Lily had always known that in the modern age, phones were the portkey to everyone's secrets. As she paced their hotel room that evening, her mind raced with possibilities. If she could just get into Chris's phone, maybe she'd find the truth she was looking for.
She crafted her plan carefully. When Chris returned from his afternoon meeting with his business friends, she'd create a distraction. Something that would make him let his guard down.
The door clicked open, and Chris walked in, looking tired but still devastatingly handsome in his suit. Lily's heart clenched, but she pushed her feelings aside. She had a mission.
"Rough day?" she asked, moving towards him with a smile. She reached up to loosen his tie, letting her fingers trail down his chest.
Chris's eyes darkened. "Getting better by the second," he murmured.
As she pressed closer, her hand sneaked towards his coat pocket where she'd seen him slip his phone right before he left her in the hotel room. Just a little further...
Suddenly, the world spun. Chris grabbed her wrist, twirling her around until her back was pressed against his broad chest, his sturdy arm wrapped firmly around her waist.
"Nice play, sweetheart," he whispered in her ear, his breath hot against her skin.
Lily shuddered, fear trickling down her spine. "I was just—"
"Meeting with Michael Thornton?" Chris finished for her. "Discussing those weapons you saw me holding in that video? Planning how to get out of our contract?"
Lily froze. "How..."
"I've been monitoring your phone, darling. And his." Chris's voice was calm, almost gentle. "I've been monitoring you since the day we met. Even before you had your plastic surgery to get beautiful."
The truth hit Lily like a physical blow. She wrenched herself free, turning to face him with tears clouding her vision. "Okay, I understand," she said, her voice shaking. "I understand that I've always been playing a game I was gonna lose anyway." She blinked hard, forcing the tears back. "But do tell me..." Her voice cracked, and she had to swallow before continuing. "If... umm..." She looked up at him, vulnerability and hurt raw in her doe-brown eyes. "If you're trying to use me for your business purposes."
Chris's expression softened slightly, but his piercing blue eyes remained unreadable. He reached out to touch her cheek, and Lily hated herself for leaning into it, even now.
"Oh, Lily," he said softly. "You still don't understand, do you? This was never just about business."
"Then what is it about?" Lily demanded, feeling braver now that her secret was out. "The weapons, the meetings, using me for 'leverage' – what am I to you, Chris? A pawn? A convenient tool?"
Chris's hand slid from her cheek to cup the back of her neck, and despite everything, Lily felt that familiar spark of electricity at his touch. "You're so much more than that," he said, his voice low and intense. "But you're right about one thing – this is a game. And sweetheart?" His grip tightened slightly. "We're just getting started."
"Whatever game this is, I'm done!" Lily shouted, her voice cracking with emotion. "You can keep your secrets and your weapons and your schemes. Just let me out of this contract. I don't want to see you ever again!"
In two quick strides, Chris was there, his hands gripping her shoulders as he pulled her close. His eyes blazed with an intensity that made Lily's breath catch.
"Do you even understand what I'm trying to say?!" His voice was low, urgent. "You are more than what you think!"
Lily just blinked up at him, confusion warring with the anger and hurt in her chest.
"Avery Sterling isn't just bullying you for no reason, just because you're ugly. She has an ultimate goal." Chris's grip tightened slightly. "You don't know that yet?!"
"What?" Lily whispered, her anger giving way to bewilderment. Despite everything – the lies, the weapons, the secrets – something in Chris's voice made her believe him. Made her want to believe him.
She searched his face, seeing the urgency there, the need for her to understand something bigger than their complicated relationship. And despite herself, Lily felt her world shifting again, realigning around this new reality.
Chris let out a heavy sigh, his fingers flexing on Lily's shoulders. "You won't understand even if I explain it now," he said, frustration evident in his voice. "Tomorrow, I'll take you somewhere. Then you'll see the truth for yourself."
Lily just stared at him, her mind spinning with questions she was too afraid to ask.
Suddenly, Chris's expression hardened. "For now, I'll teach that motherf**ker Michael Thornton a lesson." Before Lily could protest, he'd snatched her phone, using her face to unlock it. His fingers moved swiftly across the screen.
"What are you doing?" Lily asked, her voice small.
"Exposing a rat," Chris growled, initiating a video call.
Michael's face appeared on the screen, his professional demeanor faltering as he recognized Chris. "Chris Eaton?!..."
"Save it," Chris cut him off, his voice ice-cold. "I know you're working with Avery Sterling, trying to manipulate my wife. This is your only warning – stay away."
Lily's eyes widened. Michael... working for Avery? The same Avery who'd tormented her, made her life hell? Her legs felt weak as the implications hit her.
On-screen, Michael's face had gone pale. "I don't know what you're talking about," he stammered, but his eyes darted nervously.
"Really?" Chris's smile was dangerous. "Should I remind you about the meeting you had with her last week? Or the money she transferred to your offshore account?"
Michael's facade crumbled completely. "Chris Eaton, please... I was just following orders with my business..."
"Following orders to manipulate an innocent woman? To make her doubt herself, doubt me?" Chris's voice was deadly quiet. "Consider our warning delivered. Cross us again, and you'll wish Avery Sterling was your only problem."
He ended the call, leaving Lily reeling. Her mind raced back through every interaction with Michael. The concerned looks, the urgent warnings, the videos – had it all been a setup? A carefully orchestrated plan to drive a wedge between her and Chris?
She looked up at Chris, really looked at him. The man she'd feared just moments ago now seemed like... what? A protector? A savior? Or just a different kind of danger?
"Why?" she whispered. "Why would Avery go to such lengths?"
Chris's expression softened slightly as he looked at her. "Because you're more valuable than you know, Lily. And Avery Sterling will do anything to destroy you."
Lily felt lost, adrift in a sea of revelations she couldn't quite grasp. But as she stood there, with Chris's presence solid and sure beside her, one thought crystallized – maybe, just maybe, she'd been fighting the wrong battle all along.