Pretty Face

"Yes mom, I'm settling down," Lillian was saying over the phone. She was sitting on the window ledge in her new bedroom, looking at the scenery outside. Her eyes were lost and blank but her voice was trying to sound happy for the sake of her mother.

"Did you have your lunch?" Natasha asked. "And dinner?"

"I did," Lillian replied. "I'm really fine. You don't have to come over. I've already set everything up."

"Fine!" Natasha exclaimed. "I'm...I'm just so worried about you. Staying all alone on your own…"

"Lots of girls stay alone, mom!" Lillian faked a laugh. "I'll be fine. You should take care of dad, okay? I love you. Bye."

She heard her mother sigh on the other side. "I love you too, Lily," she whispered. "Bye."

Lillian hung up the phone and stared at it for a long time. She was unsure of what to do or say anymore. Her heart was numb and her tears had dried up. It was past 10 PM and the dread she had been pushing off was now only increasing.

What would happen when Lucas Hao returned home?

She hugged her thighs to her chest and clutched her arms, trying not to cry again. Lillian had never felt so scared in her whole life and she wanted to tell her mother to save her. But if she did that, then her family would fall into more trouble and she could not see them suffer.

Suddenly, she heard someone shuffling outside the room. There was a thumping sound and the doorknob was twisting. Lillian backed to a corner as a broad figure entered the room. She gulped when Lucas came to view but to her horror, his face was bloodied and there was a bruise over his eyebrow.

The jacket he wore was also damp on the arm and blood was trickling from it. A scent of gunpowder emitted from him, scaring Lillian even further. Lucas briefly glanced at her before heading into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

Lillian was stunned for a few seconds, scarred by the sight. She was hesitant to ask him what happened, afraid that his answer was going to be very unpleasant.

Getting off the ledge, she stood there, not sure of what to do or say. What does one say to a mafia lord who came home bleeding and reeking of gunpowder?

But somewhere in her conscience, she could not ignore a person who was hurt. Moreover, even if he was a mafia lord, he had still spared her father so she had a very tiny amount of gratitude towards him.

I can just ask him if he needs anything, she decided.

Meanwhile in the bathroom, Lucas had taken off his jacket and t-shirt. His arm was bleeding but it was a shallow cut which he received while fighting Alex. He looked at his palm and saw that it was bleeding too. He had sustained that cut when he stopped Alex from whipping Lola with the belt.

He looked around for the first aid kit but it was not in the bathroom; the maids might have moved it elsewhere. Lucas shook his head and hurried to find the kit. He opened the door only to bump into someone.

Lillian, who was about to knock on the door, tripped over the rug and was about to hit the door when it flung open. Instead of hard wood, she landed on someone's sturdy chest. Shocked, she slowly looked up to meet Lucas' cold eyes.

She blinked comically for a few moments before…

"AHHHHHHH!" she yelled, startling Lucas. Lillian backed away, covering her eyes. She was shaking, her mind concocting her worst fears.

He's naked! She screamed in her head. He's gonna pounce on me!

Lucas frowned at the strange woman who was trembling and had her eyes covered.

"Oi," he said, reaching out his hand but Lillian did not look at him but instinctively slapped his hand away, making him wince.

"Agh!" he groaned in pain. Lillian was still too scared to look at him but Lucas was now getting annoyed.

"Oi!" he yelled at her. "Stop making a scene!"

"Y-you're n-n-n-n-naked!" she shrieked. "I-I k-k-k-know that I'm supposed to b-b-be your wife for s-s-six months but I-I-I-I can't do that!"

It was now Lucas' turn to be surprised. What the hell was this woman talking about?

"P-P-Please just give me some time to a-a-a-adjust!" she kept on squeaking like a scared mouse. "I-I-I always thought I'll give up my first time to some I'll l-love b-b-b-but this is a contract marriage and I'm scared and-"

She opened her eyes to peek only to realize that Lucas was not exactly naked. He was still wearing his pants and was staring at her in disbelief. He finally figured out what she was talking about.

