Chapter 6

Lily's POV

I casually picked up the menu. "What's good here?"

Leonard chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "The pasta here is fantastic."

He studied me for a moment, then added:

"You know, Lily, among all the Sterling brothers, William is actually the most impressive. Since becoming CEO, he's achieved a lot, landed several major projects, and stabilized the company's growth. He's steady, excellent, and has principles. Worth considering as a priority."

I nearly choked on my water, immediately showing a look of resistance on my face.

"Impossible, Leonard. Why would I be interested in a human ice block? This guy barely speaks, and when he does, it feels like every word costs him a million dollars."

My flirtation with William this morning was purely to provoke him. The thought of being with someone so cold and restrained made me shudder.

Leonard burst into hearty laughter.

"Is this lady protesting a bit too much?"

When I glared at him, he raised his hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright. What about the others? Thomas is smart but cunning—always scheming something. Henry has charm but lives in the spotlight. Samuel seems kind, but there's something calculating beneath that smile. And Michael..."

He made a face and didn't finish.

"Is a self-important little asshole." I completed for him. "Yes, I noticed."

After lunch, we returned to Sterling headquarters, and I spent the entire afternoon in the security office with Leonard, catching up and exchanging stories about mutual acquaintances in Silicon Valley.

Meanwhile, William finished his meetings and returned to his office, curiosity driving him to inquire.

"Where is Miss Reed?" he asked his assistant.

"Still in the security office, sir. She's been with Peterson all day."

William frowned. Something was off. This girl had claimed to be most interested in him this morning, yet spent all day chatting with an elderly security guard instead of trying to get to know him. What game was she playing?

After a moment's consideration, William made a decision.

"Look into Leonard Peterson's background. I want to know everything about him. And bring Miss Reed to my office."

"Right away, sir."

When the assistant came to get me, I took my sweet time walking to William's office, deliberately stopping to admire the artwork in the hallways and chat with random employees.

By the time I reached the corner office, nearly fifteen minutes had passed.

I sauntered in without knocking, surveying the immaculate space of glass, chrome, and spectacular Manhattan views.

William sat behind his massive desk, expression as inscrutable as ever.

"You summoned me?" I asked lazily, settling into a chair without waiting for an invitation.

William's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.

"If my father finds out you spent all day in the security office instead of with me, he'll think I'm neglecting or mistreating you."

I immediately perked up, a mischievous smile spreading across my face.

"Oh my God, you're absolutely right!"

I exclaimed loudly, releasing my inner drama queen.

"I should call Walter right now and tell him how you abandoned me all day! How cold and distant you are! You dumped me with security while you went to important meetings!"

William was completely stunned by my performance.

"I'm kidding."

I added with a smug smile.

"Relax, William. Your father knows you're busy running a multi-billion-dollar company. I'm a big girl—I can entertain myself."

William pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly regretting calling me upstairs.

Without another word, he turned to his computer and started typing, effectively ignoring me.

"Really?" I said, crossing my legs. "You called me up here just to ignore me?"

He continued typing, not even glancing my way.

"Fine." I said irritably. "Two can play this game."

I pulled out my phone and opened my favorite battle royale game, deliberately turning the volume to maximum before starting a match.

Gunshots and explosions filled the previously quiet office.

William's typing paused for a moment, but he said nothing.

Ten minutes into the game, my teammates proved to be complete idiots.

I could no longer control my frustration.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I shouted into my headset. "You're feeding kills to the enemy faster than Amazon delivers packages! Jesus Christ!"

From the corner of my eye, I saw William's head snap up, clearly shocked by my outburst.

"Use your hands, not your feet!" I continued berating my hapless teammates. "I swear you're just a respawning minion with better graphics!"

As my tirade continued, I caught William's reflection in the glass wall.

His lips were pressed into a tight line, but there was something in his eyes... was that amusement? Or exasperation?

My opponents started fighting back with insults, their voices coming through my phone's speaker so loudly that William could clearly hear every word.

I noticed William's shoulders tense.

He was probably regretting bringing me to his office more with each passing second.

This was way too much fun.

He must be thinking I actually hate him instead of liking him as I'd claimed this morning.

But so what?

At least I was entertaining around William, even if that entertainment came at his expense.

When my game ended (in miserable defeat thanks to my useless teammates), William had finished whatever work he was doing. He stood up, grabbed his coat, and gestured toward the door.

"We're leaving," he said simply.

I lazily stretched and slowly closed the game.

"That was fun. We should do this again."

"Go wait in the parking garage," he instructed, his tone making it clear this wasn't a request. "I'll be down shortly."

"Boring man," I shrugged, walking toward the elevator, feeling quite pleased with myself.

Provoking William was becoming my favorite new hobby.

As soon as I left, William's assistant entered his office.

"Sir, I've found the information you requested."

William listened intently as his assistant revealed that Leonard Peterson was indeed no ordinary security guard.

He owned numerous properties in prime Manhattan locations and was worth billions—apparently a property mogul who enjoyed playing security guard out of boredom.

"What about his relationship with Miss Reed?"

"Still unclear, sir. They seem familiar, but I couldn't determine how they know each other."

William nodded, deep in thought. First Lucas Wright from Azure, now a billionaire masquerading as a security guard—Lily Reed's connections made no sense for a supposed country girl from Vermont. Her background was clearly more complex than it appeared.

However, William reminded himself, this wasn't his concern.

As long as Leonard Peterson posed no threat, Lily's mysterious relationships weren't his problem.

He was simply fulfilling his father's wishes by spending time with her, nothing more.

Everything was just to complete the task.

I waited in the car for nearly fifteen minutes before William finally appeared, his expression dark as he got into the driver's seat.

"Well, look who finally decided to show up," I teased.

"Took you so long? Did something... interesting happen with your assistant?"

I raised my eyebrows suggestively, then dramatically looked at my watch.

"Though, never mind. That was too quick. Guess you're not very good in that department, huh? I know a doctor who treats that kind of thing... very effective!"

William's face darkened with anger and disbelief.

He started the car without a word, his knuckles white on the steering wheel.

"Still not going to talk?" I continued pressing, enjoying his discomfort too much. "Cat got your tongue?"

"Not talking means I'm right about your... performance issues, doesn't it?"

"Could you stop talking?" he finally spoke, his voice low and controlled.

I grinned and leaned back in my seat.

"Nope. Better get used to it, William. I have a feeling we're going to be spending a lot more time together."

As we left Sterling headquarters, I couldn't help wondering what William had discovered about Leonard.

Whatever it was, it seemed to have piqued his interest in me...