Maxwell Thornton's business trip ended earlier than expected. Lily Bennett knew he was angry about her running away, so this time, she could only obediently follow him back. Maxwell personally drove both Lily and Liam home. Liam, perhaps tired from sitting in the car for too long, fell asleep sweetly in Maxwell's arms.
Maxwell glanced at Lily, who was sitting beside him, and said, "Ten o'clock tomorrow morning, be at my office on time."
"What for?" Lily asked softly.
Maxwell looked down at the child in his arms. "To sign the contract. What if you decide to run away again?"
Lily felt like someone with a criminal record. It seemed the rest of her life would likely be under the tight control of this man, filled with his constant suspicion.
She looked at her son, sleeping soundly, before speaking, "Tomorrow is impossible. My little one mentioned that his piano class starts tomorrow morning. I have to take him to register."
Maxwell suddenly called out to Simon, who was sitting in the front. Simon immediately responded with a clear “Yes, sir.” Then, Maxwell ordered, "Find an excellent piano teacher and give me the details tomorrow morning. Got it?"
"Yes, Chairman," Simon replied respectfully.
Maxwell turned back to Lily. "Any more issues?"
Lily fell silent. It seemed there was no escape from this.
The next morning, Lily arrived at Maxwell's office right on time. It appeared that his assistant had informed the reception desk about her arrival, allowing her to enter the Chairman's office smoothly. However, what surprised her was that all the staff in the Chairman's office were men, even the secretary and assistants. She could imagine the trouble or gossip that could arise when someone of the opposite gender like her appeared here.
Feeling slightly awkward, Lily looked around, only to be approached by a young man with a shy demeanor. He politely said, "Ms. Bennett, please follow me."
Lily smiled and nodded. The young man, with his fair skin and gentle eyes, resembled a girl, invoking a protective instinct in those around him. In fact, Lily had no prejudice against the LGBTQ+ community, but a thought suddenly crossed her mind: Could it be that Maxwell had no intention of marrying because of some hidden reason? Perhaps he was bisexual, able to find complete satisfaction in relationships with both men and women?
If that were the case, it would explain his desire for a marriage contract. He could avoid being forced into marriage by a woman he didn’t love and still freely engage in same-sex relationships without media scrutiny.
Maxwell Thornton, truly a smart man.
The young man smiled and nodded again at Lily. "Ms. Bennett, hello. I'm Ali, the intern secretary for Assistant Simon. The Chairman's office is ahead. Please follow me."
Lily followed Ali to Maxwell’s office. Although his name didn’t stand out, this young man had left a deep impression on Lily from their first meeting.
Ali knocked twice on the door, then bowed and stepped aside. A deep, pleasant voice came from inside. “Come in.”
Lily pushed the door open, only to see Maxwell lounging lazily in his chair, his legs crossed in a graceful, elegant manner. He was glancing down at his expensive wristwatch.
“Five minutes past ten. If I’m not mistaken, Ms. Bennett, I told you yesterday that you had to be in my office by ten. You should be punctual.”
"It’s just five minutes, Mr. Thornton. Aren’t you being a bit too serious?"
Lily carefully glanced around Maxwell's office. The decor was strong and unique, clearly reflecting his personal style. It looked elegant and sophisticated, but perhaps a bit too rigid. Not even a vase of flowers on the table—what a shame, Mr. Thornton.
Maxwell stood up, rotating the laptop on his desk toward her, saying, "Look here. Do you know how much money I can make in just one minute? You’ve wasted six minutes of my time."
Lily chuckled, replying casually, "Really? Your time may be for making money, but mine is spent saving lives. Human lives are much more valuable than your money, Mr. Thornton."
It was the first time Maxwell had been countered so reasonably. She was right, and he couldn’t argue against it. Maxwell laughed. He stepped closer, lifting her chin with his hand.
“Well said. You never disappoint me.”
Lily, not wanting to waste time, pushed his hand away and said coldly, "Can we sign the contract now?"
"Seems like you’re more eager than I am." Maxwell took a key from his pocket, placing it on the prepared contract in front of her. "Starting from today, for the next two months, you will live in my house. To avoid any more tardiness..."
So that was it—all the blame just to lead up to this reason. But what did he mean by living together?
Lily looked at the key resting silently on the contract. She shook her head. "I have a son to take care of, so I can’t move into your house."
"Then bring your son along. Lily, this is the first condition of the contract. I’m asking for your opinion, of course. But if you refuse, you can always pay the three billion in compensation."
Lily gritted her teeth and grabbed the key from the contract, slipping it into her pocket. She then picked up the contract to read. There wasn’t much new—what Maxwell wanted was for her to play the role of his actual girlfriend. He had even thoughtfully added a small reminder at the bottom that "the relationship is based on mutual consent."
Lily didn’t want to waste any more time. She quickly skimmed through it, preparing to sign, but then noticed something odd in the bottom-left corner—an additional clause titled "damages." "The penalty will be ten times the original amount if either party unilaterally terminates the contract." This penalty was definitely the most unreasonable clause she had ever seen in a contract.
Lily put the pen down and looked up at Maxwell. “This damage compensation clause is completely unfair. It makes no sense.”
"Then you pay for it."