The Mysterious Mr. Reynolds Falls Madly In Love

In the dimly lit corridor, Thea Russell, slightly tipsy, leaned against the cool wall, her eyes fixed on the approaching figure of a man.

Tall and lean, he had a narrow waist and a charming derriere.

Then she looked at his face...

The male escorts at this club were renowned for their looks, and he was no exception.

As a man in his thirties, he was incredibly handsome!

Thea couldn't resist herself and threw herself into his arms. She had been forced into an arranged marriage by her family, so why not spend money to enjoy the company of a handsome male escort?

"One thousand dollars," she boldly declared while gazing up at him.

Holding the man in front of her, Thea raised her head and made a price.

Colton Reynolds, initially searching for someone, was suddenly enveloped by the embrace of a young woman. Her warmth and the scent of alcohol on her breath made him furrow his brow. Just as he was about to push her away, he glanced at her and realized she looked oddly familiar.

A couple of weeks ago, Talia Reynolds, who was Colton's mother, had bombarded him with photos of potential brides from affluent families, demanding he choose one.

In the photo, this girl had a quiet and lovely charm, catching his eye immediately.

After making his choice, he had returned to Akarough on urgent business, dispatching someone to the Russell family to formalize the arrangement. What he didn't expect was to encounter the very girl he had chosen at this club upon his return.

Seeing that the man remained silent, Thea gathered her courage and raised her offer. "One thousand five hundred dollars!"

Colton continued to observe the girl in his arms. Her flushed face and bewilderment in her eyes suggested she had consumed a considerable amount of alcohol.

"Let me take you home..."

Before Colton could finish his sentence, Thea took the initiative, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his lips.

The kiss was soft and sweet, catching Colton by surprise.

Thea couldn't contain herself any longer. After the kiss, she pushed him against a wall, lunging in for another kiss.

"Two thousand dollars! That's my final offer!"

She couldn't afford any more than that.

Before Colton could react, Thea descended on him once more, her lips finding his in an eager kiss.

Her passionate embrace, fueled by alcohol, proved to be quite a temptation. Colton, who had remained celibate for years, found himself unable to resist her advances. Thinking that she was now his chosen wife, he lowered his head and asked in a husky voice, "Do you know what you're doing?"

"Yes," Thea affirmed.

She knew exactly what she wanted.

Before marrying Mr. Reynolds, she found a male escort to sleep with. In order not to let such a handsome man run away, she wrapped her arms around his neck and said, "Sir, don't worry. I will be responsible for you."

Before she could lean over to kiss him again, Colton bent over and kissed her.

Afterward, with her head spinning from alcohol, Thea awoke with a throbbing headache. She couldn't recall what had transpired the previous night. All she knew was that when she tried to get out of bed, her body ached, and her legs wobbled, nearly causing her to fall.

Before departing, she glanced at the man still asleep in bed. Checking her pockets, she found a mere hundred dollars.

It wasn't until then that she remembered that she had recently used most of her money to cover her mother's medical expenses. This was all she had left. Blushing with embarrassment, she left a note and hurriedly fled the scene.

"Handsome stranger, I apologize. I didn't bring enough money with me. I'll pay you in installments."

As Colton awoke and read the note, he spotted a meager sum of money on the bedside table, a stark reminder of their encounter.

Had she given him money for their night together and then simply run off? Was that what she considered taking responsibility?

"Mr. Reynolds!"

Greyson Brooks entered the room and saw his boss scowling at a note. Greyson hastily took a step back in alarm before noticing the hickeys on Colton's neck. After a brief pause, he couldn't contain his excitement.

Finally, his boss had lost his celibacy!

"Make arrangements," Colton instructed, crumpling the note and placing it in his pocket. He retrieved a cigarette, lit it, and exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Go to the Russell family's house and bring her back."

He had a lesson to teach her!

"Whom are you going to retrieve?" Greyson inquired, still a bit puzzled. It suddenly dawned on him that Colton had been forced to select a bride by Talia, and he must have chosen one of the Russell family's daughters.

"Maggie Russell!"

Within the grand Russell mansion, Thea stood at the entrance, her heart gripped by a familiar mixture of emotions.

This house was once a cherished inheritance from her grandfather to her mother, but eight years ago, her sister and mother met with accidents one after the other. Helplessly, Thea had watched as her grandmother and uncle moved in, taking over the residence with her father's permission.

From that moment, she had been forced to don a façade of obedience, as her father showed no concern for her, and her ailing mother needed her by her side.

Even her future husband had been selected by them, a choice imposed upon her.

Taking a deep breath, Thea cautiously ventured inside. Just before her arrival, the unmistakable sound of high heels echoed through the hallway.

"Where were you last night, Thea?"

Thea felt that her heart rate spiked as an indignant, unpleasant voice reached her ears. Raising her gaze, she saw Maggie Russell, her cousin and her uncle's daughter, standing before her with an air of haughty entitlement.

Maggie had spent the last eight years residing in the Russell mansion, a period during which she began to see herself as the hostess of the house. She had brazenly laid claim to many of Thea's possessions, including the fiancé who had been promised to Thea since childhood.

"Maggie!"

Thea's smile widened in direct proportion to her cousin's fury. "It's still early, dear. Such anger at this hour might lead to wrinkles. And then, Trevor might lose interest in you."

"You witch!"

Maggie exclaimed, her anger unabated. After all, they had discovered Thea's absence from the planned dinner at the hotel the previous night. They had waited for her in vain, only to catch sight of the hickey on her neck.

"What's that on your neck? Have you no shame? At your age, you're already as wanton as your elder sister!"

