Chapter 2 TWO

Who's this guy?

The question formed in her head, even as she already knew the answer.

Mr. Maximillian Johnson and Kevin's boss? As in, his employer?

She didn't see it earlier because of the incident, but she can see it now.

He sure does look like he can get anything ready in minutes.

When they had returned into the apartment, Kevin whispered to her, "I'm interested in that long story. I'll come find you later." He then disappeared behind a door.

While she stood in the middle of the room, her eyes went in search of Maximillian. He was already talking with some other guests, and Lily presumed that he knew them or they work for him. That made sense. Of course, Kevin's colleagues would be at his party.

She watched as they all chatted and then abruptly erupted into laughter. In that moment, she started missing her best friend, Kathryn.

Pausing in her lips, she scanned the room to see if she would catch a glimpse of Kevin, when she didn't she turned her eyes back to where they were, but he wasn't standing with them anymore. Feeling her heart sink, she tried to move and flitted her eyes around the room trying to find where to sit when Maximillian stepped in front of her, halting her movement.

"I was wondering if you'll ever drink that." He kept his eyes on her as he said that and she noticed a smile tug at the corner of his mouth.

He was indeed a beautiful man, she let her mind subconsciously acknowledge that.

Lily looked down at the glass, long forgotten. She hadn't remembered she was still holding the wine glass. She had tried drinking it but couldn't get it down her throat, so she had stopped. She didn't like it at all. It was too bitter for her.

She shook her head at him and shrugged. "I tried though but I couldn't drink it. It's bitter."

He frowned at that. "That's a good wine right there. It's meant to be bitter." He reached out a hand and she looked squarely at him, not sure why he had his hand out to her. It was when he looked down briefly at the drink that she scoffed and swiftly handed the glass to him. Maximillian dropped it on a table and returned his gaze to her face. "So, I figured you have something to say to me?"

Lily just looked at him, "why?"

His gaze lingered. "For starters, you were disbelieving when I promised I'd replace the cake in few minutes," he tucked his hands into his pockets and slightly leaned forward, peering into her face. "Don't tell me you weren't impressed?" he feigned shock and disappointment at the same time. Lily was amused by that.

Before she could stop herself, her lips upturned into a big smile. The look that flashed across his face made her smile go bigger. Then a sudden glint appeared in his eyes. Out of nowhere, Kevin appeared by her side with a champagne flute. He handed it to Maximillian, "Here sir. Just the kind you like."

Maximillian took it. "Thanks," he murmured and lifted the flute to his lips to take a sip. When the taste hit him, he agreed. After all, it was expected since Kevin had worked for him for a while now.

Kevin turned his attention to Lily who kept his eyes on the man.

"Can we go somewhere and talk?" Kevin asked and that made Lily's eyes turn to his.

"Sure!"

With a small nod at Maximillian, Kevin turned on his heels and started walking away.

And Lily followed.

Lily had followed Kevin out to the hallway, then into a small room at the end of the floor. Now, the moment she had been waiting for was here. Standing there with him- in that brightly lit room, gave her the chance to really look at him.

She noticed Kevin still kept the same haircut and was still beardless- which suits him, of course. He has grown taller than before and still slender, but she was sure he had added a bit. He even has a good job, so life must be good.

A lot of time has passed and if she was being honest, she hadn't imagined that they would ever meet again. She had moved on- or so she had believed- and thought she and Kevin were not meant to be. And three years after, here they are.

Maybe it's a sign. Or not!

She must have been so lost in her thoughts because she jerked when she heard her name.

"Lily?"

"Yes?" she lifted her eyes to his face.

"Are you alright? You are looking lost or something." Kevin's brows furrowed.

Lily shook her head sharply and gave a half smile, "I'm sorry. I just got distracted. It's nothing..." her voice trailed off. She watched him nod his head, then looked away briefly. Stuffing his hands into pockets, he looked back at her. "I didn't think you were going to come," he said, and rocked back on his heels. Lily could tell he was tensed. She was too. Everything felt a bit awkward. Was that even the word to describe it?

