The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 11

11:26 Mon, May 4

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

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Lila drew a slow breath, then turned back toward them, her expression smoothing into something calm and unreadable.

“Maddy,” she said lightly, “come with me for a moment.”

Maddy blinked, surprised-then her lips curved into a pleased smile. “Of course,” she said, almost eager, and stepped away from the table without hesitation.

Damon’s gaze sharpened. “Lila-”

“I won’t take long,” she cut in smoothly, already turning away. She didn’t look at him, but she felt his eyes on her all the same.

As they walked toward the hall, Maddy fell easily into step beside her, practically glowing. “Is something wrong?” she asked, sweetness dialed just high enough to feel deliberate.

Lila stopped near the doorway and faced her. “Since you’re joining the firm,” she said evenly, “and traveling with Damon for business, there are things you should know.”

Maddy’s eyes lit up. “Oh?”

“Yes.” Lila smiled-polite, controlled. “You should know what he likes. And what he doesn’t like. What he expects during trips like these. His habits. His moods.”

She paused, letting the words sink in.

“It wouldn’t do for you to be unprepared.”

Maddy nodded quickly, clearly delighted. “I appreciate that,” she said. “I want to be helpful.”

“I’m sure you do,” Lila replied.

From across the room, Damon watched them, his expression unreadable, jaw tight as if he sensed something slipping out of his control.

Lila took a small step back, already disengaging. “That’s all I needed to say,” she added calmly. “You’ll figure the rest out soon enough.”

The masters bedroom was filled with the quiet rustle of fabric and the soft click of a suitcase being opened and closed.

Maddy stood by the bed, folding Damon’s shirts with practiced ease, her movements confident—as if she’d done this countless times before. Lila watched from a short distance, holding a watch and a cufflink she’d picked up from the dresser.

“You know,” Maddy said casually, not looking up, “I know Damon very well.”

Lila’s fingers tightened slightly around the items.

11:26 Mon, May 4

Chapter 11

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“I’ve seen everything,” Maddy continued, a small, pleased smile curving her lips. “Touched everything. There’s really nothing about him that surprises me anymore.”

She finally looked up then, her gaze sharp, assessing. “He doesn’t like jealous women,” she added lightly, as if offering friendly advice. “It irritates him. Makes him pull away.”

The words landed exactly where they were meant to.

Lila met her eyes, her expression unreadable. Slowly, deliberately, she walked forward and set the watch and cufflink down on the bed-right on top of the neatly folded clothes.

She straightened.

“Good to know,” she said calmly.

Maddy’s smile widened, clearly expecting more. An argument. A crack. Something.

Instead, Lila nodded once. “Alright,” she said, turning away. “I’ll leave it to you then.”

She walked out without another word, leaving Maddy alone with the suitcase-and the faint, unsettling realization that Lila hadn’t looked wounded at all.

Only done.

Lila walked through the villa, her steps light and purposeful. As she passed the living room, she noticed Damon sitting casually on the sofa, phone in hand, scrolling through messages. Bryan, his assistant, had already arrived and was quietly organizing some papers on the coffee table.

“Good morning, Bryan,” Lila said politely, her tone neutral but cordial.

“Morning, Miss Lila,” Bryan replied, glancing up with a small, respectful nod.

Lila moved toward the front door, intending to leave, when Damon’s voice stopped her.

“Where’s my luggage?” he asked without looking up from his phone.

She shrugged lightly. “Maddy will bring it to you.”

He lifted his head, eyes meeting hers. “Bryan, help Maddy bring it up. Make sure everything’s ready before the trip.”

Lila started to pass him, but Damon rose from the sofa, his steps long and measured as he caught up with her at the front door.

“Where are you going?” he asked, his tone unusually sharp, eyes narrowing slightly.

She met his gaze evenly. “Out. I have things to do.”

Damon’s hand hovered near the doorframe, not touching her but stopping her passage like an invisible barrier. “Listen carefully,” he said, voice low but dangerous. “Do not go to Silvermoon Bar again. If the media finds you there with another man, it’ll be a big scandal. For both of us.”

11:26 Mon, May 4

Chapter 11

:

91

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Lila’s expression remained calm, though her pulse quickened. “Noted,” she said evenly, pushing the door open just enough to step through.

Damon’s gaze lingered on her as she walked away, his warning hanging in the air like a storm waiting to break. She paused on the threshold, turned slightly, and offered a small, controlled smile.

“Don’t worry,” she said lightly. “I know how to keep my reputation intact.”

And with that, she stepped out into the morning light, leaving Damon standing at the door, watching her disappear down the driveway, tension coiling in his chest.

Damon stood at the villa gates, watching the sleek black car disappear down the winding road. His jaw was tight, fingers curling into a fist at his side, but he didn’t move until the vehicle was out of sight. Only then did he turn back toward the quiet of the villa, where Maddy was waiting with her usual calm smile.

The business trip kept them occupied. Meetings, briefings, and endless discussions about company expansions consumed Damon’s days, with Maddy quietly at his side, making herself indispensable at every

turn.

Back at calm villa, Lila kept herself busy—or at least tried to. She spent hours sitting in the sunlit study, laptop open, scrolling through job listings, tailoring resumes, and drafting cover letters. Each application was meticulous, each email measured. She spent her days in a structured routine, filling her villa with work to avoid the hollow ache that lingered from Damon’s absence.

But the peace was never complete. From time to time, her phone buzzed with notifications. And every time, her stomach twisted.

Maddy’s messages appeared, innocuous at first: casual updates, pictures of the villa, snapshots of the city. But gradually, they became… suggestive. A photo of Maddy leaning against Damon in a way that was intimate, his hand resting on her back, their smiles too close, too natural. Another showed them laughing, Damon’s arm draped possessively over her shoulder.

Lila stared at each one in silence, chest tightening with a mixture of irritation, jealousy, and something she refused to name. She would drop the phone beside her, inhale sharply, and tell herself to focus on her applications.

But no matter how many resumes she sent or how many cover letters she rewrote, the images lingered- burned into her thoughts like sparks she couldn’t quite extinguish.

And somewhere in the quiet of her villa, Lila admitted, if only to herself, that the ache wasn’t going away.

11:26 Mon, May 4