Chapter 7 - Hubby?

Deal? Lily flinched. What kind of deal? Astonished, she looked at Alexander with wide-open eyes.

Actually, his entire visit made no sense to her. By now she had drifted so far from the action in the novel that nothing made sense to her anymore. After all, she was still alive. The side character whose death is mourned in the third chapter.

She was still alive.

Lillian de Clermont was still alive.

But Elodie and Fabien were dead.

The main character and the male protagonist were dead.

Was it her fault?

The main characters had to die just because she wanted to live.

She felt ill. She needed only this one thought. It was enought to let her feel the pain of an upset stomach. Suddenly she felt so ill. Lily only wanted to live. She did not want to kill anyone. Was it really that wrong to live?

Everything around her was suddenly so dull and hollow.

Trembling, she gasped for breath. "What kind of deal?"

Alexandre leaned forward, like a predator, stalking his prey very slowly. He observed Lily with his steel-gray eyes.

"Marry me."

Silence again. But this time it was different.

Lurking.

While he was holding her captive with his intense gaze.

"You agree?" His deep voice broke the spell. Within a fraction of a second, Lily tried to process what he said. MARRIAGE - it shouted in her head.

Loud. Earsplitting.

Her stomach contracted.

MARRIAGE. The taboo word. The word means death. Lillian of the novel died shortly after her marriage. This marriage with Pascal was Lillian's personal death sentence.

"Why?"

Lily could not think clearly. Her brain could only imagine one scenario - Lily + # 1 villain = death.

For a second Alexandre seemed confused. Why did she ask? Was not it clear? Alexandre banished any doubt about her intelligence.

"It's an advantage for both of us." She was still looking at him questioningly with those big puppy eyes. Her head was slightly tilted to the side. Her hair flowed down her like a dark river. She seemed so innocent. And he was hungry.

"You need a husband to save you from marriage swindlers." His eyes locked with hers. "And I need a suitable wife. You are meeting my criteria. "

Lily gasped. She felt like she would lose her mind every moment. Things were very different than expected. Everything was completely out of control.

She opened her mouth to tell him she did not need anyone to protect her ... "What criteria? Maybe I'm the heir to Clermont. Is that a good criterion. Or let me think. Maybe I am the guardian of the heirs of Bourbon. Is that also a criterion? " It broked out of her. She could not explain it. She was angry. Hopping mad.

"Exactly." He took the wind out of her sails with a single word. "You certainly are't capable enough to run all the companies under the names Clermont and Bourbon. And I'm sure you won't be able to compete with all the old power-hungry men, let alone the relatives who want to manipulate and control you. You need an ally. "

"You want to be my ally? No, you will be my ally. I'm right?" She answered a little sneering. She knew he was right. They lived in a society where men set the tone. They would marry her of if they found her. Because she was no longer just one of the richest heirs of Bourgogne. No, she was now the guardian of one of the richest heirs of Europe.

"Yes." He let out a amused snort.

She realized that at the moment the richest men were hunting her and Adrien. Men who wanted power. The power that a marriage with her would promise. Alexandre was only the beginning.

She was defenseless. Finally, Fabien no longer held his hand over her. She was practically exposed to male despotism. Lily knew Alexandre was still quite friendly. They would do even more terrible things to urge her to a wedding.

She had no choice. She did not know what was coming or who would come. The future was uncertain and that scared Lily. "I have conditions and I want to talk to my lawyer first."

Perplexed by her sudden acumen, Alexandre raised his black eyebrows.