The Billionaire's Lover (Book 1) ~Original~

Chapter One

Eighteenth Birthday ~ Lily

I don't have a thing for birthdays, it seemed a bit to much for me. I was excited for my sixteenth birthday but now that I am eighteen on this very day seemed a bit to much for me and killed my excitement. After the talk with Mr Dante about my scholarship and my work, I seemed very pleased with myself that I had got given a job when most girls had to work hard for it. I can't help that I am in the smart department all the time back when I was in school. It had been three weeks when I graduated and I did not have a boyfriend at all, which seemed sad. All my best friends had boyfriends and one of them is engaged to be married when she turned twenty years old. I felt younger since I didn't have a boyfriend to be with and it sucked like hell, cause then I didn't have someone to come home to and cuddle into the night.

I typed furiously at my phone when I got a text from my dad and it to see if I had got given a job. I typed yes and sent the message, shoving my phone into the bag that I carry around with me. My phone went off and I saw that it was my dad. I pressed the green button on the touch screen and held the phone to my ear "hello dad" I said "Lily, congratulations on getting the job, I hear that company is highly recommended for girls that have graduated high school like you" he said. "Thanks dad, but I need to meet up with my friends for a drink, I'll come home at seven for my birthday party you have so desperately made for me" I said "don't be like that Lily, I made it so you can celebrate with your friends from school, I know they would love to come" he said "fine, I will ask them, I have to go now" I said and pressed the red hang up button and shoved the phone back into the bag.

I hated when people do surprise birthday parties for me and I wanted to be alone with a cake. Fifteen years ago, my mom passed away from cancer in her chest. She was diagnosed with cancer when she was twenty years old and I was three years old. I was born when my mom was seventeen when she found out she was pregnant with me, and three months later I was born. The impact made my dad forget about me, so i was raised by my Aunt until I was sixteen and I moved here to LA, where my father had lived since I was born, and I got to know my father properly. A few times each year he would withdraw from our father - daughter time, and it really made me think about maybe getting him to see a psychiatrist so he can stop withdrawing from us.

On my seventeenth birthday, he gave me a ring, it was my mothers wedding ring, and he said that when I became seventeen, I got to keep the ring, and so he told me the story of what my mother was like. She had long brown hair like me, and beautiful crystal blue eyes, she loved to wear dresses and heels and she was the most beautiful woman my father had ever seen. They dated for a few months and eventually had sex, and when my mother found out she was pregnant with me, my father did everything to support her. When I was born, they originally named me Lillian McCain, but eventually shortened it to Lily over the time to make it easier. Only my mother and father and I know about my full real name. I pushed the glass door open and walked in "Lily!" I heard my best friend Miranda call out and my eyes darted around until i found them. I walked over to them and heaved myself onto the chair and put my bag on the table.

"How was the interview?" Hannah asked, putting her chin on her hand "I got the job and I start tomorrow at three" I said "congrats" Bethany said and smiled. "Hey, my father is throwing a friends only birthday party for me and he wants to know if you girls can come join?" I asked. "Oh my gosh, yes we would love to Lily" Jasmine said and nodded "great, it's tonight at seven" I said "we have to shop for dresses and shoes, I wanna impress my fiancée" Hannah said "you have and now your marrying him" Miranda said and Bethany laughed "glad you all have boyfriends and a fiancée, but me and Lily are the only girls left without boyfriends' Bethany said "Jason ditched you?" Hannah asked and Beth nodded "yeah" she said "he is such an asshole, I told you not to date him" Miranda said "I know, now you can say I told you so" Bethany said poking her tongue at Jasmine.

"I told you so" Jasmine said and we bursted into laughs. Later that night, after a day of shopping, we walked into the house and everything was beautiful "dad?" I called out "in the kitchen sweetheart" he called out and we walked into the kitchen and there stood the most grand birthday cake I have ever seen in my life "wow" I said "looks good does it?" he asked and smiled "hey Jasmine, Miranda, Bethany" he said "hi Mr McCain" they all said "dad, you've gone overboard again" I said "sorry" he said and I sighed "forget it" I said and walked to my room with my friends. Everyone from school arrived at seven and everyone congratulated me on getting a job and for turning eighteen. My mom's wedding ring sat on my wedding finger and I touched it every time I had gotten nervous.

"Hey Lily?" my dad asked standing beside me "hey" I said "it's beautiful" I added "thanks, I have invited your boss to your birthday party, if that is okay with you?" he asked "sure, I don't mind, just don't let me near the liquor" I said and he nodded "it has been locked away" he said and walked off. My eyes skirted the whole crowd as I stood on a miniature platform so that I can see everyone, my eyes caught the eyes of my boss. I touched my ring nervously and eyed him back. There seemed to be something mysterious about him that I cannot even describe at the moment. He walked to me and stood in front of me "good evening Ms McCain" he said "Mr Dante, I see you have accepted my father's invitation to my birthday party it seems" I said, standing tall "I didn't know you were married" he said.

"It is my mother's wedding ring" I said "may I meet your mother?" he asked "she died of cancer when I was three years old" I said "that is a shame, I would have loved to meet the woman who brought the most beautiful girl into the world" he said "if only" I said. "Take a walk with me Ms McCain?" he asked and held an arm out. My body swayed and I slipped my arm into his "if I must" I said and walked with him to the backyard. My home's backyard had a large pool and chairs strewn around with undercover umbrella's. I can almost say that my father is rich in the rich department. "So why did you choose my company to work at?" he asked "well, I am very good with the things that your staff does, and no other company as the challenge yours seem to radiate" I said "really?" he asked and I nodded "it seemed  fair to apply at a company that can give me a challenge that I need" I said.

"You have picked the right company" he said "my father thinks so to" I said. We walked to a chair and he helped me into a chair "tell me about your lovely mother?" he asked. "She was beautiful, she looked like me, but her eyes were a crystal blue colour, she had me when she was seventeen years old, within the time before I was three years old, she found out she had cancer in her chest. When I was three years old my mother died from that cancer and my father withdrew from me and I had to be raised by my Aunt and when I turned sixteen and able to defend myself, I was sent to my father and we had some time to get to know each other." I said. "When we did, every year there was times when my father would withdraw from father - daughter time, it was like he never really wanted to do anything with me" I said. "There comes a time when a father might withdraw from his daughter because of the accident that killed his wife, he still has a working relationship with his daughter because they will always be together, a family without a wife is almost like a family without a father, or a daughter" Heath said.

"You just know what to say when people are troubled" I said "that is my speciality" he said with a smile. I sat back in the chair "one day in my life I want my family, but I have to wait for the right man to come, and when I get married, I want a beautiful baby girl, a sweet and caring daughter, and I'll grow old with my husband and watch my grand kids grow up until the day I die" I said and looked at him, realised I was crying and I wiped furiously at my face "sorry" I said "it's okay" he said and when my head turned in his direction, his face was close to mine.

"Why does such a beautiful woman like you need to be sad all the time?" Heath asked me and I adverted my eyes which landed on his lips. I bit my lip "because the most saddest things in life gets to me" I said and I felt this weird pull to him and before I knew or could do anything, he kissed me - and I kissed back. When I realised I was kissing my boss, I pulled away and stood up "I'm sorry, I should not have done that" I said and walked back into the house and met with my friends "what did you and the boss do?" Miranda asked "nothing" I said "sure" Bethany said and the girls laughed.