Married to the Billionaire I Hated

The way I met Theodore Sterling? Yeah... I accidentally ended up in his bed.

That night, someone drugged me at a hotel. I barely made it out of the restroom and, half-lucid, stumbled into a random room-right into something hard and warm.

Looking up, I saw the guy... damn, he looked like he walked straight out of a film.

Theodore leaned down and gave me a once-over, his face clearly unimpressed. Then he let out a cold, sarcastic laugh. "So Clifford Sterling's stooped to using tricks like this now?"

His voice had this deep, magnetic pull that somehow made my heart skip. My vision blurred a bit, I could feel heat crawling up my neck.

I instinctively licked the corner of my lips, not realizing that to someone like him, that probably looked like... an invitation.

The hint of a smirk played on his lips as he reached out, lifted my chin with his fingers, brushing them over my mouth. His breath grazed my ear and made everything feel even hotter.

I felt like I was burning from the inside out, my cheeks on fire. I couldn't take my eyes off him. Somehow, I just really, really wanted him to hold me...

Damn that Vivian Brooks. What the hell did she put in that drink?!

He finally lost patience, suddenly pinning me to the door. His hand curled around the back of my head, and then he kissed me hard.

His lips were cool, soft, with a strange sweetness-but the aggressiveness of it made me tremble all over. I tried to push him off, palms pressed against his rock-hard chest, but he didn't budge.

He moved to whisper at my ear, eyes gleaming dangerously as he pinched my chin. "You started this. And now you wanna act coy? Babe, playtime's over."

The next moment, he pulled me onto the bed. The pain that followed was sharp and savage, jolting me to the core. He paused briefly, but once I adjusted, he didn't hold back.

The night dragged on, long and consuming...

*****

The next morning, the drug's effect had worn off. I heard the sound of running water in the bathroom and quickly blushed like mad. Forget trying to piece together last night-I tiptoed out of bed and forced myself through getting dressed, legs shaking all the way.

Before leaving, I dug into my bag, found just three bills left-ugh, life really had me good. I tossed them on the nightstand and wrote Vivian' number on the back of one with a pen.

She and Julian Chandler set me up just for money. Sold me out to a stranger. I couldn't take it lying down.

If they were willing to sell me for cash, fine. I'd make it so someone else burned their world down for money too.

The second I stepped out of Lumen Grand's hotel lobby, a crowd of reporters bombarded me with cameras.

"Natalie Reynolds! Who was the man you spent the night with? Your boyfriend?"

"Sources say you're not Mr. Reynolds' biological daughter. Is your 'wild' behavior proof those rumors were true?"

"There are talks that Theodore, heir to the Sterling family, was set to be engaged to someone from your family. Aren't you worried your scandal will mess that up?"

"Natalie-"

Among the reporters, one guy in glasses got especially aggressive. I marched up to him, clutching my shoulder bag, and swung it right at his face.

"Y'all are out here getting off on people's lives like it's nothing! Ever heard of privacy? Say one more word and I'll see you in court, got it?!"

I flagged down a cab and jumped in. The driver kept sneaking glances at me through the mirror. Annoyed, I kicked the back of his seat hard as a warning: don't push it.

Just as my phone rang, I glanced down, sneered, and let out a cold chuckle. Hah, I haven't even started settling things, and they're already lining up to come for me. Going home now? Pretty sure a whole drama's waiting right there.

Sure enough, the moment I stepped in the door-"Dad-"

Smack!

Hubert Reynolds stormed up and slapped me across the face, boiling with rage. "You shameless brat! The older you get, the worse you get! Get on your knees, now!"

Clutching the side of my face that was swelling fast, I squinted past him. Right there behind was Vivian, grinning like she'd just hit the jackpot. I clenched my teeth in fury.

She had the maid help Hubert to the couch, then swayed over to me like she owned the place, flashing a fake smile. Her voice was low enough just for me.

