Chapter 2 Two

The alarm buzzed off; it was 7:00 a.m. in the morning. Lily was trying to snooze the alarm lazily as she slept very late, trying to look out for her sick mother.

Her hand tries to reach the alarm that is buzzing. Suddenly, she remembers the last thing she said over the phone the previous night.

"Be in my office at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow."

It was like a fiece arrow stroke deep into her heart. Lily's eyes are now wide open. She jumped on her feet instantly.

"Oh my God, I have only 30 minutes left," she cried out gently as she looked at the wall clock staring at her.

Lily walked towards her mother, who was lying helplessly on the hospital bed.

"Everything will be alright, mother," Lily said, reassuring her mother.

"Please hang in there for me and keep fighting," she pleaded. "It will soon be over," Lily concluded, kissing her mother's forehead.

It is past seven o'clock. Lily looked at her phone and hurriedly dashed out of the patient room.

Lily manuaver through the crowd on Crescent Street that is bubbling with different working-class people.

"Excuse me!" Lily said as she tried to make her way through the crowd.

"Hey, watch it," says Lily, as she was hit by a young, energetic man in his early 30s.

"Sorry! I am sorry, Miss." Let me help you.

The young man bent down to help Lily pick up her scarred credentials on the floor.

"My name is Drake," he said while handling Lily's credentials.

"Thank you," Lily appreciated.

"Oh my God! I need to hurry," says Lily as she looks at her phone.

Lily hurriedly left the young man standing.

"Hey, I didn't get your name!" Drake shouted as he watched Lily disappear.

Andrew sat in his office, waiting patiently for Lily to arrive. He kind of grew uneasy and impatient. He looked over his Rolex watch, and it said 7:28 a.m.

"I knew she would be late," Andrew said to himself.

His face looks like he is unsure of what he is about to do. He just wants to give it a try and see if it will work out.

His lawyer has given him the only chance to win the court case and be the custodian of his son.

Just as he was about to stand up from his chair, The door opened, and Lily rushed in like a person chased by some monster.

Andrew looked at his watch, and it was 7:30 a.m. on Dot.

"Good morning, sir," Lily said. She tries as much as possible to hold her breath and compose herself properly in front of Andrew.

"One more minute of being late, and I would have asked you to turn back," Andrew said to Lily with a bold voice.

Lily sighs in relief and moves towards Andrew's desk. "It won't happen again, sir," she reassured Andrew, wiping away the little sweat on her forehead.

"Have a seat," Andrew responded.

"I have a job for you," said Andrew, scanning Lily's face to see her reaction.

Lily adjusted her posture and gave Andrew a calm smile. She doesn't want to look too excited, yet she tries to show her appreciation for considering her.

"But it isn't an office job," said Andrew.

"Actually, I want you to be my son's nanny." He added.

Lily's smile faded away slowly as she cleared her throat and tried to understand what Andrew was talking about.

"I don't understand, sir," Lily asked Andrew with a confused face.

"Consider it as generosity and for you to have a working experience," Andrew says while smiling a bit, knowing what his hidden true intentions are.

It was the only way to assess her and consider having her as a wife for the contract marriage.

"But, sir. I can't do it." Lily tried to explain but was shut out by Andrew again.

"I will pay you $3000 per day," said Andrew, looking straight into Lily's eyes.

Lily's jaw dropped in great surprise. She couldn't believe what she just heard. She had never earned as much as $200 in a week. And here is an opportunity for her to make $3000 a day working as a nanny.

"That's $90,000 per month," Andrew said with a persuasive voice, raising his left eyebrow.

Andrew is a billionaire, and paying such an amount is a piece of cake for him. Moreover, he needs her as a tool for his mission.

Lily was lost in thought. She had already started thinking about how she would be able to afford the hospital bills and pay for the surgery for her mother's health condition.

"I, i..." Lily stammered as she tried to swallow her saliva.

"If you're not interested..." Andrew says as he tries to get up from his chair.

"I am interested, sir. I am very interested in the nanny job," says Lily.

"Good." Andrew nodded his head as he stood up from his chair, looking at his wrist watch.

"Meet my secretary, and she will brief you on what to do next," Andrew concluded.

Andrew left the room and walked towards the boardroom. He has a meeting with some investors.

Lily stood up and walked out of the room happily.

On Mainland Island, a billionaire's quarters where rich working-class citizens lived. Victoria drove down there to visit Andrew's mansion.

She was there to see her son, but the security man didn't allow her entry into the house.

"Excuse me, Ma, I can't allow you to go in," the security personnel said, blocking Victoria from entering the gate.

"I am here to see my son," said Victoria.

"And who could that be?" He asked her.

"Andrew's son. I am his mo." Victoria pauses as she tries to explain, but remember, she is Andrew's ex-wife, and the security man might not recognize her.

"I am Andrew's ex-wife," she says, looking at the security man with a dim face.

"He is not in. He is at school," said the security man, looking at her in despise.

The security man thought to himself, "Doesn't she know what time it is? Children are in school. It isn't a holiday."

"And which school is that?" Victoria asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

The security man refused to answer her looking away from Victoria.

"Forget it; I will find out," she said as she reversed her car and drove away.

Victoria, in a black Mazda, looking angry and upset, picked up her phone as she drove and made a call.

"Send me the address to my son's school now," she requested.

Lily was walking gently and confidently by the roadside, smiling all to herself and murmuring, "Mother, you will be alright."

A sudden, loud ringtone snaps Lily out of her thoughts. She looked at the phone, and it was a medical center call from the hospital were her mother is lying in critical condition.

Lily's eyes were wide open now. Her heart started beating fast.

"Hello," she answered. Her facial expressions were in anticipation of something.

"Miss Lily, we need your attention right now!" The voice said it hesitantly and with urgency.

Lily, without hesitation, jogged with a little pace towards the hospital. She ran with speed this time around towards the ward where her mother was admitted. Looking through the open glass on the door. Lily couldn't see her mother inside the room.

Lily's heart skipped a moment, almost in her throat.

"Where is she?" Lily says to herself.

A nurse was walking in a hurry towards the theater room, and Lily grabbed her hand.

"Hey! Nurse! Uhmm..." Lily tried to ask the nurse, but tears filled her eyes and she could not ask properly.

"Ma'am, I need to hurry up. Your mother's condition is critical, and she needs immediate surgery." The nurse says pulling away Lily's hand from hers.

This statement broke the hesitant tears in Lily's eyes. She begins to sober uncontrollably. Lily followed the nurse like a little child behind.

Lily sat close to the operation room, waiting patiently for the doctor to come out. The operation took over 6 hours. And finally, the doctor came out speaking to one of his nurse.

Lily jumped up at the doctor and asked for the condition of her mother. She keep asking the same question over and over leaving no room for the doctor to calmly answer her.

"Miss Lily, well..." The doctor tries to say something to Lily but isn't sure how to tell her.

"What is it, doctor?" Lily asked without hesitation.

"The surgery went successful," says the doctor, but was immediately interrupted by Lily's impatient questions again.

"But what doctor? Tell me, what is the matter." she asked.

The doctor looked into Lily's eyes and saw how sad they were. Filled with tears, and then the doctor broke the news to her walking away from her.

What could be the news that almost made Lily to faint?