#Chapter1

Prologue

A man walked out to the balcony to breathe in the fresh air, he really needs that now.

The party was still ongoing but he couldn’t get himself to concentrate anymore, well not until he had seen her on the red carpet and then she had walked in looking as sexy as the devil’s wife. He placed his hand and the bottom of his wine glass on the handrail; he occasionally brought his wine to his lips, taking little sips time and time again.

His thoughts were running wild and he didn’t want it so and he tried to clear his mind, the way she smiled at Xavier hooded his memory and he hated it. He looked back at the room were a lot of people were dancing, some talking and laughing and he spotted her, she was now talking to a man he knows all too well and laughing. He saw the man leaned down and whispered something in her ear and she laughed. His fingers involuntarily tightened on the wine stem that it almost snapped, his knuckles turned white and he sucked in a deep breath to calm himself.

He turned back to the starry night, the moon illuminating everywhere making it look like a fairy tale drawing. The roses grew tall that he could see the buds and the dews in them by just looking straight. But as the roses grew, so was the flowers that he had once loved but have come to hate and he only started hating nine days ago, just the same as her arrival. Lilies, a flower he had loved so much and the scents alone made him feel at peace.

As he stared at the white petals, he remembered that which are often said about lilies, a signification of purity, really? Then what about the woman who was named after them, is she pure? Hell, he doubts that. He doubt’s if lilies are even pure as they said. They are just like white lotus, beautiful and innocent to the eyes but very dangerous to touch and the woman named after it was just as dangerous to the heart as the flowers itself are to the hands. There was absolutely nothing innocent or pure about them, definitely not.

He brought his glass to his lips once more and sipped while staring with hatred at the beautiful white lilies that were growing beside the white roses. Now he hates two things in this hotel, the flower which is haunting his mind while he was outside trying to avoid the woman who is named after them.

He finally got himself to look away from the beautiful but dangerous flowers and looked up at the sky, the moon was full and bright. For a moment it took him back to that night in his mansion when he had kissed her lips for the first time. How innocent and tantalizing she looked and how much she attracted him then.

/"Shane,/" a voice called, interrupting his not so deserved memory. He would have been happy with the intrusion if it was another person that interrupted him but the voice he heard was the voice he knows all too well, a voice he both loves and hates and the first thing that came to his mind was Xavier kissing her knuckles. He took a sip from his wine, ignoring her altogether, she doesn’t worth his time, after all she treats him just as same. /"Why are you outside? I have been looking for you,/" when he said nothing, she continued, /"I came out for a fresh air and wasn’t expecting to see you./"

Shane scoffed, still not in the mood to talk to her. Feeling her hand on his shoulder made him stiffened and she seemed to had noticed for she withdrew her touch immediately, /"sorry about that,/" she apologized. He sighed, his gaze now on the flowers before him, from his peripheral vision, he saw her placing her well pedicure fingers on the handrails and he could see how soft they looked. He hated the urge to touch them, to feel them in his palm, to touch his lips on them just like Xavier did.

He grunted softly and to fight off his urge, he spoke up, /"the party is still ongoing Mrs. Williams, I’m pretty sure someone is already looking for you,/" he hated the somebody that came to his mind but he also wanted to know what her response would be.

Lillian sighed and he turned to her, he finally has the time to study her dressing and not think about her stupid escort which also happened to be her assistant he had seen her with a lot. She was dressed in a black gown with a big opening in the back which if not for her wavy deep brown hair that was covering it, would have been showing off her perfect body but when she moves and her hair sways, he could see that perfectly shaped back, something he had noticed during the time she waltz around the room in the arms of that man.

Her lashes were long and dark, her lips, a bright blood red that entices him, giving her the look of a seductress or maybe the devil’s wife as he first thought off. Unlike her usual thin stature, she was in good shape, her boobs were bigger than he remembered but it fit her body very well. Her gown which was adorned with tiny diamonds on her chest that sparkled under the moonlight was tight around her, enhancing all her bodily features. Involuntarily, he let his gaze trailed down to her flat tummy, her full hips to the opening on her gown which when he first saw her arriving revealed her exquisite leg with each step she took.

