The Billionaire's Hidden Heir

#12 - Forest Lily

Adrian

"What do you mean you'll be staying in Radiant Springs?" Jenny's panicked face filled the screen on the video call. "I thought you said the trip would be a max of two days."

That was before I found out that Radiant Springs held more for me than a business opportunity. Before I found her and she turned my world upside down and left me wanting more. I could safely say it was looking a hell of a lot more like indefinitely at the moment, but I couldn't tell my secretary that. "I found Lily," I informed her instead and those expressive eyes grew impossibly wide.

"You found Mrs. Frost- uh...I mean, you found her?" Jenny bounced in her seat, unable to hide her excitement. A sight I hadn't seen in a while. "I'll clear your schedule right away."

"That won't be necessary, I'll take care of everything from here."

"How long are we talking exactly?" Jenny narrowed her eyes at me.

Until Lily looks at me the way she did once? I had never appreciated that before, but it had suddenly become a need I wanted fulfilled. I didn't like the distrust, the hate, the hurt. I hated how she avoided my touch and me back in her kitchen. I didn't like her looking at me the way I had probably looked at her all those years ago. "Don't know yet."

"Take your time, Mr. F." Mr. F? I arched a brow at my personal assistant who'd stopped calling me that when? "I mean, not that you need me telling you what to do. Because we both know who is the boss here...and I'm rumbling." Jenny paused, clearing her throat. "Anything else sir?"

"You haven't called me Mr. F for a while, Jenny." I commented and she blinked at me so wildly it seemed as if she'd been busted for a well-kept secret.

"I didn't realize," she said, shrugging. I saw through that lie. Had that been her way of punishing me for Lily too? Now that I thought about it, she'd been way too professional and over the years I'd just assumed it was because she had finally settled in my world that was more business than fun. I guess I was wrong. "So anything else, Mr. F?"

I let out a chuckle, glad to have this side of her back. "Not unless there is something you need from me, Jen." She shifted in her seat, making me arch a brow at her. "Spit it out already."

"It's just that Courtney has been hounding me about your whereabouts. Something about her finding the perfect influencer for the marketing campaign."

"Tell her to email me the details," I said, but Jenny only bit her lips, prompting me to raise an eyebrow at her. "Will that be a problem?" It was no secret that my personal assistant had never liked my childhood best friend. Even when Courtney was a top executive at Frost Industries, Jenny simply had issues taking orders or requests from her. If I wasn't so sure that Jenny had never had feelings for me, the only thing that could explain her open hostility to Courtney, and if she wasn't so flawless with her work, I would have probably let her go a long time ago.

"She insists on seeing you in person."

Yeah, Courtney insisted on a lot of things. She had for the past five years. "Tell her I'll get back to her." I would, but only because I knew how much Frost industries needed that perfect social media brand ambassador in the new marketing strategy we were implementing which Courtney was in charge of. "And Jenny, not a word about where I am." Courtney would blow a fuse or two when she eventually found out that I was avoiding her, but for now, it was necessary to keep the distance.

"Of course Mr. F. She won't hear it from me." Jenny winked then blushed when she realized what she had done. "I'm gonna go." The screen went dark before I could say bye, making me chuckle at her sudden awkwardness.

I switched it back on and felt my world tilt to rights. I was still amazed at how a simple picture of two people could do that. Business was my life. I loved the thrill of it. Of conquering and being on top of the food chain, the satisfaction that came with all the success, yet none of that came close to this... family. I didn't know how the hell I had not seen it before.

Of course you do! My mind screamed right back at me, echoing the newfound realization that had taken root deep within me. Lily was not who I thought she was...

And she hadn't dated since she'd been in Radiant Springs. Which meant since she left Glanbury. Since she left me. I'd had to suppress my thoughts about what exactly that meant, what the hell what I saw with Warrick at the Cozy Cask was. And that night five years ago?

I needed to know. That was the only reason I had accepted this invitation by the Malone sisters. Speaking of the two, the door to the coffee shop they had invited me to opened, revealing the twins. It still felt weird seeing them. Seeing little twin girls had always been the norm, never old ones. But then there was something fascinating about them too, especially their unmistakable close relationship and the mischief they seemed to stir around Radiant Springs.

