Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Lilith
I froze, hand over my mouth, meeting Andrei's gentle gaze. In that moment, nothing else mattered.
Everything that had happened between us flooded back—his kindness, his words, every moment he'd stood up for me. If he were playing me, he wouldn't have given me his mother's most precious possession.
And if I lost him, I thought I'd lose my mind.
"Yes, Andrei. Yes..." Tears streamed down my face as I reached out. Andrei took my hand gently and slid the emerald ring onto my finger.
"It's finally found its new owner." He pressed a reverent kiss to my hand. "Little princess, it suits you. If Mother knew you were her daughter-in-law, she'd be so happy."
"Really?" My heart sank deep into my chest, tears unstoppable. "But if she knew I didn't trust you, that I fought with you—maybe she'd be disappointed. Andrei, I'm sorry..."
"She wouldn't be." Andrei pulled me into his arms.
"My mother died from illness twenty years ago. Not long after, my father died too. When Mother passed, she worried about leaving me alone. Now that she knows I've found someone I care about, they'd only be happy."
His voice stayed calm when he mentioned their deaths, but it stabbed straight through my heart.
I knew that feeling too well. When my parents first died, I'd talked about them the same way—light and casual, as if that could make the grief disappear.
Elena and I once had a happy family, too. Mom would bake sheets of cookies on weekends. Dad would teach us to ride bikes in the backyard. Then one day, death took it all away.
I took Andrei's hand and pressed it to my heart.
"Andrei." My voice came out hoarse. "We're family now. You and me. And Elena. Elena's wonderful—she takes good care of people, and she makes amazing apple pie. Mom taught her. Mom always made me an apple pie for my birthday. After she died, Elena made it for me. Tastes just as good."
Andrei nodded, ruffling my hair. "Then I'll learn from Elena when I have time. I'll take over birthday apple pie duty."
"Deal!" I smiled. "But I can't fall behind either. Tell me what you like for your birthday, and I'll learn how to make it!"
Andrei clearly hesitated. Sadness flickered in his deep blue eyes.
"Can't remember. I stopped celebrating birthdays after Mother died."
My stomach twisted into knots.
"Well, when you remember, just tell me. I'm really good at picking birthday cakes." I kept my tone light, then deliberately rubbed my stomach to change the subject. "Andrei, I think I'm hungry."
"I'll have someone prepare dinner."
Andrei picked up his phone. "What do you want? You really enjoyed that ribeye at Glacier last time."
I blinked. "Does your chef make desserts?"
"My chef can make anything." He finished texting and set down his phone, pulling me up from the chair. "Come on. Dinner will take a while. I'll show you around—this is your home too."
"Okay." I let Andrei lead me, heart fluttering. He said this castle-like manor was my home, too.
Andrei took my hand and led me out of the study. The corridor stretched long, walls lined with exquisite oil paintings.
We climbed the spiral staircase. The second floor felt quieter than the first.
"This is my private area. Only Dmitri and I come up here. Fiona comes up occasionally to clean, but that's it."
He paused. "Of course, our bedroom's up here too. So is Elena's, though her room isn't finished yet."
He pushed open the last door at the end of the hall and stepped aside, gesturing for me to enter.
I walked in and my breath caught.
The room was huge. A white king bed sat in the center, facing floor-to-ceiling windows.
Fresh red roses filled a vase on the nightstand.
A glass wall separated out an enormous walk-in closet with transparent cabinets tall as the wall itself, filled with beautiful shoes and handbags.
Inside hung rows of clothes—casual wear, evening gowns, dresses, and suits.
Looking closer, I realized all the women's clothes were my size.
"How did you know my measurements, Andrei?" I covered my mouth, wide with delight and surprise.
"What do you think?" Andrei watched me with an amused smile. His gaze made me feel like I stood naked before him. When his eyes traveled from my face down my body, goosebumps broke across my skin and wetness flooded between my legs, making me clench my thighs together.
The moment I realized what I'd done, I heard Andrei's low chuckle. Heat crawled up my neck. He was teasing me on purpose. I glared at him and hurried out of the room, starting to explore.
Andrei followed, explaining everything. Finally, we stopped in front of a spacious gym.
"So much equipment! Can I work out here?" I blinked at Andrei eagerly. I didn't want to be mocked for my body anymore. At the very least, I couldn't embarrass Andrei.
"Of course you can." Under my expectant gaze, Andrei nodded. But just as I was about to step inside, he pulled me back with a smile. "But not now. Dinner's ready."
"We should head down. I'll have them add some equipment you need in here. I'll train with you next week?"
"Yes!"
We descended from the second floor and crossed the great hall toward the dining room. I held Andrei's arm, my steps much lighter than before.
Passing through the corridor, I glanced outside.
On the lawn, two guards in dark uniforms walked side by side, carrying guns.
