The mountain air was thin and freezing, but the cold inside Lili's chest was much worse. She sat on the edge of her bed, the silk duvet feeling like lead against her skin. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Leo's hand on Sienna's waist. It felt like a betrayal, even though he had never truly been hers.
She didn't know that downstairs, the atmosphere was far from romantic.
As soon as the college students had retreated to their rooms and the Great Room fell into a heavy silence, Leo stepped away from Sienna. The warmth he had shown at dinner vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, professional distance. He walked over to the sideboard and poured himself a stiff drink, his back turned to her.
"You played the part well tonight, Leo," Sienna said, her voice losing its sugary sweetness. She leaned against the sofa, checking her reflection in a compact mirror. "Your parents will be pleased with the photos the 'paparazzi' accidentally caught of us arriving together. The merger is practically signed."
Leo didn't turn around. His jaw was set so tight it pained him. "This isn't a game, Sienna. It's a transaction. My family needs your father's logistics empire, and your father needs our capital. Let's not pretend it's anything else."
"Oh, I know," Sienna smirked, snapping her compact shut. "But you could at least look like you enjoy my company. You spent half of dinner staring at that little student friend of Luca's. What was her name? Lili?"
Leo's hand tightened around his glass until his knuckles turned white. "She's a guest. Nothing more."
"Careful, Leo," Sienna warned, her voice dropping to a sharp edge. "If your father thinks your heart isn't in this arrangement, he'll pull the funding for your new tech division. Is a little girl from a small town really worth your entire career?"
Leo didn't answer. He couldn't.
He hated the mask. Every time he looked at Lili across the table and saw the light fading from her eyes, he felt like he was suffocating. He wanted to reach across the candles, grab her hand, and tell her that Sienna meant nothing—that she was just a business contract in a designer dress.
But he was the CEO. He was the "Golden Son." His life wasn't his own; it belonged to the company, to his family's legacy, and to the thousands of employees whose livelihoods depended on this merger.
He looked toward the staircase, imagining Lili behind the closed door of her guest room. He knew she was hurting. He had seen the way her smile faltered and the way she had fled the room as soon as she could. He wanted to go to her, to explain the chains he was wearing, but the risk was too high.
If he showed any weakness, any affection for her, his family would see her as a threat. And Leo knew how his family dealt with threats.
The Wall of Ice
Lili woke up the next morning feeling hollow. She decided she wouldn't be the victim in this story. If Leo wanted to be the cold businessman with the perfect girlfriend, she would give him exactly what he wanted. She would be a ghost.
She dressed in a thick, oversized black sweater and leggings, pulling her hair back into a tight, no-nonsense bun. No lip gloss, no nervous smiles.
When she walked down to the breakfast nook, she found Leo sitting alone, reading a digital newspaper. Sienna wasn't down yet.
"Good morning, Lili," Leo said, his voice dropping into that low, familiar register. He looked up, his eyes searching hers for a flicker of the girl from the hallway.
Lili didn't look at him. She walked straight to the coffee pot, her movements stiff and robotic. "Morning, Leo."
"Did you sleep well?" he asked, his tone almost pleading for a real conversation.
"Fine," she replied shortly. She poured her coffee and turned to leave the room without sitting down.
"Lili, wait," Leo stood up, his tall frame casting a long shadow over the table. "Is something wrong?"
Lili stopped at the doorway, finally turning to look at him. Her eyes were cold, reflecting the winter frost outside. "Nothing is wrong, Leo. I just realized I'm here for Luca's birthday. I don't want to take up any more of your 'busy' time. Enjoy your breakfast with Sienna."
She walked out before he could respond, leaving the most powerful man in the city standing alone in his own house, feeling more powerless than he ever had in his life.
The mountain air was bitingly cold as the group gathered outside the lodge. Luca was in high spirits, lead-climbing the trail with Maya and Rohan, their laughter echoing through the tall pines. Behind them, Sienna walked with practiced grace, her designer hiking boots looking more like a fashion statement than gear.
Lili stayed at the very back. She kept her eyes on the rough path, avoiding Leo, who walked a few paces behind her. He had traded his suit for a heavy black parka, looking like a rugged shadow. Every time she felt his gaze on her back, she quickened her step, determined to keep the wall of ice between them.
"Isn't the view spectacular, Leo?" Sienna called out, pausing to lean against him for a photo.
"Breathtaking," Leo replied, his voice flat. His eyes weren't on the snow-capped peaks; they were fixed on the back of Lili's head.
As they reached a steep ridge overlooking a jagged ravine, the wind began to howl, kicking up loose gravel and snow.
"Hey, look! There's a shortcut through that rocky ledge!" Rohan shouted, pointing toward a narrow path that hugged the side of the cliff.
"Be careful, Rohan! It looks slippery!" Luca cautioned, but the group was already moving toward the scenic overlook.
Lili, wanting to be as far away from Leo and Sienna's "perfect" couple routine as possible, took a different route around a large boulder. She didn't notice the patch of black ice hidden under a thin layer of pine needles.
Her foot slipped.
"Ah!"
Lili's world tilted. She felt the ground vanish beneath her. She slid down the steep embankment, her fingers frantically clawing at the frozen earth and loose rocks. She stopped abruptly, her body jolting as she caught hold of a sturdy, gnarled root jutting out from the side of the cliff. Below her, the ravine dropped fifty feet into a bed of sharp stones.
"Lili!" Luca screamed from above, his face pale with terror.
But someone was faster.