Chapter 1 This Engagement Is Over

A man's resonant tone pierced the stillness of the room. "Does it hurt?"

Heavy, uneven breaths thickened the air. He loomed above, every muscle tense as he struggled to coax a response from the woman pinned beneath him. She resisted, her body stiff and unyielding, forcing him to try again and again.

Maybe it was the liquor dulling their senses, but his hand slid to her narrow waist, gently steering her closer, trying to ease the tension between them.

Only when the first light of dawn spilled across the tangled sheets did the two figures finally fall silent, exhaustion overtaking them both.

The hush was broken by the hiss of water in the bathroom. Evelina Quinn stirred, emerging from the depths of sleep. Wrapped tightly in the blanket, she hugged herself, mind racing to piece together the fragments of last night.

Yesterday, she had celebrated her engagement to Cole Dawson.

Their families had gone all out for the event, hosting a lavish party crowded with powerful business associates from both sides.

Night had already settled in when Cole's friends gathered for drinks. Evelina, unable to voice her refusals, kept accepting glass after glass until the room blurred.

The last thing she remembered was Cole gently steering her toward the presidential suite at the very top.

The rest vanished in a haze of alcohol-except for the fragments that surfaced now and then: heated touches, uneven breaths, and a night of passion.

A sudden hush fell as the water in the bathroom cut off. The door swung open, sending out a warm rush of steam. A man strode out, a towel slung low on his hips, his powerful build unmistakable-broad shoulders tapering to a lean waist, beads of water tracking over sculpted muscle.

Evelina, recalling her first intimate experience with her fiancé from last night, flushed and quickly looked away, her heart pounding as she struggled not to relive the intense moments that had unfolded in the dark.

"You are awake." Andreas Wright tilted an eyebrow, his gaze locked on Evelina curled beneath the covers. Even now, a faint blush lingered on her soft cheeks, her skin so flawless he imagined a single touch might leave a mark. He looked utterly enthralled, eyes glinting with a predatory satisfaction.

A chill threaded through Evelina as his voice broke the silence. That was not Cole's voice!

She jerked her head up, locking eyes with the man-and was instantly met with a stormy, penetrating stare that radiated raw dominance.

Shock drained the color from her face. The moment she recognized his features, her breath caught and her thoughts scattered, panic rising in her chest. Tears slipped silently from her wide eyes, staining the tangled bedsheets.

The truth struck Evelina all at once-every trace of warmth and happiness from the previous night had come from a man she'd never even met.

Her whole body shook as silent sobs racked her frame, tears spilling down her cheeks. Panic and despair swallowed her, leaving her grasping for answers. Her trembling hands flew through the air, signing again and again.

"Who are you? Why are you here? Were you really the one with me last night?"

Andreas blinked, a flicker of surprise crossing his face when he noticed she couldn't speak.

Now it made sense-her soundless cries and silent suffering from the night before.

He stared at her, eyes dark and impossible to read, the tension in the room thickening with every heartbeat.

Dragging in a heavy breath, Andreas pressed his fingers to his temples, fighting a throbbing headache and a wave of anger that burned in his chest. He'd barely set foot back in the country before his old friends cornered him at a bar, drowning him in drinks and shoving a hotel key into his hand as some sort of comforting gift for his breakup.

The room was heavy with shadows, the air thick from too many drinks. He could still recall how she had leaned in, stealing that first, unexpected kiss. The thrill had swept him along, and in his intoxication, he'd never bothered to check who she was before giving in to the allure.

Now, seeing her wide-eyed and shaken, he couldn't fathom her sudden panic-especially after she'd made the first move.

Andreas dragged a hand through his hair, lips twisting into a scornful half-smile. "Whatever you're trying to say, I don't get it. Just get dressed and go."

Evelina realized she couldn't stay hidden beneath the covers forever. She hurried into her clothes, fumbling with her torn underwear and settling for whatever she could manage.

At last, she forced herself to stand tall in front of him.

Andreas lingered near the window, caught off guard by the sight before him.

In the quiet glow of morning, Evelina stood there-her features delicate, eyes hauntingly luminous, lips bitten and faintly swollen. Her dark hair tumbled in wild tangles down her back, mascara smudged beneath eyes still rimmed red from crying. Even disheveled, she had an inexplicable allure, vulnerable yet breathtaking.

The bed behind her was a chaotic mess, white sheets twisted and stained with a vivid red mark that drew Andreas's gaze, tightening something in his chest as the truth hit him-last night had been her first time.

