Page 132 of A Convenient Secret

He glowers at me before he takes her hand, kissing it. “It’s a surprise.”

Celeste and Lily return, and my attention moves from my brother. Lily’s face is white as she keeps looking over her shoulder.

“Are you okay?” I help her to her seat.

Her eyes dart around before she gives me adistracted smile and then shakes her head. “It’s nothing. I thought I saw someone.”

I look around for… I don’t know what.

Whoever she thinks she saw changed her demeanor; her eyes are roaming around with something akin to fear in them. Her shoulders are tense, and her jaw is set so rigid it must hurt.

An urge to wrap her in my arms is overwhelming. I’m about to drag her out of here when she puts her hand on my thigh.

Seeking comfort? Or calming me down?

I cover her hand with mine, and she exhales a long breath, giving me a quick smile before she turns to the table.

“Since this circle is quite tight, and I know I can explicitly trust most people here and hopefully, by extension, all of you…” She takes another fortifying breath.

“What’s going on, Lils?” Saar frowns.

“You might hear things about me soon. The photos of me, the public appearances… Anyway, I want you to know the basic story before it gets out of control.” Her hand quivers in mine.

“Lily,” I utter, not knowing what’s going on but wanting to help somehow.

She gives me another tight smile. “I came to New York to hide from my family.” She speaks softly, butwith confidence. “My family runs a successful business, and it became a point of competition between my father and his half-sister.

“All the business affairs are under my father’s control. After my brother had a fatal accident, my father essentially lost his heir. Enter the spare. I was only seventeen at the time, and I dropped everything to step up.”

The table is absolutely silent, everyone listening to her story, our meals untouched. For them, it’s a tale of her past.

For me… I’m waiting to see how it connects to her scars. How it connects to our future.

She shakes her head like she needs to clear her thoughts. “I’m making it sound like a sacrifice. It wasn’t. I was interested in the family business, and to be honest, my brother’s tragedy was an opportunity for me, as bad as it sounds.

“I wouldn’t get that opportunity otherwise. Maybe some position within the company, but not a CEO gig. Anyway, I was enrolled in an MBA, and I started working for my father, being groomed to take over, and—”

I squeeze her hand to ground her. She’s blabbering again. The gesture gives her pause, and she smiles at me, flips her palm, and weaves her fingersthrough mine.

“Obviously, that didn’t sit well with my aunt, and the intrigues, very common in my family, escalated. It got to the point when I felt my life was in danger. It sounds dramatic, but where I come from, appearances matter, but behind the scenes, all gloves were off.”

“That’s horrible.” Concern mars Celeste’s face.

“You’re so brave.” Saar reaches over Corm to rub Lily’s shoulder. “Do you think they might have seen the pictures and know where you are? You are safe with us.”

It’s my job to comfort her. I wish I could hug her and tell her everything will be okay, but I need to respect her need to talk things through about us first.

As much as I’d like to snatch the mic and sing it to everyone, in the meantime I squeeze her hand.

“Jesus, I thought my family was a nightmare.” Cora lets out the air from her cheeks.

“I told you now because I trust you. I told you because you know me as Lily Thorne, and I hope you will continue to see me as her—”

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming.” My mother’s voice descends upon the room, and everyone’s attention turns to the podium. The worst timing ever.

“That’s why the article upset you so much,” I whisper. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it scared you.”

Her cousin almost got her killed. She must havebeen terrified that he would come after her since the piece came out. I had it taken down, and I thought that was it, but I never even thought… Fuck, I’m failing her already.