The Tycoon's Beloved Future Cousin-in-law

"Stop! I've changed my mind," Carly Sullivan blurted out.

Her last piece of clothing was at risk as the man's touch lingered on her waist, on the brink of removing it.

In that critical moment, she snapped back to reality and seized his wrist.

After discovering her fiancé's affair with her half-sister, Carly decided to pick up a striking stranger from the bar, intending to get even with her fiancé.

However, when the moment of truth arrived, she realized she couldn't go through with it.

The man's head remained nestled in the crook of her neck, his breath warm against her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

Carly pushed against the man's solid chest, needing to put some space between them.

Suddenly, the man's eyes flew open.

Taken aback, Carly raised her hands in defense, but he was quicker, capturing them and securing them above her head.

Kristian Mason, the man being referred to, propped himself up, eyeing her with an icy stare.

Carly, despite her angelic and pure looks, boasted a well-crafted body that was both stunningly voluptuous and alluring.

Even her attempts to play hard-to-get were executed with surprising finesse.

Kristian's lips curved into a playful smile.

He could tell his cousin Aydan Mason had finally caught on to what he liked.

Coming back from overseas to find such a nice surprise made him happy.

"Let go of me!" Carly's voice broke through the air as she squirmed, instantly regretting her rash decision.

Kristian's interest faded. He let her go and propped himself up on the bed.

Carly quickly wrapped herself in the blanket, retreating to a corner and watching Kristian with caution.

Kristian, with a chuckle, lit up a cigarette. Through the curling smoke, he gave Carly a look that was both teasing and assessing.

Carly felt like she was the target of some predator, her body tensing up.

Luckily, after a moment, Kristian simply got out of bed and left the room without another word.

Once the door clicked shut, Carly allowed herself to relax slightly.

A nice, woody scent lingered in the air, comforting yet reminding her of what had transpired.

Touching her forehead, she couldn't help but think about the crazy thing she had done for revenge.

She was relieved that it ended without any trouble.

The effects of the alcohol soon lulled her into sleep.

Deep into the night, the scene shifted to the Cloudland Club, the most luxurious entertainment spot in Brila City.

In the exclusive VIP room of the club, Kristian, the owner, was sitting on a sofa, his eyes half-closed.

Cormac Harper walked in, placed a card on the table, and respectfully said, "I've confirmed she's a student about to graduate from Brila University. It doesn't look like she has any connection to Aydan Mason."

Cormac paused, seeming like he had more to add.

Kristian gave him a sharp look, a silent prompt to get to the point.

Cormac blurted out, "You'd never guess, but she's actually Declan Mason's fiancée! She's going to marry into your family next month!"

Kristian narrowed his eyes. He had caught wind of this marriage soon after he left the country.

His grandfather, Brody Mason had even sent him pictures...

Mulling it over, a playful smirk appeared on Kristian's face.

"Aydan really went all out. He even got Declan's woman to lay a trap for me."

Cormac jumped at the chance to praise him. "Luckily, your cleverness kept you from falling for it..."

But before he could finish, his eyes landed on a noticeable lipstick mark on Kristian's collar, and he stopped mid-sentence, stunned.

"Holy crap! Did you sleep with her?"

Cormac remembered that Kristian had left the villa in less than half an hour.

Did Kristian, with his well-built physique, climax swiftly, barely able to contain his excitement?

Seeing Cormac's skeptical expression, Kristian just chuckled. "Fuck off! I'm not that fast!"

Thinking back to the woman who had been moaning in his arms earlier, Kristian suddenly felt parched.

He loosened his tie, a silent cue for Cormac to leave.

Misreading the signal, Cormac quickly returned with two girls wearing very little.

"They're newcomers. They haven't met any clients yet."

"Fuck off!"

Kristian dismissed them without a second look.

Once the door closed, he grabbed a bottle of whiskey, taking a long drink, then picked up a student ID card from the table.

The girl in the photo had memorable features.

"Carly Sullivan," Kristian said her name out, his voice low and rough.

Maybe the next time they met, she would be his cousin-in-law.

The sports car zoomed along the road, its loud engine echoing around them.

Declan Mason was driving, offering Carly advice with an unusual amount of patience.

"After the accident, my cousin Kristian changed a lot. He's unpredictable and gets moody. Basically, you'll want to avoid upsetting him, just like you would with my grandpa. He's someone you don't want to mess with in my family!"

