30 Bashful flower

Alex Maxwell's past few days have been fruitful. To conquer Lily Lambert's affection, he has devised a plan to disable Talon Hopkins, a strong supporter of her pseudo-nemesis Julie Morel. At the same time, he got rid of an annoying rival, Ryan Doyle, by trapping him in a conflict with Hopkins, rendering him in a pitiful situation.

In parallel, he also resolved a grudge he had against Hopkins concerning Eliana Carter and got possession of a whole new real estate asset in the passage.

In a good mood, Alex Maxwell leans comfortably onto the cozy sofa. He is currently at his father's office.

"I did not expect you to intervene," Alex says to his father, sitting on his desk with the skyscraper view at his back. "You even swept everything from the Richmond." Alex continues, referring to the real-estate acquisition.

"It is nothing much," Alexander responds without looking, continuing his business by handing a signed document to a young lady standing on the side.

The young woman takes the papers from Alexander's hand while flirting and leaves the office in a sultry walk. Alex calmly witnesses everything without any reaction.

After giving a long look at the beauty, Alexander talks again. "Anyway, how is business?"

"Good." Alex casually answers.

"Our talents are in high demand. And we are planning to expand our personnel. Currently, we secured deals with some fashion brand companies, like TRENDY. On the side, we are preparing a short film to boost our image. And, we expect activity to rise after that."

Alexander nods. "I see. Since things are that good, I will transfer the full control of the new estate acquisition to your branch and introduce you as an honorary member of the board."

Hearing this, Alex squints in doubt. "The board is not going to appreciate this."

"Do not worry about that." Alexander snorts. "They need to get used to this. When you graduate, I will introduce you as an official member of the board."

Alex stays silent. He understands his father's intention. Alexander wants his son to take control of the Maxwell corporation after him. And he wants him to get more and more involved with the direction to prepare for that future.

As the father and son continue their discussion, the previous young woman enters and approaches the desk. She leans suggestively toward Alexander's ear and whispers undistinguishable mutterings.

Noticing the suspicious rosy atmosphere between his father and the young woman, Alex stands and rolls his eyes. "Take it easy. Mom is going to flip on you again."

Conscientious about the remarks, the lady panics and becomes beat red. But Alexander retorts. "Don't talk nonsense! She was put there by your mother. She is my bug deterrent if I put it into your mother's words." He sighs.

Alex just laughs and walks toward the door, mocking his father's history with women. He is puzzled how his father and mother are still together.

____

After meeting his father, Alex Maxwell's day is relatively free.

His school just concluded its busy anniversary celebration a few days ago and is now on spring vacation. The uneventful day made him bored to his core. And he decides to drive aimlessly throughout Leven's picturesque streets, looking for something interesting.

The dull afternoon is almost unbearable for Maxwell. Fortunately for him, his salvation comes in the form of his phone ringing. Spontaneously, he accepts the call and puts the speaker on.

He confirms the caller's identity on the screen and talks. "Hi, Lily?"

"Alex? I'm not disturbing you now?" She responds and asks carefully.

"No-no. Go on!"

Lambert hesitates a bit but decides to spill her thoughts. "I heard everything from Eli. About Hopkins and all." She says and waits for Maxwell's response. But the latter stays quiet, also waiting for her to tell more.

Getting nothing back, she continues. "So uh … How should I put it? Thank you!" She awkwardly says.

Maxwell laughs a bit, imagining her stoic face blushing, and answers jokingly. "What is this? You are making me embarrassed."

"I told you that I would help, and that is what I did."

"Nonetheless!!!" Lily quickly responds, nearly shouting before repeating herself more calmly. "Nonetheless, I feel bad for getting you involved in all of this." Her shaky voice feels apologetic.

Maxwell stays pensive, looking for an answer. At the same time, he can hear excited whispers in the background, and Lambert speaks again.

"Are you perhaps free this evening?" She hesitantly asks.

"I have nothing in particular planned." Saying this, he hears the background noise getting louder. And he could distinguish two other women with Lambert through the phone.

Her companions seem to instruct her something before she asks. "T-then, maybe we could go out somewhere?" Lily is stuttering a bit. "A-as thanks for everything." She quickly clarifies.

Alex chuckles at the clumsy invitation. "Sounds good. Does eastern cuisine suit you?"

"Huh?" Lily gets caught off guard; She did not expect Maxwell's instant reply. "Yeah-yes!"

"Great! I will make a reservation and pick you up at 7 PM at your home." Alex smoothly follows.

"O-okay!" Lily couldn't speak fluently anymore. She felt like being swept by Maxwell's eloquent words.

"Superbe! I am looking forward to seeing you in a nice dress." He brazenly says. "I will consider this as our first date." Again, he hears the commotion of girls squeak and excited laughter.

