Chapter 2 Morning After

The sunlight streamed through the massive windows, casting golden streaks across the luxurious penthouse suite.

Diane Thompson stirred, warmth pressing against her skin. It was foreign, unfamiliar-yet undeniable.

Her lashes fluttered open. The events of last night crashed into her like a tidal wave.

The betrayal.

The heartbreak.

The reckless decision to come here-to him.

Swallowing hard, she turned her head slightly.

There he was.

Charles Wallington.

The man feared in the business world, known for his ruthless efficiency and cold demeanor. He lay on his back, one arm resting behind his head, his face calm, unreadable. His broad chest rose and fell steadily, the morning light tracing over the defined lines of his body.

For Diane, last night had been an act of defiance. But she enjoyed every bit of it.

For him? She wasn't sure.

Her fingers tightened in the silk sheets as she slowly pulled herself away. The weight of her discarded wedding dress still lingered in the air-its fabric torn, a symbolic grave for the life she had left behind.

She swung her legs off the bed and reached for the robe draped over the chair, wrapping it around herself. But before she could take another step-

"Regretting it already?"

His voice was deep, husky from sleep, yet sharp as a blade.

Diane froze, then slowly turned.

Charles was awake. Watching her.

"I don't regret anything," she replied, steadying her voice. "But I need to go."

He arched a brow, his expression calm but unreadable. "Where to? Back to the man who betrayed you?"

Her stomach twisted.

Her ex-fiancé. The man she had been arranged to marry-not out of love, but because their families had decided it for them. Diane had gone along with it, trusting her grandmother's wishes, believing that maybe, just maybe, it would work out.

But she had been wrong.

She lifted her chin. "That's none of your concern."

Charles smirked, a slow, deliberate movement. He sat up, the silk sheets slipping to reveal the defined muscles of his torso. "Oh, but it is. You came to me last night. You made a choice." His gray eyes darkened. "Are you running now?"

Diane hesitated.

Was she? No!

She had walked away from the wreckage of her engagement and straight into Charles's arms. But now, in the harsh light of morning, she wasn't sure what came next.

"I'm not running," she said. "I just need a little time."

Charles studied her, his gaze assessing. Then, without a word, he reached for his phone on the nightstand and turned the screen toward her.

Diane's breath hitched.

The news had already spread.

[ SCANDAL: HEIRESS SPENDS WEDDING NIGHT WITH FIANCÉ'S BROTHER! ]

Her hands clenched as she skimmed the article. A grainy photo of her entering the hotel last night, still in her wedding dress. Another of Charles arriving earlier that evening.

It didn't take much for the public to piece the story together.

Diane Thompson, betrayed on her wedding day, finds solace in the arms of her fiancé's powerful older brother.

Her face paled. "This... this is a nightmare."

Charles didn't look surprised. "You should have expected this."

Of course she should have. The Wallington and Thompson families were not just wealthy-they were powerful, influential. This wasn't just some personal betrayal. It was a public scandal, and she had placed herself right in the middle of it.

A sharp knock on the door broke the silence.

"Sir, Mr. Wallington has arrived," a voice announced from outside.

Diane stiffened slightly.

Mr. Wallington?

Charles's expression remained unreadable. "Looks like little brother didn't take the news well."

Her ex-fiancé was here.

And the old man was here too.