When I gained consciousness, realizing I was trapped in the plot of a trashy romance novel destined to be the "evil rich girl," it was too late. I had already hired thugs to kidnap the beautiful, innocent main character, Sophie. According to the script, she was about to be assaulted, beaten, and left with nothing. In retaliation, Elias—my wealthy childhood best friend who was obsessed with her—would undergo a dark transformation. He would destroy my father’s hedge fund, strip me of my wealth, and have me sold into human trafficking overseas. Ultimately, I would die alone in a foreign gutter, riddled with disease and missing a kidney. When reality hit me, I practically pissed myself. Shaking uncontrollably, I called the lead kidnapper: "Bring her back right now! I'll pay you double—no, triple what we agreed!" The kidnapper just laughed on the other end of the line. "Sister, she’s already outside the client's hotel room. The train has left the station. Catch my drift?" I panicked. Desperate to save my own skin, I blurts out the only available option: "Take me instead! I'm hotter, curvaceous, and I look like a temptress. I’m way better than that flat, boring college girl! Please, brother... Mr. Kidnapper, please?" Say what you want, but I know how to handle crisis PR. Chapter 1 1 The hotel room was pitch black, the blackout curtains drawn tight. I stood in the corner, shaking like a leaf on a vine. I had managed to talk the thugs into letting Sophie go, but now my knees were about to buckle under the weight of my reality. Am I really about to let myself get used to save her? I wanted to cry. Should I call the police? No, that would expose the fact that I hired them to kidnap her in the first place. I couldn't catch my breath. Talk about being hoisting by your own petard. Just as I was spiral into panic, a man staggered out of the bedroom. He was tall. Even with his face flushed red, there was no hiding how devastatingly handsome he was. His white dress shirt was completely unbuttoned, revealing a sweaty, rock-hard chest and perfect six-pack abs. Normally, I’d take a mental picture, appreciate the view, and maybe even offer a low whistle. But right now, he was supposed to "do" me. I was not in the mood. 2 Based on the storyline I had awakened to, this man was Silas Sterling, the second son of the powerful Sterling family. He was notorious in high society for being stoic, almost celibate, and completely uninterested in marriage. His older brother, apparently tired of Silas’s lack of a love life, had drugged him to drag him out of his shell. The plan was for him to have a one-night stand with a "pure and innocent" college girl. As fate—or a lazy writer—would have it, I had kidnapped the main character, Sophie, and the thugs decided on their own to deliver her to Silas’s bed as the perfect candidate. Because Silas was out of his mind from the drug, when Sophie violently resisted, she not only lost her virginity but ended up beaten and broken, her spirit crushed. That led to Elias, my childhood best friend, hating me with a burning passion and vowing to destroy me. Now, I was here to fix it. Sophie was safe. If I played my cards right from now on, minded my own business, and stopped trying to win Elias over, maybe—just maybe—he wouldn't ruin my life later. I just had to get through this one night. 3 Before I could come up with a plan to escape, Silas charged at me. His eyes were burning red, his mind gone. He was running on pure, primal instinct. In an instant, his powerful arms scooped me up. His muscles felt tight and scorching hot against my skin. I couldn't breathe. He slammed me onto the table, flipping me so I was on top, and kissed me with brute force. Total chaos. Our breaths tangled. I couldn't stop shaking. Desperate to keep him from getting violent like the original plot, I wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to guide him gently. I was completely overwhelmed by the rich, masculine scent of pine and cedarwood coming off him. Within seconds, both our heart rates were through the roof. I was terrified, but I had to placate the beast. "Slow down, okay?" I whispered, feeling the intense shame of the situation. "I'll... take them off myself..." But the next second: Rrip! My silk top and skirt were torn to shreds. The man was a total savage. I had seen Silas Sterling at exclusive galas before. He always looked like the definition of a suave, sophisticated gentleman. Nothing like this monster. I cursed his brother mentally. Who drugs their own sibling?! I closed my eyes, shivering as I pressed against him, trying to keep it from being a fight. "Please, just... go easy. It's my first time." I always had romantic ideas about my first time. This was not part of the plan. Life really doesn't care about your plans. 