"See you later." Lily quickly replies and ends the call, dismissing his comment and not giving him the chance to answer. During their last few exchanges, he could feel her bashfulness.

Maxwell chuckles again as the periodic beeps resonate in his car. He finds the usually cold young lady's current behavior especially cute.

____

The red sun is on the verge of setting in the sky of Leven as Alex Maxwell pulls up in front of the Lambert estate gates.

Not long after, Lily Lambert comes out dressed in a bluish knitted dress with long bishop sleeves, leather brown ankle boots, and white lace socks, a lovely look fitting for the breezy evening.

Maxwell immediately comes out of his vehicle when he sees Lambert approaching, leaving the exotic car behind him with both doors raised like bird's wings. Her dashing appearance was too alluring to give a care for anything else.

"You look stunning!" Alex compliments Lily. He looks at her beauty, gives a warm smile, and tends his arm to lead her toward the passenger seat.

She accepts his polite gesture and grabs below his arm. "Thanks," Lily simply says, trying her hardest not to blush at these simple words.

In the car, she is still dallying, putting her hand on her chest, trying to calm her heart down. The evening just started, and already Lily is barely managing to maintain her composure. Since his banal compliment, she feared that her heartbeats were loud enough to be heard outside her chest.

However, her situation worsens as Maxwell suddenly leans close toward her. His face one breath from her pinkish mouth.

Lily's mind turns into disorder. The man she has a crush on seems to go for a kiss. Nervous and excited, she just closes her eyes, ready to accept everything.

Her anticipation grows, but nothing touches her lips. Somehow confused, she peeks in curiosity.

And to her disappointment, Maxwell only leaned towards her to fasten her seatbelt. But here she was expecting a naughty action. Her stoic face immediately turns red with embarrassment.

She thinks of herself as an idiot for having such thoughts that she wants to hole herself.

"We are set to go. Are you ready?" Alex's gentle voice wakes her from her self-reflection.

"Y-yeah!" She replies while avoiding eye contact.

Maxwell discreetly chuckles again. He is not oblivious to the girl's sentiment and silly reaction. And it could even be said he purposefully stirred her up for his own enjoyment.

____

Alex Maxwell decided to bring Lily Lambert to a penthouse restaurant. The location is famous for its panoramic view, overlooking the night light display of Leven, its reputable outcoming chef, and its calm and cozy atmosphere.

Overall, the place was perfect for couples to have a pleasant time while enjoying a delectable meal.

When the two arrived, Lily was too nervous, fidgeting like a scared bird. Despite this, her refined expression and elegant behavior have managed to hide her discomfort until now.

Although, as time passes, she slowly warms up. Be it from the sweet taste of wine or from Maxwell's warm attitude. And the two become more comfortable with each other.

Throughout their time together, several meticulously prepared plates pass in front of the two. But they were too immersed in their mundane discussions and their time together to fully concentrate on anything else.

"I am glad we had dinner together. We should do this often." Alex says while enjoying his dessert.

"I also think the same." The tipsy Lily nods and playfully puts a spoon of sorbet in her mouth, leaving a remnant in the corner because of her botched gesture.

Without warning, Alex brings up his fingers and gently sweeps her lips. The tender gesture stirs Lambert once more. The nervousness she felt at the beginning came back, and her heart ran wild, pumping her blood harder.

She felt suffocated, tingly, and boiling to the point of seeing white. But strangely enough, the feeling was not unpleasant to her.

"Look at you. You look like a cute kitten." Alex teases her clumsiness. Then, he suggestively licks the finger with which he touched her lips.

More upset about his upbeat attitude than his jesting, Lily excuses herself to the powder room.

Lily wonders if she was the only one having trouble keeping her composure or if he was also the same.

She wasn't afraid of Maxwell noticing her infatuation. She has already shared her sentiment.

What scares her is that he makes fun of her feelings and plays with her heart. It would devastate her.

____

A significant time passed since Lily left the table. A little worried, Maxwell gets up from his seat and goes looking for her.

He searches near the washroom. Then goes to the veranda before seeing Lily leaning on the railing, repeating breathing exercises.

"Were you uncomfortable?" He slowly walks toward her with a serious expression.

Hearing his call, Lily jolts and straightens herself. "No! I was just taking in some fresh air."

He looks doubtful.

"Earlier. I may have gone a bit overboard with my jokes." He says remorsefully.

Distress and fear invade Lambert's mind.

She panics, thinking he misunderstood her action; She didn't mean to make things awkward; She was only flustered and not upset at him for his teasing.

Feeling at the end of the rope and not wanting to spoil their pleasant date, Lily assertively pulls Maxwell's collar with both hands and then kisses him passionately.

Maxwell is surprised but didn't resist. He even returned the passion.

After a long shared moment, Lily bashfully says. "I told home that I may stay the night."

____ End of Chapter 30 ____