~LILY~

"WHERE HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN? Jackson, you said you'd arrive in an hour. Look, it's almost one and a half hours that passed!" Linda scowls, directly at Jackson than at me.

Jack sighs, his cheeks tinging a bright pink. "Linda, look, the ride from JCNP is at least thirty minutes and still, traffic." He says, looking at me from the corner of his eye. "We got caught up with a few things as well. . ."

Oh God, please don't expose us. Or me. . .

Linda narrows her eyes at us, before she sets her gaze back on the woman she was accompanying through the sale deal. The woman is smiling at the six pack stack of books on the shelf that reads SALE with a discount of twenty percent.

"Get to work. The bookstore closes soon. . ." Linda trails, walking off to her customer she left stranded. I giggle softly at how this bookstore is managed. Jack, being the new owner is somewhat irresponsible but it makes him so fun and exciting.

I look up at Jack to see that his gaze is already fixed on me. His brown eyes falls to my lips and bite my lip tauntingly. I notice how his Adam's Apple bobs in his throat and he gulps.

He shuts his eyes, lifting his gaze to the roof before walking closer to me. His eyes open, gazing around the bookstore to see that people really don't care about the mysterious tension between Jack and I. His hand grips my waist softly.

He does something that surprises me and presses his lips on my cheek, close to my ear where he mutters ever so softly;

"I expect another make out session soon."

My body tingles at the proximity between the two of us and the fact that he wants a round two. I don't want him to move. I inhale his scent again, this time, not ashamed or shy. I know he smiled when he heard me silently sniffing him.

"Have a good day onwards, Ms. Wilson. I know I will." And just like that, he is gone. The missing of his hands on me, making me feel cold.

The rest of the day, I couldn't focus properly. I could not stop thinking about Jack and when I got home, it was even worse. Mia immediately noticed something was up but gladly and surprisingly, she never asked or made any comments about my flustered self.

It wasn't until I woke up in the middle of the night when I found her in the kitchen, warming up milk in her cup which had 'you're an amazing wife and mother' printed on it. That was her gift for her fifteenth anniversary from Zach.

"You don't usually smile with a distant look in your eyes when you get from work. It's more like a cheery look with a grin." Mia commented, sipping on her warm milk. "Something happened with Jackson."

I decided to skip the subject, obviously still processing everything myself, yet not regretting it. "I am meeting dad for lunch today."

The glass slipped from her hand and fell against the tiled floor. The hot milk and small shards of glass splattered against my bare foot. I hissed out in pain and my jaw was clenched.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry!" She cried out and I shook my head, using a cloth to wipe away the milk on my feet and the small shards of glass resting on the floor. When everything was cleaned up, Mia looked at me, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "You cannot meet him, Lily. He will only ask for something that will ruin you. Please, understand."

"What will he ask?" I questioned, my brows creasing in anticipation. "Give me a heads up now, Mia. Or else it's too late."

"It's something I have yet come to understand. Mom told me about it, just please, Lily. Understand."

"Mia, I know you're worried and you probably don't like dad but he is probably just going to apologize for not being in our lives."

After that, I left her standing in the kitchen with the mop still in her hand. I spent the last five hours, lying in bed thinking what I was going to say and do when I meet him.

After that, I got ready and Jack was already waiting in the living room. Finally, we got to the restaurant my dad said we'd meet at. He was already seated, a glass of untouched wine in front of him.

He looked almost nervous, fixing his tie or smoothing out his already smoothed out blazer. It was annoying to watch but when I got there, he stopped and I took a seat just when he got up, perhaps to pull the chair out for me or expecting a hug or handshake.

Yeah, no.

So right now, I'm seated and waiting for my dad to say something. I look out the large window to Jack in the car and I smile at him gratefully.

"You look beautiful, Lils!" My dad, compliments, smiling broadly. I resist the urge to get straight to the point because this lunch isn't just for the fun of it. I know I'm being blunt, but this is my dad, a.k.a David. "So mature and grown up!"

I smile at him, not being able to say anything. I take a sip of my water, looking around the extravagant restaurant. Of course he had to pick a very modern and famous outing place. He is rich for chocolate cookies sake.

"You're not talking much, are you?" He asks, scratching the back of his neck nervously. I just nod. "Well, there is something I need to talk to you about, and I hope you will understand how important it is to me. Let's order brunch first."

✎✎✎

David-my dad-stuffs his mouth with every opportunity he gets to speak. I stare at him bewildered, my mouth agape. It's like he wants to say what he wants to say but he also doesn't want to say what he wants to say.

"Um, are you okay?" I ask, raising my brow while taking a bite off of my sandwich. Plain, yeah but he I am not going to let him pay for huge meals, even though the thought of eating his money up came to mind. "You're going to choke if you continue eating like that." I point out and he slows down. "So, can we get to the point please, I have work to be at and I can't afford to lose a piece of my salary."

David gulps down his food, using a napkin to wipe away the sauce from his mouth. He smiles, taking a huge portion of his wine and gulping down it down.

I am not sure if he is nervous or what but I don't have time for this.

"Okay, uhm," Dave says, moving forward with his chair to the table. "You know about my company, Wilson Enterprises, right? Well, the reason why I got together with Emerald is because I was hoping for a heir. A son, to be exact. So that he could take over the company when I retire."

I just nod, not being able to speak or reply to what he just said. I feel disappointed that he is speaking about getting another child with another woman but I refrain from doing or saying anything foolish. Was he just using Em or did they make an agreement of some sort? That shouldn't be on my mind, so I push it to the back.