He forced himself to look away in time to hear her say, /"you are angry with me aren’t you?/"

Shane turned to her once more, /"Mrs. Williams, I have just met you nine days ago, why should I be angry with you? Or have you done something against me that I don’t know of?/"

/"Shane you know what I am talking about,/" she looked at him, her transparent brown eyes shone off in the moon, he didn’t fail to notice how the moonlight made her skin appear whiter as always. She looked deep into his eyes, only that now she doesn’t look at him with that timid shyness which he loves but with confidence of a fully capable woman who can order people to her feet. How did she change so much? He wondered, /"you are angry, I know you are. But maybe if you let me explain, you won’t be anymore./"

Shane’s lips turned upward, /"what are you talking about Mrs. Williams, what do you want to explain to me?/"

/"Stop talking like you don’t know who I am,/" it hurts, she wanted to add but didn’t, he needs to let her explain, that’s the only way of them solving their issue and what’s with acting like they don’t know each other even when alone?

/"I do know who you are, you are Mrs. Lillian William, widow to Robert Williams. Who doesn’t know you in New York? Your husband’s wealth is known far and wide. In case you don’t know, your husband use to dine with my family when I was a little boy,/" he smiled fully then but there was a touch of pain in his beautiful gray eyes.

/"You don’t need to give me the details, and I would appreciate if you stop addressing me as Mrs. Williams,/" Lillian whispered.

/"That’s like telling me to deny your late husband the right that belongs to him. Which I cannot do, I have respected him all my life and I will still do even though he is dead./"

/"Shane…/" She was saying when someone interrupted.

/"Oh there you are, I have been looking everywhere for you,/" A man said, he was dressed in a black tux as was every other man, his hair was a mixture of gray and black and his black eyes sparkled with intelligence as he looked at Shane, /"Shane Lockwood, how pleasant to see you out here./"

/"Same to you Mr. Smith, but I wonder why you are outside,/" Shane replied with a smile while deep in his heart he just wants to throw him off the balcony.

/"Oh I have just come to fetch this lovely lady, she promised me a dance,/" he looked at Lillian, /"may I have that now my dear?/"

Lillian smiled, her red lips revealing beautiful set of white teeth that charms any man it was directed to and the two men in front of her where not exceptional, /"I’m a woman of my words Jonathan but please allow me to answer to this gentleman before us,/" she turned to Shane with still that same smile, /"alright Shane Lockwood, I will save that last dance for you,/" she turned to Jonathan, /"let’s go have that dance./"

/"With pleasure,/" Jonathan smiled and he opened his arm to her which she looped hers in and together, they walked into the room with Shane staring after her with murderous intent.

The door was pushed open, making the busy man look up, he was surprised when he saw his mother but he only looked back on the document he was walking on.

Margaret marched to his desk, she pulled the chair opposite him and sat down, /"I just got the news, Robert’s wife is in town./"

/"So?/" Shane asked, his eyes not leaving the file in his hand.

/"There are words she wants to sell her husband’s shares,/" now that got him to look up. Margaret sighed, /"believe me, I was surprised too. Robert has been with us since the starting of this company, even though he had never showed his face here but he had never mentioned of not being satisfied with us. The thing is, I don’t care if she wants to sell her shares but it’s who she wants to sell it too./"

/"Who?/"

/"Gray Enterprise./"

/"What? They have been our competitors for like ages,/" he replied.

/"Exactly, if they get a hold of our shares, do you know what that means? Shane, we are not talking about five percents of shares here, we are talking about thirty percent shares. Robert has been like the second owner of this company with us only the president because we hold ten percent shares higher than his. If his reckless widow sell their shares to Gray, do you have any idea what that would do to us? How they would use it against us?/"

/"Hmm,/" Shane looks thoughtful, after a while he smiled, /"I don’t think she wants to sell the shares mom./"

/"What do you mean?/"

/"If she really wants to sell the shares, do you think she will make it known? Or is it possible that Gray’s would release the news when they know we will not allow it should we find out?/"

/"Well this can’t be pure rumors./"

/"It isn’t./"

/"Then?/"

/"I think she wants to draw our attention./"

