After Chris's teasing comment, Lily tried her best to avoid eye contact, focusing intently on each workout he showed her. Still, she couldn't help the way her heart fluttered every time he came close to adjust her form or demonstrate a move.
Just as she was starting to relax into the routine, a familiar figure entering the gym caught her eye. Lily's stomach dropped as she recognized Michael Thornton, the lawyer she'd hired two weeks ago to help her get out of her marriage contract with Chris.
Her mind raced. What was he doing here? How could she explain that she no longer needed his services, that everything had changed? The memory of Chris's kiss last night, tender and full of love, made her current situation feel even more complicated.
As they finished their workout, Lily quickly gathered herself, hoping to slip away unnoticed. But as she headed toward the shower room, she heard footsteps behind her.
"Lilliana Smith?" Michael's voice called out quietly.
Lily closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. There was no avoiding this conversation. She turned to face him, acutely aware of her sweaty workout clothes and disheveled appearance.
"Mr. Thornton," she acknowledged, keeping her voice low. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."
"I've been trying to reach you," he said, his professional demeanor slightly at odds with the gym setting. "I have some promising leads."
Lily felt a knot form in her stomach. Just two days ago, she would have been overjoyed to hear those words. Now, they filled her with dread.
"About that," she began, glancing nervously over her shoulder to make sure Chris wasn't within earshot. "I think we need to talk. Things have... changed."
Michael raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Changed how, exactly?"
Lily took another deep breath. How could she explain that her fake marriage had somehow turned into something very real?
Lily noticed a shift in Michael's expression, a grim determination settling over his features. "You really need to see this," he said, his voice low and urgent.
Before Lily could protest, he was guiding her into the shower area room, his grip on her arm gentle but insistent. Anxiety churned in her stomach, warring with an unwelcome curiosity about what could be so important.
Once they were alone, Michael pulled out his phone, his fingers moving quickly across the screen. "Look at this," he said, turning the device toward her.
Lily's breath caught in her throat. The screen showed Chris, but not the tender, loving man she'd come to know. This Chris stood in a room filled with weapons - sleek, high-tech arms that looked like something out of a military operation.
"So what?" Lily managed to say, even as fear crept up her spine. She tried to keep her voice steady, to sound unconcerned, but her heart was racing. Why the hell was he holding such dangerous weapons, as if he was gonna shoot up people with it?!
"This was taken at 4 AM this morning," Michael explained, his voice urgent. "In a warehouse near this hotel. Do you understand how dangerous this man is? I know he's charming, Lily, but do you see what I'm trying to tell you?"
Lily swallowed hard, forcing herself to meet Michael's concerned gaze. "So what if he does this?" she said, hating how her voice trembled slightly. "I don't care."
But Michael wasn't finished. He scrolled to another clip, and Lily found herself watching Chris again, this time in conversation with two men she didn't recognize. Their voices came through clearly on the recording.
"It worked perfectly," one of the men was saying. "Bringing her to the Stockholm meeting yesterday."
Chris nodded, a satisfied smile on his face that Lily had never seen before. "It gave us the leverage we needed over the business. Having Lily there was... advantageous."
Lily felt as if the floor was tilting beneath her feet. She reached out to steady herself against the wall, her mind reeling. The words seemed to echo in her head - "advantageous," "leverage." Was that all she was to him? A business advantage?
"Just find out, Lily," Michael urged, his voice softening with sympathy. "Find out why Chris married you in the first place. You're finally close to him now, right? Use that to your advantage. Discover the truth. Only then will I too be able to help you get out of this contract."
Lily stood there, feeling as if her world was crumbling around her. Just hours ago, she had been in Chris's arms, believing in his love, feeling cherished and protected. Now... now she didn't know what to believe.
Memories flashed through her mind - Chris's tender kiss, his gentle touches, the way he looked at her with such intensity. Had it all been an act? A carefully orchestrated performance to gain her trust?
But then she remembered other things too - the weapons in the warehouse, his mysterious business dealings, the cold calculation in his voice as he discussed using her presence at the meeting. How could she reconcile these two versions of Chris? Which one was real?
"I..." Lily's voice cracked, and she had to take a deep breath before continuing. "I don't know what to think."
Michael placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know this is hard to hear," he said gently. "But you hired me to protect your interests, and that's what I'm trying to do. Chris Eaton is not who he appears to be. Eaton's themselves are very dangerous, the whole world knows it."
Lily nodded numbly, her mind already racing ahead.
"What should I do?" she whispered, hating how lost she sounded.
"Get close to him," Michael advised. "Find out his true motives. You're in a unique position now - use it. But be careful, Lily. Very careful."
As Lily left the shower room, her legs feeling like lead, she felt as if she was walking in a dream - or perhaps a nightmare. The Chris who had held her so tenderly last night, who had caught her when she stumbled this morning, seemed like a different person entirely from the man in those videos.
Yet as she thought about it, there had always been an air of mystery about Chris, hadn't there? After all, Eaton's were drug lords and kingpins. Expecting them to be ethical was foolish.
Now, standing alone in the hotel hallway, Lily felt tears threatening to fall. She blinked them back furiously. She needed to be strong now, and needed to think clearly. If Chris was using her, she had to know why. And if the man she'd fallen in love with was just an illusion... well, she'd have to face that too.
But first, she needed answers. And to get them, she'd have to do the hardest thing of all - pretend that nothing had changed, that her heart wasn't breaking with every beat.
…
Lily stepped out, her hair still damp from the shower. Her heart was racing, but not from the workout anymore. Chris was already there, looking fresh and way too handsome in clean clothes, his own hair wet and spiky.
"Hey, sweetie. Looking so fresh now," he said with that smile that used to make her knees weak. Now it just made her wonder if it was real or just another lie.
Lily forced herself to smile back, channeling all her hurt into determination. "Yes, I am, thanks to your training." She took a step closer, looking up at him through her lashes. "I wonder what else you have to teach me," she added with a wink, though her insides felt like they were on fire with anger and pain.
Chris's eyebrows shot up, surprise flashing across his face before his lips curved into a knowing smirk. "Well, well. Looks like someone's feeling brave today," he teased, his voice dropping lower as he moved closer. "I might have a few more... lessons in mind."
"I bet you do," Lily replied, her voice honey-sweet while her mind raced.
Two could play in this game. If he was using her, she'd turn the tables. She'd find out the truth about him, no matter what it took.
Chris reached out, tucking a strand of wet hair behind her ear. His touch was gentle, just like last night, and it took everything in Lily not to flinch away. "Careful what you wish for, sweetie," he murmured. "You might just get it."
Lily leaned into his touch, even as her heart screamed in protest. "Maybe that's exactly what I want," she whispered, watching his eyes darken with interest.
Inside, she was screaming. How could he act so normal when he'd been handling weapons just hours ago? How could he touch her so tenderly when he saw her as nothing but 'leverage'? But on the outside, she just smiled, already plotting her next move.
Chris Eaton might think he was the player here, but Lily was done being just a pawn in his game.