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Chapter 2 - Chapter 2 – War in the Penthouse

The penthouse was too quiet.

The kind of quiet that made you hear the faint hum of the refrigerator, the ticking of an unseen clock, and the heavy thud of your own heartbeat.

Dinner was waiting on the dining table, steaming plates, expensive wine, and silverware that probably cost more than my monthly rent before this disaster of a marriage. The long table between us felt like a battlefield.

Adrian sat at the head, still in his suit from earlier, jacket off, tie loosened just enough to look effortless. He gestured to the chair at his right. "Sit."

I hesitated, half-tempted to choose the farthest chair just to make a point. But his raised brow told me he would take it as a challenge. So I sat where he wanted, chin lifted.

He poured two glasses of wine without asking. "To new beginnings," he said smoothly, raising his glass.

I picked up mine but didn't drink. "I didn't realize beginnings could also be endings."

His smirk was slow, deliberate. "Everything is both, Lily. Our wedding marks the end of your freedom… and the beginning of mine."

The words stung more than I cared to admit. "Your freedom?"

"Yes." He sipped his wine lazily. "Freedom from wondering if you'll show up in my life again. Freedom from watching you ruin me from the shadows."

I set my glass down with a little too much force. "You really think I ruined you?"

He leaned back in his chair, eyes glinting. "You leaked that story to the press. Don't even try to deny it."

"That's not" I stopped myself. What was the point? He wouldn't believe me. "Forget it."

Dinner became an awkward dance of clinking cutlery and unspoken accusations. He ate slowly, like a man with all the time in the world, while I barely touched my food.

"You'll need to smile tomorrow," he said at one point, his voice casual but commanding. "The gala is important. People will be watching."

I stabbed a piece of asparagus with unnecessary force. "I'll smile. I might even dazzle them."

He chuckled low. "Careful, Lily. When you're too dazzling, men start thinking they can take what's mine."

I met his gaze. "I'm not yours."

His jaw tightened. "We'll see."

After dinner, I escaped to the guest room, grateful for the physical distance. The room was spacious, with floor-to-ceiling windows like the rest of the penthouse, but it felt like a hotel suite beautiful but impersonal.

I changed into silk pajamas and sat at the vanity, removing my earrings one by one. My reflection stared back at me soft waves of hair, makeup still flawless, eyes sharp despite the exhaustion.

I had been through hell these last few weeks negotiations, public scrutiny, whispers of scandal and now I was trapped in a marriage to the man who despised me most.

A knock at the door broke my thoughts.

Before I could answer, the door swung open. Adrian leaned against the frame, hands in his pockets, looking entirely too at ease. "We need to discuss the rules."

I didn't turn to face him. "You already made them clear. Fake smiles in public, separate lives in private."

"There's more," he said, stepping inside. "Rule one: You don't go anywhere without telling me. Rule two: You don't speak to the press unless I approve it. Rule three "

I spun in my chair. "Rule three should be that you stop barging into my room uninvited."

He smirked. "It's my penthouse. Technically, every room is mine."

I stood, closing the space between us just enough to make my point. "Technically, I could lock the door."

His gaze dropped briefly to my mouth before snapping back to my eyes. "And technically, I have the key."

Something in the air shifted charged, electric, dangerous. My pulse betrayed me, quickening even though I told myself it was from anger.

He took one slow step forward, closing the gap until I could smell his cologne woody, clean, expensive. "Remember, Lily… this is war. And in war, the smart ones know when to surrender."

I tilted my chin defiantly. "I don't surrender."

A small, dark smile curved his lips. "Good. I'd hate for this to be too easy."

The next morning came far too quickly. I woke to the sound of my phone buzzing with notifications news articles, social media tags, and messages from friends I hadn't heard from in years. The wedding photos were everywhere. Most were flattering; some caught moments where my smile didn't reach my eyes.

By the time I stepped into the kitchen, Adrian was already there, dressed in another tailored suit, looking like he belonged on the cover of a business magazine.

He glanced up from his coffee. "Eat something. You'll need the energy tonight."

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," I said, pouring my own coffee.

His gaze swept over me, lingering just long enough to be unsettling. "We'll see about that when the cameras start flashing."

I sipped my coffee without breaking eye contact. "Don't worry. I've been playing the role of 'perfect little wife' in public for less than twenty-four hours, and I'm already an expert."

A faint smirk tugged at his mouth. "Careful, Lily. You might start enjoying it."

I rolled my eyes and turned away, hiding the strange flutter in my chest.

That evening, I dressed in a deep crimson gown that hugged my curves and swept the floor. My hair was styled into soft waves, and my lips were painted the same shade as my dress. I wanted to look like a woman who belonged on his arm not for his sake, but for mine.

When I stepped into the living room, Adrian's eyes flickered briefly in something that looked suspiciously like surprise before he masked it. "You clean up well."

"And you're predictable," I shot back, walking past him.

The ride to the gala was silent, tension buzzing between us. Outside the venue, cameras flashed like lightning, reporters shouting our names. Adrian's hand slid around my waist, pulling me close for the perfect photo.

I plastered on a smile, tilting my face toward him. "Enjoying yourself?" I whispered.

"Immensely," he replied, leaning in as if to kiss my cheek but whispering instead, "Play along, Lily. Or I'll give them something real to talk about."

The night blurred into polite greetings, champagne toasts, and endless smiling. I played my part flawlessly laughing at his jokes, touching his arm at just the right moments, making us look like the perfect power couple.

And then she appeared. Tall, blonde, beautiful his ex, if I remembered correctly. She greeted Adrian with a lingering touch on his arm and a smile that was anything but innocent.

"Adrian," she purred. "It's been too long."

I saw his polite smile, heard his smooth reply, but something hot and unpleasant twisted in my stomach. Before I could think better of it, I slid my arm through his and leaned up to press my lips to his soft, brief, but unmistakably possessive.

The cameras caught every second.

When I pulled back, his expression was unreadable, but his eyes burned into mine.

"Interesting move," he murmured, voice low enough for only me to hear. "We'll talk about it later."

Cliffhanger: Later, in private, "talk" could mean anything and with Adrian Kane, it was rarely just words.

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