Agreement Behind Her Marriage

Kenneth gritted his teeth while clenching his fist in anger.

Because Victor is currently in jail, he goes to their usual hangout to see Jericho and Brian, two of his friends. Besides trespassing, Lily accused Victor of attempted homicide. Due to a positive drug test, the man could not post bail and flee from custody.

Brian Mendoza, who currently holds the title of one of the top-paid models, advised him, “Talk to your brother-in-law. Maybe Lily didn’t tell her husband what we did.”

“Everything that happened to Victor was his fault,” Kenneth snarled before gulping down his wine, narrowing his eyes. The truth was, it was not Victor’s fault. He used his friend to learn Drew’s capabilities. Because Lily and Drew’s home was tightly secured, he couldn’t even approach his stepsister. He’s also aware that Drew is watching them, so that’s another open fact.

He must do something!

He reasoned, “Victor offended Lily’s husband. Everyone is aware that his restaurant triggered the explosion. He could have talked to us and asked for our help, but he chose to test Drew’s patience. Visiting Drew’s residence was the worst thing he had ever done!”

Jericho looked at him perceptively. “But wasn’t this your idea? Didn’t you instruct him to do that?”

“Do not blame me if Victor is stupid!”

Jericho snapped his glass in anger. “Fine! It was his fault, but I’m fucking out! Victor’s problems took up too much of my attention. I’m overwhelmed with work and must secure the general manager position before my brother does. I don’t have time for such nonsense!”

Jericho stood up. Kenneth sneered, pushing his friend in the chest to stop him. “What, huh? Are you now running away from what you did?”

“What did I do? You brought Lily to my stag party! We paid you for that! Don’t try me either, Ken.” He gritted his teeth. “I still believe we’re friends. But allow me to remind you that you brought Lily into our lives so we could destroy her!”

“That’s bullshit! You are just fucking scared of Drew!” He grinned mischievously. “You’re afraid that he might follow you.”

“I. Am. Not!”

They were going to exchange blows when Brian separated them and said, “Come on, guys! We shouldn’t be fighting!”

Smirking at Jericho, he commented, “You’re running a business, but much like in a chess game, Drew is a rook, while you are only a pawn. You were an obstacle in his way, and he could seize you at any moment without your knowledge.”

He undoubtedly bruised Jericho’s ego, as Jericho was on the verge of grabbing his collar if Brian hadn’t intervened. “Calm down!”

Jericho snarled, “I’m out!” as he made his way to the exit.

“Jericho!” Brian continued to call his name to prevent him from leaving.

“Let him go! I’m sure he’ll come back to ask for help,” Kenneth argued. After Jericho had left, fury returned to his body.

Brian asked in a worried tone, “Do you think Lily told her husband what happened back then?”

“I’m not sure. Why? Are you scared?”

“Of course I am! The internet nowadays is scary, and I’m well-known and among the highest-paid models in the business; this could cause a major scandal. I don’t want my past with Lily to suddenly come out.”

“You shouldn’t be worried about it; even if Drew had known, he wouldn’t have done something foolish that could damage Lily’s reputation.”

Brian sighed, feeling as though someone had extracted a thorn from his chest. “I’m leaving, too, as I still have commitments to fulfill.”

Along with Brian, Kenneth also departed. Drew Walton had become a supporter of Lily, which irritated Kenneth. He needed to take action now to win Lily back.

Kenneth rode his motorcycle to the Walton’s office building. Seeing Drew carrying a coffee he had undoubtedly purchased from the shop next to his workplace didn’t dissuade whatever evil thought was going through his head.

Lily’s husband was smiling while looking at his phone. Was he talking to Lily?

‘Lily is mine!’

His gaze intensified as he accelerated his motorcycle to aim at him. However, Drew reacted quickly, halting and letting him pass.

‘No! You can’t avoid me!’

Kenneth grabbed Drew’s coat, clutching it for a few seconds before releasing it. Unaware that the car approaching from behind would collide with Drew, Kenneth witnessed him crash through the windshield of the black vehicle and crumple to the ground.

As the perpetrator, he felt a growing curiosity about his victim’s condition. A few meters from Drew, his motorcycle halted, and the black car’s wheels screeched to a stop alongside it.

“Boss!” someone yelled, presumably referring to Drew.

Just then, he continued driving.

‘See that, Lily? This is all your fault!’

***

In her class, Lily had a calm day. As the student who had paused for four years, she was older than some of her fellow students. She faltered and had to catch up on some lesson material. She kept her distance during class, letting others socialize like she inhabited her own universe.

She didn’t mind at all. What was most important to her was that nobody caused her any issues.

In her third class, a woman sat next to her chair. The young woman sported short hair reaching her collar, donned a vibrant headband and floral dress, and held a tiny bag on the table. Lily thought she looked stylish, considering it an expensive outfit.

“Hi! I noticed you earlier,” the young woman said. “Since the first class, we have been classmates. I was contemplating talking to you because I thought you were b*tchy, but when I realized you were merely aloof, I plucked up the guts.” Her voice was soft and sweet, giving Lily the impression that she was a lovely woman.

Lily’s forehead furrowed. The comment she received was most likely the same as what she heard from her former classmates, but that was long ago. In her current life, people always thought she was either reserved or refined. Perhaps Drew had changed her a bit.

Thinking about him, how was he now?

Lily explained, “I stopped attending school for a while, so I’m still catching up. I also noticed that some of our classmates seemed to be familiar with one another.”

“Oh, I see! We’re in the same boat! By the way, I’m Danica. I transferred courses frequently until I decided to stay at the design school. Nice to meet you!” The young woman smiled sweetly at her, infecting her with a smile.

