Three

Lily's POV

I was wide awake. Laying on my bed and looking up at the ceiling. At our family.

Mom, Dad and me.

I still remembered that day when we had taken that picture. We had gone off to the beach and stayed in one of the cabins there. I still remembered when a crab had bitten my finger and I had cried. And I still remembered how my mother had shushed me and how my father had bought me a stick of candy floss to make me smile.

That crab bite had hurt a lot. Stupid crab.

A smile crept up on my face. Even if the crab bite was painful, it was still the best day. And then mom had asked a random girl to take our picture. Mom and Dad were looking in the camera, while I was looking at them.

I had only been four back then. Just four and so young.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

I hadn't known if I should've gone back to the bakery. I wasn't even sure if Steve would've wanted me back again after my sudden outburst yesterday. I had just ran off, without giving him any explanation.

And I was sad too. I had hoped Grandpa would've woken up. But he had just made a slight movement. And that, didn't mean anything. When I had heard this, all of my hopes had crashed over me.

"You shouldn't keep your hopes high, or else when they fail, you feel like you're drowning."

I was worried for grandma. She hadn't eaten anything since grandpa had gotten admitted in that hospital. For the first time, I could feel the whole burden of it. The burden of my life. And it felt heavy. As if I might break any moment.

Why was this even happening?

The sudden ringing of my phone interrupted my thoughts. Glancing over at it, I decided how I really didn't want to answer it. Whoever that it was.

But it kept on ringing. Again and again until I let out a groan and picked it up, answering the call.

"What is it?" I snapped, which I shouldn't have.

"Are you okay?" Stella asked.

Of course I wasn't.

"I'm fine, Stella. Just a bit tired." I lowered down my voice.

"And cranky." She added, though she sounded confused. "Aren't you coming to the bakery?"

"Would Steve even want me back after I just ran off?" I asked.

"Of course. I mean, he was confused when I told him how you left but it was all handled. You can't just give up." She replied.

I know.

"I'll come then." I closed my eyes.

"But the timings for the day shifts are over, just head over there at night." She said.

That was fine with me. At least that way, I could get some sleep.

×××××

Ace's POV

I went ahead and threw open my curtains as morning light entered through the big glass windows.

Her eyes.

I was trying so hard to get her image off my head. Any way that I could just forget her.

How could I?

The way her eyes shone. The way she smiled. The way her hair fell on her shoulders. It was so striking. She was the first person who ever brought my attention. She was quite hard to ignore. And yet, she was beautiful.

But she had ran off all so suddenly. What haf happened? What had been so important that she had left?

Yesterday had been a tiring day. Especially going through that bastard, Daniel. Just thinking about him grew this strange anger inside me. He thought that he could take that contract so easily.

Well, he was wrong.

Going through my way wasn't considered that easy.

I sat down on the couch, dragging a hand through my hair. Lily. That was her name.

How could I even forget her?

Unconsciously, I found myself dialing Steve's number on my phone. He picked up after the second ring.

"Hello. Steve speaking." He answered.

I picked up a pen and clicked it. "Steve. How's your business going?" Steve was a nice, old man. He was like my father.

"Ah, Mr Morwood! Good to hear from you. Of course of course, the business is going smooth. Since you helped with the documents." He laughed.

A small frown formed on my forehead. "Stop calling me that, Steve." I muttered. "You know you can just call me Ace."

"I'll keep that in mind." He chuckled.

Here it goes.

"I wanted a favor from you, actually." I added, coming to the point.

"Of course. Ask anything." He said. I leaned my head back against the couch, a small smile forming on my lips. You could almost hear the confusion in his voice.

"What can you tell me about your new waitress?" I asked.

He was silent for a moment.

"Lily? I don't have much information about her. Other than she needed a serious job." He still sounded confused.

That wasn't much. I needed to know everything about her. For instance, why did she ran away yesterday.

"Who do you know, that could tell me more about her?" I asked.

There must be someone.

"Ace, why are you so eager to know about her?" He asked.

"Don't worry about that, Steve."

He took a sigh and replied, "Okay, her friend, Stella. I could give you her number."

Her best friend. Surely she'll know.

"Ask her to come by the Stone Enterprises." I stated. "Evening, that is."

×××××

"Sir, there's a girl named...Stella. She's asking to meet you. Should I send her up to your office?" I held the intercom to my ear as I heard my receptionist, Samantha's voice.

"Send her up in my office." I said.

A bit later, a girl came inside. A typical blonde you'd usually see here in New York.

She entered my office and took in the surroundings. I was used to this. Whoever came in here, they looked at it as if this was a palace. It slightly annoyed me.

