Chapter 1

Evelyn's POV

A burning sensation rose from my stomach toward my chest. By the time it reached my heart, I had my back pressed against the door of Room 1688.

My pulse hammered, my breathing turned shallow, and heat raced through my veins. Clutching the handle, I threw all my weight against the door to keep it shut.

Two men outside had swiped a keycard and were trying to force their way in. Every blow rattled the door against my back.

"That bitch got into the room before we could grab her!"

"Relax. The drug's kicking in. She won't last much longer. Break in, tie her to the bed, and we're done. The guest of honor can take over when he arrives."

I gasped and braced myself harder against the door. My trembling fingers gripped my phone. The call I'd just made was still connected, but the other end remained silent.

I'd meant to call my brother, Arthur Sterling.

He wasn't answering.

Today was a big day for the Sterling family. Arthur was getting engaged to Mia Hartwell, the Hartwell heiress.

Before we left, my foster mother, Beatrice Sterling, had leaned close and whispered a final warning, as casually as if she were reminding me of some minor detail.

"Don't mess this up. Don't embarrass me. And don't even think about wanting something that isn't yours."

I'd answered with a bitter scoff.

After a few glasses of champagne, my chest began to tighten.

It couldn't have been the alcohol. I knew my limits, and three glasses had never affected me this way.

I tried to stand and get some air, but someone grabbed my sleeve and dragged me into an elevator.

Everything after that came in fragments.

I could only remember fumbling with a keycard, swiping it at Room 1688, and locking myself inside.

Now the gap around the door was growing wider.

Just as I was losing hope, faint, steady footsteps approached along the hotel's thick carpet.

The force against the door suddenly stopped.

Several muffled thuds followed, then the sickening crack of bone.

A man's voice cut through the silence.

Low. Calm. Final.

"Get lost."

The men scrambled away down the hallway.

I sagged against the door, struggling to breathe.

I'd heard those words directed at me more times than I could count. But never before had they made me feel safe.

The handle turned.

My legs could barely support me. As a shadowy figure stepped inside, I lunged toward him like a drowning woman reaching for something to hold on to.

My body went limp, my breath burning in my throat. Instinctively, I lifted my face toward his, desperately searching for his lips.

He gave the slightest flinch.

Then a cool sensation washed over me.

Mint.

Fresh and crisp, without a trace of sweetness.

Something about the scent was familiar, though I couldn't place it.

Arthur... does he eat mints?

Click.

The overhead light flickered on.

Warm yellow light caught the stranger's brow, leaving his eyes in shadow.

It wasn't Arthur.

Thick brows, a prominent nose, and sharply defined features gave him an intimidating look even when he stood perfectly still.

My knees nearly buckled again.

This time, from fear.

Edward Hartwell.

Unlike Arthur, who was always gentle and approachable, Edward was anything but warm.

He ran Hartwell Corporation, and of everyone in Arthur's circle, he was the one I feared most.

Two words summed him up.

Dangerous. Ruthless.

The light and the sight of his face brought me a moment of clarity.

I forced a smile.

"Why... why are you here? Where's Arthur?"

Edward said nothing.

Instead, he took my phone and turned the screen toward me.

The call was still active.

One name stared back at me.

Edward.

I'd dialed the wrong number.

Mortified, I felt heat creep up my neck.

I grabbed the hem of his jacket.

As Hartwell Corporation's CEO, he'd taken the company to the top in just a few years. He'd seen every trick in the book.

Surely he could tell I'd been drugged without me having to explain.

"Edward," I rasped. "Could you help me—"

He bent down slowly, bringing his ear close to my lips as though he had all the time in the world to hear me out.

I closed my eyes.

"...Could you call Arthur for me?"

His eyes darkened.

His hold on my lower back loosened, and he turned the platinum ring on his finger.

"That's not something you should be asking Arthur to handle," he said quietly.

I remembered the custom platinum rings he always wore on his ring fingers and pinkies, on both hands. He never took them off.

They looked ridiculously expensive.

I'd always assumed those fingers were reserved for some woman, so I figured he wasn't unfamiliar with situations like this.

He probably saw me the same way the rest of the Sterlings did.

They all believed I wanted Arthur and was foolish enough to entertain impossible fantasies about him.

But my reason was simple.

Arthur was an ER doctor. He'd know what medication I needed to counteract the drug.

Edward's voice sharpened.

"So you threw yourself at me because you thought I was Arthur?"

I lowered my gaze.

"It's the drug. If a wild boar had walked through that door, I would've tried to kiss it too."

He went quiet.

Another wave of heat swept through me, my heart pounding against my throat.

I dug my nails into my palm, hoping the pain would keep me grounded.

Edward suddenly frowned, looking down at his hand before turning his gaze back to me.

I tried to push past him toward the bathroom.

"If you're not going to help, move. I'll deal with it myself."

My legs gave out halfway through the turn.

I stumbled into the minibar, but before the pain registered, Edward caught me around the waist.

He raised a hand and slowly leaned closer, his expression impossible to read.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Instead, the rough pad of his thumb brushed along my cheekbone, tracing it slowly and sending heat across my skin.

Then his fingers closed around my cheek in a hard pinch.

"Edward!"

My eyes flew open, furious.

But Edward remained perfectly composed, his expression indifferent and his lips set in a firm line.

"Looks like we're sharing physical sensations."

He added casually, "Don't believe me? Try it yourself."