Chapter 2 A Woman He Had Encountered Previously

Inside the dimly lit suite, the man sprawled across the expansive bed gradually regained consciousness.

Though the feverish heat in his blood had simmered down following the sex, the haunting memory of the woman beneath him-her muffled cries and desperate pleas-sent a fresh wave of arousal through him, bringing back that unsettling, unfamiliar sensation.

Because the drug had completely hijacked his senses, he hadn't been able to catch a clear glimpse of her face, leaving him a captive to his own instincts.

On the floor, his phone vibrated relentlessly against the carpet, the sound cutting through the silence of the room.

Reaching down to retrieve it, he felt his heavy brows knit together the moment he recognized the caller ID.

"Grandma, is this some kind of joke to you?" he demanded, his voice rough. "You actually had me drugged. It's a pity the woman you arranged was too terrified to stay in the room, and that dose was high enough to be lethal."

Driven by a desperate obsession for a great-grandchild, his grandmother had resorted to the unthinkable: drugging him and planting a woman in his bed to force a pregnancy. However, the moment he'd realized the setup, he had violently kicked the intruder away, sending her reeling so hard she hadn't dared to come back.

Running a frustrated hand through his hair, he stood up and paced toward the bathroom; when his reflection met him in the mirror, the vivid red scratch marks across his neck and chest caused his expression to turn lethal.

From the other end of the line, his grandmother let out a guilty, awkward chuckle. "I haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about, dear. Oh, heavens! The reception is terrible-I can't hear a word you're saying!"

Before he could even begin to argue, the call was abruptly disconnected.

Shaking his head with a bitter, wry laugh, he stepped into the shower to wash away the night; upon emerging, his eyes caught the glint of a bracelet on the floor, which he picked up and began to examine closely.

It was a simple piece, adorned with plain charms that looked like something bought from a common street market.

Narrowing his eyes, he spotted a tiny engraving on the charm. "K&H."

Clearly, this belonged to the woman who had shared his bed just hours before.

Settling onto the sofa by the window, he lit a cigarette and watched the smoke curl into the air as he dialed his assistant. "I need the surveillance footage from outside Suite 1107, starting from two hours ago."

True to form, his assistant worked with lightning speed, delivering the requested files within thirty minutes.

With the cigarette still dangling from his lips, he hit play and watched as the woman, visibly staggering and being supported by another person, was led directly into his room, Suite 1107.

Irony bit deep as he realized that just ten minutes before the woman had entered, he was already trapped on that bed, suffering through the agonizing onset of the drug.

By a striking coincidence, this was a woman he had encountered previously.

She was Kaitlin, the woman with the same initial engraved in that bracelet.

A subtle smirk touched his lips as he inhaled deeply from his cigarette, the smoke curling around his sharp features. After his assistant provided a fresh suit, he changed and exited the room with purposeful strides.

Outside, a steady November drizzle chilled the air. Confined to the guest room, Kaitlin felt a hollow sense of despair while listening to the rhythmic pacing in the corridor.

She had slept with a stranger. Missing the window for emergency contraception haunted her; the prospect of a lifelong tie to this trauma through an unwanted pregnancy was unbearable.

After lying motionless for an eternity, she forced herself up and threw her weakened frame against the door.

"I need to talk to Hugh. Seriously, I'll do whatever he wants, just tell him to let me out of here," she rasped.

Five hours of isolation without food or water had left her trembling on the edge of a total breakdown.

The bodyguard stationed outside hesitated before disappearing down the hall. He returned shortly to turn the key. "Mr. Williams is waiting in the study."

Kaitlin forced her leaden limbs to move, slowly making her way toward the study.

She glanced around the interior, noting the decor she had meticulously selected-from the sconces to the greenery. This mansion had been the trophy of her and Hugh's first successful business venture.

She had once envisioned this house as a sanctuary for their future family.

Reality, however, had taken a far more bitter turn.

When Kaitlin reached the study, the door was slightly ajar. Through the narrow gap, she saw a petite woman seated on Hugh's lap-it was Rosalie. Her arms were wrapped around his neck as she kissed him deeply.

Hugh gripped her neck firmly, returning the kiss with a rough intensity that left Rosalie breathless and clinging to him for support.

He eventually pulled away, his thumb tracing the curve of her mouth.

Rosalie leaned into him with a coy expression. "Look, Miss Clarke is your ex, but you sent those guys after her... I even heard one of them might be carrying something nasty. What if she's sick now? Everyone at the office is gonna think you're ungrateful for forgetting how much she helped you start out."

Idly twirling a soft lock of her hair, Hugh leaned closer to inhale the intoxicating scent of her perfume. "Her compensation at Pioneer Group was more than generous; she ought to have known when to stop. Since she dared to plot against you, letting her live was the greatest act of mercy I could offer."

Gazing at her with adoration, he whispered, "Rosalie, you are the only woman who holds my heart now."

Standing frozen in the hallway, Kaitlin felt her nails bite into her skin as a fresh wave of agony ripped through her already hollowed chest.

Forcing the door wide, she finally crossed the threshold and stepped into the room.

Shrinking into his embrace at the sound of the intrusion, Rosalie offered a coy, teasing pout. "Look what you've done. You were so insistent on that kiss that we've been caught in the act."

Letting out a low chuckle, Hugh asked, "Shall I have her eyes removed for the transgression, then?"

Patting his chest playfully, Rosalie chided him. "Stop with those grisly jokes. That's far too morbid even for you."

Capturing her fingers, he brought them to his lips in a lingering kiss. "Your wish is my absolute command, darling."

Staring at the face she once loved, Kaitlin saw only a terrifying stranger lurking behind his handsome features.

Releasing a jagged, hollow laugh, she felt the hot tracks of tears spilling down her cheeks.

Decisively, she lunged forward in a blur of fury and tore Rosalie from his arms before delivering a stinging, resounding slap across his cheek.