Chapter 20 20

Chapter 20 20


Lily stood in front of Claire’s apartment door, her hand raised, ready to knock. But before her knuckles could touch the wood, the door flew open.

Claire stepped out halfway, keys in hand, clearly in a hurry. “Ugh! I need to go pick up that package before…”

She stopped mid-sentence.

“Lily?”

For a second, both of them just stared at each other. Then Lily’s face crumpled. Without warning, the tears came. Claire’s expression changed instantly.

“Oh my God! Lily?”

Lily didn’t say anything. She just stepped forward and the moment she crossed the threshold, she started sobbing. It wasn’t the quiet or controlled kind of sobbing. This was raw, messy and uncontrollable.

She had tried to put up a brave face in Kyrian’s house, before Tracey and Kyrian while she was dying within her.

Claire dropped her keys without a second thought. Whatever it was she wanted to pick earlier could wait, but Lily couldn’t.

“Hey, hey… come here,” she said softly, pulling Lily into a tight embrace and shutting the door behind them with her foot.

Lily clung to her, her body shaking as everything she had been holding in finally came pouring out. Claire didn’t interrupt her. She didn’t try to stop her. Instead, she allowed her to let everything out and cry to her fill. It was only when her sobs died down that Claire spoke.

“Shhh…. It's okay,” Claire murmured, rubbing her back gently. “What happened? Talk to me.”

It took a while before Lily could even form the words. Claire waited patiently, as if she had the whole day. She led her to the couch and sat her down, then disappeared briefly into the kitchen. She returned with a glass of water and placed it into Lily’s trembling hands.

“Drink,” she said softly.

Lily took a small sip, her breathing uneven. Claire sat beside her, watching carefully and closely.

“Now, tell me. What did Kyrian do this time,” she asked, refraining from calling him the names she believed he deserved.  

Lily let out a shaky breath and then she told her friend everything, leaving nothing out. From the moment she arrived at the house, to Tracey’s fake fall, to Kyrian’s accusation. Then to the way he looked at her like she was the one at fault and finally, the slaps; the two hot slaps.

“And then, I just left,” Lily finished, her voice breaking again.

Claire stared at her, taking some time to process everything she had heard and also gathered her thoughts.

For a brief moment, something flashed across her face. She wanted to tell Lily that she told her so, that she warned her. She wanted to tell her that she had seen this thing coming, that it was as clear as day.

But Claire swallowed it. This wasn’t the time. Instead, she leaned forward and pulled Lily into another hug. 

“It's okay. It's all in the past now.”

Nothing impressed Claire more than the two slaps Lily gave Tracey. She only wished she had given her more! 

“That man doesn’t deserve your tears, wipe them off, dear.” She pulled back and cupped Lily’s face gently.

“Listen to me. You are not going back there ever again. Do you understand?”

Lily nodded weakly.

Claire studied her for a second, then sighed. “Alright. The crying session is over.”

Lily blinked.

“What?”

Claire stood up abruptly and clapped her hands once. “We don’t have time for this. You have to work. We focus on our career, no more of Kyrian.”
Lily nodded then she looked down at herself. The outfit she had picked from the wardrobe back in her room in Kyrian’s house was extremely unfit for the office.
“I..” she stared.
“Don’t worry,” Claire cut in, already moving towards the bedroom. “I’ve got you. But hey, that slap to Tracey was very impressive. Next time, slap both of them cos they need it,” she joked and Lily burst out laughing.
Claire had always been one to love people getting paid in their own coins.
A few minutes later, Lily found herself standing in front of the mirror while Claire fussed over her like a stylist on a mission.
“Ugh! I’ve not had breakfast, Claire,” she whined.
“Shhhh! We are picking a perfect outfit before anything else.” 
“This one,” Claire continued, holding up a fitted blouse. “And this skirt. Perfect for the day.”
Lily didn’t argue. She had breakfast and once more returned to Claire. She let her guide her, change her, fix her hair and adjust her make up just enough to hide the evidence of her crying.
“Chin up,” Claire said, titling Lily’s face. “You’re not some broken woman. You are a strong working woman.”
Lily forced a smile. Claire handed her a pair of heels. “Now go. And don’t let anyone mess with your head today.”
Lily grabbed her bag. “Thank you.”
Claire waved her off. “Go girl! Now, off you go before you’re late.”

By the time Lily arrived at Markonsic solutions, her heart was still unsettled but she had managed to pull herself together.
The building stood tall as always, its glass exterior reflecting the morning light. She checked the time. 7:30 am. She wasn’t late. In fact, she made it on time.
But the moment she stepped into her floor, something felt different. She slowed down. Her eyes moved instinctively towards the CEO’s office. That was when she noticed it.
The glass wall that had always been transparent was now completely covered. The blinds were drawn shut, sealing the space behind it.
Her brows pulled together. This had never happened before. The CEO was around. Was she late for work? Had her time confused her? Her eyes flicked to the wall clock.
7:35 am.
Her wristwatch was correct after all. It was too early.
“Does he not sleep? Or does he live here?” She muttered under her breath.
 She adjusted the strap of her bag and walked towards her desk, but her attention refused to stay where it should. It kept drifting back to that office. There were some questions running through her mind. What kind of person comes this early and closes himself like that? What kind of person was the CEO?
She was still pondering on the person behind that door when the door opened. She watched closely as the handle turned slowly and the door swung open with authority.
A man stepped out. She recognized him immediately. He was the same man from the interview, the one who had spoken to her at the roof top like he was doing her a favour. The arrogant one.
She blinked twice. what was he doing here? He looked exactly the same; composed, confident and annoyingly calm. As if he belonged and owned where he stood.
Lily straightened instinctively.
“Good morning,” she said, forcing a polite tone. He glanced at her.
Lily cleared her throat. “Are you working on this floor?” Her tone was neutral but her eyes scanned him unconsciously.
He didn’t look like a cleaner. Definitely not! Not with the perfectly clean and ironed suit he was wearing. Maybe he was a new secretary? Or… some assistant?
She tilted her head slightly. “I didn’t see you around before,” she added. Before he could respond, the manager’s voice rang out from the hallway.
“Boss! Good morning, sir!”
Lily turned. The manager hurried towards them, almost jogging. His posture was straight but his face was tense. To Lily’s complete shock, he stopped in front of the man and bowed. Deeply, respectfully and at a ninety degrees.
“Good morning, Sir,” he repeated.