Chapter 1 Risk Her Happiness

At Zoria Club.

"Karlee, are you sure about this?"

On the phone, Jessica Mason, Karlee Elliott's friend, voiced her concern. "Even if Jeremy has betrayed you, you shouldn't risk your own happiness like this!"

Karlee tipped back another glass of wine, her vision clouding with alcohol. "It's the only way I know to get back at them. Otherwise, I'll be forever tormented by those two shameless people!"

Indeed, she was plotting to seduce Brian Olson, the CEO of the Olson Group.

Word on the street was that Brian's family was desperate for him to marry soon because a family elder was critically ill and wished to see him tie the knot.

After she hung up the phone, Karlee spotted Brian emerging from the restroom. Clumsily gripping her glass, she staggered toward him.

"Oh! I'm so sorry."

Karlee "accidentally" spilled her drink on Brian's chest, instantly staining his tailored suit.

"Watch out, Mr. Olson." Dennis Fletcher, Brian's secretary, intervened, scrutinizing the tipsy and disheveled Karlee. "Mr. Olson, should I..."

Brian lifted his hand to stop Dennis.

Karlee, with flushed cheeks, was clumsily wiping Brian's shirt, her breath reeking of alcohol. "I'll... I'll clean it up for you!"

Her perfume wafted around Brian, her touch sparking an unintended desire. Brian adjusted his tie, his expression tense, and firmly caught her wrist.

Brian had been forewarned that his uncle, Laurence Olson, intended to place a strikingly beautiful woman at his side.

The woman in front of him, with her enchanting gaze and silky skin, had a tiny scar by her cheek-so subtle that it was nearly invisible. Her lips, slightly curled, resembled the petals of a rose.

It was clear now why those people had chosen today, of all days, to drug him.

Karlee struggled against Brian's hold. In a soft voice, she cried out, "You're hurting me!"

Brian, his breath uneven from the drug's influence, gently lifted her chin. Presented with such an irresistible temptation, how could he turn away?

"How do you plan to compensate me?"

His voice was hoarse from the drug, his lips nearly brushing Karlee's. The desire in him burned.

Karlee looked up at him, biting her lip innocently, her eyes dewy. She was like a prey at his mercy.

She murmured, "Just... Just tell me what to do. I'll do anything..."

Brian chuckled, lifting her in his arms as they headed to an upstairs suite. After locking the door, he threw her onto the bed, discarded his tie, and looked at her with a darkened gaze.

"Hope you won't regret this!" he said.

Upon hearing that, Karlee shivered, yet Brian wasted no time, pressing his lips firmly against hers.

A night of frenzied madness followed, shattering her previous resolve. She had reserved her first intimate experience for her wedding night with Jeremy Cooper, the man she had loved for more than ten years.

She had been instrumental in building their studio from nothing, helping Jeremy orchestrate deals and execute contracts, always letting him take the credit for every design she had made. And she had accepted only two thousand dollars a month as her salary because she loved him.

But Jeremy had betrayed her!

As the morning light poured through the window, turning over was a struggle for Karlee. Her body ached as if it had been shattered.

"Mr. Olson, the driver is waiting downstairs." Dennis' voice resonated from outside the door.

Brian muttered a reply, and Karlee's gaze shifted to him by the dressing mirror; he was adjusting his attire.

She had spent the night with him...

Quickly, Karlee drew the blanket over herself to hide the marks on her skin, and Brian, securing his cufflinks, glanced her way.

"What's your name?" His tone was icy, utterly devoid of any warmth.

Karlee, caught off guard by his indifference, bit her lip and lowered her head. "Karlee... Karlee Elliott."

Hearing her name, Brian turned to face her, looking down at her like a ruler deciding her fate.

"What do you want?" he asked.

The question struck Karlee as peculiar, yet it saved her from the awkwardness of asking it herself.

With Jeremy's betrayal fresh in her mind, she lifted her gaze. "I want to marry you!"

Brian's expression remained unchanged, but his eyebrows lifted inquisitively as he studied her.

He thought even though the woman Laurence had arranged was both unique and stunning, she seemed too impulsive.

Karlee detected the mockery in his eyes, realizing how absurd her request was. Just as she was about to clarify, Brian extracted a business card from his suit.

"Tomorrow morning at nine, meet me at the City Hall," he said.

He threw the card onto the white sheets.

Karlee retrieved it, reading the name-Brian Olson.

She exhaled a breath of relief. Then, it suddenly dawned on her.

He had actually agreed?