Without giving it a second thought or caring about the ingredients scattered across the table, Lily grabbed her phone and ordered some fast food to be delivered. When Maxwell Thornton returned home, anticipating a taste of her cooking, he was greeted by the sight of her lounging comfortably on his sofa. In her left hand, she held a glass of Coke, while her right hand raised a slice of pizza, which she took a happy bite out of, savoring the taste in front of his full-HD TV.
Maxwell glanced at the messy coffee table in the living room and nearly fainted. He felt defeated—had he found a girlfriend, or just invited trouble into his life?
Maxwell casually draped his jacket over his wrist, rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt elegantly, and stood there, staring at the woman eating. Then he glanced around the room and asked, "Where's Liam?"
“Emily took the little one on a trip for a few days. They'll be back soon,” Lily replied, offering Maxwell a slice of pizza. "Want some?"
“You didn’t cook?” Maxwell raised an eyebrow at the chaotic mess on the coffee table and sofa, unsure of where he could even sit.
The culprit, however, flashed a bright smile at him. Lily confidently said, “I don’t know how to cook. Cleaning all day left me exhausted, so I wasn’t in the mood to cook. Max, there’s pizza and Coke. Want some? It’s delicious.”
Lily stood up, ignoring whether Maxwell liked it or not, and moved the slice toward him. Maxwell irritably pushed her hand away.
“Clean this place up!”
With that, he turned and headed upstairs. Suddenly, Maxwell felt a sense of unease. Was letting Lily move in with him the right decision, or was it a mistake?
At that moment, Lily looked at the rejected pizza slice and smirked, wondering how long his patience would last.
After a while, she happily stuffed the rest of the pizza into her mouth. Good food shouldn’t go to waste—waste today, and there won’t be any tomorrow. Instead of tidying up, she intentionally kicked over the trash can, a satisfied smile spreading across her face as she patted her hips and headed upstairs.
Apart from Maxwell’s room, the only other bedroom in the house was hers. Lily had just undressed and stepped into the bathtub when Maxwell unexpectedly barged in.
“Lily Bennett, I told you to clean up—”
“Aaah!” Lily quickly ducked, submerging herself in the bathtub. “Don’t you know how to knock when entering someone else’s room?”
Maxwell showed no intention of leaving, though, lazily collapsing onto a chair beside the tub and watching her with interest as she sat in the water, only her head visible.
“This is my house. I can enter any room I want. No need to knock.”
Lily knew there was no arguing with this man, so she resorted to giving him a pitiful look. “Well, can you at least turn around so I can get dressed?”
“What on you haven’t I already seen?”
Seeing Lily’s face redden with anger, Maxwell finally relented and turned away. Once she was finished bathing, Lily quickly jumped out of the tub and hurried to her room, locking the door behind her. Maxwell stared for a moment, already anticipating her move. After she locked the bathroom door, Maxwell calmly pulled a key from his pocket, unlocked it, and stepped out. Lily, now fully dressed, sat on the bed glaring at him.
Without another word, Maxwell walked out of the room, leaving a single remark in his wake.
“Go clean up the living room.”
After leaving her room, he turned and headed toward the room on the far left of the third floor—the one he had specifically instructed the staff to warn Lily not to enter. It was filled with memories of Monica, the woman he once loved. He didn’t want Lily to see any of it. On the wall, a large TV displayed live footage from Lily’s room, revealing that Maxwell had previously installed a hidden camera there. This was why the second bedroom even existed—he knew she would move in, and of course, no one would want to sleep on the floor.
Lily glared at his retreating figure and snorted, “Pervert.”
In the third-floor room, Maxwell watched through the camera as Lily sat at her vanity, brushing her hair and muttering to herself.
“Entering someone’s room without knocking, opening the bathroom door... such a pervert.”
Her voice, heard through his earpiece, made Maxwell frown in displeasure. He glanced at the monitor, his mind racing. “Lily Bennett, who are you? Are you pretending, or is this the real you?”
On screen, the woman, now wrapped in a towel, sat leisurely on the bed, drying her hair with a blow dryer. Suddenly, she set the dryer down and went to lock the door, clearly afraid Maxwell might sneak in without a sound. Once satisfied the door was secure, she peacefully drifted off to sleep. Strangely, he didn’t disturb her at all that night.
The next morning, when Lily woke up, Maxwell was already gone. It was Trịnh An, the shy assistant, who brought her breakfast. Early in the morning, he arrived with breakfast and then drove her to a modeling club, where she spent the day learning how to walk gracefully like a proper lady. By the time Lily spotted Maxwell’s car pulling up outside in the late afternoon, she was exhausted.
She glanced at herself in the mirror—her long, slightly curled hair was tied back in a low bun, her delicate face was lightly made up, and the champagne-colored evening gown hugged her figure perfectly. Not bad. Lily smiled. She looked so different, almost resembling her mother in her youth. She only had one picture of her mother left, but in that photo, her mother was stunning and radiant. Even though she had abandoned Lily as a child, her image had left a lasting impression.
