The city at night was wrapped in an air thick with temptation. Inside a lavishly furnished hotel room, an unbelievably awkward scene was unfolding right on the king-sized bed.

Ethan King stood there, staring at the naked woman lying on his bed. Always composed and restrained, he found himself slipping for just a moment. The subtle scent on her made his gaze waver, but his sense of logic quickly took over, yanking him back to clarity. His eyes turned sharp and cold as he looked down at the unfamiliar woman—his anger bubbling just beneath the surface.

Without a word, he grabbed her and effortlessly dragged her towards the window. He opened it wide and pushed her upper body out into the open air.

Then he picked up a glass of water from the table and splashed it right over her face.

The shock of the cold water made Carmelita Sage scream, snapping her wide awake. Feeling nothing under her back, she froze, terrified.

Why was her bare body hanging halfway out a window? And why was there a random man standing in front of her?

"Who sent you here?" Ethan's voice was ice, laced with fury that made your blood run cold.

"I... I don’t get what you're talking about!" Carmelita was completely confused, her mind in a fog. She instinctively tried to push the man away, only to realize she wasn’t wearing anything. Panic surged as she wrapped her arms around herself and let out another startled scream.

"Quiet." Ethan’s tone was tight as he tried to wrestle down the frustration inside him. But his patience was already hanging by a thread. "I’m not gonna ask again. Who are you, and what the hell are you doing here?"

Carmelita looked up at him, clearly shaken. Her lips trembled as she asked, "Who are you? Why am I here?"

Her lost and helpless face only made Ethan sneer. He couldn’t believe how good she was at pretending—like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. Thank God he hadn’t acted on impulse. Getting tangled up with a woman like this? Major headache.

He took a step forward, and the second he moved, Carmelita visibly freaked out. "Don’t come any closer! I’ll scream—I swear I will! Where’s Jacob?"

Jacob Miller was her boyfriend. They’d been together for five years, a solid chunk of their lives. That night, Jacob had insisted they get a hotel room—told her if she didn’t come, they were done. They were supposed to tie the knot in a couple months, so she’d agreed. But now? Now everything had gone sideways.

Nothing about this made sense.Ethan King looked at her with pure disdain. “If I had any bad intentions, do you seriously think I’d wait till now? That’s hilarious.” He stepped over, turned off the shower, then cast her a sharp look. “Just be honest—who sent you here to try and seduce me?”

“I should be asking *you* that,” Carmelita Sage shot back, tension easing a bit in her voice. She had a hunch he wasn’t really dangerous. “I got dragged here outta nowhere, stripped without knowing how… and you’re asking *me* what’s going on? Honestly, I’m starting to feel like you’re the one with some twisted plan.”

Ethan gave a mocking laugh. “You're seriously unbelievable. You undressed yourself, parked yourself in my bed, and now you're trying to flip the blame? That’s some next-level shameless.”

His words hit her like a jolt of electricity. Her heart clutched in panic. There’s no way she had willingly done that… was there? But before she could piece anything together, Ethan tossed a bathrobe at her feet like it was trash. “If you’re sober enough now, put that on and get out. Don’t ruin my tub.”

When she looked up, he was gone. She quickly slipped into the robe, rubbing at her temples—her head still pounding. Her memory was spotty at best. All she could recall was coming to the hotel with Jacob Miller. He handed her a glass of red wine, trying to get her to relax. After that? Just vertigo and a blank space.

Stepping out of the bathroom, she saw Ethan seated on the couch with a glass of wine in hand, eyes cold.

“So, mind telling me what your play was supposed to be?” he asked flatly.

Carmelita crossed her arms, refusing to back down under his stare, but Ethan continued, cutting off the silence. “One—this is my room. Two—you’ve got nothing here that’s yours. So don’t even try spinning some story that you just ended up here by accident.”

Glancing around at the unfamiliar decor, she felt her stomach sink. This definitely wasn’t her room. But how could she explain ending up here? Everything in her head was a mess, cluttered and confusing.

When she said nothing, Ethan gave a bitter smirk. His voice went cold. “I’ll say it straight. I don’t care what your goal was or who sent you. I’m letting it slide this time. But if whoever’s behind this tries again...” His tone didn’t waver, but every word hit hard, laced with blatant warning. “They won’t get off so easy next time.”