"Andrei..." My heart lurched, voice panicked. "They have guns..."
"Don't be scared. That's standard for security companies." Andrei's arm tightened around my waist, his tone calm. "We're far from downtown. Police response takes twenty minutes. Security has to be tight."
"But—" I turned to look at him, uncertain.
"Relax, little princess." He squeezed my hand gently, thumb stroking my knuckles. "Your face is already in the system. You're safer here than anywhere else. Those guns will never point at you."
His voice carried such certainty, it eased my fear. Maybe Andrei was right—this was just standard security for wealthy people. I'd just never seen it before.
"Okay." I exhaled, pushing those thoughts aside.
The aroma of dinner drifted from down the hall—butter-seared steak mixed with roasted garlic and rosemary.
God, was I really about to become this billionaire's wife? It didn't feel real until now, sitting across from Andrei, eating the steak he cut for me.
I felt so happy.
"Andrei, if I turned into a butterfly one day, would you recognize me?" I suddenly wanted to ask.
"Of course. And I'd plant you a garden, just for you—only one butterfly allowed." Andrei smiled. "Why ask something like that out of the blue?"
I cupped my face in both hands, delighted.
It was an old habit of mine—asking these childish questions.
Once, I asked my sister if she'd still love me if I suddenly turned into a caterpillar.
Elena tapped my head and told me to stop thinking nonsense, but in the end, she said of course she'd love me, and she'd knit me a fuzzy nest and keep me forever.
Elena loved me that much. And now, there was one more person who loved me like that.
Our pleasant dinner ended. Andrei told me to wait in the car while he gave some instructions. I obeyed.
Inside, the car was filled with Andrei's scent, as if he were right there.
The smell had become comforting without me realizing.
I inhaled greedily like some kind of pervert, then noticed the scarred, bespectacled driver watching me through the rearview mirror.
He was the man from the office last time.
"Uh... hello, sir." I pushed past the awkwardness and greeted him.
God, I'd gotten too carried away and forgotten he was there. He definitely saw what I did.
"Dmitri." His voice came out cold and hard. Sitting, I couldn't tell his height, but he looked strong—his posture solid as stone, completely still. He didn't turn around, only met my eyes through the mirror.
"I'm Lilith. You probably know that."
"Yes, ma'am. The boss is very fond of you."
"Just call me Lilith." I smiled sheepishly. Despite that scar, Dmitri looked fierce, but he didn't sound scary at all.
Still... how did he get that terrible scar on his face? Thinking about the tight security at the manor, did they get into fights often?
I couldn't help asking. "Dmitri, how'd you get that scar?"
"Got into a fight when I was young and stupid," Dmitri said flatly. "Did I frighten you, ma'am?"
"No." I shook my head. "How long have you been with Andrei?"
"Twenty years."
"Twenty years? Then you must know Andrei really well." I leaned forward slightly, lowering my voice. "Do you know when his birthday is?"
"I do. End of this month. The twenty-seventh."
"Perfect, thank you. Please don't tell him I asked, okay?" I smiled and put a finger to my lips. The moment I finished the gesture, Andrei's voice came through the door.
"Baby, don't get so cozy with my staff. I'll get jealous." He opened the car door and climbed in.
This man's possessiveness never stopped surprising me, but I loved it. I grinned and spread my hands at Dmitri.
"Fine, whatever you say, 'boss'!" I straightened my back, copying Dmitri's rigid, upright posture as I answered Andrei.
I heard a soft laugh from the driver's seat, quickly covered by a cough, while Andrei tapped my head helplessly.
Soon, we reached the hospital. It was late—I didn't want to disturb Elena's rest, so I didn't let Andrei walk me in.
When I got back to Elena's room, she gasped. "Lily! Where did that ring come from?"
"Um... Andrei gave it to me. An engagement ring." I said shyly.
My sister's expression told me she wanted more. She blinked at me, eyes full of gossip. "Go on."
I hadn't seen Elena this energized in ages, so I told her everything about today. She went from alert and wary at first to fascinated, gasping occasionally and muttering about how romantic Andrei was.
"So you had a wonderful time today, Lily. I'm really happy for you." Elena looked genuinely moved.
"Yes, not just today. Actually, I'm happy all the time with Andrei. I think I really like him—no, I love him." I said excitedly.
"That's good... If he makes my Lily this happy, he must be pretty great." Elena squeezed my hand gently. "Maybe I've been worrying too much. Maybe he really can make you happy."
For years, Elena had never changed her pessimistic view of men. But this time, she didn't say anything about husbands changing after marriage. I felt relieved.
This was huge.
It meant her trauma... maybe she was finally moving past it.
"Elena, maybe just hearing me talk isn't enough for you to understand how I feel. At the end of the month, I'm throwing Andrei a little birthday party. Come with me, okay? Once you really get to know Andrei, you'll feel better about him."