"Thank you- for coming- and also bringing a cake," he paused, then continued, "I didn't know you still bake."

That made Lily smile. He remembered.

She took a sharp breath and could feel her stomach fluttering, "Of course, I still do," she gazed out the window. "But, I didn't bake that cake," she told him. Looking back at him, she explained.

"That man- Mr. Maximillian, he almost ran me over downstairs..." she saw his eyes grow bigger. "Well, the cake got ruined and he asked to make up for it by getting another cake and he did-" she looked down briefly. "I was actually shocked to see he could get a cake ready almost at the same time I got here."

His eyes grew bigger. In that moment, Lily could swear he looked really concerned for her. More concerned than she had ever seen him during the period they dated.

"I'm sorry about him almost running you over and messing up the cake," his eyes dimmed and his jaw tightened. "But Mr. Maximillian rarely drives himself so, I can say he's a terrible driver."

Lifting a hand from one of the pockets, he flexed his fingers before continuing. "Mr. Max is not just that man, Lily," the subtle change in his voice, told her that there was something else. "If Mr. Max says he'll provide a cake in three minutes, best believe he would in few seconds. Hell! The man owns this place!"

It was Lily's turn to widen her eyes in utter shock.

"Oh!" That was the only thing that escaped her lips.

Kevin's gaze levelled. "He owns this building and he is letting me use that apartment for my birthday. He's a man of means and influence." Kevin took a few paces back, removing his other hand from the pocket. "I actually didn't see myself working for him or anyone else as a personal assistant-" his voice grew solemn. "But the pay is too good to reject or even quit. I like working for him though, he's a good man." He acknowledged and went to stand by the window.

Lily went to stand beside him. "At least it's an honest job and I'm sure you're good at it." She told him, matching his voice.

Kevin turned to look at her and a lot of thoughts rushed through her head.

If they tried again, will they get it right? A question that's on the tip of her tongue but couldn't bring herself to ask.

"Tell me, what have you been up to? What do you do now?" Kevin asked.

Lily smiled, because she had been caught drifting. Again.

Exhaling slowly, she shrugged. "I work as a virtual assistant and do some other remote jobs..." she turned to the window that had a great view of the city. "I love working from home as it affords me the time to do other things like baking and making small treats for people." She told him.

He smiled and nodded. "I guess you still don't like spending time outside of your home?" Although it came out as a question, Lily knew it wasn't. She could tell he already knew the answer to that. There was no point in dwelling on that.

She turned to face him. "You're missing your own party you should head back. I shouldn't keep you away."

"Changing the subject, are you?" he caught her.

She giggled and he grinned. Maybe there was hope somewhere for both of them. Just maybe.

They let the silence grow between them. "I'm sorry, Lily."

She hadn't expected that from him. Not yet, actually. She wasn't prepared for it but it made her heart tingle. She just stared at him.

"I shouldn't have stood you up like that and did what I did without a proper explanation of things. I should've done better, really." He spoke as though he was running out of breath.

Lily shuddered and could swear she was beginning to feel cold. "Yea, you should've done better." She bit out, surprised that she could get any words out. Her throat was starting to feel dry.

He nodded at that and sighed, "If you'll let me, we can meet up later and we can talk about this," he added shortly, "let's say, over dinner."

Lily could hear Kathryn somewhere in her head shouting no.

But a girl's got to do what she got to do.

Nodding, she pressed her lips together. "We could do that."

"If it helps, I still have your number so, I'll call you sometime next week to fix a date."

Looking down sharply at his smart watch as it beeped, Kevin groaned underneath his breath. Without sparing Lily another glance, he started walking towards to the door. "We should head back to the party." He said.

While Lily followed him out, a memory played but she pushed it away from her mind. He surely needed to get back to the party anyway.

