CHAPTER 10: Lily’s Solution
Ethan’s POV
The boardroom hummed with muted tension as I scanned the new proposals Dominic Blackwood’s team had just presented. Sitting across the sleek glass table, Dominic exuded his usual cold confidence, but I could sense the irritation simmering beneath his polished exterior.
He had a reputation for being calculated, never letting emotions seep through, but today, there was something different about him–a sharpness to his gaze that made me sit up straighter.
I leaned back in my chair, forcing a calm smile as I pushed the documents away. “Mr. Blackwood, these terms are still not acceptable. You know as well as I do that this land is prime real estate. The value is far higher than what you’re offering.”
His jaw tightened. “It’s a fair price, Sterling. More than fair. And you’re well aware of it.” He replied in that haughty tone that always irritated me so very much.
I smirked, the power in this negotiation firmly in my grasp. “Fair is relative. I think we both know my business doesn’t settle for anything less than top profit.”
His eyes narrowed, the intensity behind them cutting through the polite mask he wore. I wanted him to slip–make a scene, show the anger he kept locked in. I wanted him to snap and make a scandal. “I’d think you’ve made a lot of profit over the last couple of months.”
For a brief moment, his tone unnerved me, something about the way he spoke, something about the knowing look in his eyes unsettled me, but I recovered quickly, sitting forward and resting my elbows on the table. “I’m an ambitious man, Blackwood, I’m hardly ever satisfied with my profit.” I countered, letting the smugness drip from my words.
The corner of his mouth twitched, but he said nothing. He closed the folder in front of him with deliberate slowness, the sound of the leather snapping
shut echoing in the room.
As he rose from his chair, he adjusted his cufflinks and leaned forward just enough to invade my space. “I wonder how ambition will serve you when your dirty laundry starts showing up in the tabloids,” he said, his voice low and razor–sharp.
Something about the way he spoke–the certainty, the promise, it was as though he actually had dirt on me. A cold chill ran down my spine, but I
refused to let it show.
“Careful, Blackwood. Accusations like that could backfire.” I warned, trying to turn the tables on him.
His smirk was infuriating as he straightened. “Then you have nothing to worry about. It’s not like there’s proof that could implicate you lying around.”
I watched him leave, the door clicking shut behind him. My fingers gripped the armrest of my chair as his words replayed in my head. Did he know? Had Victoria foolishly told someone what had happened? She wouldn’t risk a scandal, would she?
The thought tightened my chest with anger.
Later, I stood in my office, phone in hand, pacing. I didn’t care who saw me from the floor–to–ceiling windows. This was too important to wait.
The line clicked, and Victoria’s voice, hesitant yet determined, answered.
“What do you want, Ethan?” she asked, her voice heavy with exhaustion.
‘You know exactly what I want,” I snapped. “Delete the video, Victoria. Now.”
There was a pause, and I could hear her shaky breathing on the other end,
“No,” she said, her voice firmer than I expected.
My grip on the phone tightened. “Don’t play games with me. Do you realize what this could do to both of us? You don’t want to be dragged into this mess any more than I do.”
‘I’m already in the mess, Ethan,‘ she shot back, her voice cracking slightly. “You put me here.”
I exhaled harshly, trying to keep my temper in check. “How much do you want? Tell me the number, and I’ll wire the money right now. Just delete the damn video.
Her laughter, bitter and filled with pain, echoed through the line. “You want to buy my silence with the money you stole from me? I knew you were
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CHAPTER 10: Lily’s Solution
shameless, but I didn’t think you were shameless and stupid.” She spat. “You’ll pay for everything, I’ll make sure of it.”
I clenched my jaw, the nerve of her igniting a fire in my chest. “You’re making a mistake, Victoria. You think anyone will believe you? You’re nothing without me.”
Silence followed, thick and tense, before she spoke again, her voice quieter but unyielding. “Maybe I am nothing, Ethan, but that only means I have nothing to lose.”
Before I could respond, the line went dead.
I stared at the phone, anger boiling over. How dare she hang up on me? She was supposed to be weak, malleable, not this defiant shadow of the woman I’d once controlled so easily.
Desperation clawed at me as I dialed another number. This time, the voice that answered was smooth and composed.
“Lily,” I said, my tone sharp.
“Darling,” she purred. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to steady my breathing. “We have a problem.”
“Victoria?” she guessed instantly, her voice laced with amusement.
‘She has a video,” I admitted, pacing again. “And she’s threatening to use it. I’ve tried reasoning with her, offering money, but she’s not budging.”
Lily was silent for a moment, and I could almost picture her sitting back, twirling a strand of her perfect hair as she calculated her response.
And what exactly does she plan to do with this video?” she asked finally.
“Expose me, I said through gritted teeth. “Ruin everything we’ve built. It’s a video of us from the living room the other day.”
She chuckled softly, the sound infuriatingly calm. “Oh, Ethan. You really underestimated her, didn’t you?”
“This isn’t the time for games, Lily!” I snapped.
Lily was a naturally composed person. She had this composure that just couldn’t be broken and at times I relied on it for strength, but right now it was infuriating.
“Relax,” she said, her tone firm but still dripping with confidence. “I’ll take care of it.”
‘How?‘
“You’ll see,” she said simply. “Victoria may think she has the upper hand now, but she’s not as strong as she pretends to be. Trust me, darling. By the time I’m done, she’ll wish she never crossed us.”
Her words sent a chill down my spine, but I swallowed it down, desperate enough to let her take the reins.
“Fine,” I muttered. “Just handle it.”
“I always do,‘ she replied smoothly before the line went dead.
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