Thea's smile vanished at Maggie's words. She clenched her fists and demanded in an icy tone, "Say that again, if you dare!"

Maggie, undeterred, sneered, "Thea, don't emulate your elder sister by being both loose and dimwitted."

With a self-satisfied grin, Maggie never saw it coming when Thea's hand swung out and delivered a resounding slap to her cheek. The impact left Maggie stunned and her cheeks flushed. Realizing that she had been struck by Thea, Maggie screamed, "You dare to hit me, Thea!"

Maggie, still fuming, raised her hand, intending to retaliate. However, Thea, who was no stranger to being on the receiving end of such blows, deftly dodged her cousin's incoming slap.

Maggie, seething with rage, was unable to contain her anger. She lunged at Thea, attempting to engage her in a brawl. The commotion echoed up the staircase.

"What's going on here?"

A chilly voice cut through the tumult, causing Maggie to hastily withdraw her hand. When she turned, tears welled up in her eyes.

"Grandma!"

Maggie called out with feigned distress, looking toward her mother, Vanessa Russell. Vanessa was standing beside Nina Russell, who was Maggie and Thea's grandmother.

With slow, deliberate steps, the formidable Nina descended the staircase. Dressed in somber gray attire, she wore a stern expression that seemed to impose an invisible weight upon everyone present. The oppressive atmosphere left everyone standing obediently, their breaths noticeably lighter.

"Grandma!"

Thea greeted Nina, her voice sugary sweet.

"Thea has been behaving shamelessly, Grandma," Maggie complained first. "She slept with another man! We will suffer because of her!"

A fortnight prior, the matriarch of the Reynolds family from Akarough had sought a bride for her son. The Russell Group, facing dire financial straits, had conveniently put forward Maggie's name.

In a timely fashion, Maggie managed to replace her photo with the photo of Thea. Mr. Reynolds had taken a liking to the photo and sent word to the Russell family, saying he had selected her.

Rumors painted Mr. Reynolds as an ugly, disfigured older man with a gloomy disposition. Maggie would rather face death than marry such a man.

Maggie's mother had made it clear that, with Thea's photo sent to the Reynolds family, she was to play the role of Mr. Reynolds's intended bride in Maggie's stead. This would allow the Russell Group to secure the Reynolds family's financial support.

Maggie thought that Thea dared not resist.

Thea's mother had been in a coma for many years, and her elder sister...

Maggie, sporting a triumphant smile on her face and red-rimmed eyes, pressed on. "She had the audacity to slap me just for a few choice words! Grandma, you must lock her up!"

"I didn't!"

Thea protested, tears streaming down her cheeks.

She also knew how to feign tears!

"Grandma, I stayed at Mabel's place last night," Thea said with a quiver in her voice. "Maggie accused me of spending the night with a man. What if word of this reaches Mr. Reynolds? I don't care about my reputation, but it would be disastrous if they discover that the person who is going to marry Mr. Reynolds isn't Maggie!"

She had merely sought the company of a man for a night. What was the big deal?

They were forcing her to marry an old man nobody would willingly wed. Couldn't she indulge herself with a handsome man for once?

"Thea!"

Maggie had only one objective now: for Thea to marry Mr. Reynolds and then expose her as a substitute. This would effectively legitimize Maggie's relationship with Trevor Gibson who was Thea's ex-fiancé.

"Thea!"

Nina gazed at Thea with icy detachment. In a stern tone, she announced, "The Reynolds family called. They're here to collect you."

"He's here?" Thea quivered, avoiding the name that everyone in the room knew all too well-Mr. Reynolds.

"Yes." Nina confirmed.

"Thea, go upstairs and freshen up. Mr. Reynolds is waiting for you."

When Maggie heard that the Reynolds family was going to pick up Thea, a triumphant smirk appeared on her lips.

Thea bit her lip but didn't utter a word. As she ascended the stairs, she heard Nina's admonition echo behind her. "Thea, you have to be obedient!"

Those words served as a harsh reminder of the person she needed to protect. Thea clenched her fists and replied, "Grandma, I'll follow your arrangement."

--

"Thea, what are you going to do? Are you really going to marry into the Reynolds family?"

In a bustling bar, Thea's friend, Mabel Walsh, voiced her concerns after hearing about the recent events.

"What other choice do I have?"

Thea took a mocking sip of her drink and wore a sardonic smile. "If I refuse, they'll lock me up. Besides..."

Thea's smile turned sadder. "My mother has been in a coma for so long, and they agreed to help my sister."

"But Mr. Reynolds is truly frightening," Mabel interjected, worry etched across her features. She had heard countless tales of Mr. Reynolds's cruelty and ruthlessness.

"Have no fear!" Thea rose from her seat and patted Mabel's shoulder. "I've had a fling with a handsome man! If Mr. Reynolds finds out, it might irritate him so that I could be sent back to the Russell family."

However, returning to the Russell family meant being subjected to their manipulations once more.

She had no one in this world to shield her.

Thinking of her comatose mother in the hospital and her grandmother's scheming ways, Thea reached for the glass in front of her and downed its contents.

"But let's set aside this depressing talk for now. We're here for business," she declared.

"Who am I going to teach a lesson today?"

"Oh!"

Mabel promptly retrieved her phone, located a photograph, and placed it before Thea. "Shane Hayes! This scoundrel is a womanizer. The client wants you to deliver ten slaps before snapping pictures. You'll be paid once it's done."

When she heard the mention of money, Thea's eyes gleamed with renewed determination. She still needed to repay the handsome male escort over a thousand and eight hundred dollars.