Stepping out to the hallway, she saw that Mr. Maximillian was standing out there. Kevin hastened over to him, "So sorry I disappeared. I had things to talk about with Lily." He explained.

Maximillian simply nodded and locked eyes with Lily briefly. Turning his attention back to Kevin, "It's fine, but I'll have to leave. I should leave you guys to have fun." The humor had returned to his voice and that made Lily to really understand in that instant. She understood why Kevin would be a personal assistant to him. Asides the fat salary he mentioned, he really seemed cool.

"I should be leaving too." She said, even though no one asked her. While they both looked at her, she continued, feeling her face starting to turn red. "I have work to do tonight and..."

"I could drop you off then-"

"No! Please don't!" she cried, without giving it a second thought. She remembered Kevin had told her he's a terrible driver. She wasn't ready to gamble her life away. Once, was already enough. At least, she was not that foolish.

Maximillian darted his eyes between her and Kevin. "I promise to get you home in one piece." His voice was light and smooth. It gladdened her heart in a weird way.

Looking at Kevin for help, before he spoke she already knew what was coming.

"You can let him drop you off, Lily."

And that was how she found herself walking out to the garage with Maximillian, after they've said their ceremonial parting happy birthdays to Kevin.

Maximillian must say he was intrigued and amused at the same time, by her. Intrigued that she almost had his head when he asked to drop her off and amused that she couldn't say no to Kevin. That's some interesting stuff right there. He was sure she had told him about the incident and knew Kevin must have also announced to her about his driving skills.

Lily on her side of the car, sat there on a cold and smooth leather seat. The car must have cost a fortune, but if he was as rich as Kevin had described him to be, then this must be one of many others. She had never been one to care so much about cars, but it felt so cozy to sit in. What is it like to be in a rich man's world?

Trying to distract herself from the strained silence in the car, she looked out through the tinted glass. The streets were busy; neon lights, clusters and cars lined on both sides. She groaned inwardly, allowing herself to wander in her mind. The night hadn't gone the way she planned. At all. But, it wasn't entirely bad. She had got a chance to speak with Kevin so, that was in some way, enough for her.

Maximillian drove as carefully as he could. He doesn't mind the silence but he wanted to talk to her. He wanted to get to know her, what she liked, her favorite things, her age, everything. If he guessed right, Lily would be 26.

Heck! He wanted to see her again. And again. And again.

It was crazy that it had just been few hours and he was already so invested in her and feeling that way about her.

He should say something, but what?

"So, Lily..." he started, feeling her eyes on him. "about Kevin..." he let the name hang in the air between them. "How do you two know each other?" That question had been on his mind all night and he wanted to get it out of the way.

Lily didn't respond, instead she leveled a wavering stare at him. It wasn't for lack of words to say, but it was more about how to begin that story.

She had met Kevin when she was so sure about everything working out in her next relationship. She'd read books, listened to podcasts and went to relationship meetings. So, when she met Kevin she was sure she had everything figured out.

Lily fell in love with him even before their first date. She did everything in the book about sustaining a relationship and keeping a love interest but that didn't work out. He'd stood her up one night and the next day, she woke up to a breakup text. So much for all that podcasts and books.

"I'm sorry if I'm prying–"

"We used to be in a relationship three years ago," she said in a rush, returning her gaze to the road, while folding her arms across her chest. "We just ran into each other again and he invited me to his party."

Maximillian stole a sharp glance at her and returned his attention to the road. "I didn't know that..."

Scratch that! Actually, he had guessed. He could see it all from her stolen glances at him and blushing the brightest pink. Nevertheless, that revelation heightened an unnerved feeling within him. Swerving around a block and starting down the not-so-busy road, he briefly stole another glance at her. If he thought she looked pretty, he was wrong.

Beautiful was the only word to describe her.

