She was the cook, cleaner, and general house staff. Her job was to serve, not to be part of the family. For the longest time, Lily had been the outsider, the youngest born who was more interested in books than fancy parties and boys.
Mum, Dad, and Stephanie were the true family. She just wished she knew what had gone wrong for them to hate her so much—from a young girl to the adult she was now.
****
Wayne watched the sister brutalize Lily. The fears on the young girl’s face calling to the protector in him. She didn’t deserve this life—to cook, clean, and beg for the little bit of attention they gave her. He made sure Stephanie didn’t see him hiding behind the curtain, and for that, he was glad. She would suffer and so would the rest of her family.
He glanced back to look at the girl he’d come to cherish. Wayne had first seen her at a ball. He requested the presence of Jones family to join him. It was a charity banquet, and Lily had only been nineteen at the time. The moment she entered the great hall, his heart had stopped. For the entire evening, he’d tried to approach her, talk to her. Every time he got close, someone or something got in the way. Eventually he conceded defeat as he watched her leave with her family. Wayne had made it his passion to find out more about the quiet, startling beauty who captured his attention like no other woman.
After so many parties and events, Wayne got the chance to be near Lily to talk, but every conversation ended with talks about money. There was no chance to explore all he wanted to know about her.
Her family’s dire situation had come to his attention by accident. He’d overheard a conversation at the bank, and a few discussions with some friends and business associates. There was a hefty sum of money needed to buy their debt, and all he had to do was put the wheels in motion for the Jones’s family.
Two years on and he had everything he desired at his fingertips: money, power, and the upper hand. He knew Lily's thoughts about him were less than appealing from the way she tried to avoid him, and the expressions on her face gave her away. In fact, she spent most of the time trying to steer clear of him, after today, no more.
Wayne Brown wanted her, and he intended to have her.
Leaving his hiding place, he went in search of Lily’s father and mother. George and Jessica Jones should be more than happy with what he had in mind. After all, it was the expected outcome from families within their higher circles. Once the hard times hit, it took George and Jessica Jones years to accept their doomed fate and they continued to spend money they did not have. Families who participated in marriages of convenience, and all that nonsense, expanded their social status.
Their marriage would start out as convenience, but he wanted to ignite and consume the passion he saw sparkle within her. Her own fire needed to be stroked by him and him alone.
Chapter Two
Shepherd’s pie, a simple yet truly English dish. Lily held her breath as everyone dived in. Her father glared daggers at her, along with Stephanie and her mother. She didn’t have the first clue at what she’d done wrong, but from the nasty looks, it would leave a bitter taste in anyone’s mouth.
“Pass me the wine, Lily,” Stephanie demanded. Swallowing against the lump in her throat, she passed the bottle of wine and cringed at the cheap brand. She noticed as Wayne sent a stern look at her family. What had she missed?
“Who taught you to cook?” Wayne interrupted the tense silence. He directed the question at her.
For the past few days, he’d been staying with them. He was the only one who tried to include her in the conversation.
“Why, is it bad?”
“No, it’s really good.”
“Oh,” she whispered. The dinner continued in tense silence until Lily moved to collect the dishes.
“Put those down, Lily. Stephanie can handle those. Would you join me in the study with Wayne and your mother.” A command not a question from her father.
“Excuse me, but what am I supposed to do?” Her sister fumed.
“Put them in the sink, add hot water, and rinse them. Easy and simple, so you should enjoy it,” Wayne said. He followed behind Lily.
A giggle erupted from Lily before she could stop, and she clamped a hand over her mouth. “Does she even know where the sink is?” he asked, and the giggle came forth once again.
This shouldn’t be right. She shouldn’t find him funny. She hated him, didn’t she? Confused by her own thoughts, she followed all three, silent. They entered her father’s study. The one place in the house she despised more than others was her fathers study. The room stank of superiority, and it made her stomach turn with sickness. She eased down to sit on the edge of the seat and looked at her father. When she was called to this room, it was usually to receive a punishment for some crime or other she’d committed. Would he punish her for simply breathing? Lily was shocked to see Wayne stand behind her father, staring out of the window. Even her mother stayed clear of the power of the desk. Wayne’s lack of fear caused her to relax a little. Only a little. This was her family, and she knew what they were capable of.
“Lily, I don’t know if you’re aware, but our family has fallen on hard times,” her father said. Did the man think she was thick? She may not have attended university like her sister and the rest of them, but she still excelled in school. Cheeky bastard.
The desire to go “well, duh” was strong but she held her tongue. Lily had no desire for Wayne to see the way her father treated her for running her mouth.
“Well, these hard times have come to a head, and Mr. Brown here has offered to help.”
“Oh, for f**k sake, she’s twenty-one-years-old. She knows what’s going on for crying out loud.” Wayne turned to the room, glared at her father, scolding the man who still scared her, and then settled his gaze on her. “There’s no money. Your father squandered the entire fortune passed down through generations of your family. The house is up for auction. The valuables inside will be pawned, anything to make a profit on this place. To put it frankly, Lily, the amount of debt is higher than anything you own.”
Licking her lips, she glanced down at her hands clasped together. The news was worse than anything she could have imagined.
“What will happen?” The sea of uncertainty was unbearable for her to think about.
“You’ll be kicked out onto the street. Do you have any work experience?” he asked. Lily shook her head. The only thing she could do was cook. The other thing was for her private pleasure, and no one would take it away from her.