"So, this is why you've been dragging your feet with Julian. The so-called 'eldest daughter' of the Reynolds family sneaking off to hook up with some random guy before marriage? No wonder Julian doesn't want you. A stray like you-cheap's the only word for it."

The second she mentioned Julian, my anger basically went nuclear. I grabbed the wrist wearing her diamond-encrusted bracelet. "Say that again?"

Julian was my boyfriend. Or so I thought. I never imagined he could've teamed up with Vivian.

Last night, he invited me out and drugged my coffee. Then he booked a hotel room and dumped me there like trash. If I hadn't caught a glimpse of him sneaking into a room with Vivian and some greasy old man, I would've been caught off guard.

As for Vivian? She's hated me for years. Long story.

When I was eight, she waltzed into our house, heavily pregnant, and schemed to make my foster mom lose her baby. She manipulated Hubert into thinking Cornelia Burton cheated on him. He lost it and wanted a divorce.

My foster mom wasn't in great health already, and the whole thing broke her. She got seriously ill and passed not long after. The funeral wasn't even over before Vivian gave birth to Isabella, instantly stepping into the role of Reynolds' new lady of the house.

From the moment Grandpa Reynolds publicly acknowledged me as the only real heir at mom's funeral, Vivian started plotting against me. She wanted me gone, plain and simple, so she and Isabella would have a clear shot at everything.

But what hurt even more than Vivian's scheming was how Hubert always took her side-without question.

Thinking about what they did, how they led to me losing my virginity to some stranger-it made my blood boil. My eyes practically burned as I glared at Vivian.

She scoffed right back at me and said with zero shame, "The Reynolds family's raised you all these years, and now that your dad's project in Southveil needs a few favors, you can't even be grateful? President Hall was interested in you, and you should be thanking your lucky stars! You're just like that filthy woman Cornelia-ungrateful and dirty!"

Cornelia, my foster mom.

That was it.

I lunged toward her, ready to tear into her lies, when she suddenly clutched her chest and collapsed, sending a vase crashing loudly to the floor. Her hand landed right on the broken glass. "Ahhh!"

Hubert shot up from the couch, storming toward me. "Natalie! How could you raise your hand against your own mother? What kind of behavior is this?"

Vivian put on her perfect performance, tears lining her eyes, that weak and pitiful act. "Hubert, it's my fault. I can never replace Cornelia in her heart. No matter what I do, she'll never accept me. Please don't blame her..."

I let out a cold laugh. "You're damn right I can't accept you. You think you can just step into her shoes, become Mrs. Reynolds, and take over the inheritance? Sorry, you're not that woman-and you'll never be my mother."

Just as I let those words fly, I heard a swoosh behind me. Before I could dodge, Hubert's cane came down hard on my leg. I stumbled forward, hitting the ground with a sharp intake of breath.

He raised the cane again-but a low voice cut through the chaos from behind me.

"That's enough!"

Theodore stared down at me, cold as ever. His dark eyes were clouded with something heavy and unreadable-it was the kind of look that chilled you to the bone.

Standing right next to him was his mother, Marjorie Hughes-the one everyone said Theodore doted on the most.

She glanced over at me and Vivian, then calmly turned to look at Hubert. "Mr. Reynolds, the alliance between our families still needs further discussion. I suggest you and your daughter be more prudent. Goodbye."

Without missing a beat, she turned and walked away. Theodore followed her, but before stepping out, he threw a look over his shoulder at me-it was filled with nothing but disgust.

This-this whole mess-was exactly the outcome Vivian wanted. She bribed Julian, dragged me through the mud, just to ruin my reputation. All because I was in the way of her own daughter marrying into the Sterling family.

Her plan? Throw me at some old guy, destroy my name, and make sure I'd never be accepted by their kind.

Cruel, isn't it? I have no clue what kind of deal Vivian offered Julian, but after three years together, he still stabbed me in the back for profit. Just handed me off like I never mattered. My fists tightened, nails digging into my palms as the hate flared in my eyes.

