Chapter 5

Lily's POV

The ride back to the Sterling mansion was silent.

William's gaze remained fixed on the road ahead, while my mind raced with questions I couldn't bring myself to ask.

When we finally reached the mansion, I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.

As we approached the front door, Elizabeth's voice drifted from the living room, her tone dripping with that special venom she seemed to reserve just for me.

"Only her second day in New York and already staying out this late playing around," she was saying to Walter.

"God knows who she's been fooling around with. Is this really the kind of woman suitable for our sons?"

Walter's brow furrowed with concern. "I trust Lily is fine. Maybe I should have called..."

That's when William and I walked in. Elizabeth's eyes widened briefly, then narrowed to slits.

"Oh," she said, fake surprise coloring her voice. "So Lily was with William. William has never come home this late before."

The implication was clear: my arrival was the cause of William's first late night home.

I looked at her speechlessly. Such a pathetic trick.

William neither confirmed nor denied this, just stood there with his usual impassive expression.

Walter, however, looked genuinely relieved.

"Lily," he said, his smile warm and sincere.

"About the marriage arrangement, I'm thinking of having you spend time with each of my five sons individually, and then you can decide who feels right to you. Is that acceptable?"

I nodded, not wanting to stoop to Elizabeth's level, maintaining a calm expression for Walter's sake.

"That sounds good."

Elizabeth's lips pressed into a thin line, clearly displeased but wise enough not to directly challenge Walter's decision.

Instead, she shot me a look that could freeze hell.

I met her stare without flinching. Two could play this game, and I'd been playing it longer than she imagined.

The next morning.

Sharp knocking dragged me from sleep.

I groaned and rolled over to check the time: 6:30 AM.

Who the hell was knocking at this hour?

I stumbled toward the door, hair disheveled, eyes barely open, ready to tear apart whoever had disturbed my sleep.

When I yanked the door open, William Sterling stood there, dressed in a perfectly tailored charcoal suit, looking annoyingly alert and pristine.

"Get ready," he said without preamble. "You're coming to the company with me."

I blinked at him, my sleep-addled brain taking a moment to process this information.

Right. Walter's "getting to know each other" plan was starting today.

Apparently, William was first.

"Give me thirty minutes," I mumbled, preparing to close the door.

His hand shot out, stopping the door.

"Fifteen minutes, maximum," he countered, his voice brooking no argument.

But I still took my sweet time.

Shower, hair, makeup, outfit selection—I made sure every step was carefully handled. When I finally emerged from my room, thirty-five minutes had passed.

William was leaning against the wall outside my door, checking his watch with barely concealed irritation.

"You're late," he said as we walked toward his car.

"Really? Didn't notice," I said, pretending not to see William's speechless expression.

Once we were on the road, William thought for a moment before speaking.

"Lily," he said, his eyes never leaving the road, "I'm only agreeing to spend time with you because of Father. I'll take care of you at the company, but I won't like you, and you don't need to try to understand me."

I studied his profile—that sharp jawline, the intensity in those gray-blue eyes, and the precise control with which he handled the sleek car.

Despite his cold demeanor, there was an undeniable magnetism about William Sterling.

A slight smile played at the corner of my mouth. "Is that so? But after observing these past two days, you're the one I'm most interested in. What should I do about that?"

His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.

"I'd advise you not to waste your time."

"Too late," I said, enjoying the flash of annoyance that crossed his face. "I've already decided you're the most interesting of the brothers, and I like interesting."

William's hands gripped the steering wheel tighter, and I suppressed a smile. For someone so controlled, he was surprisingly easy to provoke.

When we stepped out of William's car and entered Sterling Group headquarters, all eyes turned to us. Conversations stopped mid-sentence, and the usual office buzz diminished to a whisper.

"That's her—the country girl Walter arranged for his sons."

"God, look at those legs. Completely different from what I imagined a country person would look like."

"So what if she's pretty, she's still just a hick. What could she possibly understand about our world?"

I kept my expression neutral, pretending not to hear the not-so-subtle comments. Years of experience hiding in plain sight had taught me how to become invisible when necessary and hyper-visible when useful.

William handed his car keys to a security guard, and I froze.

The uniformed man was none other than Leonard Peterson—a billionaire worth dozens of billions, now apparently working part-time security at Sterling Group.

Probably just bored and looking for something to do.

"Lily!" Leonard's face lit up with genuine joy. "What a surprise!"

William looked between the two of us, confusion clearly visible on his usually expressionless face.

"You know each other?" he asked, his tone curious.

"Old friends," I said quickly. "William, you go ahead upstairs. Leonard and I will go park the car."

Without waiting for his response, I jumped into the passenger seat while Leonard got behind the wheel. The last thing I saw before we drove off was William's shocked expression, clearly unaccustomed to being so casually dismissed.

Leonard and I spent the morning in the security office. He filled me in on his latest tech investments while I carefully avoided revealing too much about my current situation with the Sterling family.

"So," he said, eyes twinkling with amusement, "the great Lily Reed is choosing a man from the Sterling family? I never thought I'd see the day."

I shrugged. "A promise is a promise. My father asked me to honor this arrangement."

"Is that the only reason?" he raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"What other reason could there be?"

He just laughed, not believing my feigned innocence for a second.

When Leonard's shift ended at noon, we headed to a small Italian restaurant around the corner.

I'd barely sat down when my phone rang with an unknown number.

"Come to my office for lunch," a cold, familiar voice said without any greeting.

"William?" I asked, though I knew exactly who it was.

"Who else? Fifteenth floor, corner office."

I glanced at Leonard, who was studying the menu with exaggerated interest.

"Thanks, but I'm already having lunch with Leonard."

What followed was such a long pause that I thought he might have hung up.

"You're refusing me?" William finally asked, obvious disbelief in his tone.

"Yes. Enjoy your lunch, William."

I hung up, suppressing a smile as I imagined William Sterling, the CEO, processing the fact that someone—especially a "country girl"—had just refused him. And for an elderly man, no less.

Leonard set down his menu, eyes twinkling with mischief.

"That was William? He sounded a bit unhappy, didn't he?"

"Apparently, I'm supposed to drop everything and run to his office when summoned. Like a good little dog."

Leonard chuckled.

"Sterling men aren't used to hearing the word 'no.' Especially William."

He studied me for a moment.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

I smiled innocently. "I don't know what you're talking about."

But of course, I knew exactly what I was doing. What could be more interesting than watching a cold, aloof man like William get flustered?