Lilly"I'm serious, Mal. He offered me fifty thousand dollars to be his date to this wedding."Mallory and I are seated on the compact couch in our sunlit living room. Lush greenery drapes over every available surface, and the expansive skylight floods the space with daylight. We sit with our feet t
LillyWhen Dante wrote The Divine Comedy, he must have been talking about apartment hunting in New York City. Each apartment we’ve looked at has been more dilapidated than the last, and this one, which is already fifty-five minutes from Manhattan, is surely the ninth circle of hell.Mal squeaks and
"Ah, that. Why does it sound like you'd prefer to be thrown out of a moving vehicle than date me?"I hesitate. I would. I really would. But I can't say that. Not when I need the money."You'll have to do better than that at the wedding," he remarks, the sound of him sipping something audible over th
MichaelThe house I grew up in is stunning. The helicopter lands on the rooftop helipad at the office, giving me a brief aerial view of the old mansion before setting down in a field on the expansive property. Despite the waiting Maybach, I dismiss the driver; I prefer to walk. Somewhere between mil
And now she hates me. My jaw clenches. Fuck Lilly. The traitorous thought worms into my head. I hate the way she makes me crazy. The way she has so much control over me even when she’s not in the room.“I don’t want to talk about Lilly.”We reach the formal garden that leads to the back of the house
LillyIf today is any indication, this won’t be the easiest fifty grand I’ve ever made. The car Michael picks me up in is sleek, black, and ostentatious. While I know little about cars, even I can tell this one cost more than my annual income. His driver opens the door for me, and I slide into the l
A shocked noise tears from my throat when we step onto the tarmac and I see Kings Lilly Capital emblazoned on the side of a gleaming jet.“Private? Do you fly private? This is ridiculous.”“It’s the only way to fly,” he tosses over his shoulder. “But today, we’re actually taking the Pilatus. A much
"A story? Oh, you mean for the dating thing? I suppose so." His voice carries a weary tone, triggering an unexpected wave of sympathy. Don’t pity him. He’s the one who scorched everything around him. It’s not your fault.I can’t help but contrast the person he is now with the one he used to be—unsmi