Carly, sitting next to him, seemed lost in thought and didn't reply.

Noticing her silence, Declan looked over, puzzled. "Hey Carly, are you paying attention?"

Carly quickly replied, "Yeah, I got it."

Declan let out a half-hearted chuckle, satisfied for the moment. He mumbled to himself, "I just hope his coming back won't stir up trouble for the family..."

Curiosity got the better of Carly as she began to wonder about this man. What was it about him that even Declan, the family rebel, seemed wary of?

She remembered her grandfather mentioning once that this cousin of Declan was talented and had a lot of potential.

Declan couldn't help but say, "Don't worry, you're going to meet him very soon!"

He was on his way to take her to his family estate, ready to welcome Kristian home.

Suddenly, Declan's phone rang. It was his sister Katrina Mason on the line, telling him that the family gathering was off, saying that Kristian was out of touch and guessing that he was probably still getting over jet lag.

After the call, Declan looked at Carly. "Looks like the family gathering's canceled. Need a ride home?"

Carly thought for a moment. "Could you take me to the hospital instead? I need to see how my mom's doing."

"Which hospital?"

"Harmony Hospital," Carly replied, her voice steady and free of any annoyance.

Her upcoming marriage to Declan was nothing more than a contract.

Two years back, her mom found out her dad was cheating and tried to take her own life with pills. She survived, but it left her with mental health issues.

This shock caused Carly's maternal grandfather to have a heart attack, putting his life at risk.

Her grandpa had made plans for such a situation, naming Carly as the heiress in his will. However, by that time, her dad had taken over as president of the Sullivan Group, with the board's blessing.

Fearing her dad would seize control of the Sullivan Group, her grandpa, in his final moments, arranged a marriage contract between the two families through his friend Brody Mason.

The Mason family, known for their ruthless tactics, would protect Carly.

In return, Carly's grandpa promised a share of the company to his future grandson-in-law.

Brody had three grandsons: one was married, another was overseas receiving medical treatment, which left Declan as the lucky man in this arranged marriage.

Declan and Carly had agreed early on to keep out of each other's personal lives, only coming together when necessary.

So, Carly wasn't bothered by Declan's cold shoulder or the other women around him.

What she really couldn't stomach was his affair with Rosalyn Norris, her father's illegitimate daughter.

Rosalyn had deliberately gotten close to him, trying to mess up the arranged marriage between their families for her dad's gain.

It was shocking that Declan couldn't see through Rosalyn's scheme, thinking he was just that irresistible.

Carly's train of thought was interrupted by the constant buzzing of a phone.

Declan checked his messages, then abruptly stopped the car on the side of the road.

"Something urgent has come up at work. I have to head out now. You can grab a taxi to the hospital," he explained.

Carly looked at him for a moment and kept quiet.

She knew he wasn't being truthful.

He was only a nominal manager at one of the Mason Group's subsidiaries, usually ignoring his responsibilities to enjoy himself.

Carly didn't feel the need to call him out. She simply opened the door and stepped out of the car.

The moment the car door shut, Declan sped off, eager to be somewhere else.

Carly sneered at his haste, guessing he was rushing to see Rosalyn.

With the sun beating down on her, she quickly went into a nearby convenience store and grabbed a chilled bottle of water.

Right after she launched the ride-hailing app, a clap of thunder sounded.

What was a clear sky now turned dark with gathering clouds.

Lightning flashed, followed by a downpour.

Carly sighed as she requested a ride, irritated by the wait time. Looking to pass the time, she noticed Rosalyn had just shared a new post.

In the picture, Rosalyn was sitting in a sports car, the very same one Carly had exited moments ago.

Curious about the location, Carly opened a monitoring app.

It wasn't long before she spotted Declan embracing Rosalyn on the camera feed.

The moment they got inside, they started taking off each other's clothes and fell onto the sofa...

Carly was boiling with rage. Declan had the nerve to take Rosalyn to her villa, a gift from her grandfather.

It was recently renovated, meant to be the dream home for Carly and Declan after their wedding.

Trying to calm down, Carly quickly closed the app once she had recorded everything.

If Declan crossed the line with her sister, he couldn't blame her for taking harsh actions.

