Becoming strangers again (Lily and Ryan)

LILY

Something didn't feel right, and I knew it the moment Ryan hung up the phone. He stood abruptly, ready to leave again. I insisted on coming along, refusing to let him go alone. We were all in this together-trying to find those responsible for Richard's death and to see that justice was served.

Before we left, I informed the kids' nanny that we'd be stepping out and asked her to keep a close eye on the boys. Sarah was asleep, so we didn't disturb her to explain where we were going.

Our destination turned out to be the detective's office, where Ryan wanted to share new information he'd received from his father's lawyer. The detective listened intently, then promised to investigate further and update Ryan with any findings.

As we stepped outside, I could feel the tension radiating off him, his shoulders rigid and his jaw clenched. I slipped my hand into his and gave it a squeeze. "How about we stop by a bar?" I suggested, hoping to ease some of the weight he was carrying.

He glanced at me, surprised. "You planning on having a bottle or two?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the road.

Honestly, I thought he needed it more than I did. "I think we both do." Pulling out my phone, I scrolled for Angelo's number. If anyone could help lighten Ryan's mood, it was him. "So, where are we headed?"

"The Haven's," he replied, a hint of relief in his voice. "It's a good place to avoid the paparazzi."

I quickly typed the address and sent it to Angelo. "Let's just leave everything behind, even if it's just for tonight," I said gently, "before you end up driving yourself crazy."

Ryan let out a laugh, a sound that was more relaxed than I'd heard all day. "If I didn't lose my mind when that doctor was all over you, I won't lose it now."

I rolled my eyes, turning to give him a teasing smile. "Amell was never all over me."

"Let's agree to disagree," he mumbled, a mischievous glint in his eyes that made me laugh.

***************

Thirty minutes after we'd settled in, with only a glass of scotch between us, Angelo finally arrived. A security guard led him over to our booth, and Ryan's face lit up at the sight of him. I felt relieved at least now, maybe we could shift the conversation to lighter things. But as soon as they started talking, I realized they were diving right back into the very topic I'd been trying to pull Ryan away from.

"No matter how I look at it, something just doesn't add up," Ryan murmured, his hand resting on my thigh in an absent gesture. His fingers moved in gentle circles, but his mind was clearly elsewhere.

Trying to steer him away from the topic, I reached for his glass, hoping a change in focus might help. But he didn't even pause; instead, he brought the glass to my lips, watching as I took a small sip before pulling it back for himself.

"So you think they actually did it?" Angelo asked, his eyes focused on Ryan.

I shot Angelo a warning look, but he seemed oblivious to my attempt to steer things in another direction.

"With my theory," Ryan replied, "I'd say they did. Think about it. For my father to have allowed them to stay at the estate for so long, it must mean he had accepted Maya as his daughter, at least on some level." He paused, the hand on my thigh stilling as he spoke. I understood exactly what Ryan was getting at. Mr. Richard had never been a generous man, especially with those outside his family. So, if he'd allowed Maya and her family to stay at the estate, there had to be a reason for it.

"And then, suddenly, he didn't add her to the will..." Ryan's voice trailed off, his head tilting as he went deeper into his thoughts. "He left his will unsigned for so long, like he was leaving the door open to make changes-until he wasn't. And then he died on that very same day."

"I can have them looked into," Angelo offered, a serious expression taking over his usually laid-back face. "Or you could go straight to the detective with this."

Ryan nodded. "I'll do both. I'll talk to the detective, but I also want you to dig into them. Something must have happened to make my father decide not to include her in his will."

I finally gave up on distracting him. If he wasn't ready to let it go tonight, I'd let him work through it in his own way. Pulling out my phone, I scrolled through my messages, hoping for a little distraction of my own.

At the top of my inbox, a message from Amell caught my eye:

MY SISTER JUST GOT A JOB AND SHE WANTS TO CELEBRATE. SHE'S INVITING YOU TO DINNER AT HER FAVORITE RESTAURANT.

As much as I didn't see anything wrong with having dinner with Amell and his sister, I also knew that bringing it up could potentially upset Ryan. The last thing I wanted was to add any more stress to his already troubled mind.

