Chapter 1: After the Wrong Night

She was stark naked! Amelia Raine jolted awake, blinking her eyes unconsciously, trying to make meaning of what had happened. Her heart was pounding hard, her body tensed.

She blinked unconsciously, the world around her blurry and unfamiliar, yanking the sheets up to her chin, only to reveal her own bare breasts.The sheets were the only thing on her, her body was bare.

She turned slowly, trying to figure out what she was yet to recall. Her eyes caught sight of something...or someone. She froze There was a man next to her! And that man is a stranger.

He was shirtless, lying peacefully on his side, his face angled toward her with one hand stretched across the pillow they clearly shared.

Tousled black hair, with a strong jaw. Broad chest rising and falling with every breath.Her stomach twisted violently.

She saw a flash of red stained the white sheets. It was her own blood. Staring at it, the image blurring as her vision swam. It wasn’t a dream. It wasn’t some hazy fantasy. It was real, all of it.

Her heart thundered, panic flooding her chest. Her mind tried to make sense of the fragments; wine, a hallway, a hotel keycard, a door swinging open.

Then...Earlier That Day...Ten hours earlier,

desperation sat heavy on Amelia Raine’s shoulders.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Leah asked from the backseat of the car, casually reapplying her lip gloss.

Her tone was light, but her eyes were sharp. Amelia stared out the window at the gleaming city, her fingers curled tightly around her purse. No, she didn’t want to do this. But Elena had three weeks left. Three weeks until the surgery that could save her. And her family had already sold everything—the truck, the cows, even her mother’s wedding ring.

The hospital had stopped answering their calls.So when Leah, her coworker-turned-snake, whispered about a discreet one-night arrangement, fifty thousand dollars for no strings attached, Amelia hadn’t said no.She’d just cried when no one could see.

“I’m sure,” Amelia whispered, voice tight.Leah handed her a small hotel keycard.

“Room 212. Go in. Don’t ask questions. He’s already there. He likes privacy.”

“Who is he?”

“None of your business.” Leah’s lips curled. “But powerful.” Amelia looked down at the red dress hugging her curves. Borrowed. Her heels were slightly too big.

Her stomach churned with fear and wine. Repeating the number under her breath as she stepped out of the elevator.

“Room 212. Room 212.” The hallway spun slightly as she walked. Her head buzzed. There was too much pressure, and also too much at stake.She sighted the door and stopped in front of it. It read Room 121She blinked.

“Wait… was it 212?”Fumbling for the keycard in the little bag she hung around her neck. The numbers were smudged. Her vision blurred, making her fingers trembled.

“No... this is it. This is the one.”

She slid the card, then green light. It says click as the door swung open.She stepped inside, her heels sinking into thick carpet.

"You can do this" she whispered to herself.Her heart pounded like war drums inside her chest. She didn't know if it was fear or guilt. Or maybe both.Someone stirred beside her as soon as she got to the bed. It was a quiet shift, a pause.

Then movement.Rough fingers skimmed the inside of her thigh, warm and commanding, leaving goosebumps in their wake. Her breath caught. She froze.Then, his hand slipped beneath her skirt. No hesitation. No permission. His fingers curled and ripped. The fabric tore with a sharp snap that echoed in the still room.Amelia gasped.He pressed his chest against hers, lips finding the curve of her neck. Hot breath.

The stubble of his jaw scraped her sensitive skin as he kissed lower; slow, trailing kisses down her collarbone. Then deeper. He was tasting her, devouring her inch by inch.Her hands balled into fists against the sheets.

Still, she didn’t stop him.His mouth latched onto her breast, tongue teasing, then biting. Both of them.She flinched, then whimpered.She had never been touched like this.It wasn’t tender. It wasn’t sweet. It was possession.One hand tangled in her hair, yanking her head back, exposing her throat. The other slid beneath her thigh and hoisted her leg up. Her body opened beneath him like paper to fire.

No words passed between them. Just breaths. Just heat. Just two strangers locked in a storm neither of them understood.His hips pressed between hers, and for one heartbeat, just one, she thought he might stop. But he didn’t.

"It’s just one night. Do it for Elena."

It was all she could manage to say.He entered her with a sharp thrust, and her back arched violently from the bed. A muffled cry tore from her lips. Her fingers clawed at the mattress, desperate for something to hold onto, anything to ground her to reality.But reality had already abandoned her.He moved inside her like a man starved, like she was the only thing anchoring him to the present. Every thrust was rough, deep, pulling broken gasps from her mouth. Her thighs trembled as he grabbed her hips, dragging her closer, forcing her to take all of him.

She bit her lip until it bled. Until the pain of that was louder than the ache between her legs. Between her ribs.This wasn’t making love.This was survival,on both ends.She was breaking in silence, tears she refused to shed burning behind her eyes.And then suddenly, he stilled.Chest rising. Breath harsh. Sweat glistening along his spine.It was over.But her body still burned. Her soul still screamed.And as he collapsed beside her, silent and spent, she curled into herself—small, bare, and broken.

Now...The man, still asleep, looked impossibly calm, as if this were the most natural thing in the world. Her thighs ached. Her chest throbbed. She reached between her legs with a trembling hand, she could still feel the soreness, the slickness. She had slept with this man. A stranger.And from the blood... it had been her first time.A choked sob escaped her lips. She bit it back quickly, terrified of waking him. What if he was dangerous? What if he was someone important?What if he didn’t even know who she was either?Her head spun. She needed to get out.

Now.Carefully, quietly, she slid out of bed, gripping the sheet to her chest. Her knees nearly buckled when her feet touched the cold floor. She scanned the room in frantic urgency.

Her dress was crumpled near a chaise lounge, her underwear was nowhere in sight. Her purse was open on the floor, the contents half-spilled, and her phone?She sighted it and snatched it off the nightstand. Ten missed calls from Mom. Three from the hospital.Reality punched her in the gut. Her sister. The surgery. The deal.Fifty thousand dollars for one night. No questions. No names. No strings.She turned back toward the man and spotted something on the floor.

A sleek black wallet. An ID card peeked out, half-tucked into the leather. She moved closer, curiosity pushing past panic.She froze.It says "Grayson Hayes." The name hit her like a brick.The Grayson Hayes. Billionaire, CEO. The ruthless, untouchable one. The man people whispered about in corners and headlines. The man known for crushing rivals and emotions alike.She looked at him again, really looked. It was him.And she had just spent the night with him. Lost her virginity to him. By mistake.Terror set in. Not just from shame, but from the sheer weight of the consequences. If he found out who she was, or worse... “Get out.”Amelia jumped at the sound of his voice. It was cold and clipped. Sharp enough to cut through steel.She turned.

He was awake now, propped up on one elbow, the sheet sliding down his torso. His eyes; cold gray and unreadable were locked on her with unsettling intensity.

“Leave. Now.”

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. No words. No breath. Just fear.Her hands fumbled as she grabbed her dress and pulled it over her body, the sheet falling to the floor. She didn’t look at him. She couldn’t.Her fingers trembled as she stuffed her phone into her bag, not bothering to check if everything else was inside.She turned to the door, heart hammering in her chest.

Her hand gripped the knob.One last glance. He was already looking away, like she didn’t matter. Like she never existed.And maybe to him, she didn’t.But to her? That night had changed her.But then... The room. It's the wrong one! If only she has realized a little earlier...She has given out her body, what if she loses the money too?