"It's already water under the bridge. We're different people now and I believe we know better too." She spoke with so much conviction that he knew that she had hopes of getting back with Kevin.

Nodding, he hummed in agreement. "I hope that works out well for you." He said simply.

When the words left his mouth, Lily knew there was no goodwill in those words. She kept quiet and they drove in silence. They were getting closer now, less than a five-minute drive. In that moment, she looked at him and couldn't look away.

How come she didn't notice all that fine facial features? The jawline, the beards, the perfectly carved eye brows, the lashes that rested beautifully on his cheeks.

Tall, dark and eyes-popping out handsome.

This man was lean, not broad, with long legs and powerfully built.

She had not taken a good look at him before but now she couldn't take her eyes off of him. Although the car was dimly lit, she could still see all that. Trailing her eyes over his nose, ears, hairline and down to his Adam's apple. Good gracious! She swallowed as her heart pounded rhythmically against her chest.

Just then, he turned his head to her and let out a wide grin. Those white, perfectly arranged rows of enamel!

"Do you want a bite?" he muttered. His voice was low and husky.

That jolted Lily back to reality and she felt her face losing color. He caught her drooling, there was no mistaking that from his piercing gaze which traced her face.

More embarrassing when she realized the car had stopped moving and was right there in front of the building. Looking down at her hands, fighting for composure, she tried to relax.

"Thank you for bringing me home in one piece."She forced a smile at him. "Goodnight and drive safely home." She muttered and was grateful her voice didn't come out croaky.

Before she could open the door, a hand landed on her shoulder, "one moment please, I have something for you."

Lily turned back to him, and watched as he reached behind his seat to the passenger seat to retrieve a bottle of wine she hadn't even seen there earlier. He dropped it on her lap and focused his attention back on her face. "You said the red wine was bitter. You should try this one, you're going to love it." He told her pointedly, leaving her no room to decline.

Lily just wanted to escape and not talk about some wine. She gave a prompt nod and a quick smile with a thank you and dashed out of the car, making her escape.

At the door, she held the wine in one hand with her purse and raised her hand to knock when the door immediately opened

"Look who decided to make it home." Kathryn playfully chided, stepping out of the way to let Lily in. She breezed past her best friend and hightailed it to her room- where Kathryn spends more time in.

Kathryn had lost her job after the company she worked for went bankrupt. She also had to move out of the accommodation provided by the company. Left high and dry, Lily let her move in with them, as it was just herself and her mom that lived in the three-bedroom apartment. Her mom also loved Kathryn, so it wasn't a problem for her to move in.

Lily guessed her mother was already asleep as she had caught a glimpse of the clock in the sitting room- with Kathryn hot on her trail. It was already about twenty minutes past 10 o'clock. When she had made it in, she face-planted into her bed, dropping both the purse and wine on the bed. Lily let out a muffled groan into the bed and started throwing her feet in the air, making the shoes to fall to the floor from her feet.

"Girl you got to talk to me. I've been here all night waiting for you." Kathryn said with laughter in her voice. Ignoring her, she slowly lifted the rest of her body off the bed and walked to her mirror. She looked a mess now, she wasn't surprised. Her make up all smudged and her hair was all over the place. Slumping into the seat in front of the mirror, she started taking out the pins from her hair.

"You know I'm never going to let you be if you don't spill –," Kathryn obviously won't let her be till she hears everything. A gossip she was!

Lily groaned again. She seemed to be doing that a lot all night. Hairpins in hand, she turned in her seat to face her nosy best friend. "Kat..." she drawled out. She usually called her that on rare occasions and tonight was a rare occasion. "I'm so tired, can we do this tomorrow?"

Of course, Kathryn shook her head fiercely in disagreement. "No way you're going to sleep without telling me everything and nothing short." She warned sternly, feigning the deadpan look. Picking up the wine, she held it to Lily's face. "Seems Kevin has finally made so much money to be giving out St. Millian at his birthday party."