I quickly typed a response to Amell:

"I'M SORRY, BUT I CAN'T MAKE IT. EXTEND MY CONGRATULATIONS TO YOUR SISTER AND TELL HER THAT I AM ROOTING FOR HER, AND ALSO TELL HER I AM SORRY FOR DECLINING."

I hit send and set my phone down on the table, trying to shift my attention back to Ryan.

"Is everything okay?" Ryan asked.

His question made me realize that they had, at least for the moment, decided to stop discussing the murder case. "Yeah," I answered, flashing him a smile that I hoped looked reassuring. "Just a dinner invite that I declined." Ryan glanced down at my phone and then back up to my face, his brow furrowing slightly. "Why did you decline?" he asked, his tone cautious. "I hope it's not because of me or Mum. I certainly don't mind."

I knew that if he knew the invitation was from Amell, he'd likely be relieved by my decision. "I didn't decline for your sake," I lied smoothly, offering him another smile. "I just don't feel like dining with anyone right now." His eyes searched my face, as if trying to gauge if I was truly okay with my decision. "Are you sure about that?" he asked, his voice soft.

I shrugged, trying to sound casual.

"Yeah." Honestly, who cares about the dinner anyway? It wasn't worth stressing over. Taking his hand, leaned in and kissed the outer part of his palm, just to show him that I was fine with the choice I made. I needed him to see that I wasn't bothered by it.

Ryan's eyes lingered on me for a moment, not entirely convinced, but he gave me a small, reluctant smile before turning back to his conversation with Angelo.

************

Tomorrow, we were scheduled to return to Canada, but today, I decided it would be a good idea to visit the estate. Ryan had other things to handle, so I decided to go with the securities.

The driver pulled up outside the gate, and I stepped out, my eyes immediately drawn to the taxi parked outside.

I approached the vehicle and knocked on the window. The driver, looking just as confused as I felt, rolled it down.

"What are you doing here, sir?" I demanded. "This is private property, and you're parked outside the gate."

The driver glanced at the gate, then back at me, clearly unsure of how to respond. "I drove a young lady here," he explained, his voice almost apologetic. "She told me to wait while she picks up something. I didn't think I was doing anything wrong." A young lady? Maya is still here?

As if on cue, the gate slowly creaked open, and she stepped out, carrying a small travel bag. My gaze immediately sharpened on her. I cocked my head, slightly surprised, and stood there waiting for her to approach.

As she walked closer, the anger I'd been holding in began to surface. "I clearly gave strict instructions for you to move out two days ago," I hissed, my voice cold and sharp. "What are you still doing here, having access to the house?"

She didn't flinch, instead lifting her bag as if to justify her actions. "I couldn't leave with my valuables because I had nowhere to store them," she retorted. "All thanks to a certain someone."

"Don't blame anyone for what's coming your way," I snapped, the words tasting bitter in my mouth. "You're the one responsible for this mess."

She scoffed at my accusation, but I

couldn't hold back the truth. "Your

approach to the whole situation was wrong." Ryan was a good man, a patient one. I was certain that had she approached him with more respect, with more humility, he would have worked something out. But her tone, her attitude it had pushed him to the point of no return. And now, she had to face the

consequences.

Maya's eyes narrowed into a glare as she took a step closer to me, her lips curling into a snarl. "I am to blame?" she growled.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my security starting to step forward, sensing the tension, but I waved him off. I didn't need rescuing from this one. I could handle her just fine.

I met her gaze squarely.

"You're quick to cast blame because you aren't the one in my shoes." She retorted.

"And I can never be," I added sharply, "because I can never be as greedy and vile as you are."

Her eyes flickered with something between disbelief and outrage. "What exactly did I do?" she huffed, clearly trying to make herself out to be the victim in this mess. "Fighting for recognition as my father's offspring? Fighting for just a little bit of his property?" She spat the words like they were poison. "Your husband is the greedy one for not wanting to spare me some."

Her eyes danced around with fury as she glared at me. "Not to worry though, soon, he is going to lose everything while holding on to everything."

Her threat didn't sit well with me at all. "And what the fuck is that suppose to mean?"

She smiled widely, ear to ear. "You are going to have to count your teeth with your fucking tongue."