"This is why you should read the contract," he simply stated and brushed past her. Lillian was confused. Contract? What was in the contract?

Lucas picked up the first aid kit and also opened a drawer to take out a copy of the contract one of the maids had kept there. He handed it to her and said, "Read it now."

Without another word, he went back inside the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. Lillian stared at the bathroom door for a while before turning her attention to the contract. She did not read the agreement of the marriage because all that mattered to her was her father's safety. The contract meant nothing to her other than an obligation and she assumed that Lucas Hao was going to keep her captive in this marriage for six months before letting her go…

She flipped through the pages, carefully reading it.

"None of the parties are required to share a marital bed without explicit consent on either side," she read. "While both the parties will be posing as a married couple to the public, in private lives, they are not obligated to carry out any of the marital duties against their wills."

She carefully read all the terms and was quite surprised. Even though Lucas Hao had proposed the contract marriage, he took great measures not to violate her rights in any way. He even stipulated a generous amount for her monthly expenses which would not be included in her father's debt and was solely hers to spend.

"Huh?"

Lillian was now completely dumbfounded. He really took great lengths to take my wishes into consideration, she realized.

Now she was feeling a little guilty for her earlier assumptions. After reading about Lucas' ruthlessness, she assumed that he would be tormenting her but he was giving her a lot of space which felt really satisfying to her. Maybe the next six months would not be so bad after all.

Lucas came out of the bathroom, still topless but his injuries were now medicated. He went into the closet and took out a shirt to sleep in.

"Read the terms?" he quietly asked.

"Yes," Lillian nodded. He did not say anything else but picked up a pillow from the bed and headed straight for the couch. Lillian debated with herself, wanting to thank him but her words were stuck in her throat.

Instead, she watched as he lay on the couch and closed his eyes. After a while, he was completely asleep.

Lillian was quiet for a while, berating herself for not thanking him. She sighed and picked out some clothes from her luggage and headed into the bathroom to freshen up. She came out after a while to find that Lucas was sleeping peacefully. His one hand was hanging from the couch while the other one was tucked to his side.

For the first time, she took a good look at the man who would be her husband for the next six months. If she did not know that he was a criminal, she would have found him gorgeous. His tanned skin was clear and beautiful which would make even celebrities jealous. He had naturally long eyelashes and his sharp jawline complemented his face which was perfectly symmetric. Even though his face was a little injured due to whatever it was he did, there was no denying that he was as handsome as ever.

Moreover, the little glimpse Lillian's sharp eyes had of his torso made her blush. He had a good build almost as if he was sculpted by the best artist. She could almost count his abs through his shirt.

And to top it all, he had silky ebony colored hair which was making even Lillian jealous. She had a crazy urge to touch it but was too afraid to do so.

This beautiful face instills fear in everyone? Lillian thought.

She was about to go to bed when she noticed that Lucas' palm was bleeding. The guy did not even put a bandage on it!

Spotting the first aid kit, she took out some cotton, ointment and bandages. Quietly sitting on the floor, she took his palm and gently dabbed the cotton on it. Lucas felt something touch his arm and he opened his eyes to find that Lillian had his palms in hers, tending to his cut.

For a moment he held his breath, completely frozen but she did not seem to have noticed that he was awake. She had tied her hair into a high ponytail and was engrossed in wrapping the bandage around his hand. Finally, she was done.

He quickly closed his eyes when she turned. Her soft hands were still touching him, gently putting his injured hand on his chest.

"Think of this as my thank you to you," she whispered. He felt her gaze on him for a while before she sighed.

"What a waste of good looks," she sighed out loud. "He could have been a celebrity but he chose to be a mafia lord. Aish!"

Lucas remained impassive, still pretending to be asleep as Lillian went to bed. She was about to turn off the lamp when a deep voice spoke up.

"Keep the lights on," Lucas said, his eyes still closed. "If someone tries to attack the mansion during the night, this good looking face will be enough to scare them."

Lillian's eyes widened in shock. He heard her!

She yelped and pulled the blanket over her, wanting to hide herself in it forever.