The Peninsula Hotel, Empire City.

Serena Ashford’s twenty-second birthday party was basically winding down. She was already walking all over the place, unsteady on her feet, and her cheeks were flushed red, like someone had brushed on a layer of rouge.

When the elevator stopped on the eighth floor, Cynthia Foster tightened her grip around Serena’s hand. She went over it again and again in her head. No matter what, she absolutely could not let Serena end up in Maxwell Quinn’s bed.

So she made up her mind.

Dragging Serena along, she headed straight for the far end of the hallway. They stopped at the last room just as a hotel staff member had finished delivering food and hadn’t had time to shut the door yet.

"Hi, the person inside is my friend. I’m just going in for a second. No need to lock the door."

The server didn’t think much of it and pushed the cart away.

Through the crack in the door, Cynthia caught sight of a tall figure inside. Broad back, hotel robe, fresh-out-of-the-shower vibe.

A man was enough. That was all that mattered.

Without giving herself time to think twice, she shoved Serena hard into the room and snapped the door shut behind her.

Then she looked up fast at the security camera. Luckily, this room sat right in a blind spot. The camera couldn’t catch anything here.

She smoothed her long wavy hair, put on a calm face like nothing had happened, and walked off toward another suite.

Serena was pushed into the room, stumbling forward. The lighting inside was dim, hazy, making everything feel unreal. In her dazed state, she saw a man turn around and look at her, his gaze sharp enough to cut.

She shivered hard.

Wow... that look was seriously cold.

But the discomfort burning through her body didn’t leave her room to think. She pushed herself up from the floor with difficulty and staggered toward him. She could clearly feel that she needed something right now, desperately needed it, but her mind was too muddled to figure out what exactly it was.

"Get out."

When there were still less than three meters between them, Ethan Sterling finally saw her face clearly.

She had glossy black hair styled by a professional into an elaborate, luxurious braid, making her look elegant and almost untouchable. The white evening dress traced every one of her best features perfectly. Her collarbones were delicate, butterfly-like, and her figure was full in all the right ways, not too much, not too little.

The lower half of the dress fell in a high-to-low curve. The right side revealed one long, pale leg, and the hem was dotted with tiny sparkling crystals that caught the light.

The red, eight-centimeter stiletto sandals on her feet, studded with rhinestones, made her seem bright, direct, the kind of girl who wore her heart on her sleeve.

And right now, that pair of globally limited-edition heels was being kicked off in the roughest way possible. When she got within a meter of him, Ethan noticed the abnormal flush on her face at once...

"I’m not feeling so great. Can you give me some cold water?"

Serena was still battling the high heel on her right foot, but no matter how she flicked or kicked, the thing just refused to come off.

In the end, she gave up and simply hooked her right arm around the man’s neck. Her left hand moved lightly, and with one last shake, the final heel flew off, landing a full three meters away.

A faint perfume drifted from her body, soft but impossible to ignore. The heart notes were white water lily and lily of the valley, from the internationally known fragrance Indulgence.

Luxury and class clung to her from head to toe. A rich girl who’d just wandered into the wrong room by accident? Yeah, right. Who would buy that?

Without a second thought, Ethan Sterling grabbed her slender wrist where it was looped around his neck and pulled her toward the door.

But the woman’s legs suddenly gave out. The second she lost his support, she dropped straight to her knees on the spotless white carpet, one hand still caught in his.

“What the hell?” Ethan was officially out of patience. He flung her hand away and turned to call the hotel front desk.

The moment he picked up the room phone, the woman on the floor had somehow gotten back up. From behind, she wrapped her arms lightly around his waist.

“I don’t feel good... help me.” Her voice was soft, almost melting, the kind of plea that sounded way too dangerous in the dim hush of the night.

Ethan slowly set the receiver down. His eyes sharpened, cold and cutting. “Talk. Who told you I was arriving in Empire City today? Who are you? Who sent—”

Before he could finish, she shoved him hard.

Caught off guard, he fell back onto the sofa, and she lunged after him the very next second.

“Man... I... feel awful right now. This miss here... is ordering you to help me. Now.”

Order him?

Ethan let out a low, mocking laugh, forcing down the surge of emotion rising inside him. Then he pushed the woman off him without hesitation.

Fine. He had to admit it—she was seriously tempting. Stunning, even. But she had clearly underestimated his self-control.

“I’ll say it one last time. Get out. Now.”

Serena Ashford stumbled back several steps before barely managing to steady herself. She couldn’t really hear what the man was saying at all. The only thing she could focus on was those sensual thin lips moving, opening and closing, and somehow every little motion made her feel even worse.

Then, without any warning, she reached behind her back and pulled down the hidden zipper.

Her gown slid to the carpet in silence.

Seeing that scene, Ethan’s gaze darkened by the second. So that was the game. Whoever had arranged this had come prepared. And this woman they’d sent? Not bad. Pretty interesting, actually.

Serena’s mind was a mess, totally fogged over, but right before the man could really throw her out, she pounced again like a starving wolf.

...

Since that was how it was, there was no reason for him to keep holding back.

Maybe she was just too irresistible. Once he tasted it, he couldn’t stop. From the bedroom to the bathroom, then all the way to the balcony...

It wasn’t until the first light showed in the east that the two of them finally fell asleep, tangled together and dead to the world.

The sun was already blazing high.

The air-conditioning in the room was cranked way too low, and Serena Ashford was literally chilled awake. She opened her eyes in a daze, still half asleep, and reached out, wanting to drag the blanket back over herself and keep sleeping.

She groped around for it for a while.

The blanket had fallen to the floor.

Wait... no. Something was off.

Why did her whole body ache like she'd been run over? And why was she in a hotel?

She shot upright in bed. The luxurious room was empty except for her. Clothes were scattered all over the floor, theirs mixed together, and there was also a... bathrobe?

She stared at the marks on her body, face draining of color. She was an adult. Of course she knew what those traces meant.

How did this happen?

Last night... Cynthia Foster had helped her upstairs so she could rest, and then? Who was that man?

Damn it! Why couldn’t she remember?

Serena sat there on the huge bed, blank-faced, on the verge of tears but unable to even cry.

She got out of bed, only for her legs to go weak under her. Enduring the soreness, she slowly made her way to the window and pulled the curtains open.

The sunlight outside hit hard, almost blinding. It was definitely not early anymore. Judging by the brightness, it was probably already afternoon.

No matter how she thought about it, Serena just couldn’t figure out how something this ridiculously dramatic had happened to her. Where exactly had things gone off the rails?

Looking out the window, she realized she was still in The Peninsula Hotel. The view outside was beautiful. A soft breeze drifted by carrying a faint floral scent, brushing past the curtains. The pink gauze curtain swayed lightly in the wind, soft and dreamy, kind of like something out of a movie.

But she had zero mood to appreciate any of it.

Her mind was a total mess, like a ball of tangled thread. She rubbed her aching brow and let out a long, helpless sigh. What was done was done. Thinking about it now wouldn’t change anything.

There were two delicate gift boxes on the bench by the bed. She opened them and found a white silk dress inside.

Serena decided to take a shower and get out of this place as fast as possible. She walked toward the bathroom with difficulty, every step awkward and sore. Inside, there were several expensive-looking men’s toiletries still left there.

They probably belonged to that man...

She shook her head, turned on the water, and filled the bathtub to the brim before lowering herself into it, trying to let the hot water ease her aching body.

As she soaked, memories of the wild night before flashed through her mind again and again. She murmured softly to herself,

"Who on earth was that man last night?"