Lauren Summers arrived in the capital looking worn out after a long trip from the countryside. Without even catching her breath, she headed straight to the Empire Hotel.
Just a few days ago, her father, Charles Summers, had called her, asking her to come to the city to fulfill a marriage agreement with the eldest son of the Knight family.
Charles had never cared about her—not once since the day she was born. Worse, he’d cheated on her mother while still married, breaking her heart and leading to her early death from depression.
Now that the Summers family was in trouble, he didn’t hesitate to toss her into the fire, trying to use her marriage as a lifeline for the family. Lauren couldn’t begin to understand how Charles had the audacity to act like she owed him anything. The wealth and status of the Summers family had nothing to do with her, and neither did their downfall.
So now? Her goal was simple—get Felix Knight to cancel the engagement. Let Charles and his wife and their lovely little family cry in their own mess.
As soon as she walked into the hotel, Sarah Bennett stopped her. “Info’s solid—Felix is staying in the presidential suite these days. But…” Her eyes swept Lauren from head to toe, “you sure you don’t wanna change first? Your hair’s kind of a mess... and a braid? Really? What’s up with the freckles? You used to have perfect skin…”
Lauren let out an exasperated breath. “I’m here to call off an engagement, not to go on a blind date. Why would I change?”
She pointed at her face with a smug smile. “These freckles? Just put them on. Pretty convincing, right?"
Sarah looked at her like she’d grown a second head. “Wait, you’re seriously going through with calling it off? The Knight family’s one of the most powerful in this city. Do you know how many girls would kill to marry him?”
When Lauren first started pestering her for info on Felix and kept talking about breaking things off, Sarah thought she was just pretending—acting all arrogant after landing a big fish. Who in their right mind would ditch a guy like that?
Lauren snorted. “I don’t even know the guy. Why would I marry him? And don’t forget, this whole thing was Charles’ idea. The Summers Group is drowning, and he wants to use me and this marriage to keep it afloat. I’m not gonna let him win.”
Sarah, still trying to be the voice of reason, gave her a look. “Okay, fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Some decisions… once made, there’s no going back.”
“That’s the point—I want Charles to be past the point of no return!”
What Sarah wanted to say was that Felix Knight was one hell of a man to walk away from. But sadly, all Lauren could focus on was her resentment toward the Summers family.
Thanks to Sarah’s pull—being the daughter of the hotel’s chairman and Lauren’s best friend—it wasn’t hard to get her up to the top floor.
The door to the suite was slightly ajar. Not fully closed.
Lauren puffed out a breath. She was already here. Time to get it done. She gathered her courage and gently pushed the door open. It was already dark outside, and nothing inside was lit. The place was huge, completely silent, and the eerie stillness chipped away at her confidence.
A blast of cold air hit her, and she shivered. Her legs felt like jelly, but she still forced herself to call out, “Hello? Is Mr. Knight staying here?”
She called again, voice louder this time, ready to turn around if nothing happened. Suddenly, a shadow darted out from the room, grabbing her and yanking her inside without warning—
Everything spun. Lauren was totally disoriented, and dread swallowed her whole.