As Maxwell came upstairs, he found Lily lost in thought, staring into the mirror. He quietly walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and rested his chin on her bare shoulder, gazing at their reflection.
Lily sensed his mood and gently patted the large hand resting on her waist. “Max, do I look beautiful?”
The man tilted his head, seemingly amused by her question, before looking at her seriously and uttering, “Not really.”
Lily instantly regretted asking this clueless man anything. She brushed off his arm and headed downstairs. Maxwell smirked and followed her down.
At the car, she playfully acted like Simon, opening the door for Maxwell. "After you, Mr. Chairman."
Maxwell glanced at her and got into the car. But as Lily bent down, his piercing gaze settled on her neckline, and he grumbled, “No bending down tonight.”
Startled, Lily quickly covered her chest, blushing as she shot him a glare. Pervert.
The drive to the Thornton family estate passed in silence, with Lily choosing not to speak, and Maxwell seemingly uninterested in engaging with her either. It was so quiet that it felt as though neither of them existed in the car.
Angus Thornton, the eldest son of the Thornton family and co-leader of the corporation, was having his grand birthday celebration. Though lavish, no political figures or celebrities had been invited, and especially no media. Lily felt a bit nervous standing beside Maxwell under the dazzling lights of the grand hall, aware that they were drawing attention.
Rows of luxury cars filled the parking lot, and the grand estate seemed to shimmer with gold. A massive crystal chandelier reflected sparkles across the polished marble floors. The men were dressed in formal suits, and even the way they held their glasses reflected the sophistication of the elite. Everything around her was opulent, and the women wore designer gowns. Lily suddenly felt her own dress was too simple for such a grand event. As she entered, hand in hand with Maxwell, all eyes immediately turned to them.
Lida Yang, Maxwell’s mother, wore priceless jewelry, and though she was in her fifties, she carried an air of elegance and grace befitting a woman of high society. Beside her stood a young woman in a white lace gown, resembling a princess.
Maxwell gently patted Lily’s hand and led her to Lida. “This is my mother, though you’ve met before. And this is my sister.”
Caliy Thornton smiled and nodded at Lily. “My little brother’s hard to please, isn’t he? If he ever gives you trouble, make sure to let me know. I’ll straighten him out for you.”
Lily smiled and nodded, glancing at the man beside her. Absolutely, she thought. But besides being hard to please, he was also a massive pervert.
Caliy was warm and approachable, much like her gentle and kind appearance. It was easy to feel comfortable around her. Lida, on the other hand, remained emotionless. Neither fondness nor dislike showed on her face as she quietly said to Caliy, “Let’s go greet your father.” With that, she took her daughter’s hand and walked away.
Lily finally exhaled in relief. Before the event, Maxwell had warned her that if she didn’t perform well, their contract would automatically extend by another month. She felt like a fish on a chopping block, waiting to be filleted by the Thornton Chairman. The more humiliating, the better, he had said.
Lily had seen Maxwell’s father in the newspapers and on TV, so she looked up at Maxwell with a nervous expression. "Do all politicians like wealthy, sophisticated women? The ones from noble families?"
When Lily anxiously grabbed the sleeve of his shirt, Maxwell immediately smiled. He gently patted her head, like one would with a child, and softly reassured her, "But not every man likes a woman simply for her wealth and status. What truly matters comes from the heart."
After speaking, Maxwell was about to lead Lily upstairs when they suddenly heard a commotion. A familiar voice could be heard proudly speaking from within the crowd. As Lily turned her head, she spotted a middle-aged man introducing himself as the future father-in-law of the chairman of Thornton Corporation. Her brow furrowed instantly. That man, who had been her father for sixteen years, was the same one who had heartlessly thrown her mother out of the house, and later, did the same to her. Now, here he was, shamelessly trying to claim the spotlight.
Maxwell looked down at the woman beside him. Although Lily's brows were furrowed, she did not appear outwardly angry.
"Do you want to go over there?" He bent down to look at her, his voice carrying a hint of sympathy and tenderness.
But Lily shook her head. Her expression quickly shifted, as though she had just put on a mask to hide her true emotions. Calmly, she said, "He can say whatever he likes." She released Maxwell's arm and wearily added, "I'm going to the restroom. I'll find you after."
Maxwell watched as Lily’s figure disappeared into the crowd, his deep eyes lingering on her retreating back. Meanwhile, standing quietly in a dark corner, Zelda was staring obsessively at Maxwell, not forgetting to follow his gaze as it tracked Lily walking out of the hall. Zelda swirled the red wine in her glass, an evil smile tugging at her lips. She then pulled her phone out of her purse, typed a message, and hit send.
[In the restroom, make your move.]
Seeing the message successfully sent, Zelda smirked. She then removed the SIM card from her phone, dropped it into her wine glass, and placed the glass back on the table. Elegantly straightening her dress, she gracefully walked toward Maxwell.
Lily had only intended to take a brief moment in the restroom to clear her mind. However, as soon as she stepped out, a group of people came up from behind and pulled a sack over her head.