Chapter 2 Set Me Up

The next morning, when Anne woke up, she felt like she had been beaten up-her entire body ached. She stared blankly at the white ceiling for a full minute before suddenly letting out a soft laugh. But right after she laughed, a single tear slipped from the corner of her eye, trailing down into her ear. She wiped it away and struggled to sit up in bed. She wanted to take a shower, but as soon as she set her feet on the ground, the discomfort and pain between her legs made her let out a sharp gasp.

"Awake?" A cold male voice rang out.

Anne froze in place. When she came to her senses, she immediately pulled the blanket tightly around herself and looked up. The man from last night was leaning against the doorframe, watching her with an expression of indifference. He wasn't wearing his glasses today, making him look even colder than he had the night before.

This man was... breathtakingly handsome. That was Anne's first thought when she saw him. High nose bridge, thin lips, and deep-set eyes that made her feel as if she was being seen through. He looked just as good-if not better-than any celebrity. And when he stood up, she estimated his height to be around 1.88 or 1.89 meters. Compared to the fat, greasy man she had almost been forced to accompany the first time, this was a much better deal. She only remembered his name-Cole. When Xander had sent her over last night, she had feared that the man would be another repulsive one, but when she was pushed toward Cole, she had felt a sense of relief. At least with a man like this, she could console herself that she hadn't lost too much.

Cole walked over to her, and as Anne recalled the events of last night, she instinctively tightened the blanket around herself, lowering her head to avoid his gaze. He seemed to chuckle slightly, but the next second, he grabbed her chin forcefully, forcing her to meet his icy gaze.

"Trying to set me up?"

Anne was stunned, unable to comprehend what he meant. Cole tossed a phone in front of her. On the screen, security footage played, showing her stepping into the restroom last night. At the restroom entrance, a woman had secretly slipped something into her hand-she had been so nervous that she almost dropped it. Although the private room had no surveillance cameras for the sake of the wealthy patrons' privacy, it wasn't difficult to figure out whom Anne had intended to drug.

"Who sent you?" Cole tightened his grip.

"N-no one," Anne stammered, wincing in pain as she tried to pry his fingers away.

"No one?" Cole didn't loosen his grip. Instead, he squeezed harder. "So, if no one sent you, you just decided to drug me and crawl into my bed?"

His gaze was chilling, making Anne feel as though he was looking at a corpse. A shiver ran down her spine. As she trembled, the blanket slipped, exposing her delicate shoulders and collarbones, both marked with traces of last night's passion.

"Cole, you misunderstood..." Anne's eyes filled with tears from the pain, but she held them back stubbornly. Her eyes were now red and misty. Cole hesitated for a moment but still held her chin firmly, watching her expressionlessly.

"That drug... was for me," Anne said with difficulty. She didn't dare resist too much. Cathy had taught her that with men like this, the less resistance, the better. Struggle too much, and they'd only become more cruel.

Cole was momentarily taken aback, loosening his grip slightly. "For yourself?" He frowned, as if weighing the credibility of her words.

Sensing the change in his demeanor, Anne quickly explained, "I knew I couldn't escape last night, so I thought if I took something, at least I could... feel a little better. But you drank my drink instead."

Cole recalled that his last drink had indeed been hers. When he was about to leave with Anne, Ronan, who was drunk and causing trouble, had insisted that she finish her drink before leaving. Cole had taken the drink from her and downed it himself.

But he still didn't believe her. His grip tightened again. "What, do you take me for a three-year-old?"

"N-no, not at all," Anne wanted to kick him in frustration-his grip was unbearably painful. But she knew she couldn't afford to offend this man. "I originally didn't plan on taking it, but... I didn't think you'd actually take me away. I didn't know who I'd end up with, so I thought..."

She trailed off. When she had seen Cole, she had immediately decided against taking the pill. After all, he was already a top-tier choice. She had never seen a man more attractive than him. But Cole had been so indifferent. Aside from handing her a blanket at the start, he had barely spoken to her all night. From his attitude, she was sure he wouldn't take her. She had drunk so much, hoping to get herself drunk and numb, but unfortunately, her alcohol tolerance was too high. She was considered Cole's woman for the night, so no one dared force her to drink too much.

Compared to Cole, the other young masters weren't bad-looking either, but Cathy had warned her that they were particularly cruel in bed. She feared she wouldn't be able to handle it, so she had secretly asked Cathy for a pill, preparing to take it herself. That way, no matter who she ended up with, at least she wouldn't suffer too much. But unexpectedly, Cole had taken her away. And by pure chance, he had drunk her drugged wine. The rest... was history.

Cole withdrew his hand but continued studying her. She didn't look away, her stubborn gaze meeting his.

His lips curled into a cold smile. "Unbelievable."

He hadn't expected the situation to turn out like this.

"How much did Xander pay?" Cole lit a cigarette and sat down on the sofa. He wasn't interested in playing with women, and he never cared for the escorts at those parties. But this time was different. Since things had already happened, he had to pay up.

Anne took a moment to process what he meant. Her fingers clenched around the blanket. Lowering her head, she remained silent. Just as Cole was about to lose patience, she finally spoke in a small voice.

"Three hundred thousand."

Cole raised an eyebrow. "Not cheap, but not too expensive either."

Anne, fearing he might think she was overcharging, quickly explained, "Cathy said I look a bit like that actress, Adele. So..."

Cole turned to her. In last night's dim lighting, she did resemble Adele a little. But now, he wasn't so sure. He scoffed. "Look alike? What a gimmick."

"I... I don't think I look like her. But everyone else says so," Anne clarified nervously. She didn't want any connection to a big star, especially since she had heard from Xander that Adele was Cole's "white moonlight"-the untouchable love of his life. She didn't want to get involved in that mess.

The entire conversation made her feel deeply humiliated. She was still wrapped in a blanket, but last night's scenes kept replaying in her mind. She felt as if she were standing completely naked before him.

Subconsciously, she bit her lip. The spot she had bitten last night was still sore. Soon, she tasted the metallic tang of blood again.

Cole frowned. She seemed to have a habit of biting her lip. He recalled how, last night, she had bitten down hard to endure the pain as he entered her. As if she believed that the pain in her lips could replace the pain elsewhere...