Seeing her standing there, unwilling to leave, Andreas understood why. Without a word, he pulled out a stack of cash and forced it into Evelina's hand.

He didn't bother to hide his contempt. "Will this cover it? Or do you want more..."

Before he could finish, Evelina hurled it straight at his chest, her eyes flashing with silent fury.

His expression twisted into a dangerous smirk. "What's wrong? Not enough for you? My buddy already paid the middleman a fortune just to set this up. Didn't you check the going rate before selling yourself? Or are you trying to squeeze out a bigger payout? Keep dreaming..."

Evelina's slap cracked through the room, stopping Andreas cold. He staggered, wiped the blood from his mouth, and shot her a look that could have killed. For a moment, it seemed like he might lunge at her. His voice dropped, rough and seething. "I don't care how you managed to get in here. But you're the one who threw yourself at me last night, so drop the act..."

Evelina couldn't stand another word. Choking back tears, she bolted from the room, her shoes crunching over the scattered money as she ran.

On the curb, she waved down a taxi with trembling hands, switched her phone back on, and was instantly flooded with missed calls and frantic messages.

She tapped her destination into her notes app and held it up for the driver to read.

City lights blurred past the window, but Evelina barely noticed. Her mind spun, replaying the man's harsh words on an endless loop. None of it made sense. The stranger she'd woken up beside-how had her life unraveled so completely overnight?

The taxi finally pulled up in front of an imposing villa. Evelina paid and darted inside, desperate to retreat to her room, to scrub away every trace of the night beneath a hot shower.

But her hopes were dashed the moment she entered the villa. The living room overflowed with guests.

Every pair of eyes locked onto her: tangled hair, mascara streaked down her cheeks, swollen eyes, her dress wrinkled and twisted, red marks scattered along her neck-a silent confession no one could miss.

An icy hush fell. Then, with a theatrical sigh, her adopted sister Tessa Quinn broke the silence, lips curled in a smug little smile. "Evelina, where have you been? We've all been worried sick. Cole nearly called the police looking for you."

Cole's expression darkened as his gaze lingered on the hickeys along Evelina's neck, his eyes turning icy. "Where were you last night? What did you do?" he demanded, his voice low and dangerous. Every head swiveled toward Evelina, the Quinn family included. They glared at her like she was something rotten dragged in from the street, their gazes brimming with contempt as they studied every shameful detail.

A storm of humiliation, bewilderment, and dread crashed through Evelina. Her hands shook as she signed the same question over and over, desperate for an explanation from Cole. "Why did you abandon me at the hotel?"

Cole knew perfectly well what she was saying but feigned ignorance, choosing instead to weaponize his words and pin every accusation on Evelina, who was mute and cornered.

"We're engaged, Evelina. And you vanished for an entire night-now you come back covered in someone else's marks. Have you ever once thought about how that makes me feel?" His accusations lashed out with the practiced pain of a master manipulator, veins bulging in his forehead, every inch the picture of a wounded lover.

Everyone felt sympathy for Cole, their eyes full of pity.

"Look at what she's done to poor Cole-how could she betray him, despite all the love he's given her?"

"What kind of upbringing did she have? No shame, no sense of decency. She's engaged to Cole, but she's out all night with another man. There's no way she could ever make a good wife."

The room buzzed with cruel whispers and barely contained contempt, accusations ricocheting through the crowd, some laced with biting insinuations.

Stunned and lost, Evelina stood frozen amid the barrage of insults. The memories from last night were a haze of alcohol and confusion, but she remembered, with absolute clarity, that Cole had personally escorted her to the presidential suite.

Mute and defenseless, Evelina's frantic attempts to communicate were met with nothing but cold indifference.

With desperate motions, she tried to explain, "It's not like that at all. Let me make it clear!"

Cole seized the moment, his voice slicing through the noise, more eager to wound than to listen. "We just got engaged, and you vanished to spend the night with another man. Evelina, I never thought you could be so shameless."

The motion in Evelina's hands faltered, her arms falling limp as tears shimmered in her wide, wounded eyes.

His tone icy, Cole pressed on. "I won't marry someone who betrays me. This engagement is over. Let's end things here."

With panic rising, Evelina's gestures grew frantic. "I didn't betray you. Did you set me up?"

Grabbing the front of his shirt, she tried to force him to look at her-only to spot a fresh kiss mark blooming on his neck. The realization barely registered before a brutal slap landed across her face.

Her father, Albin Quinn, stood over her, hand trembling from the blow, his rage burning through every word. "Shameless slut! Have you lost all decency? Where is your sense of honor?"