The two women smiled coyly when they saw me, making me let out a breath. I was going to eventually regret accepting this invitation, but I needed all the help I could get with Lily. Knowing her neighbours seemed like a good place to start. And I needed something to keep me from breaking my word to Lily by seeking her out. She had asked for time and even if I hated waiting for Asher to get to know who I was, I had agreed.

"Ladies." I stood to pull out their seats and those coy smiles turned all girly while they whispered to one another.

"Such a gentleman." Marjorie, the ginger head - the only feature I could use to tell them apart - beamed. I was about to say thanks, when the other spoke.

"I wonder why he would hurt our Lily, then. Such a pretty gentle thing." Margaret barely hid her sneer.

"It's always some girl-" Marjorie added.

"More like bimbo if you ask me." They both shifted in their seats to get comfortable before focusing on me, smiles bright as if they hadn't just taken my life apart right in front of me.

I pasted on a smile. No reason to abandon ship yet. "What are you ladies having?"

"Oh, I don't know, what do you think we should have, honey?" Margaret batted her lashes. Was she flirting with me?

"How about you surprise me?" I said, pulling out my chair further than necessary, just in case.

"But of course, I know just the thing." Margaret chirped as she waved down a waiter. While the two talked, I turned to the other twin.

"So what can you tell me about Radiant Springs?" I figured I might as well do some work too. The two might be the worst gossips I had ever met, but the flip side to having all that info was that the history of Radiant Springs would be at their fingertips.

"Oh, please, quit being so formal. And you'd be saving yourself a lot of trouble if you simply told us you wish to know about our sweet Lily. We will gladly tell you anything." Marjorie smiled warmly, her eyes twinkling with mischief, and as tempting as that was, I couldn't.

"Thanks, but no thanks." I stated firmly. I wasn't looking for that type of help... yet.

"Not even the fact that this place has little Asher's and Lily's favourite doughnut?" Marjorie winked.

"Or that they will be dropping by any second now?" Margaret added, a coy smile playing on her lips.

Wait, this was about them getting me to meet up with Lily? Another intervention? "I'm sorry, what-"

"We really think you two should stop prancing around each other, that little boy has needed his father since he was born." Margaret shot me a knowing look, her words hitting me like a ton of bricks. It didn't even matter that I had not known about Asher.

"And Lily, God bless her soul, is one hell of a strong woman, but even strong women need to put their feet up sometime and just be taken care of. Think you can do that, take care of her?" Marjorie questioned. God, they were like the world's most seasoned lawyers and even if I already wanted Lily, I felt that whatever answer I gave them would be my solemn oath.

I'd barely opened my mouth to answer when the door opened like clockwork, and true to the twin's words, in floated Lily and my son, their smiles shining brightly - the sun I didn't know I needed in my life.

"Yes, I think I can do that." The words fell out of my mouth as my eyes clashed with Lily's and for a brief moment, I thought I saw something there. Something more than annoyance or hate. Something closer to how she'd looked at me before. No, not on our wedding day, or during our marriage, but the very first time I ever saw her... God, I had forgotten all about that. The memory rammed into me, the pictures flowing one after the other.

"Are you okay?" I held out my hand to the little girl whose dark hair was tied into two pigtails with green ribbons, but she only stared at me. "Hey, I need to know if you are hurt so that I can go and get my grandfather to help."

"Your eyes are so pretty... like this forest." she gushed instead of answering me. "I think I have a new favourite colour!

Amused, I folded my arms and asked. "Oh, yeah, and what is that?"

"Green. Just like your eyes."

I scoffed."There is nothing special about them, why don't you give me your hand instead and I'll pull you out?"

"Well, you don't see what I see." She folded her little arms and lifted her chin in defiance. "They are the prettiest thing I have seen all day and grandmother's forest is full of pretty things."

"Is that what you were looking for when you fell down there? You know, little girls should not be out here all alone-

"Hey, ten is not a little girl," she protested "And my name is Lily."

"Oh yeah, for a fifteen year old boy it is, Forest Lily."

"It's Summers, not Forest. Lily Summers." She scowled.

"I know, I'm just giving you another name, Lily who loves the forest. Now come here."

She was Forest Lily? I froze, blinked away the memory, and looked at her, seeing her clearly. The overconfident ten-year-old with the cutest pigtails... the girl I had forgotten for years. How the hell was this possible?

I wanted to go to her, but I stayed frozen as another long buried memory hit, rocking my world.