/"Why would she do that? Doesn’t she want to be mysterious like her husband? Think about it, he was hardly seen outside in years. He got married and he didn’t even invite us, not just us, a lot of his partners. All he did was send and apology basket that his wife wanted a simple wedding. He died and no one attended his funeral, simply because we were given wrong dates. To tell you what, I don’t think that man is dead, I think he wants to stay in the shadows while his wife comes out in the open to run business for him./"

Shane chuckled, /"mom, you are not the type to believe in fantasies./"

/"It’s not fantasy son, think about it. He has not been seen anywhere for fifteen years, he got married and no one has seen his wife except those who were lucky to attend the wedding on his island. Then he died three weeks ago and his wife wants to sell their shares to our mutual enemy./"

/"Calm down mom, like you said, no one has seen her before nor can give account of how she looks. I think she wants us to advertise her./"

/"I don’t understand./"

/"Let’s do it this way, let’s organize a meeting with her. You said she is in New York so it would be easy, let’s talk to her and try to find out why she wants to sell her shares. We have never done anything against her husband so who knows, we might be able to change her mind./"

/"Well, there is no harm in trying. We don’t have to try son, we must change her mind, Gray’s must never get a hold of thirty percent of our shares, do you understand?/"

/"Yes mom./"

/"And if we try the business way and it didn’t work, then you must do something./"

/"Something like?/" He asked, he already has an idea that he would not like what she was thinking.

/"Well, since she is a widow, her husband already so old before he died. I’m sure she would love the idea of a young, handsome, dark haired with beautiful gray eyes man to enliven her moments./"

/"You are not actually saying what I think you are saying, right?/"

/"Come on son, your pretty face can’t go to waste. It’s not like I am telling you to marry her. Just make her happy till she changes her mind or better still get her to sign off her shares to you. Do you have an idea the respect you will have when you have seventy percent of the company shares? Those old fools won’t be able to question your authority anymore or even tell you what to do./"

/"I am not doing it mom, there is no way I am going to play with someone’s feeling./"

/"You are not playing with anyone’s feeling, not when she did the same thing. You don’t think she married Robert because she loved him right? It’s obvious she married him for his wealth and you my dear, is going to be the young blood she had yearned for in years while getting her to sigh off her shares to you. Do you think you would be the only one doing that? I’m pretty sure Simon, Xavier and Andrew will be after her too. There is a rumor she is very young and think about the power she wills. Robert gave her all his wealth, that lady is a walking money tree…/"

/"And we have enough money as it is,/" Shane interrupted, /"those people you mentioned are below us, below me, I don’t have any reason to behave like them./"

/"You are only going to do it to get our company shares, once it’s done you can leave her. I am only telling you to do this because I don’t want her to sell the shares to Xavier, you wouldn’t want her to do so right?/"

Shane sighed, he pinched the bridge of his news, /"first of all, we are going to have a meeting with her, if it doesn’t work, then we can hire a model to carry on with your plan./"

/"We are not hiring any model, you are the perfect candidate for this job. Oh come on Shane, you are neither married nor do you have a girlfriend, it’s not like you will be cheating on anyone./"

Shane sighed, he didn’t say anything but his eyes said a lot and that made Margaret mad, /"oh please don’t tell me that you are thinking about that lowlife girl. Do I need to remind you that she abandoned you when she thought you have nothing? Do I need to remind you how broken she left you?/"

/"Please mom, can we not talk about that?/"

/"Shane, when are you going to get her off your system? She never loved you for goodness sake!/"

Shane heaved a deep sigh, /"you are diverting from the topic, we have a serious issue at hand,/" he licked his lips, /"here is what we will do, we will ask to meet with Mrs. Williams, if she doesn’t agree to our terms, then we will find another way to the get the shares from her./"

/"There is no other way to…/"

/"Mom please, you have brought a problem and we have sorted it. I will have Salina send her an email, hopefully she will reply. Now please go back to your office, I have a lot to do./"

Margaret stared at him for a while and stood up, /"fine then, we will do it your way but if it doesn’t work, we will do it my way./"

/"Till then./"

/"Son…/" she sighed like she had a second thought about speaking her mind, she turned and left the office while Shane rest on his chair. He had his eyes closed and just like always, he saw her, her deep brown hair and her transparent brown eyes, staring at him with so much love and happiness.