I stood up and turned to go when Hubert's voice, cold and loud, slammed through the room. "Stop right there!"

I froze. A stack of photos was flung in my face, landing with a harsh thud. "Look at you! Shameless! You've disgraced the Reynolds name completely!"

I glanced down. Of course, they were those kinds of photos-every one of them perfectly timed, perfectly angled. Torn clothes. Messy hair. Bruises where they shouldn't be. All the evidence she needed.

I picked them up and threw them back in front of Vivian. "You work fast, don't you? This whole thing must've been planned forever. Even Julian? How much did you cough up for him?"

Hubert stepped in front of her. "Natalie! Don't even think of blaming your mother for your own mess! From today on, you're not to step one foot outside this house. Stay in your room and don't humiliate us any further!"

I just laughed hollowly. How did he even believe that garbage?

When the maid came up to drag me away, I looked them both straight in the eye with a cold smile. "You can try keeping me locked up all you want. But are you sure Grandpa will be okay hearing about this? Isn't the shareholders' meeting around the corner? Think real hard, Dad-are you absolutely sure you wanna risk it?"

That shut them up fast. Hubert's face twitched, and Vivian looked like she'd swallowed poison. She burst out, "You're threatening your father with your grandpa?!"

I stared at Hubert, unmoving. The guilt in his eyes told me everything. "What can I say? Grandpa's always liked me best. I'm the Reynolds' eldest daughter-he's never once mentioned anything about a second one."

"You-!" Vivian looked like she was about to implode, her face twisted into something downright ugly.

I couldn't be bothered. I just turned and headed upstairs.

"Let her go," Hubert said after a beat, "But listen closely, Natalie-your sister's about to get engaged to the Sterlings. Thanks to your crap, Julian wants out of the engagement. So fine, ruin yourself all you want-but if you mess this up for your sister too, not even your grandfather will forgive you."

I paused on the staircase, didn't say a word. But my heart felt heavier than ever, the grief so sharp I couldn't stop the tears from sliding down.

I sat on the bed, staring at the photo of my mom on the nightstand. After the funeral, Vivian claimed her stuff brought bad luck and forced Hubert to burn all of it. Her room was even turned into a storage space. Only this one photo was left-I dug through that dusty mess for days to find it.

"Mom, don't worry," I whispered, "I promise I won't let that woman walk all over me."

But before I could even make a move, the news broke-Sterling and Reynolds families were officially tying the knot. The guy? Theodore, duh. And the girl? Not me. It was Isabella Reynolds. Vivian's actual daughter.

I was so mad my teeth hurt from clenching. Vivian acted fast. Before I could even strike back, she'd already gotten Marjorie to accept her daughter as the bride?

I grabbed my phone and dialed Lucille Green. She's been my ride-or-die since forever. Sure, she's a scandal magnet and the media basically uses her for gossip practice, but she's always had my back, no questions asked.

The Green family isn't just big in business. Lucille's grandpa was a freaking war hero, and her brother holds a cushy political job now. If I needed to dig into something quietly, she was my only option.

As soon as the call connected, her loud voice came in hot. "Took you long enough! What's up? Those two psychos at your place do something to you again?"

I let out a cold sigh. "Just caught another beating. No big deal. Vivian didn't get off easy either-she had to put on quite the act."

"Seriously? Hubert hit you again? I swear, don't stop me this time, I'm getting people to raise hell at his door."

"Chill. I called you because I need your help."

Lucille went quiet for a beat before bursting into laughter. "I know what you want. You want to know who that mystery guy from your 'first night' was, right? Your girl went digging, and guess what-I've got news.

Girl, you hit the jackpot. The guy was none other than Mr. Golden Boy himself, Theodore! That night, he'd just flown in from Singarra, had some business meeting, couldn't get home in time, and decided to crash at the hotel. Can you believe your luck?"

