LILY'S POV

The day went by very quickly, and not once did I stop thinking about Mr. Stone. Something about him made me feel very uncomfortable, but at the same time, I was curious about him. Plus, what Shayna had said kept playing in my mind. Why would he insist that I should be the only one to serve him? Was he trying to test me to see if he would keep me as a staff member? If that was the case, then I needed to make sure that I would not disappoint because if I lost this job, I wouldn't know where to go from here.

By nine on the dot in the evening, Mr. Stone's car pulled into the house. Everybody else had turned in for the night, I had to wait for him to get back. My heart began to beat fast at the thought of seeing him again. Why I had such a reaction to a man I barely knew, I could not understand.

I heard him when he walked into the house, I heard him talking to Duke. I let out a deep breath and then carried his tray of food into the dining room, just as he was sitting down.

“Good evening, Mr. Stone.” I said as I placed his tray in front of me.

“Good evening, Lily.” He said, looking straight into my eyes again. I usually looked away whenever people looked me in the eyes, afraid of what they would see. But I could not look away from him. It was like he had me pinned in place with his gaze.

I nodded my head and was about to turn to leave when he stopped me.

“Sit with me.” It wasn't a statement. He wasn't asking. He was demanding it, and I had no choice but to obey.

With a moment of hesitation, I pulled the chair that was farthest from him, I looked at him and saw him shake his head in disapproval. I moved to the chair closer to him, and he nodded.

“Have you had something to eat?”

“Yes, sir.” I said.

He picked up his fork and began to eat while I sat there awkwardly wondering if I should leave or if he had to dismiss me first.

“Tell me about yourself.” He ordered without looking at me.

I was quiet for a while, thinking about what to say in response to that. I could never tell him the full story, I didn't know him well enough, though something told me that was what he wanted to know.

“I'm from Bradford, but I used to work at a bar in Camden before I came to work here.”

“Camden? That's a dangerous part of town for a pretty little thing like you.” He said with surprise, which was probably the first time I've seen him break out of his icy facade. There was a condescending factor in his tone that I didn't quite like, but would not dare address.

“I was fine.” I told him it came out harsher than I intended it to be.

He stopped eating to look at me. “Then why did you stop working there?”

“Because the pay was not enough.”

He nodded like he was satisfied with that answer. “You're telling a story, but you're not telling me the full story.”

He said, and I did not respond, mostly because I did not know what to say. I didn't care if he was my boss. There were just some wounds that were not worth opening up.

Our eyes locked again, and this time, his burned with intensity and something more. My throat dried under the heavyweight of his gaze. I swallowed and shifted my eyes, unable to hold his gaze anymore.

“You're lying to me, Lily. I don't fancy being lied to.” He said and picked up his fork. “Not even lies of omission.”

I winced at the tone in his voice, but I stood my ground nonetheless.

“I'm not lying.”

“But you are hiding something. Something very, very dark.” He said. “How come a girl who can barely look anybody in the eyes when she speaks ended up in a place like Camden as a bartender. There's a lot missing from that story.”

I clenched my fist with every word that he spoke. He was trying to find it hard to peel my layers and find what I was so careful to hide. All the scars and all the bad memories. He had a dangerous curiosity in his tone.

“There was no other job available, and I needed the money. It wasn't much, but it paid the rent.”

He raised his brow up as though waiting for the rest. “But surely something must have happened to make you work there.” He was trying to see how far he can push me before I break. He didn't know that I would go to any lengths to protect the secrets of my past.

“Tell me something, Lily, and I will need a very honest answer from you.” He said. “Do you promise to be honest?”

“Yes, sir. I'll try my best.”

“Are you the type of person that runs when you are scared?”

The question struck deeper than it should have. I didn't know why he cared so much about my life before here, why it meant so much. I was nothing more than a maid in his house. From what I know, he didn't focus so much on others the way he did on me, and I didn't know whether to be pleased or frightened.

“I don't run.” I said with more confidence than I felt.

“Good.” He murmured. “Because working here won't be easy at all, and I need to know that when it gets hard, you won't leave.”

There was an underlying meaning in his tone. I wanted to ask what he meant, but before I could speak, he stood up. His tall frame towered over me. I stood up too, unsure of what he wanted me to do next.

He moved closer to me, so close I could hear the sound of his breathing. My breath caught, and I wanted to move back, but something kept me there. Was it fear or curiosity? I did not know.

“I chose you for a reason, Lily, and soon, you will know why.”