Agreement Behind Her Marriage

“I am the one who will be paying Kael’s firm, and now my daughter claims she works under him, which, incidentally, made me pay for you as well!”

Lily appeared alarmed by the rage she detected in Danica’s father. The man’s loud voice triggered her anxiety. Terrified, she clutched Kael’s arm, not realizing her fingers were digging into his skin. Memories of how angry Mr. Martin used to get flashed through her mind. The man would lash out at her with anything he could grab, including his cane.

“P-please… stop…” Lily whispered, turning her attention to the ground in order to cease watching the father and daughter.

“Are you alright, Lily?” Kael asked.

Lily closed her eyes tightly. She tightened her grip on Kael’s arm.

Pouting her lips, Danica spoke in a nagging voice, “Dad! You saw that my boss and my friend were here. Can’t you please be a little more discreet?”

The elderly man shook his head. “You ungrateful child! We’ll talk about this more later,” he said before facing them. “I apologize. This kid is so stubborn that I couldn’t help getting angry. She’s my princess, and I worry about her.”

“I love you, Daddy!” Her friend grinned widely, which changed Lily’s impression.

“That’s fine, Sir! I understand because I know how proud you are of Danica. Every time we have wine, you keep bragging about her,” replied Kael, chuckling.

Lily’s anxiety vanished as a result. While Mr. Arvesso may have scolded Danica, it wasn’t the same treatment she had experienced from her own father.

“By the way, let me introduce you to Ms. Lily Martin. She and Danica have been friends and classmates for a year, and I’ve heard they have worked on a few projects together. I met Lily through her friendship with my sister, and I was impressed by her portfolio, so I wanted to recruit her for this job.”

Mr. Arvesso looked at her intently.

“Does that mean you only wanted to hire Lily? Am I just an afterthought here?” Danica complained.

“Well…” Kael scratched his head, clearly hesitant to make a nasty remark.

“Lily Martin…” Mr. Arvesso uttered her name. The elderly man coughed and straightened his posture. “Well, I assume no one has had lunch yet. Let’s discuss work later. I have a lot to say to this misbehaving child. I’ll take her with me for now.”

Danica grinned. “See you later, Lily! In the meantime, I’ll have a talk with my dad.”

Danica hugged Mr. Arvesso’s arm like a cat, seemingly trying to act cute to ease her father’s temper. They left the main building.

A resort staff member approached Lily to assist her with carrying her belongings to the bedroom.

Once Lily arrived at the room where she would be staying for a few weeks, she contemplated accessing the internet to check what was happening in the city. After entering Kenneth’s name into the search bar, she noticed a blog that caught her eye and decided to read it.

“Carmela Sanchez, a nurse, has filed a rape case against Dr. Kenneth Martin, a business associate, Jericho Cordova, the famous model Brian Mendoza, and Keith Dantes. The victim alleges that the assault occurred two weeks ago. According to her attorney, Miss Alessandra, who is well-known for representing rape victims, Carmela underwent an investigation, and they have substantial evidence. The four accused individuals have also provided statements to the authorities.”

“Oh, my God…” Lily gasped because she knew Carmela.

The woman had a strong liking for Kenneth. She worked as a nurse at the hospital where Kenneth was employed. Lily was familiar with Carmela because the woman had previously tended to her wounds and bruises after Kenneth had viciously assaulted her. Now she was deeply concerned for the woman.

On social media, she came across comments that ridiculed Carmela’s appearance and accused her of lying.

“You’re not even attractive!”

“I hope you enjoy the company of those handsome men. They are gorgeous!”

Seeing the criticism Carmela was receiving online made Lily feel nauseated and terrible. There was so much disagreement among netizens, which was one of the reasons why Lily had declined Master Walton’s offer.

Not everyone has experienced being molested, and she knew that once she agreed to Master Walton’s offer to bring a lawsuit against Kenneth and his friends, she was putting herself in the line of fire.

“That’s why she persuaded me to speak,” Lily thought.

Even though Lily had never spoken to Carmela verbally before, she was certain that the woman knew everything that happened to her whenever Kenneth called for assistance. It’s twisted that he would ask for help for Lily after abusing her, but that’s how bizarre he was.

Lily came across a recent Instagrab post made by Carmela on social media.

I am telling the truth! Those beasts ought to be locked up!

Knocks on her door made her heart race, startling her. She was so tense that the phone she was holding slipped out of her grasp. After letting it fall onto the mattress, she headed toward the door and found Kael outside.

“Lily, my sister called and asked me how you are because she’s worried. What’s going on? Drew spoke to you earlier too, didn’t he?”

“It’s Brian and his friends!” Danica interjected, standing at the end of the hallway, holding a cell phone. Her friend walked up to them, wearing a serious expression.

Lily couldn’t meet her eyes.

“Lily, the news about you is all over the school forum. Brian admitted to me, that jerk! He confessed that he was the one his friends asked to orchestrate the scheme to tarnish your reputation at your previous school. He did it just to make fun of you, but he had no idea that you would later become a source of trouble for him. Ugh! Whatever his motive was, what he did was awful!” Danica explained angrily. “Tell me, d-did he r*pe you?”

Lily shook her head, her nerves trembling, and she found it difficult to meet Danica’s gaze. Kael gritted his teeth, his hand tightly gripping the edge of the door, as he listened to her story for the first time.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

Tears began to flow. Years ago, she had once believed she had no chance of survival. In truth, she had contemplated ending her life. However, she remained convinced that her existence on Earth had a purpose and refused to see herself as merely Kenneth’s plaything. Even when she had been on the verge of giving up, she clung to the hope that one day she would be free from Kenneth’s control.

You are not going anywhere, Lily. Just accept your faith-that’s what Keith, Kenneth’s best friend, whispered to her.

Anything belongs to Kenneth, it belongs to me, and it also belongs to our other friends. You are our property…

Lily received a special snuggle from Danica as her hand began to tremble.

“I think I have to take you off my team, Lily,” Kael declared after hesitation.

“No!” Lily firmly refused and then seized Kael’s arm. “Please, Kael…”

“But I’m worried if you can do this job.”

She was on the verge of tears, unable to accept Kael’s decision. “I came here for the job! If you’re genuinely concerned about me, please grant me this job; I desperately need it!”

“But are you confident you can handle it?”

“Kael, you must have heard your sister’s concerns and what Danica mentioned. I admit I want to escape the city, but this is where I’m most needed. Even if I returned and confronted the issues there, it wouldn’t resolve my situation.

“I’ve come to understand that when people perceive you in a negative light, it’s almost impossible to change their minds because they want to believe the worst. They will continue to harbor doubts about you, not because you’re not telling the truth, but because biases are ingrained in human interactions. I… I need this, Kael…”

“Let her stay!” Mr. Arvesso’s voice echoed through the hallway as he stood near the end, where Danica had just come from. He walked over to them.

“There are no other guests here who would cause you any trouble, even if I considered sending you away. The resort’s opening is still two months away. Furthermore, you and Danica share a very close friendship, and if you were to leave, I’m certain this stubborn child would follow, and I don’t want that to happen. She needs to understand that this resort will one day be hers, and I want her to treat it as such. You will assist me in the process.”

Rebellious kid? Danica frowned.

“You are brave, Lily,” added Mr. Arvesso.

“Thank you…” she said, sobbing.

While facing challenges in another city, the idea of seeking refuge in this resort made her uneasy, but she understood that she would have to confront her problems upon her return. After her painful breakup with Drew, she didn’t want any more burdens to weigh on her. For the time being, she needed this distraction.

Little did Lily know that her destiny upon returning would involve facing Kenneth in court.