35. Lily #2
“So interesting that after so many years of friendship, you would distance yourself from us so thoroughly now,” Declan muses, like Darius hadn’t spoken at all.
He casually pulls his phone out, checking something on the screen as a slow smile tugs at his lips.
He looks over at Lottie. “I really appreciate your help in organizing tonight, Lot. It would’ve been awkward if security hadn’t let my guests in. ”
Darius looks between the two of them, unease crawling through his eyes. Silvia runs out of patience, stamping her foot furiously. “Who cares?! Someone get me a towel!” she shrieks loudly, her mascara streaking down her cheeks.
“I've got a great waterproof mascara,” Julie murmurs. “Do you think she wants the recommendation? ”
I send her a grin, noticing she’s cuddled herself back under my father’s arm. “Never knew you had it in you, Julie.”
She frowns, deep creases in her brow as she stares mutinously over at the Huntingtons. “No one messes with my family.” Almost like she just realized what she said, she looks askance at me, unsure. I reach over, grabbing her hand tightly.
“You’re right,” I agree. “No one messes with us.”
Silvia lets out an unhinged snarl of rage. We look over, finding Elena attempting to pat her down with several soggy napkins, but Silvia slaps her mother’s hands away.
Declan catches my attention when he tugs at my waist, pulling me back a step. I look over, about to ask him what he’s doing…
That’s when I see them.
Several men in dark suits push through the crowd.
At first glance, they could’ve passed for guests.
But on closer inspection, their suits don’t match the same quality as those around us, and each of them is wearing a discreet earpiece.
One comes to a stop right in front of Darius, efficiently pulling out a badge and flashing it.
“Darius Huntington?” He waits for a nod of confirmation. “I’m Special Agent Anderson with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. You’re under arrest on charges of embezzlement, wire fraud and tax evasion.”
A hush ripples through the ballroom, even the music coming to a startling halt. Then Elena shrieks, lunging toward her husband, grabbing his sleeve and yanking like she might be able to physically drag him away from what’s about to happen.
Another agent steps in beside her, gently but firmly pulling her back, speaking into her ear.
Once she’s safely out of the way, Anderson begins reading Darius his rights, voice calm and clear, reaching out across the room.
A third agent steps in behind Darius, pulling his hands behind his back and cuffing him.
The fourth and final agent moves toward Silvia. There's a glint of amusement in his eyes as he takes in the state of her, still dripping with champagne.
“Silvia Huntington? You’re wanted for questioning. Will you come with us willingly? ”
She glances around, panic stark on her expression, searching the room like there might still be a way out. Behind her, her mother wails hysterically, one agent still gripping her arm.
“I—”
“If you don’t come willingly,” the agent states, tone sharpening, “we’ll have no choice but to detain you by force.” He tips his head toward her father, standing cuffed and silent, his head bowed. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
“I want a lawyer,” Silvia bursts out, fists clenched at her sides.
“Of course,” the agent replies smoothly.
“You can call one as soon as we get downtown.” He steps aside, gesturing for her to lead the way.
She lifts her chin, mustering whatever dignity she has left as she walks out of the ballroom, leaving a puddle of champagne behind.
We all stand there frozen, watching as two of the other agents march Darius and Elena out behind her.
The first agent, Anderson, pauses at Declan’s side, extending his hand. “Thank you for your assistance in this, Mr. Masters,” he says firmly. “Your cooperation in this has been noted and appreciated.”
“Thank you,” Declan returns easily, shaking his hand. “I know it wasn’t a typical request, holding off the arrest until an event like this.”
A faint smile tugs at the corner of Anderson’s mouth. “Kept things interesting for us, too.” He glances around the ballroom, his nose wrinkling slightly. “Definitely not my scene, though.” Then his gaze lands on Lottie. “Thank you to you as well, Mrs. Gallagher.”
“Oh,” she simpers, placing a hand delicately on her cheek.
“Please, call me Lottie. And anytime you need assistance, I’ll be ready with a helping hand.
” The look she gives him is almost predatory.
The tips of Anderson’s ears flush, and then he’s practically jogging away from us, vanishing into the crowd.
I stare after him, slack-jawed, then turn to Lottie. “Did you just proposition a federal agent?”
She pats down her hair, a secret smile playing on her lips. “Just living my best life, dear. Now, this has been an evening to remember.” She does a sweeping circle, clapping her hands twice, and announcing, “Shows over, folks!”
As if on cue, the music immediately starts back up and the crowd slowly disperses, their voices loud as they dissect everything that just happened, spreading it through the room like a wildfire to anyone who might’ve missed it.
A little while later, most of the guests are swaying on the dance floor while we sit at our table, Declan’s body angled towards me and one arm wrapped around the back of my chair. His other hand has a firm hold of one of mine, thumb rubbing over my knuckles.
“You seriously had it all planned?” I ask.
His eyes glint with mischief. “I had to top our first date, didn’t I?” he murmurs. “I guessed Silvia might do something tonight. I hadn’t planned on leaving your side, but Mom?—”
I press a hand to his arm. “I don’t care that you did. I can handle anything Silvia dishes out.”
“You shouldn’t have had to. Tonight, or over the past year.” His voice is regretful, but he looks over me, his brown eyes warm with affection. “I know you can, though. You’re the strongest person I know, Lily.” He waits a bit, his brows drawing together, before he admits, “You saved me, you know.”
I scoff lightly, looking away from the intensity of his stare, but he insists, “No, I’m serious.
Donald had me tied up in knots, locked down so deeply in his web.
It took meeting you to figure out that I even wanted out, and then it took me another year of moving slowly and carefully to try and wiggle my way out from under his thumb. ”
“You did, though,” I reassure him, gripping his fingers tightly. “You got out.”
