The way I met Theodore Sterling? Yeah... I accidentally ended up in his bed.
That night, someone drugged me at a hotel. I barely made it out of the restroom and, half-lucid, stumbled into a random room-right into something hard and warm.
Looking up, I saw the guy... damn, he looked like he walked straight out of a film.
Theodore leaned down and gave me a once-over, his face clearly unimpressed. Then he let out a cold, sarcastic laugh. "So Clifford Sterling's stooped to using tricks like this now?"
His voice had this deep, magnetic pull that somehow made my heart skip. My vision blurred a bit, I could feel heat crawling up my neck.
I instinctively licked the corner of my lips, not realizing that to someone like him, that probably looked like... an invitation.
The hint of a smirk played on his lips as he reached out, lifted my chin with his fingers, brushing them over my mouth. His breath grazed my ear and made everything feel even hotter.
I felt like I was burning from the inside out, my cheeks on fire. I couldn't take my eyes off him. Somehow, I just really, really wanted him to hold me...
Damn that Vivian Brooks. What the hell did she put in that drink?!
He finally lost patience, suddenly pinning me to the door. His hand curled around the back of my head, and then he kissed me hard.
His lips were cool, soft, with a strange sweetness-but the aggressiveness of it made me tremble all over. I tried to push him off, palms pressed against his rock-hard chest, but he didn't budge.
He moved to whisper at my ear, eyes gleaming dangerously as he pinched my chin. "You started this. And now you wanna act coy? Babe, playtime's over."
The next moment, he pulled me onto the bed. The pain that followed was sharp and savage, jolting me to the core. He paused briefly, but once I adjusted, he didn't hold back.
The night dragged on, long and consuming...
*****
The next morning, the drug's effect had worn off. I heard the sound of running water in the bathroom and quickly blushed like mad. Forget trying to piece together last night-I tiptoed out of bed and forced myself through getting dressed, legs shaking all the way.
Before leaving, I dug into my bag, found just three bills left-ugh, life really had me good. I tossed them on the nightstand and wrote Vivian' number on the back of one with a pen.
She and Julian Chandler set me up just for money. Sold me out to a stranger. I couldn't take it lying down.
If they were willing to sell me for cash, fine. I'd make it so someone else burned their world down for money too.
The second I stepped out of Lumen Grand's hotel lobby, a crowd of reporters bombarded me with cameras.
"Natalie Reynolds! Who was the man you spent the night with? Your boyfriend?"
"Sources say you're not Mr. Reynolds' biological daughter. Is your ‘wild' behavior proof those rumors were true?"
"There are talks that Theodore, heir to the Sterling family, was set to be engaged to someone from your family. Aren't you worried your scandal will mess that up?"
"Natalie-"
Among the reporters, one guy in glasses got especially aggressive. I marched up to him, clutching my shoulder bag, and swung it right at his face.
"Y'all are out here getting off on people's lives like it's nothing! Ever heard of privacy? Say one more word and I'll see you in court, got it?!"
I flagged down a cab and jumped in. The driver kept sneaking glances at me through the mirror. Annoyed, I kicked the back of his seat hard as a warning: don't push it.
Just as my phone rang, I glanced down, sneered, and let out a cold chuckle. Hah, I haven't even started settling things, and they're already lining up to come for me. Going home now? Pretty sure a whole drama's waiting right there.
Sure enough, the moment I stepped in the door-"Dad-"
Smack!
Hubert Reynolds stormed up and slapped me across the face, boiling with rage. "You shameless brat! The older you get, the worse you get! Get on your knees, now!"
Clutching the side of my face that was swelling fast, I squinted past him. Right there behind was Vivian, grinning like she'd just hit the jackpot. I clenched my teeth in fury.
She had the maid help Hubert to the couch, then swayed over to me like she owned the place, flashing a fake smile. Her voice was low enough just for me.
"So, this is why you've been dragging your feet with Julian. The so-called ‘eldest daughter' of the Reynolds family sneaking off to hook up with some random guy before marriage? No wonder Julian doesn't want you. A stray like you-cheap's the only word for it."
The second she mentioned Julian, my anger basically went nuclear. I grabbed the wrist wearing her diamond-encrusted bracelet. "Say that again?"
Julian was my boyfriend. Or so I thought. I never imagined he could've teamed up with Vivian.
Last night, he invited me out and drugged my coffee. Then he booked a hotel room and dumped me there like trash. If I hadn't caught a glimpse of him sneaking into a room with Vivian and some greasy old man, I would've been caught off guard.
As for Vivian? She's hated me for years. Long story.
When I was eight, she waltzed into our house, heavily pregnant, and schemed to make my foster mom lose her baby. She manipulated Hubert into thinking Cornelia Burton cheated on him. He lost it and wanted a divorce.
My foster mom wasn't in great health already, and the whole thing broke her. She got seriously ill and passed not long after. The funeral wasn't even over before Vivian gave birth to Isabella, instantly stepping into the role of Reynolds' new lady of the house.
From the moment Grandpa Reynolds publicly acknowledged me as the only real heir at mom's funeral, Vivian started plotting against me. She wanted me gone, plain and simple, so she and Isabella would have a clear shot at everything.
But what hurt even more than Vivian's scheming was how Hubert always took her side-without question.
Thinking about what they did, how they led to me losing my virginity to some stranger-it made my blood boil. My eyes practically burned as I glared at Vivian.
She scoffed right back at me and said with zero shame, "The Reynolds family's raised you all these years, and now that your dad's project in Southveil needs a few favors, you can't even be grateful? President Hall was interested in you, and you should be thanking your lucky stars! You're just like that filthy woman Cornelia-ungrateful and dirty!"
Cornelia, my foster mom.
That was it.
I lunged toward her, ready to tear into her lies, when she suddenly clutched her chest and collapsed, sending a vase crashing loudly to the floor. Her hand landed right on the broken glass. "Ahhh!"
Hubert shot up from the couch, storming toward me. "Natalie! How could you raise your hand against your own mother? What kind of behavior is this?"
Vivian put on her perfect performance, tears lining her eyes, that weak and pitiful act. "Hubert, it's my fault. I can never replace Cornelia in her heart. No matter what I do, she'll never accept me. Please don't blame her..."
I let out a cold laugh. "You're damn right I can't accept you. You think you can just step into her shoes, become Mrs. Reynolds, and take over the inheritance? Sorry, you're not that woman-and you'll never be my mother."
Just as I let those words fly, I heard a swoosh behind me. Before I could dodge, Hubert's cane came down hard on my leg. I stumbled forward, hitting the ground with a sharp intake of breath.
He raised the cane again-but a low voice cut through the chaos from behind me.
"That's enough!"