She made a friend on her first day, which was terrific. “Please call me Lily.”

‘She could help me with other things.’

They found opportunities to share meals during their free time. Danica was easy to get along with, as Lily could tell. Two years younger than Lily, the young woman exuded a positive aura. Lily almost forgot she had only met her new friend a few hours ago.

As the afternoon arrived, she even joined Danica on a trip to a bookstore in a mall to purchase the supplies they needed for their class.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

“Miss Lily!”

She was startled by Orion’s approach while holding the supplies she intended to purchase.

Danica frowned but didn’t try to identify the man. Lily coughed and spun lies to avoid tipping off Danica that she had been under Orion’s watch all along. “He’s my housemate.”

She also didn’t want people to know Drew Walton was her husband. She preferred that Danica knew her as Lily rather than Drew’s wife.

“This is Orion,” she introduced.

“Hello!” Danica grinned and held out her hand. But Orion appeared restless, indicating that something terrible had taken place.

“Miss Lily, I’m sorry, but we have to go.” After saying that, he exited the store with his phone to his ear.

Lily began to feel anxious. There must be some bad news from Orion. She tried to calm herself as she turned to face Danica. “I’m sorry. I think we have an emergency. Let’s meet again at school.”

“No problem! Do you want me to pay for your items?”

“Thank you! I’ll make it up to you. I simply had to leave.”

“No problem! It looks like your housemate is in a hurry. Take care!” Danica waved at her.

Lily hurried to catch up with Orion and found him waiting outside the bookstore. He noticed her and quickened his pace, directing her toward the building’s exit. His rapid strides made it difficult for her to keep up. As they exited the building, Drew’s car was waiting outside, but her anxiety grew when she didn’t see him. She quickly got into the car, with Orion following suit.

She shut the door and asked, “What happened?”

“Boss Drew got hit by a car while clinging onto the motorcycle,” Mark, the driver, replied.

Lily gasped. She was now extremely terrified. “We have to leave! Take me to your boss!”

As the car moved forward, tension surged through her body. She didn’t possess the specific details; her only concern was to find out if Drew was okay. How serious was it that a car had hit him after he clung to the motorcycle?

Upon reaching the hospital, Lily leaped out of the car and started running without a clear destination in mind, not even waiting for the vehicle to be fully parked. Her body continued to tremble, rendering her speechless, and her fear welled up, causing tears to stream down her face. Orion caught up to her and stopped her.

“W-where is Drew?” she asked, appearing lost in thought.

“Miss Lily, calm down,” Orion replied.

He led her in the direction of where her husband was. They encountered Sarah in the hallway, who was also agitated.

“How is your boss?” Lily inquired.

“Boss is currently being examined. We still have no idea about his condition. When we brought him here, he remained unconscious.”

“Why did this happen to him?”

The woman avoided her gaze. “We are short-staffed because one of our secretaries got pregnant. As we were all busy, the boss insisted he would buy his coffee because the shop was across the street. Everything happened quickly, and those who witnessed it said the boss held onto the motorcycle because he was looking at his phone while crossing.”

“I’m sure Drew is not the type of person who looks at his phone carelessly,” Orion argued firmly.

“Well…” They all looked at her in unison. She had texted Drew earlier, for sure!

“Anyway, that’s what happened; when the motorcycle let go of him, a nearby car hit him.”

Lily couldn’t stop sobbing, her only wish being Drew’s well-being. In the midst of her emotional turmoil, her phone rang, displaying an unknown number. She moved aside to answer the call, thinking it might be Danica, who was equally concerned about her, and she accepted it.

“Hello!’ She wiped her tears away.

She heard a highly familiar voice asking, “Did you like my bridal gift?”

Creep crawled over her senses. It’s him-Kenneth!

“Don’t tell me-”

“Yes, Lily, I will tell you! I am responsible for what happened to Drew because you seemed to forget about me.”

Lily tightened her grip. Why wouldn’t Kenneth leave her alone? Knowing the things her stepbrother was capable of, she should have been terrified of him, especially now that he had escalated to the point of harming Drew. But she remembered her husband’s repeated advice. Kenneth exploited her fear and manipulation because she allowed him to.

“Kenneth, I swear to God! If something happened to Drew…” She burst into tears. No! She didn’t want to think about that. But with Kenneth’s personality, she knew he could kill her husband to get her and send her back to hell.

“What? What are you going to do, sister?”

Taking up all her courage, she replied, “I’ll kill you!” That was the first time she threatened him. When she stated it, a fire appeared to ignite in her chest. She cried, “I’ll kill you in the most torturous way!”

There was a brief moment of silence before she heard Kenneth’s ominous laugh. “You now have the guts, Lily. I like it! Unfortunately, this is not the moment for your husband to leave you.”

He ended the call, and the door to the area where Drew was being treated swung open. Lily swiftly concealed her phone, anxiously awaiting the doctor’s update.

However, she gasped, mirroring Sarah and Orion’s reactions, when the first person emerged from the emergency room. Lily’s eyes widened as she fixed her gaze on Kenneth, who emerged from the room donning a hospital gown with his mask hanging on his chin.

Lily froze in sheer horror. It was him! It was Kenneth!

‘How did he accomplish that?’ They finished their conversation through a call less than a minute ago.

“Sister! Luckily, I landed the assignment in the emergency area… I’ve ensured the safety of my brother-in-law, even though he remains unconscious,” he said, smiling at her, his dark eyes conveying a message.

She needed to interpret things in context. Whether Kenneth intends to let Drew live or to harm him depends on his choice as her husband’s doctor.