Chapter 1 Freedom
* LILY *
I had to tell him. It was now or never. Walking to his office, I pondered all the possible ways he might react to what I was about to disclose. I nodded kindly to his assistant as I made my way into his office.
"Miss Jackson!" His assistant called out to me.
"Lucas..." I called out. He was seated in front of his laptop, most likely in an online meeting. I knew, but I didn't care. "Mr. Hill, a word," I announced, positioning myself a few steps away from his desk. His assistant trailed behind me.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Hill. She... She just walked right past me before I could inform her you were in a meeting," his assistant managed to explain. He let out a long sigh before closing his laptop.
"You may leave, Miss Rose," he said, and quickly she departed.
"What's the meaning of this, Lillian?" His eyebrows knitted together in rage.
"We need to talk."
"Couldn't whatever you want to talk about wait? I'm in a meeting," annoyance clear in his voice.
"No, whatever I have to say must be said now."
"You'll only get two minutes of my time."
"That's more than enough," I shot back before continuing. "I'm breaking off the engagement," I stated firmly. Immediately, his head shot up, locking eyes with mine. It was surprising to find him attractive, He possessed a slight stature, complemented by a chiseled jawline that accentuated his features. His short, rich brown hair added to the enigmatic allure that surrounded him. His eyes, a deep shade of brown, appeared tranquil at first glance, yet held an intimidating quality, reminiscent of a snake's gaze athough he wasn't my ideal type. He stared at me in disbelief.
"Lily, I don't have time for games."
"Who said it's a game? I'm serious, Lucas. I'm breaking off the engagement right here, right now," I announced confidently. But why did he have that grin on his face right now? Did he find this funny? Was I a joke to him?
"And what's so funny Mr Hill?" I asked, feeling anger brew inside me.
"You're breaking off the engagement? Is this a joke?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
"Why would you want to break up all of a sudden?"
"Because I don't love you, Lucas. I don't see us working. Plus, I found myself a job, my dream job, and I want to pursue it," I blurted out.
"You don't love me? And you want to pursue your childhood dreams? Pathetic." He chuckled. "Clearly, you must have hit your head or something. Now listen, Lily, you cannot survive without me," he declared, his words stinging like a fucking bee. He saw me as nothing more than a tool, just like my parents. 'Selfish bastard.'
"Watch me," I threatened before placing the ring he'd given me on his desk and storming out.
The next morning, I woke up to several missed calls and messages from my parents and Molly. I decided to ignore my parents' messages because I knew why they were calling. I opened Molly's message.
"Hey love, how'd it go yesterday?"
"Hey... Wake up already and give your best friend an update."
"Did you tell that jackass off? I bet you did lol, you're a badass."
I laughed as I read her messages. She was a hyper-dramatic best friend.
"Hi, not even a good morning? I see."
"Finally, you're awake. Oh, come on, Lily, I was just super excited to hear about yesterday (pleading face emoji)."
"Alright, I'll let it go this time," I replied with a smile. I loved Molly's energy; she was like the yang to my yin, existing in harmony. I told her everything when we switched to a voice call because I was too lazy to text.
"That's more like it," she said.
"Yeah, at least I got him off my shoulders."
"We need to celebrate!" she announced excitedly.
"I'll pick you up." I assured.
"And please don't wear anything weird," she giggled, referring to the time we had a girls' night and I wore a full costume to a mask party.
"Thanks for the reminder, grandma," I replied sarcastically, and we both broke out into laughter.
"Bye, see you soon."
I was excited to go out and have some fun. I couldn't remember the last time I truly enjoyed myself. “Finally some freedom.” I breathed.