"Unfortunately, I had an accident-um. . .My. . . You know. . ." He trails, biting at his lip. Once he sees my confused expression, he leans forward, bickering me to follow him. "I-I. . . In my private part." He whispers, looking around cautiously. "I can't have kids. Emerald doesn't know that though."

I am sure my eyes are as wide as saucers. I am so rude that I have curse at myself not to laugh. This feels like The Hitmans Wife's Bodyguard. I clear my throat, wetting my dry lips.

"I'm sorry to hear," I whisper. "What does this have to do with me, though?"

"Well, you or Mia, but Mia isn't. . . You know, responding to me." So he tried to speak to Mia and she never even told me about it? "I need a heir and you're the only one left on my list. It needs to be blood relatives and I-I can't adopt or anything. Em said she doesn't want another guys sperm inside of her."

I frown.

Deep and hard.

Of course what I am hearing is probably a joke, right?

He can't be serious.

He can't expect me to be the heir of his very successful business, right?

I am going to mess up and not only that:

"You come back into my life just to ask me to be the heir of your business, are you serious?" I whisper-yell, not wanting to attract any unnecessary attention. "Is that the only reason you asked me to be here for?"

I hold my tears intact as David raises both his brows. He looks genuinely confused. "Well, yeah. I mean. . . What else would I come here for?"

"I can't believe you! Years! Years without at least a letter and you expect me to fall on my knees and accept your offer? You out of your damn mind if you really think I am going to stand to this offer."

I can't help myself and the use of profanity and my tone surprises me but I don't stop myself from speaking what I should.

I never expected to see my father and this is how our first interracial conversation goes. He disgusts me in ways I never expected a man to, not even my blood.

"Lily, sweetheart. I know this is sudden and I know you are hurt-"

"Hurt? Hurt?! You think I am hurt. I am angry and frustrated. You were never a father to me and now, you want to be the father of the year and offer the company to me. What is this? A sorry gift? Or just because you don't want your hard work to go to waste? News flash, daddy dearest, just because we are blood, doesn't mean you're my father."

I stand from my seat and walk out of the restaurant, my tears freely falling. I know I attracted the attention of almost the whole restaurant but they should see how terrible of a daddy he is.

Daddy issues is the worst.

✎✎✎

"I warned you about him, Lily. He has no heart!" Mia cries out angrily, pacing the living rooms tiled floor. "You just don't know when to listen, do you. Now look, you're crying like a baby!"

I have never seen her this mad about a situation even as remotely as close to this. Not even with my very terrible past relationships. She has never spoken to me the way she is now.

"Mia, I-"

"No, Lily. You need to understand, why else would he come to see you after years of rejection? Do you not see how old he is getting? He needs a heir!" Mia clenches her hands at her sides, looking like she is going to punch someone any moment. I know she would never hurt me. Mia is a good person. "He won't leave you until he has hope and right now, he doesn't. Emerald isn't even that much encouraging. She's only there for the money."

Which reminds me, "why didn't you tell me that he had been calling you? To get ahold if you?" I question, straightening out my back and watching her halt in her stride of paces from under my wet lashes.

Jackson left an hour ago, promising he would be here as soon as he gets off from work. He offered to give me the week off but I declined. I can't get a special treatment just because Jack and I are friends.

"I-Because you were going to ask questions that I probably wouldn't have had the answers to!" She scowls.

I stand from the sofa, pointing an accusing finger at Mia. "You know soemthing I don't, Mia. Why is dad like he is right now?"

"It's not my place to tell." She whispers out lowly.

I grow angry at that. "Than who's place is it to tell!? Mom is no longer with us, Mia! I am not talking to David anymore because he made a fool out of me. He made it seem like it was father and daughter catching up! There is no one else to tell me about whatever is being kept a secret. Whatever it is, I want to know. I am a part of this family, I am apart of all of this. You can't keep me in the dark anymore. I don't just want to know, I demand to know."

Mia looks flabbergasted, as if a celebrity just rejected signing her item in front of the public.

She looks down at her clasped hands, tears streaming down her cheeks. I don't even try to comfort her, though the wanting to comfort her, is strong.

"Mom and Dads relationship was all a lie. . ." She starts, slumping down onto the sofa,w tapping the space next to her. I hesitate for a moment before making myself comfortable. "They made a deal. Mom was very poor, she came from a family where they had to smell if the milk was old or not and then only, would they have of it. Dad, he came from a family with good earned money. It wasn't much, but he had a meal set on the table everyday. They got together and dad promised mom that he was going to have a very successful business one day and he made her promise to impregnate a heir for him."

I don't know if it's good or bad. But I feel like something big is still to come. I'm scared to find out yet I am anticipating it.

"I was born, but I wasn't a boy. Mom and dad had to look after me and then, you were born. Yet, you weren't a boy as well. Dad left after I turned four to find a woman who could give him a son. Mom loved dad and dad loved mom. I don't know what else happened after that but then she passed and we were all alone. I didn't even know dad cared but when childcare came in, he demanded we stay and that he would look after us. So he sent his bodyguards and his PA. He looked over us until we moved out, changed our numbers and bought a house, well, with the help of Nathan."

Oh God, I am going to die of anger and sadness at the same time.

I can't believe their relationship was just a deal. My mom could have found a better guy, who would loved her and treated her with respect.

But she made a stupid deal.

Who cares if I was not going to be here if they never got together, my mom deserved way more than that. She probably passed without experiencing proper love.

I feel so bad and sorry for her.

My whole life is a mistake. I was not supposed to be born because they expected a son.

"So Nathan knew before me?" I ask, almost hurt.

She sighs. "Don't think of it like that, Lily."

All I can think about is that I was a mistake.

✎✎✎