But she quickly overcame the surprise and looked at me. "You know, this place is really cool and all. But I'm not here for a tour." She spoke. "What do you really want?"

Quite clever. I raised me brow and leaned back in my chair, "I want you to tell me about your friend, Lily."

The look on her face was priceless. I might've even asked her to sit down when she paled. "What...do you mean?"

I took my phone out and unlocked the screen. "I need you to tell me about Lily." I repeated.

Why was she taking so much time?

She slowly shifted from one feet to another. "How do you know about Lily? That she's my friend?"

I inhaled deeply losing the only bits on patience I had within me. "I have my own sources. Can you come back to my question?" I asked. I was trying to be polite. As polite as I could've been.

But I guess, that wasn't in my blood.

She shook her head in slight determination. "I'm not telling you anything about her. No way in hell would I do that."

A smirk placed itself on my lips. "Lily Willows, isn't it? I can most definitely find her address very easily. You want me to do that?"

I saw her stiffen slightly.

"How do you know her last name?" She asked, curiosity quite evident in her voice.

How was I not supposed to know it?

"Sources." I kept it short. She didn't need to know about everything.

"Last chance. You either tell me what I ask about her. Or–"

"Fine." She blurted out before I could've completed that sentence. Threatening people was so much easier. Something I was quite used to.

"Why did she leave yesterday?" I straightened up, placing my elbows on the glass table. "From that café."

Her eyes widened slightly. This time, however, she didn't ask me how I knew that all.

"Her grandfather." She murmured, looking around once again. The look on her face told me clearly how much she wanted to kill me. Then herself. "He's not fine. He had a stroke. And well, he's in coma right now."

What?

"What do you mean he's in coma?" I asked with a frown. "Aren't the doctors–"

"Not everyone is as rich as you." She glared at me. I clearly remembered how pissed off I got when somebody tried cutting me off. But right now, all I could think about was her.

And so I ignored her remark.

"I have better work to do than being here." She started backing off. I didn't stop her as she went towards the doors and left silently.

Lily.

I knew what I had to do.

×××××

Lily's POV

"Hey, Lily?" Stella spoke up suddenly as we walked alongside each other. We were walking in the park just beside my house. The moon shining brightly above us.

Stella had told me how she needed to talk to me after my night shift at the café. I had agreed.

Though she had been looking nervous the whole time. Something was definitely going on with her. But I didn't have to push her. I never had to. She always told me herself if anything was bothering her. That's why she was my best friend.

"Yeah?" I asked, looking at the two children running around.

She was fidgeting with her fingers nervously. I wasn't surprised as a strange feeling clawed in my stomach.

She was making me nervous too.

"If I did something bad, you wouldn't be mad at me, right?" She asked. Hope was evident in her voice. That kind of triggered more nervousness inside me. What had she done that she was practically asking for my forgiveness?

"That depends." I shrugged. I was trying my best not to show it on my face.

She remained silent after that. We stopped near a big old tree but she still didn't say anything. I finally opened my mouth to ask her but she just interrupted me,

"Itoldaboutyoutohim." She blurted out, then scrunched up her nose. "I mean, Itoldhimaboutyou."

I looked at her with furrowed brows. "I can't understand you, Stella."

She looked at me with worried eyes before blowing out a sigh. "He was asking me about you. He asked me why you had ran off yesterday. I told him about your grandpa."

What?

"Who are you talking about?" I asked, confused and a bit scared. My heart was beating a bit fast as I took it all in. She told a stranger about my grandpa?

She looked apologetic. "Ace."

Ace?

"Who is Ace?" I asked.

She frowned. "The same guy who you were about to take the order from, yesterday at the café. But you got a call and threw your book on his table and left."

He was Ace? But-

"Is he that Ace? Ace Morwood?" My eyes widened in shock as realization hit me.

That's why Steve was calling him Mr Morwood.

Stella only nodded in response.

"Why would he ask about me? And why did you tell him? You were the one who told me he was dangerous!" I started freaking out.

She was the one who had stopped me at the first place to ask any help from him. How could she become a traitor all of a sudden?

"He wanted to know, Lily. And...he knew your last name. If I hadn't told him, he would've found out himself."

I looked at her in bewilderment.

"I'm sorry, Lily. I really am." She added.

I looked at her, feeling my stomach knotting itself inside me.

"It's...fine." I murmured, looking away. "Just don't go around telling random strangers about this, okay?"

I wish I could've blamed her for what was coming my way. But I didn't know what was coming.

And I surely couldn't have guessed it either.