“She’s my girlfriend,” Tony announced with his arms wrapped around Lily and his expression stern.
Lily’s eyes widened but she quickly composed herself as she didn’t want to be noticed by the reporters who were watching them like a hawk.
After Tony’s big reveal, the reporters erupted into chaos and they began raining questions on Tony, each of them eager to know how and when he got a girlfriend because most of the people in the country were starting to think he was gay or just hated women.
There was a time he was spotted in public with Daisy and photos started circulating online as people began to spread rumors about him having a child. They also went on the search for who the mystery woman might be and at that time, he was close friends with Harriet who already had two children and was always around him. So, to avoid getting her in trouble, he quickly denied the accusations and revealed that Daisy was his niece, bringing Rachael as proof.
“How long have you known her for, Dr Martinez?”
“Is this a serious relationship or is it just a fling?”
Questions flew in the air from the reporters but, Tony wasn’t going to stay there any longer.
He pulled Lily closer and wrapped his arm around her protectively before whispering into her ear. “Let’s go in.” He said and she nodded.
With the help of the security men, they were able to get into the hall successfully.
The moment they entered the hall, Lily’s breath seized. The hall was breathtaking, its decorations exquisite. The crystal chandeliers sparkled from the ceiling, casting a warm glow over the room. Elegantly dressed guests filled the room, each one trying to out-dress the other.
Everything about the party screamed wealth.
How could it not? It was Mehdi King’s party.
Tony noticed the look on Lily’s face and leaned closer to her ear. “You like what you see?”
Lily nodded slightly with a faint smile on her lips. Then, she remembered what had happened outside and she stopped walking. She pulled on Tony’s arm, forcing him to turn towards her.
“What did you do, Tony?” Lily asked in a hushed but firm tone.
“What did I do?” Tony replied with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Don’t give me that look, Tony.” Lily rolled her eyes as she whispered. She looked around, making sure that no one was watching before she continued.
“You told the reporters that I am your girlfriend. You know that is not true. Why did you lie like that? We’re not dating.” She said with a frown, her lips pursing.
A smirk appeared on Tony’s face and he took a step closer, leaning into her ear once again. “Not yet.” He said, his voice low. “Soon.”
Lily’s eyes widened but before she could give him a reply, an unfamiliar voice interrupted them from behind.
“Tony Martinez.” The voice said and Tony turned. As soon as he did, his jaw hardened but he quickly covered it by wearing a fake smile.
“Mehdi King.” He replied, staring at the young French man before them.
He was dressed in an expensive black suit and bow tie that fit him perfectly.
“Happy Birthday. You have outdone yourself with this party. Thank you for the invite, by the way.” He said politely.
Mehdi shook his head dismissively.”I am the one who is happy to have you here. Your presence here will give this party more than enough publicity. Thank you by the way, for the birthday wish.” Mehdi replied with a smile of his own. He pulled out his hand for a handshake which Tony kindly took.
As they shook, Mehdi studied Tony, his eyes full of suspicion. He wondered if Tony knew about him or not. From the look on Tony’s face, it was hard to tell if he knew about Mehdi’s illegal activities.
As they shook, Mehdi finally took notice of Lily. His gaze lingered on her as he took in her appearance.
When it came to women, no one was as proficient as Mehdi. He had seen most of the women in the hall and he knew he wasn’t wrong about the lady standing before him.
She was the most attractive woman in the hall.
For some reason, he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. He then realized that she was with Tony which meant she was Lily, Louis’s girlfriend.
“And who is this beautiful lady?” He asked, pretending not to know who she was. His eyes stayed glued to Lily’s face the entire time.
Tony noticed Mehdi’s intense gaze on Lily and immediately wrapped his hand around her possessively. “This is Lily Arnold, my girlfriend.” He said and felt Lily tense under his hold.
Her heart raced once again. This was the second time he had called her his girlfriend in less than twenty minutes.
“Lily…” Mehdi hummed, staring at her lustfully. “A beautiful name for a beautiful woman.” He praised.
“Nice to meet you, Lily. He greeted and held out his hands.
“Thank you,” Lily replied softly and slowly reached out to him. He took her hands and dropped a curt kiss on the back of her hand, spiting Tony.
Lily felt her stomach churn at the sight of his skin connecting with her and she held herself back from making any visible expressions.
Tony grabbed Lily’s waist and pulled her back, keeping Mehdi at a distance where he couldn’t easily reach out to her.
“You’re a lucky man, Tony. She is stunning.” Mehdi complimented, a faint smile playing on his lips.
The fake smile on Tony’s face hardened and his jaw ticked. “I know.”
Mehdi’s smile widened slightly and he returned his gaze to Lily. “Well, if you ever need anything, you should know that I am always here to help. A friend of Tony is a friend of mine.” He said with a grin.
“Thank you,” Lily answered again, still feeling uneasy under his awkward gaze.
Tony cleared his throat. “Alright then, Mehdi. I believe you have a lot of guests waiting for you. We don’t want to keep you waiting.”
“Ah! Yes, yes.” Mehdi nodded. “I guess I’ll catch you both later then.” He said and walked away.
After walking for a while, he turned back to stare at Lily. “She’s perfect.” He thought. “Louis doesn’t deserve her. Neither does that Mr goody two shoes Tony.”
“She needs a real man to handle. She needs me.” He said with a sinister smirk as he took out his phone and dialed a number.
“How’s the plan coming along?” He asked the person on the other side of the phone.
“Hurry up with it. I want Lily kidnapped in the next two days.” He said with his eyes still on Lily who was laughing at something said.
“You’ll be mine in two days, darling.”