of martini the bartender just passed to me. I used it to mask the irritation about to spill out of me. “So you understand why I must be confused seeing you here?”
His eyes searched mine, desperate for something, maybe permission? I gave him nothing. The walls I’d built were higher than the ceiling above our heads.
He leans in closer, his voice rougher now. “I promise you, if I knew you’d be here, I wouldn’t have shown up like this.”
My gaze slid past him to the beautiful and sexy woman he walked in with. “Like this?” I scoffed; my voice was cold. “You mean her?”
God, I’m so done with him. He shows up here with Elena Martinez by his side, acting all sweet and lovely, and then the next minute, he's here acting like he lost a bet and was forced on a date with her.
The bartender slid a second glass towards me. I downed it in one go, not caring about the way it burned down my throat. I need it.
He didn’t back down.
“Do you wonder,” he asked quietly, “what would’ve happened if you hadn’t walked away?”
The question lodged in my chest like a dagger, and broke something in me. I shook my head and forced a word out. “Don’t.”
But it came out soft. More of a plea than a command.
The noise of the party dulled, fading into a blur of meaningless sound. For a beat, it felt like time had passed. Like it was just him and me, standing in the battlefield of what we’d never finished.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. And the most terrifying thing amongst all—I wanted to kiss him until the world burnt down.
Instead, I set my glass down too hard, making it rattle against the bar. “Don’t do this to me.”
His jaw flexed. “You think I’m the one doing this?”
There’s more I want to say. I want to explain more. But I can’t. I chose this path so I’ll take whatever it gives me.
“Ready to go, darling?” Elena purred as she looped her hand through his, her smile wide and smug.
He didn’t answer right away. His eyes stayed glued on mine, and in the silence, something passed his eyes. Something I can’t put a name to.
Then he tore his gaze away, the mask he wore when he walked in slipped back into place, and he turned towards her and gave a curt nod.
She tugged him toward the crowd, making sure he’s attention stayed anywhere but on me.
And when I turned my head, my blood turned to ice.
My father was standing at the far end of the room.
Watching.
Watching us.
- Writer
