Her Heart Her Terms (Lily and Xavier)

hapter 15

Lily felt desperate, humiliated, and angry.

In front of her, Xavier was the epitome of calm indifference, his sharp features radiating the arrogance of someone who held all the power. Could she really threaten him?

Maybe she could in this moment, but could she handle the repercussions of Xavier's retaliation afterward?

She bit her lip, her voice trembling, "Xavier... I... I beg you-"

Before she could finish, her phone rang again.

It I was an unknown number, but at that moment, she didn't have the heart to answer.

She quickly hung up, turning her gaze back to Xavier, her unfinished plea hanging in the air.

"Just save Hayden, and you can have whatever you want from me!" she blurted out, almost pleading.

Xavier looked at her, his expression dripping with condescension. "What do you think you can do?"

He didn't need anything from her. He just wanted her to go back to being the obedient woman she had once been.

Now, she was nothing but a hedgehog, full of spikes. Though they didn't hurt him, he couldn't stand seeing her like this. She made it seem as though she had suffered such great injustice, as if he had done something cruel to her.

Lily couldn't respond.

What did she have to offer Xavier, anything that could make him happy?

the

For the past two years, only time he had ever lost control was in bed, when his usually composed demeanor cracked for her.

But everything else she had done for him, he had never once appreciated.

Her lashes fluttered as she lowered her gaze, casting a small shadow beneath her eyes.

Xavier leaned against the desk, his long fingers lifting her chin, inspecting her face like she was an object.

"Do you know what you've done wrong?" His piercing gaze carried an air of absolute mockery, his tone laced with disdain.

He wasn't interested in her apologies, but the way she had stood against him made her at target to subdue.

And this was his way of offering her a way out.

If she would just admit her fault, everything could go back to normal.

The cold aura that surrounded him closed in, as if he was controlling her every move, using her pain to establish his dominance.

Lily met his gaze, her eyes filled with silent rebellion and sorrow, unsure whether she could truly bend like he wanted her to.. Admitting her fault was perhaps Lily's only hope for Xavier to save Hayden.

She had no choice.

"..." Lily struggled to speak, but the words got stuck in her throat.

Before she could continue, the shrill ring of the office phone interrupted.

Timothy quickly turned to answer, "Hello-please hold on."

He turned, stiff as a board, and handed the phone to Lily. "Mrs. Fulton, it's Mr. Siester calling."

Lily hesitated for a moment, unsure of what was happening, before finally reaching for the phone.

She didn't fully understand what was going on, but when she saw the urgency in Timothy's expression, she took the call..

Timothy anxiously put the phone on speakerphone mode.

"Ms. Joyner, this is Siester Law Group. Please bring any relevant documents regarding your brother's case to our office. The lawyer needs more information about the accident." The voice on the other end was stern and formal.

"Okay!" Lily immediately responded, without hesitation, and pushed Xavier's hand away from

her chin.

Xavier's grip on her slipped as he withdrew his hand. His expression was dark, but he didn't stop her. He clenched his wrist as if trying to contain his frustration.

His icy glare shifted to Timothy.

A tense silence filled the room, thick and suffocating.

Lily swallowed hard, glancing between Timothy and Xavier.

"I... I need to attend to some stuff, so I'll leave now."

She wasn't sure where things had gone wrong, but Lily couldn't be bothered to figure out +

truth. She just wanted to run.

"Stop." Xavier's voice was low and sharp, like th

Before she could take another step, his long arm

Lily's heart raced as she looked up at him, her ey silently.