Chapter 5 Trouble at the Bookshop

**Trouble at the Bookshop**

*Lily's POV*

The next morning, I pulled open the bookstore's front entrance and entered. The smell of coffee, lavender, and old paper welcomed me like an old friend as the gentle bell above the door rang out. For five years, this apartment had been my tiny universe. Every aged bookcase and groaning floorboard had a homey feel. However, something felt...off today.

I went directly to the counter, turned the sign to *Open*, and shut the door behind me. As I switched on the register and turned on the little computer, my palms stroked the beautiful wood surface.

Then I noticed it.

On the desk was a simple white envelope addressed to *Lily Moore*. They wrote my name in neat block letters. No return address, no stamp. My heart skipped a beat. I hadn't stopped there.

I carefully opened it. There was a note on thick paper inside.

*Lease Review Notice*

I skimmed over the text. It was illogical. It would be another seven months before my lease was up for renewal. What would be the reason for the current review?

I reread the letter. I had a lump in my throat.

*Your lease is now undergoing an urgent review due to the adjoining property's new ownership. The renovation plans that are now underway will influence future tenancy.

reconstruction.

My thoughts immediately turned to Julian.

He purchased the property behind my shop. Just last night, he told me. However, he never brought this up. He said that rather than tearing things down, he sought to repair them.

After stuffing the letter inside my backpack, I reached for my phone. With trembling palms, I phoned Julian. After two rings, it went to voicemail.

It's me, Julian. This morning, I discovered something in the store. I need to speak with you, so please give me a call back.

After hanging up, I sat behind the desk and tried to catch my breath. I glanced up in the hopes of seeing Julian as the bell above the entrance jingled.

It was my former landlord, Mr. Thompson.

He smiled nervously at me as he entered, holding a leather folder. "Lily," he murmured. "I wanted to have a chance to see you before you opened."

"I'm open already," I said while getting up. "Have you left this letter behind?"

He gave a nod. Yes, but I didn't want to frighten you. I included the leasing rights when I sold the property. The new owner wants to take a fresh look at everything.

From behind the counter, I emerged. "But why now?"

He seemed uneasy. "Lily, a lot of money is up for grabs. They want to transform this whole block into something more significant. flashier.

I bit my lip. "And my store doesn't belong there?"

He didn't respond.

"Who is the purchaser?" I inquired. "Is Julian Crane here?"

Mr. Thompson paused. "You must inquire with him."

I blinked away the tears that burned behind my eyelids. Mr. Thompson, thank you. I'll take care of it.

Without saying anything else, he walked out, and I shut the door once again. I need clarification.

I made another attempt to phone Julian. No answer.

A text message rang on my phone.

The garden behind the tower is where you should meet me. Right now.

- Julian

My heart was racing. After locking up the store and grabbing my coat, I hurried down the street. I hardly noticed the chilly wind pressing on my flesh. My mind was racing. Furious. Perplexed.

Crane Tower has a tiny but private garden behind it. A solitary seat and clipped hedges under a large tree. He was waiting for me there. His hands were in his pockets. The green contrasted sharply with his black suit.

I rushed at him. "What kept you from informing me about the lease review?"

He replied, "I learned this morning." "I didn't give my approval."

"So who did?"

This project has collaborators. Investors who are silent and want things to go more quickly than I agreed to. My goal is to slow them down.

"You said you would repair this."

He took a step toward her. "I'll."

I wanted to think he was real. But I was losing faith. I looked into his eyes, trying to find the guy who had kissed me years before in the storm. When he gazed at me, the guy seemed both soft and powerful.

I said, "Julan, I won't lose my shop."

He raised his hand to brush my face and said, "You won't." "Not while I'm still alive."

Something inside of me melted as he said.

Slowly, he leaned forward. First gentle, then hard, his lips touched mine. There was tension and yearning in the heated kiss. Nothing else was there for a second as he drew me in and ran his fingers through my hair.

Until a click sounded.

A shutter for a camera.

With a beating heart, I withdrew.

A lady with a long-lens camera stood across the street and pointed it directly at us.

"What the devil-" She had already started to go when Julian turned.

"Are you acquainted with her?" I inquired.

He took a while to respond.

"I believe I do," he said somberly. "But I believed she had left."

"Gone?"

He combed his hair with his hand. She used to be a part of something that I abandoned. But danger is ahead if she returns.

"What kind of trouble?"

Julian gave me a stern look. "The kind that obliterates everything."

My phone buzzed once more at that moment.

The same unidentified number sent another SMS.

* "Your store isn't the only one under danger right now. Leave Julian alone, or we'll set everything on fire. *

My hands shaking, I gazed at the message. Burn everything? Why would somebody send such a thing? My business was more than simply a structure; it was my whole existence, my tranquility, and my life.

As he read the words, Julian's jaw tightened and he seized the phone from me. Then his face became tight and pallid as he glanced up. "I didn't realize how serious this was."

"You think?" I yelled, fighting back the panic that was building within of me. They made threats against me. My shop. My existence.

His voice was low as he abruptly drew me in. "I'll keep you safe, Lily. even if it means revisiting the aspect of myself that I vowed to have buried years ago.

I looked into his eyes. "What section?"

His phone rang before he could respond. His face froze as he looked at the screen.

"Who is it?" I inquired.

He didn't respond.

Julian?

His eyes darkened as he took a step back. "That's her."

"Who?"

"The female in the picture. The one with the camera.

He then rotated the screen to make it visible to me.

The video was live. And my bookstore was already on fire.

As a live stream shows her bookshop on fire-by someone connected to Julian's troubled past-Lily and Julian watch in dread.