That made Lily's brows to furrow as she really looked at the wine for the first time. She just took it and ran without bothering to even spare it a glance. Leaning forward to peer closely at the label on the wine, she read it then slowly raised her eyes to look at Kathryn.

"This is not from Kevin," she confessed but Kathryn was already getting excited.

"Lily, who did you meet? I didn't think you had it in you to –,"

She shook her head at Kathryn's insinuations, "do you think this wine could be made by a Maximillian Johnson?" she blurted out as she straightened up, turning back to face the mirror.

Kathryn turned the label to her face and thought for a while. Finally she nodded, raising her eyes to Lily. "St. Millian... Maximillian..." she nodded again, looking almost certain. "Could be though. They sound the same. I can't really say about the owner, but it's an expensive wine. You hardly see common people drink it," she supplied, then the mischievous gleam appeared in her eyes. "What happened? Did you meet a Maximillian Johnson? Where did you -," the barrage of questions started and Lily simply returned to her task of removing pins from her hair.

"Lily don't keep this girl in suspense!" she mimicked the frustrated tone. Lily simply smiled. She knew there was no giving up from Kathryn.

She let out an audible sigh, letting her hands drop on the dresser. "That wine was a gift from Kevin's boss. He said I would love it since I couldn't drink the one from the party."

Lily knew the question that was coming. "Just like that? Lily?" Kathryn asked and dropped the wine beside her. One would think they were having a meeting with the way Kathryn paid rapt attention.

"He- Uhm... I guess he offered it as a peace offering. I dropped the cake when he almost knocked me down earlier today." She watched Kathryn's eyes go round through the mirror.

"No way! What? How did that happen?"

Lily appeared reluctant at first, but she had to share. So, she told that story from the beginning, till the moment Maximillian drove her home. It was indeed a long story, but Kathryn stayed put.

While Kathryn fawned and fussed at intervals, Lily agreed with Maximillian. The wine was perfect. It wasn't bitter or sweet either. It had a rather sweet and sour taste that leaves you wanting more, once it hit your throat.

They both laid on her bed, faces to the ceiling, the empty bottle and wine glasses on the floor. Letting out a hearty and drowsy laughter, slowly sleep started to creep in and they welcomed it. For Lily, it's really been a long and dramatic day.

Somewhere across the city, Maximillian sat behind the desk in his home office and stared off into space.

It's been a long day. A really long day.

Taking a quick cold shower, brushing and pouring himself some wine, he had retired to his study to get some work done. But that wasn't working out well for him.

His mind kept drifting to her.

Lily. Like the flower.

It suits her well. It had given him all kinds of excitement when he caught her checking him out. At least, she wasn't immune to his charm. She had seemed dazed and out of it.

That was a good thing.

Swirling the wine, he swiveled around in the chair and mulled over the chances of him pursuing her and taking his chances with her.

She said she parted ways with Kevin three years ago and his mind went back to a time he wanted to totally forget, but couldn't seem to.

Was it three years already? Since that time she walked out and never looked back. He had believed that was his last chance to love again. He had closed off relationships and only met women when he had a need. That didn't work out so well as some of the women began to breach the contract by falling in love with him. So, after the last one had ended in a total mess- she became suicidal when he cancelled their contract- he had decided to focus more on work.

It's been a year since then. Surprisingly, he loved his new life without all that drama.

Till tonight.

He had met Lily and something he had thought wasn't there anymore was stirred up.

This time, a lot of odds were against him. She still seemed head over hills in love with Kevin and he can't pursue anything with Lily since Kevin works for him. He wouldn't want to get in the middle of all that. Things might get messy and he might not be able to control it.

Maximillian decided he would let fate decide. He would let fate decide if he should go for it or let it all play out.

One thing was certain, he wanted to see Lily again, but he'll let fate decide for him.

But if they meet again, he might throw caution to the wind and act with his head.