Page 63 of Lily and the Billionaire Prince

Heartthrob’s Most Wantedgave their contestants a total of seven tries to find their Heartthrob. The seven dates could be with different men every time, or if a girl decided she liked one man in particular, all seven dates could be with him. Either way, by the end, the audience expected a real-life proposal and a lifelong commitment. Oh, and the winners received a billion-dollar prize.

A girl got love, and she and her man became instant billionaires. What a way to find romance.

“I may not even get selected,” Snow said, “but it’s worth a try, you know? Get whisked away and have half a dozen hot guys to choose from while I’m at it?”

“More power to you,” Lily said, smiling.

“Come on, we don’t all have princes at our disposal.”

Lily winced at that. She knew Snow didn’t mean the statement the way it had come out. “Henrik wasn’t disposable to me.” That was why leaving him the morning he’d roused an orchestra for her had been one of the hardest things she’d ever done.

“So…you wanted to stay with him?” Snow asked.

“Yes, I did.” Lily just didn’t realize how much until the possibility was gone.

Snow’s gaze was tangible, and Lily had the sudden desire to direct her attention anywhere else. “It’s okay. Thanks to him, I can breathe again. I don’t know if you know how relieving that is.”

“I can imagine. I can’t believe you never told me about the emails.”

“Yeah, sorry. I wasn’t sure what to do.” For the first time in two years, Lily could exist for the sake of being alive. She could live without fear. She could fall asleep without relying on the TV. She could take incoming calls without panic.

It was a good feeling.

Once Snow left, Lily dressed and headed into the Elir resort. She had a few more relationships to patch, and if Mr. Elir let her keep her job after what she did, that would be more than she deserved.

He was on a cushy chair in his suite’s seating area where fancy, comfortable seating gathered around a coffee table. For some reason, Lily was reminded of the morning Aaliyah had met River for the first time. Her marriage had been arranged with River’s boss, Zayn, and the three of them had sat in this area while presenting the idea of a marriage to Zayn. He’d been shocked, to say the least. Lily had stood by, watching Aaliyah’s distress.

Her father sat in the same seat now, sipping his morning coffee. He’d dressed in a suit as he used to, and his face had far more color than it’d had for some time.

“Good morning, sir,” Lily said, entering with the usual stack of weekly magazines for him to peruse. “You look well today.”

Mr. Elir lowered his mug and stared at her. “Lily? Your hair—”

“I cut it,” she said, touching the much-shorter locks self-consciously.

“It is nice,” Mr. Elir said. “Emphasizes your beautiful face and your graceful neck. Come, please sit down so we can talk.”

Lily hadn’t been this nervous since she and Henrik had been approaching Onsker Godt castle. How much did Mr. Elir know? In her email, she’d only said she regretted being unable to give more notice, but that she was leaving the country with no expectation of returning.

“Tell me what happened,” he said. It wasn’t a command, but a request, feeling as though coming from a loving father rather than an employer. So Lily did. She spilled everything, from Damon to the emails, to meeting Henrik and how things had escalated from there. She ended with shearing her hair and rejecting Henrik, with Damon imposing and threatening the Frosks, to leaving him and Henrik in Einvar.

Mr. Elir’s black eyes were rimmed with sadness, welling with tears. For her. For Lily. “You could have told me you were in trouble,” he finally said.

Lily dipped her chin. She couldn’t bear to meet his gaze any longer, but she was touched by his compassion. “I know, sir. I’m sorry.”

His footsteps shuffled on the carpet and then he was sitting next to her. He touched a soft hand to her chin, bringing her gaze back. Mr. Elir’s bronze skin was lined, his hair graying, his eyes tender. “I look on you as a daughter. You have helped me with the resort, you’ve been a friend to my Aaliyah. You’ve helped me with my cancer.”

“You pay me to do all of that, sir.”

His gaze turned shrewd. “I hope it is more than that. I’ve thought it was more.”

Lily swallowed the lump in her throat. Admittedly, the care she’d felt from him had been something like love from a parent. She’d loved his consideration since her real father had shut her out for so long.

“I kept you on not only because of your competence and dependability. You have come to mean a lot to me, Lily. I would have helped you if you’d asked.”

The admission was stirring. For so long, she’d questioned her ability. She’d felt like a walking failure. He hadn’t seen that, though. He’d called her competent and dependable. Even Henrik had remarked on what a thorough, wonderful job she did. Had she been mistaken about herself this whole time? For several seconds she couldn’t bring herself to answer. “Thank you, sir,” she finally said.

He patted her hands. “There now. I’m glad you are well and that all is in the past. And—”

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