He scoffs. “It should never have taken me so long. I was so worried about my family, destroying them, and Nexus. I was worried about you and your family, Hi-Tech. I ended up freezing more often than not, too scared to rip the cord and just—” He sucks in a heavy breath of air.
“I have so many regrets about everything, but falling in love with you? It’ll never be one of them,” he says quietly, eyes blazing into mine.
“You make me want to be a better man—stronger and smarter. I want to deserve you, Lily. And I hope one day, you’ll think that I do. ”
Throat bobbing, I look away. “What do you think will happen to Silvia?”
“You could press charges against her for slander, if you wanted to.” He lifts one shoulder in a casual shrug. “With Darius arrested, I highly doubt that Elena or Silvia will be able to maintain their positions in society.”
“You did.”
He smiles grimly. “Because I made sure I had wealth that wasn’t tied up in Donald.”
I frown. “Are you supporting your mother? Nolan and Darcy?”
“Nolan, no. He has his own trust fund. Darcy does as well, but she’s still in school.
Donald paid the tuition for both me and Nolan, so I told her we’d keep it as it was until she graduated.
” He looks across the table, where his mother is chatting to Lottie.
They’re on the edge of the dance floor, both their eyes fixed on Darcy, who’s dancing with a man around her age.
“I’ve suggested that Mom sell the estate. ”
“That makes sense. You’ve always hated that house, and it’s too big for just her and Darcy.”
“Exactly. If she does, I’ll help her buy something smaller and invest the profit, but I’ll make sure she’ll always be able to live comfortably.”
“What happens if Donald gets out?”
His expression fades into a neutral mask that sends a shiver down my spine.
“That will never happen.” He says it with such certainty that goosebumps lift the skin on my arms and neck.
After a weighty pause, he turns back to me, his smile back in place.
“Don’t worry about all that just now,” he says softly.
“I want to focus on the here and now. On us.”
“Is there an us?” I don’t ask the question to hurt him, but our future still seems so uncertain. If I’m honest with myself, I want to give us another chance, to learn the new man that Declan is becoming, but there's a large part of me that’s still terrified of being hurt by him again.
He watches me, his stare moving from the top of my head to my eyes, the slope of my nose, my lips, heating as they move, committing every single feature of my face to his memory. “I’ll always choose you, Lily. Even if it takes our whole lives for you to believe it.”
Our eyes catch and I don’t look away, thoughts tumbling through my mind like a leaf caught in a strong wind. I love him, I know that, but there’s something holding me back.
I give him a tentative smile. “Should we go get some air?” I tip my head to the glass doors, leading outside to the hotel gardens .
He tips his chin, standing and helping me up.
We walk slowly over to the doors and step outside, the silence giving me a chance to gather my thoughts.
Outside, the breeze is chilled, and he quickly shrugs off his jacket, wrapping it around me.
The patio extends along the entire building, with stone columns along the edge.
Each one is wrapped with strands of glittery lights, reminding me of the gazebo.
It feels symbolic, and certainty settles into my bones.
“Thank you,” I murmur, pressing against his side. We pause next to one of the pillars, Declan leaning against it as I stand in front of him.
“I believe you.” The words escape me before I even realize I’m going to say it. “About you trying to protect my family, and Dad’s company.”
“Lily—”
I talk over him, needing to get this out; knowing if I hold onto it, it’ll never end well for us.
Not if we’re trying again. “And I want to trust you. But you lied for a year, Declan.” There’s a challenge in my stare, but he doesn’t look away from it or try to deny it.
Finally, I admit quietly, “But I understand why you did it.”
Relief crosses his face. “That’s more than I could ever ask for, Lily.”
“Thank you for defending me tonight. Against Silvia.”
“I hate that you think you have to thank me for that,” he says roughly. “I know it’s what you’ve learned after being with me, that it’s my fault, but I hate it.” He looks away. “I saw Silvia coming up to you, but Darcy told me to wait.”
My eyebrows climb my forehead. “Why?”
“She said I needed to stop underestimating you, that you could handle someone like Silvia well enough on your own.” His lips tip as he glances back at me. “She wasn’t wrong.”
Warmth unfurls in my chest, slowly creeping throughout my body, chasing away the icy chill that had settled in the moment I’d heard his voice on that call. But the thought is enough of a reminder.
“You crossed a line with Silvia. Before, I mean. You let her have a place between us, gave her the power to hurt me.” I lower my lashes, not wanting to see his expression.
“You gave pieces of yourself away to someone else while you were lying to me, sharing secrets with her. Calling her names that never should have belonged to her. Trusting her when you never trusted me.” A pause, and then, “Justin is just a friend. How did you feel when you found out I was spending more time with him?”
“You know how I felt,” he rasps out. “Just like you know how I felt about your date that night.” His hands clench into fists, the only outward sign of his feelings.
“A relationship, a marriage, is a bond of trust between two people.” I reach out to touch his hands, and he flips one over, entwining our fingers together.
“If we give this another chance, there can never be another opportunity for me to doubt you. I don’t want to worry about where you are if you come home later than expected, or if you’re on your phone more than usual.
I need to feel secure in us and my place in your life.
I need to know that I hold pieces of you that you don’t—and won’t—give to anyone else, just like you hold those pieces of me.
” I swallow thickly, lifting my eyes to his face, seeing his own hurt staring right back at me.
But I’m done with the pain. We’ve both been punished enough, Declan even more so than me. It’s time to put it behind us, to move forward.
My heart flutters wildly in my chest, but it’s not a bad feeling.
It’s hope.