She kept rambling on, but my brain had already short-circuited. Images from that night-his touches, his breath, my flushed skin-flashed in my head, face burning with embarrassment... then instantly going pale.

"Holy crap..."

Did I seriously sleep with Isabella's future fiancé? She'd lose it if she ever found out.

I quickly snapped out of it and filled Lucille in on the engagement news between Isabella and Theodore. As expected, the gossip queen went nuts. "Girl! Are you kidding me? You are straight-up savage! This is gonna be legendary. Meet me at Grandion at 8-I'm treating you tonight!"

That place? The most high-end club in Southveil. I rubbed my temples and shot her a look through the phone. "Don't get ahead of yourself. First, I need you to find out what happened to Julian after that night. He just vanished, which doesn't feel right. I think Vivian had something to do with it. Otherwise, there's no reason he'd go MIA, especially with the Reynolds-Chandler project still full steam ahead."

Lucille got dead serious in a second. "So, you're trying to dig up dirt on Vivian and blow her cover?"

"Not just that. The engagement party's coming up fast. Theodore's probably planning to take this secret to the grave, but I'm not exactly on the same page."

Lucille paused, then cracked up again, probably slammed a hand on the table. "Girl, I can't wait. Let the drama begin!"

Three days later, at Grandion Night Club.

I called Lucille and asked her to come get me. She yelled over the phone, "I'm busy! I'll send someone. Just wait there."

Barely two minutes later, a good-looking guy in a half-buttoned shirt that barely covered his chest came down the stairs and tugged at my sleeve. "Miss Reynolds, Miss Green's in a private room on the third floor. I'll take you up."

He led me to a room tucked in the corner of the third floor, decorated like some over-the-top pink princess fantasy. The moment Lucille saw me, she shot the guy a look. He stepped up like he was about to wrap me in his arms.

I dodged him easily and marched straight over to pinch Lucille's ear. "You little witch-how dare you call a male escort?"

Lucille may be from one of those influential political families, but she took a hard left early on. The more rebellious, the more she liked it.

She was about to crack another silly grin when I smacked her bare thigh under that tiny skirt of hers. "Didn't you say you had something big to tell me? Spit it out!"

She pouted and pulled out her phone, flipping open her gallery. "Look."

There were a few blurry shots in low light, but even with the poor quality, it was clear-a woman getting up close and personal with some guy in ways that were definitely scandalous.

I zoomed in on the faces. No matter the angle, that woman was unmistakably my dear "little sister" who's about to get engaged-Isabella.

I yanked Lucille into a hug and planted two big wet kisses on her cheeks. I'd been scratching my head trying to find a crack in Vivian' armor-and now I had a whole photo album of dirt. Just one pic would be enough to tear Isabella's reputation to shreds in Southveil. No way the Sterlings would go through with the engagement after this.

Game over for their little dream scenario.

Lucille shoved me away and yanked off the guy's shirt to wipe her face. "Seriously, you're that happy already? Come on, spill-what's the plan?"

I glanced at the champagne Lucille just used to "serve" the male escort, took a sip, and raised the glass toward the guy. "You've got the looks-and that body's not bad either."

Lucille pulled him onto the couch and pinched his cheek, smirking. "Of course. Kevin's the hottest thing here at Grandion. He told me Isabella tried to book him a few times... only turned her down 'cause he didn't want to step on my toes."

"What, she comes here often?"

Kevin nodded beside us. "Yeah, lately it's been pretty regular. She brings friends too."

"For real?" I scoffed. "Didn't think that little tramp was such a thirsty one. If Theodore ends up marrying her, that guy's really pulling the short straw."

I grinned wider. "Let's make sure that never happens."

Lucille's eyes lit up like she just caught a whiff of something spicy. "What are you thinking?"

I gave her a look full of meaning. "She's been drooling over Kevin for a while now, hasn't she? So as her loving big sis... I'll help make her dream come true."