4 Eventually, Silas seemed to regain a tiny shred of rationality. While his actions were still intense, he stopped attacking and started adjusting to my pace, even taking a moment to wipe the sweat from my forehead. I could only try to relax and let him have his way. In my blurred state of mind, I tried to rationalize: Look on the bright side. Silas Sterling is notorious for being celibate. He’s definitely clean. And he's gorgeous. The guy is literally walking perfection. Looking at the red rimming his eyes, watching his body move over me with total obsession, I gritted my teeth. I’ll just pretend I ordered a top-tier male model. And this one was "free." 5 By the time everything finally quieted down, I felt like I was half dead. Silas was exhausted. He had fallen fast asleep on me. I shivered uncontrollably as I extracted myself, moving like a ghost to put on whatever remnants of clothing I could find. My legs were shaking so hard I could barely walk. I was just stumbling out of the hotel when Elias called my cell. "What did you do to Sophie? Why did she almost miss the school’s musical showcase?" "Is this your doing? Answer me." The rapid-fire interrogation made me feel incredibly guilty. The original reason for the kidnapping was, in fact, to stop Sophie from performing. I was supposed to be the lead dancer. But Elias had used his connections to steal the role for Sophie. I had been forced to step down. I couldn't understand why the billionaire CEO of a massive company was meddling in college theater. Elias had argued that Sophie came from nothing and needed the showcase to secure a scholarship. He told me that a rich girl like me didn't need to "fight the poor for food." But dance was my passion. I had worked for ten years for that role. I had earned it fair and square. Why should I have to give it up just because she’s poor? That frustration, fueled by jealousy and hatred, had driven me over the edge. I paid those thugs to grab her. But I never wanted to hurt her. I just wanted her to not show up. How could one mistake put me and my family on the path to total destruction? 6 Before Sophie appeared, Elias and I were inseparable. We were the stereotypical wealthy childhood best friends. He was the protective older brother type. I never doubted for a second that we would get married one day and have the perfect suburban life. Then Sophie arrived. And Elias couldn't look away from her. I hated how she always acted like the tragic, innocent victim, always hanging around him. So I targetted her. I mocked her. I made her life miserable. I went crazy, I was obsessed, and I fought with Elias constantly. It was my own stupid behavior that destroyed whatever fondness Elias had left for me. But now, I was truly terrified. I was never doing that again. I gently touched my abdomen. My kidneys were still there. A little overused right now, but still there. Surviving was what mattered! I quickly said, "Elias, I swear, I didn't do anything. You have it all wrong." Sophie had returned to the theatre totally unharmed. None of this had anything to do with me. Elias let out a cold laugh over the phone. "If I find even a hint that you were involved, Sera, I will destroy you." If he had said that to me before I awakened to the plot, my heart would have broken into a million pieces. But now, I knew where I stood. "Don't worry," I said firmly. "I guarantee you, I will never fight Sophie for you again. In fact, you won't have to see my face at all." He was clearly taken aback by how fast I admitted defeat. After a long pause, he said coldly, "Good. Keep it that way." I hung up and finally let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. Stage one of damage control: Complete. 7 When I got home, I made three resolutions: Forget Elias. Forget Sophie. Forget everything that happened in that hotel room. Elias Fairchild could be the sexiest, most charming man on the planet, but he wasn't worth losing a kidney over. He certainly wasn't worth sacrificing my dad for. Our childhood promises of marriage were just kids playing make-believe. I needed to grow the hell up. Honestly, I thought about running away. Maybe move to Europe for grad school and not come back until Elias and Sophie were happily married with kids. But whenever I thought about that path in the storyline—the sickness, the human trafficking—my stomach churned. I was safer in the US than anywhere else in the world. So, I decided to become a hermit. For the next three days... I didn't leave my house. I skipped my classes. My dad thought I was sick. I was too embarrassed to tell him the truth, but I did manage to give him a subtle warning. I practically begged him to stop engaging in any new business ventures with the Fairchild family. In the storyline, Elias was only able to take over my dad’s company so easily because my dad trusted him completely. Given my dramatic shift in attitude toward Elias, my dad was confused. "Did you and Elias have another fight? It's okay to fight, Sera, but don't hold a grudge." I rolled my eyes. "We are over, Dad. He likes someone else. We are not a thing." I finally spilled the truth, telling him everything Elias had done to me for Sophie’s sake. I used to be too proud to tell him, always making excuses for Elias. But now, my dad needed to know the reality. "Whatever was between us ended a long time ago. He’s going his way, and I’m going mine." My dad looked at me for a long moment before letting out a sigh. "Okay. I understand."
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