Chapter 138: Misunderstanding IV
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Elena stepped forward slightly, voice calm but firm.
"Young miss," Elena began, trying to ground the moment.
Lily snapped her gaze toward Elena, then back to Sekhmet.
Bat Bat watched with the fascination of someone watching a cart crash and being unable to look away.
Mira stood quietly, eyes lowered a fraction, clearly understanding that she had just been dropped into a personal war she did not create.
The twins stood straight, expressions stubborn, refusing to be shamed.
Lily’s breath hitched.
Then she turned sharply.
She did not shout.
She did not slap him.
She did something worse.
She ran.
Her heels struck stone as she crossed the courtyard, moving fast enough that the servants startled out of her path. She pushed through the garden gate and vanished into the greenery like a wounded blade.
The courtyard held a stunned silence.
Bat Bat whispered softly.
"Lily heart hurt."
Elena’s gaze turned to Sekhmet, quiet understanding in her eyes.
Sekhmet’s jaw tightened.
He handed Bat Bat gently into Elena’s arms.
"Elena," he said, voice low, "handle them. Keep everyone calm. Give them rooms. Give them food. Keep the servants from gossiping."
Elena nodded immediately, already shifting into command.
"Yes, young master," she replied.
Auri remained still, watching Sekhmet.
"Master," Auri said quietly, "do you want me to follow."
Sekhmet shook his head.
"No," he said. "Stay here."
Auri nodded once.
"Yes," she replied.
Sekhmet turned and ran after Lily.
He moved through the garden paths quickly, but not loudly. The garden was lush, designed to look peaceful, with trimmed hedges and stone benches and small trees that cast shade like gentle hands. It was the kind of place nobles came to pretend they were not surrounded by politics.
He found Lily near a fountain, half-hidden behind a flowering shrub.
She was sobbing.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
The sobs were the kind that escaped when someone’s pride could not hold the pressure anymore.
She wiped her face angrily as if her tears were insulting her.
"Stupid," Lily muttered. "Stupid Sekhmet. Stupid contracts. Stupid concubines."
Sekhmet slowed, then stepped into view.
"Lily," he said.
Lily spun, eyes red, cheeks flushed with anger.
"Do not say my name," she snapped. "Go back to your contract women. Go practice being a rich man."
Sekhmet’s expression tightened.
He stayed calm anyway.
"I did not do this to hurt you," he said.
Lily laughed bitterly.
"You did not do it to hurt me," she repeated. "So what did you do it for. Efficiency."
Sekhmet stepped closer, careful.
"Listen," he said. "The contract market is not like a normal market. Contracts are enforced by their rules. Their papers are made under contract god authority. Once signed, neither party breaks it unless they are stronger than the contract god itself. If the contract is broken, the market investigates and punishes."
Lily’s eyes flickered, because Lily was not ignorant. She knew the world. She knew law. She knew how the city worked.
But emotion did not care about facts.
"Fine," Lily said, voice shaking. "So you signed. And now you have concubines."
Sekhmet exhaled slowly.
"I have a problem to solve," he said. "The business is under attack. My father is missing. Iron-Scale is pressuring suppliers. I need capable people who can handle numbers, guards, and information. I needed these contracts. I needed them fast."
Lily’s mouth twisted.
"And you needed women," she said.
Sekhmet’s voice stayed steady.
"I needed talent," he said. "The contract terms forced a label. The label does not control my intentions."
Lily’s eyes narrowed.
"What are your intentions," she demanded.
Sekhmet paused.
Then he spoke plainly, because Lily did not respond to pretty lies.
"I do not plan to put them in my bed," he said. "Not now. Not as a goal. I plan to train them. Use them as protection. Build the house back up. Stabilize the auction. Make sure we do not look weak. That is my intention."
Lily’s breath caught.
She stared at him like she wanted to believe him and hated that she wanted it.
"Then why does it feel like you are leaving me behind," she whispered.
Sekhmet’s expression softened, just a fraction.
"Because I am moving too fast," he admitted. "Because I am scared of failing. Because I came back and everything is already collapsing."
Lily swallowed hard.
She looked away, wiping her face again, angry at herself.
Sekhmet stepped closer.
"Lily," he said quietly, "you are important to me."
Lily’s shoulders trembled.
She tried to laugh again, but it came out broken.
"Important," she repeated. "You say that after three women walk through your gate."
Sekhmet did not argue.
He simply reached out, touched her wrist gently.
Lily flinched at first.
Then she did not pull away.
Sekhmet lifted her hand slightly, not forcing, not controlling, just anchoring her back to the moment.
"I am not good at saying it," Sekhmet said. "I have been surviving. That is all I know. But you are not a tool. You are not a contract. You are not a bargaining chip. You are Lily."
Lily’s eyes lifted to his.
They were still wet, still angry, still sharp.
"Say it better," she demanded.
Sekhmet stared at her for a heartbeat, then leaned forward.
He kissed her.
It was not a deep kiss. It was not hunger. It was not possession.
It was a simple lip kiss, firm and deliberate, the kind that said, stop spiraling, I am here, I am not running.
Lily froze.
Then she exhaled shakily, like her chest had been locked and the kiss had turned the key.
When Sekhmet pulled back, Lily stared at him in stunned silence.
Then she wiped her face again, but slower this time.
"You are still an idiot," Lily whispered.
Sekhmet’s lips twitched faintly.
"That has been confirmed many times," he replied.
Lily’s mouth trembled, trying to form a smile and failing because she still wanted to be angry.
She sniffed once, then glared at him like she was about to issue a royal decree.
"Fine," Lily said. "Temporary. Business. Contracts. Whatever."
Sekhmet nodded once.
"Yes," he said.
Lily’s eyes narrowed.
"But," Lily continued, voice rising with renewed power, "you are going to spend the rest of today with me."
Sekhmet blinked.
Lily jabbed a finger toward his chest.
"You are going to go shopping with me," she said. "You are going to carry the bags. You are going to buy everything I want. And you are going to look miserable while doing it, so I can enjoy it properly."
Sekhmet stared at her.
"That sounds like punishment," he said.
Lily’s smile finally appeared, sharp and victorious.
"It is," she replied. "And it is legal because I am Lily."
Sekhmet exhaled, then nodded.
"I will go with you," he said. "I will buy everything you want."
Lily’s eyes softened again, just slightly.
"You promise," she demanded.
"I promise," Sekhmet said.
Lily stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing tightly like she was trying to make sure he was real.
Sekhmet hesitated for a fraction of a second, then hugged her back.
His arms closed around her with steady pressure, protective and quiet.
Lily’s voice came muffled against his chest.
"You are not allowed to bring any women," she whispered.
Sekhmet’s jaw tightened, and his voice dropped low.
"I am not," he said. "I will ask you if I need anyone."
Lily breathed in, then out.
Her anger did not vanish completely, but it settled into something manageable, something that could be soothed with time and attention and ridiculous shopping.
Sekhmet held her a little tighter, making sure she felt it.
Because in a house full of contracts, rumors, enemies, and new faces, Lily needed one simple truth more than any explanation.
She mattered. And Sekhmet did not intend to let her forget it.