Lucille burst out laughing, tossed a black card from her purse onto the table, and waved at Kevin. "Name your price. Just make sure Isabella enjoys herself thoroughly. There's more than enough in it for you if it works."

Kevin took the card, flashing his pearly whites. "Leave it to me, Miss Green."

Lucille and I were riding the high, cracked open two bottles of fancy champagne and red wine, and went all in. It took everything I had to haul her drunk self to the door, flag a ride and send her home.

Just when I thought I could finally leave, I realized I forgot my bag. Thank god Lucille had handed me Kevin's card earlier. I called him and asked him to drop it off at the front desk. I patted his shoulder and quietly reminded him of our little plan, he just nodded with a grin, giving me the go-ahead to bounce.

I turned around, ready to head out myself, and barely took two steps before smacking straight into what felt like a human wall.

Rubbing my forehead, I looked up-one glance at that annoyingly handsome face and whatever curse words I had lined up instantly died in my throat.

Theodore.

This was only the second time I'd seen him since that day, and yep, that ice block of a face still had that blatant look of disgust painted all over it. His eyes drifted past me, locking on the glowing Grandion Night sign behind me, and his lips curled up with a mocking smirk. "Daddy's little princess, huh? Really living up to the name."

I bit my lip, giving him a glare that could burn holes. "Well if I'm a joke, you must be the punchline. What brings Mr. Sterling to such fine establishments this late, huh? Don't pretend it's just a coincidence."

Seriously? Trying to throw shade at me? As if I couldn't smell the booze and the overwhelming stench of cheap perfume wafting off him.

He twitched his lip but said nothing. His eyes, dark and unreadable, flickered with something strange-might've been the lighting or something else, but there was definitely something off.

I let out a snort and brushed past him, just wanting to be done with the night.

But before I could get far, a sudden grip wrapped around me, and the next second, I was being tossed over his shoulder like a damn sack. He powered toward a sleek black Spyker, jammed the door open, and shoved me inside without a shred of care.

My head hit the seat and I saw stars, and before I could react, his massive frame was already on top of me, pinning down my flailing arms and legs.

His face closed in, hot breath sweeping across mine. In the dim lighting, I caught sight of the flushed color on his cheeks, his half-unbuttoned shirt exposing toned abs, sweat glistening along that caramel skin-dangerously tempting.

It hit me then-his reaction looked way too familiar. Just like the night I was drugged.

I cautiously called out, "Theodore? You okay?"

Not a word from him. Instead, he suddenly crashed his lips against mine, full of aggression and desperation. Hell if I knew how long he'd been bottling that up, but he bit right through his tongue and our mouths filled with the taste of blood.

The kiss was rough, unhinged. A breeze drifted in from the half-open window. I shoved at him with all I had and slapped him across the face.

He jerked his head, then grabbed my jaw in a vice grip, squeezing hard. My vision blurred as tears started falling uncontrollably.

He reached over and rolled the window up tight, then looked down at me, cold and full of scorn. "Natalie, you've got the guts to hook up with a damn call boy, but suddenly worried about people seeing this? Cut the act, it's pathetic."

"If you're that disgusted, then just let go! Go in and find yourself some working girl at the front desk to deal with whatever this is. Not enough? Hell, I'll even book you a room if you want, take your sweet time..."

Before I could finish, he tightened his grip even more. My heart pounded as I stared at him wide-eyed. "What are you trying to do?! Let me go!"

I fought with everything in me, clashing with his brute force. More than once I slammed into the car window, the sound drawing some glances from the street.

While stealing kisses from me, he whispered threateningly in my ear with that raspy, alluring voice, "You move again and I'll toss you out. I mean it."

By then, my clothes were barely hanging on, ripped beyond recognition. I was practically naked, and the street outside-full of people...

I pressed my lips together, my voice barely there. "Why?"

He gave a cruel, twisted smile. "Why? I saved you once. This is payback. Just blowing off steam."

And just like that, his hand moved to undo his belt...