Chapter 85

Lily's POV

It had been hours since Nathan left, and I felt like a bird trapped in a gilded cage. Dr. Andrew and all the residents who had been staying in the guest rooms had been moved to the main house, supposedly for "my safety." I knew it was just an excuse—Nathan didn't want anyone here in case someone felt sympathy for me and helped me escape.

I walked to the window and noticed at least ten more guards downstairs, their eyes occasionally scanning up towards the window where I stood. Whenever I moved to another area of the apartment, two guards followed me, as if I might run away at any moment. It made me feel suffocated.

My phone vibrated again, and the screen displayed Jade's name. This was the fifth time she had called today, crying during each call. I took a deep breath and answered.

"Hey, Jade..."

"Lily!" her voice was broken, "Martha just told me, they're planning—they really are going to—"

"Jade, calm down," I said softly, clenching my fists to keep myself composed. "Everything will be okay."

"How can you say everything will be okay?" she almost screamed, "That jerk really wants to hand you over to Moretti?"

I gently placed my hand on my swollen belly, feeling the baby's slight movements. "Trust me, Nathan knows what he's doing."

"That jerk doesn't deserve you defending him!"

I didn't want to argue further, so I changed the subject. "How's Christopher? Any news about him?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end. "No... Nathan has everyone in the dark."

I bit my lip, feeling the worry creeping in again. What if the Sullivan family was using Christopher as a hostage? The innocent child shouldn't be involved in this war. Despite what Nathan said, I feared he might use Christopher against Joseph and Antonio.

Before I could ask more, the doorbell rang. I looked towards the door, where the guards had gone to answer it.

"Jade, I have to go, someone's here."

"Wait, Lily—" but I had already hung up.

Michael and Jake stood at the door, Michael with a serious expression on his face and Jake looking like he had just come in from outside, a few leaves still stuck in his hair.

"Look who's here!" Jake grinned, spreading his arms as if expecting me to jump into a hug.

I mustered a smile. "Hi, Jake, Michael."

Jake shook his head to get rid of the leaves, a few falling onto the carpet. "I'm still covered in these damn leaves, couldn't Nathan find another place? Outdoor surveillance is not my forte."

I couldn't help but laugh and walked over to help him remove a stuck leaf from his hair. "Of course he could, why not? Maybe next time you can suggest he sends you to monitor nightclubs."

"Hey, that's not a bad idea!" his eyes lit up.

Michael furrowed his brow and stepped forward. "She's already had enough trouble, now you're letting her touch your dirty hair?"

Jake rolled his eyes at him. "Relax, Michael, it's just a few leaves."

Michael ignored him completely and focused on me. "Are you okay? Do you need anything? Anything you want to eat or drink?"

His tone was filled with concern, a stark contrast to his usual joking self.

"I'm fine, really, I don't need—"

But Michael didn't let me finish, calling out to the hallway, "Andrew! Can you come here for a moment?"

I sighed. "Michael, if I feel uncomfortable, I'll let you know."

He looked at me seriously. "You didn't do that when you fainted and ended up in the hospital, forgive me for caring about my niece."

His concern touched me, and I softened my tone. "Thank you, but I really am fine. The baby is fine too, just a bit restless."

Dr. Andrew entered the living room, giving me a gentle smile. "Is everything okay, Lily?"

"Everything's fine," I confirmed, "the baby has been particularly active today, but nothing out of the ordinary."

Andrew nodded. "Good, let me know immediately if you feel any discomfort."

I smiled gratefully, and after he left, I turned to Michael. "Do you have any news about Christopher? Is he really okay?"

Michael's expression became somewhat complicated. "He's fine, Nathan ensured he's being taken care of well."

"That's good," I breathed a sigh of relief, "that boy shouldn't be involved in all of this."

We sat on the sofa in the living room, Jake immediately picking up the remote to browse TV channels, while Michael kept his gaze on me, his brow furrowed.

"Have you named the baby yet?" he suddenly asked.

I shook my head. "I promised Nathan he could choose the name."

Michael chuckled, the first time he had smiled today. "That's a bad idea. You know the baby will end up being named Natalie or Natasha, right?"

I laughed too. "Maybe, but at least he should have a chance to suggest a name."

A sudden thought crossed my mind. "By the way, Nathan mentioned he's hiring a female assistant. Do you know anything about her?"

Michael nodded. "Yes, I met her two days ago—she's really nice and pretty—Richard likes her a lot. She'll start working after all of this is over."

My heart sank. "Richard likes her?" I tried to keep my voice steady, but jealousy started to creep in.

"Yeah, she was personally chosen by Richard to take care of Nathan. He said Nathan needs someone to help manage his schedule and handle paperwork so he can focus more on family business and... well, you and the baby."

"I can take care of him, he doesn't need an assistant," I said firmly.

Michael looked surprised, then realization dawned on him. "Oh, no, Lily, you misunderstood! She's a married woman—no threat to you at all. She's around forty, with two kids. Richard really took care in choosing someone, he made sure of that."

"Oh," I felt a wave of relief, "that's good."