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Lilian sat by the wide glass window of her favorite café, stirring her untouched coffee, her phone pressed lightly to her ear. She wasn't really listening to the man on the other end. He was rambling about arrangements, meetings, things she didn't care about.
She already knew how this would end.
"Just make sure the paperwork is where I told you," she interrupted, her voice soft, sweet—even when delivering instructions meant to undo everything Xavier's family had built. "I want no mistakes."
"Of course, Miss Lilian. It's all going according to plan."
"Good." She glanced out the window, watching the steady flow of people on the street. "I trust you'll keep this quiet."
"Naturally."
She ended the call with a smile, tucking her phone neatly into her bag.
To anyone watching, she was the perfect bride-to-be—composed, elegant, and glowing with the kind of love people envied.
But that was the beauty of a well-told story, wasn't it?
You decide which parts people get to see.
Her fingers grazed the rim of the coffee cup as she thought about Xavier. He had always been so trusting, so eager to believe in her version of love.
It wasn't that she didn't care about him.
She just cared more about what his last name could give her.
And soon, it would all be hers.
Still, she knew better than to appear careless. Xavier could be observant when he wanted to be, though lately, he had seemed… distracted.
Lilian frowned.
His recent visits to the dressmaker's shop had come up in conversation—innocent details shared by friends of friends. She hadn't questioned him about it, not yet. She preferred to gather her own information first.
The name came up—Amara.
The seamstress.
It didn't mean anything.
Probably.
But there was a tight pull in her chest she didn't like. A thread she couldn't see the end of yet.
She tapped her nails softly against the table, calculating.
She would check on this Amara soon. Not out of jealousy—Lilian didn't waste emotions on that—but out of principle. She didn't like loose ends. She didn't like people wandering into places they didn't belong.
Xavier was hers.
His family's wealth would be hers.
His father's company would be hers.
She had worked too carefully, waited too long, to let some nameless girl become a distraction.
Her smile returned, slow and deliberate.
She would sew up this little tear in her perfect plan before it ever had the chance to grow.
Besides, there were more pressing matters.
A meeting tonight. A signature that would shift things in her favor. A man she needed to remind of his debt to her.
She finished her cold coffee in one sip and rose gracefully, smoothing the lines of her perfectly tailored dress.
Her life was already stitched together beautifully.
She wouldn't let anyone pull at the seams.
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