Love, Lies, and Billion-dollar Secrets.

Chapter 5

Lily jerked awake and sat upright so fast the blanket slipped into her lap.

She looked around the unfamiliar bedroom, her pulse racing. A neatly folded midnight-blue gown rested on a chair across the room, and a pair of silver heels sat beneath it. Confusion lasted only a second before memories of the previous night came crashing back—the hotel lounge, the stranger, the rain, and the overwhelming exhaustion that had finally caught up with her.

"Oh no..."

She pressed both hands against her face and let out a groan.

"What did I do?”

The bedroom door opened before panic could completely take over.

The stranger walked in carrying two cups of coffee.

"I figured you'd be awake by now."

Lily looked at him, then at the oversized shirt she was wearing.

Her dress had been neatly folded on the chair across the room.

"You..."

She couldn't finish the sentence.

He seemed to understand anyway.

"You fell asleep on the couch."

She blinked.

"I did?"

He nodded.

"You insisted you were only going to rest for five minutes."

Embarrassment flooded her face.

"I'm so sorry."

"You've apologized three times already, and it's only eight in the morning."

She let out a nervous laugh.

"I don't usually do things like this."

"I know."

"You do?"

He handed her a cup of coffee.

"You spent half the night apologizing for falling asleep in someone else's suite. People who make a habit of one-night stands usually don't behave like that."

Lily nearly choked on her coffee.

"I didn't..."

She looked around the room again.

"So nothing happened?"

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"You were asleep before I finished answering your question about whether pineapple belongs on pizza."

Color rushed to her cheeks.

"I asked you that?"

"You were very passionate about it."

She covered her face.

"Please stop talking."

"I'm considering it."

He was teasing her now.

She couldn't remember the last time someone had made her laugh without expecting anything in return.

After a few moments, she stood and walked toward the chair to pick up her dress.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being... decent."

He studied her for a second before speaking.

"Take care of yourself."

She nodded.

"I'll try."

She hesitated at the door.

"I never got your name."

He looked at her with the same calm expression he'd worn the night before.

"Maybe we'll meet again."

She smiled faintly.

"Maybe."

Then she left.

***

Three days later, Lily stood outside the towering glass building of Kingsley Global.

She adjusted the strap of her handbag and looked up at the company's logo.

She still couldn't believe she was there.

The morning after the gala, she had resigned from Brooks Group.

The board had tried to convince her to stay.

Several executives had called.

Even Damien had sent flowers.

She returned them unopened.

Yesterday, a recruitment consultant had contacted her.

Kingsley Global was looking for a Director of Corporate Strategy.

Normally she would have declined.

Working for Brooks Group's biggest rival sounded like the kind of decision that would dominate business headlines.

But after everything that had happened...

She realized she no longer owed Brooks Group anything.

A receptionist greeted her with a warm smile.

"Good morning. You must be Miss Morgan."

"Yes."

"Please have a seat. The interview panel will be with you shortly."

Lily thanked her and sat down.

The lobby buzzed with quiet activity.

Employees moved confidently through the building, greeting one another with easy smiles.

There was something different about the atmosphere.

People looked busy.

A young assistant approached her.

"Miss Morgan?"

She stood.

"This way, please."

The assistant led her into a private elevator.

Lily frowned.

"I thought the interview rooms were downstairs."

"They are for most candidates."

The assistant smiled politely.

"Yours will be on the executive floor."

The elevator doors opened.

A spacious hallway stretched before them, lined with modern artwork and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city.

The assistant stopped outside a pair of large wooden doors.

"The CEO is waiting for you."

Lily froze.

"The CEO?"

"Yes."

She swallowed.

"I wasn't aware the interview would be with the CEO."

"He requested it personally."

Before Lily could ask another question, the assistant knocked.

A familiar voice came from inside.

"Come in."

Her heartbeat skipped.

No...

It couldn't be.

She pushed the door open.

The man from the hotel looked up from the documents on his desk.

He smiled as though seeing her again wasn't the least bit surprising.

"I was beginning to think you'd changed your mind."

Lily stared at him.

"You..."

He stood and walked around the desk.

This morning he looked nothing like the relaxed stranger she had met in the hotel lounge.

His suit was immaculate.

Every movement carried quiet authority.

The entire room seemed to shift around him.

He extended his hand.

"We never properly introduced ourselves."

Lily looked from his face to his outstretched hand, still trying to make sense of what was happening.

"My name is Alexander Kingsley."

Her mouth went dry.

The name hit her like a bolt of lightning.

The billionaire everyone in the business world knew.

The CEO of Kingsley Global.

Damien Brooks's greatest rival.

She stared at him in disbelief.

"You..."

A slow smile spread across Alexander's face.

"And before you ask..."

He slipped one hand into his pocket.

"No."

His eyes held hers.

"I didn't know who you were that night."

Lily searched his face for any sign that he was lying.

She found none.

Alexander pulled out the chair opposite his desk.

"Now..."

He gestured toward it.

"Shall we start your interview, Miss Morgan?”