Chapter 7

The towering building stretched endlessly into the sky. Lily nearly strained her neck as she took it all in. She had never been to Nova Group before. She knew the Joyner family could never compare to the Fulton family. She stood before the imposing skyscraper and watched the stream of employees going in and out before she realized it wasn't a matter of comparison. There was simply no comparison to be made. Even at its peak, the Joyner family couldn't measure up to the Fulton family. There were many female employees here. Even the receptionists wore business suits and flawless makeup. It was no wonder Xavier looked down on a housewife like her after spending most of his time in a place like this even though she had taken on that role for his sake. Lily pursed her lips slightly as a heavy sense of inadequacy weighed on her. She stood in the corner and called Timothy. "Mrs. Fulton." "Mr. Snyder, I'm downstairs. Could you please…" She didn't plan to enter and hoped Timothy could take the items to Xavier instead. Timothy interrupted her before she could finish. "I'm in a meeting. I'll send someone down to escort you." Lily opened her mouth and was about to say something, "No, I…" The line clicked off, leaving her stunned. Timothy's assistant appeared in less than two minutes and respectfully invited her to go upstairs. "You can just pass these to Xavier for me." Lily handed over the document and thermos. "Miss, we're not allowed to touch any documents that are supposed to be delivered directly to Mr. Fulton. You have to bring it up yourself." Timothy's assistant smiled apologetically and gestured for her to enter the building. She had no choice but to follow suit. … Xavier had just wrapped up a meeting with a frustrated look in the president's office. His brow furrowed tightly as he yanked at his tie with his well-defined hand. "Mr. Fulton, Mrs. Fulton is here." Timothy entered the room and placed a document on his table. Xavier paused in his movements. His brows softened a little with a trace of mockery in his deep eyes. She had held her ground last night, but there she was today, coming to him willingly. He had no intention of refusing her. He pressed his fingertips against his chin and seemed lost in thought. "Shall I reschedule the meeting that is about to start in ten minutes?" Timothy asked. Xavier pondered momentarily before saying, "Push it back half an hour." He wouldn't forgive her easily just because she had come to admit her mistakes no matter what. He had to take her down a notch to prevent her from making the same mistake again, and ten minutes wouldn't suffice. "Okay." Timothy immediately took out his phone and prepared to notify all departments of the delay. Lily had followed Timothy's assistant up in a standard elevator that stopped frequently at each floor. It took them quite some time to reach the top. "Is Xavier in his office?" she asked. "Mr. Fulton is especially busy these days with back-to-back meetings. I heard from Mr. Snyder that he's been practically living here and even holding international conferences at night. It's been quite a schedule…" Timothy's assistant was meandering off-topic and completely not answering her questions. However, Lily was distracted by him. Her brows furrowed deeper at his words. Xavier had stomach issues due to his irregular meals whenever he was busy with work. "We're here." Timothy's assistant halted in his tracks. "Please go on, miss. I'll leave you to it." He had disappeared down the hall before she could respond. She looked at the dark wooden doors before her as she felt an air of intimidation. Images of Xavier dressing in a sharp suit and exuding confidence flashed through her mind as she imagined him walking through those doors. She planned to leave the items and walk out no matter what he said. She would pretend not to hear him. With that in mind, she pushed the doors open. The office was painted in shades of dark gray. It was aloof and refined with an understated luxury. A full wall of floor-to-ceiling windows bathed the entire office in morning light. The air was filled with Xavier's subtle scent that lingered around her nose and stirred up memories that surfaced at the most inopportune moment. She remembered the warmth of his large hands on her slender waist during their moments of intimacy. All she could see was his muscular, tanned, and defined chest. Only in those rare moments of intimacy did she feel his true presence and smell the scent of his body. However, the office was empty. He wasn't there. Suddenly, it felt like her heart had been hollowed out as an inexplicable emptiness washed over her. Was he truly busy, or did he know she had come and decided not to see her? Although she hadn't planned on seeing him, she still felt uncontrollably disappointed when he wasn't there. She took a deep breath and regained her composure after standing in the center of the room for a while before walking over to his desk. She set down the thermos and the document on the table. Her gaze drifted uncontrollably to one of the sleeves of the suit jacket that draped over the edge of the desk. The jacket looked rumpled and faintly smelled of smoke. He always had a strong dislike for anything dirty. He would always ask Timothy to bring her some fresh clothes from home no matter how busy he was. She would iron all his clothes to keep them ready for any occasion he might need them. Lily was still debating whether to take the jacket home for cleaning when her hand had already picked it up. The jacket rested on her arm when she came to her senses as if she had decided to take it. She was frustrated with herself for the reflex. The office door suddenly swung open just when she was about to put it back. She turned toward the sound. Sarah was dressed in a black blouse with two buttons undone. Her glowing skin and cleavage were extremely eye-catching. The length of her short skirt was above her knees. Her long, slender legs were wrapped in sheer black stockings. She looked alluring and elegant. She also exuded an air of professional confidence that was hard for any man to resist. "Who let you in here?" Sarah walked over as if she didn't know her and took the jacket from her hand. Sarah's gaze flicked to the thermos and document on the table as she asked, "Are you one of the Fulton family's household staff?" Lily was quite tall. Sarah had to wear heels just to stand at the same height as her. Her hand suddenly felt empty as her gaze swept over the jacket that had been snatched away before her expression gradually darkened. On top of Sarah's words, she could no longer hold back. "No." Sarah looked like she was unwilling to speak to her further. "I don't care who you are. You're not allowed to come directly to Xavier's office and touch his things in the future." With that, she turned around and entered the lounge. The door to the lounge was wide open, revealing a disheveled double bed directly in view. His white shirt, black trousers, and dark blue boxers were strewn across the foot of the bed. Sarah picked up each item and placed them in the bathroom before straightening the bedding. A pair of black sheer stockings and a leopard-print bra beneath the blanket suddenly came into Lily's view and caught her off guard. She held her breath as all color drained from her face. Xavier wasn't busy at all. He still had the time to mess around with Sarah in the lounge during his spare time! "Why are you still here?" Sarah threw the sheer stockings and bra into the bathroom before walking out. She frowned when she saw that Lily hadn't left. Lily pointed at the document. "I need to hand this directly to Xavier." "You can just pass it to me." There was a trace of hostility in Sarah's gaze as she looked at her. This version of Sarah was nothing like the gentle and shy woman she had appeared to be in front of Xavier at the restaurant entrance. She acted like the lady of the house in Xavier's office which made Lily feel deeply aggrieved as the rightful wife. She stepped toward Sarah.