She planned to use this video to her advantage and she was going to get the most out of Declan!

After drinking a lot of water, she still couldn't shake off her anger.

Rosalyn was her half-sister, with the same father but different mothers.

Carly only learned this shocking fact two years ago.

At that time, after his father Isaac Norris made his mark in the Sullivan Group, he brought Hannah McCoy and Rosalyn home, introducing them as the widow and daughter of a distant cousin.

Carly and her mother, Lindsey Sullivan, were too trusting and took his word for it.

Lindsey, in particular, felt sorry for them and made sure they were well taken care of.

She even treated Hannah like a sister.

But it was only after her mother's attempted suicide that Carly found out her father had been deceiving them all along.

Rosalyn was the daughter he had with Hannah, only six months younger than Carly.

Later on, when Carly thought about what came next, she clenched her lips tight.

Afterward, her grandpa passed away, and her mom had a mental collapse and wasn't always able to think clearly.

There were times she didn't even recognize Carly.

Isaac suggested they should put Lindsey in a psychiatric hospital, but Carly was adamantly against it, going as far as to threaten taking her own life.

She was determined to have her mother treated at Harmony Hospital.

It was top-notch in town, but its fees were incredibly high.

Luckily, Carly's grandpa had left a sizable fortune behind; without it, Carly couldn't have managed the costs for her mother's care.

Thinking over this, Carly's frustration grew, seeing Rosalyn's efforts to get closer to Declan for what they were.

It was a scheme to disrupt her engagement with Declan and block her from taking over the Sullivan Group.

Just then, Carly's phone rang.

Her ride was outside. She ended the call and left the convenience store.

At the curb, there was just one black car parked, its license plate obscured by the rain.

Carly lifted her bag over her head for cover and ran towards it, opening the back door.

She hadn't even realized the car was a luxury model.

Settling in, she was greeted by a familiar crisp, woodsy fragrance.

Carly suddenly noticed someone was next to her and quickly blurted out, "Sorry, I think-"

But before she could finish with "I got in the wrong car," she caught a glimpse of the man's face.

Her eyes went wide in surprise. It was the same man she had encountered the night before!

Kristian, comfortably resting against the car seat with his arms folded, gave Carly an amused look.

Feeling her heart rate pick up, Carly rushed to explain, "I'm really sorry, I just realized I'm in the wrong car."

Without giving Kristian another glance, she turned to leave the car.

However, Kristian was quicker. He pressed a button, and with a click, the door locked. Carly's breath hitched at the action.

Kristian flashed a knowing smile and teased, "What, you think you can just barge into my life as you please?"

Carly felt there was a deeper meaning behind his words but was at a loss for a witty comeback.

She then mentioned, "I've actually ordered a ride, and the driver's still waiting for me..."

She quickly checked outside, only to see no car in sight.

Just then, her phone rang, and she answered on speaker, relieved.

"Hello, ma'am. I accidentally picked up someone else! With the traffic jam, returning for you would take another half an hour. Please arrange for another ride. The platform will cover the cost. My apologies!"

Before Carly could respond, the driver had already ended the call.

The door on the driver's side swung open, bringing a blast of wind and rain inside.

Cormac climbed into the car, shut the door with care, and turned to hand something to Kristian.

"Here are the cigarettes you asked for!"

Catching a glimpse of Carly, Cormac's eyes widened in shock, his mouth agape.

"Why is she here? Is this another-"

"Cut the chatter. Just drive!" Kristian nudged the back of the driver's seat with his foot and gave him the directions to his villa.

Panic set in for Carly. "You don't have to go out of your way. I can just catch a taxi."

But Cormac had already hit the accelerator. Carly became desperate. "Let me out!"

Kristian let out a low laugh, moving closer to Carly, his voice hinting at something more.

"Why so scared? I'm not going to harm you."

His breath tickled Carly's ear, sending a shiver down her spine. She moved to the side, putting space between them.

Kristian gave her a quick look before leaning back, pretending to sleep.

Carly remembered how he had stopped immediately when she asked him to, the night before.

He likely wouldn't force her to do anything. Perhaps he was all talk.

As the storm outside grew stronger, Carly decided not to argue any further.

She planned to leave the car the moment they arrived at his villa.

The entire ride, Carly was on edge, only relaxing when they entered the villa complex.

Then, her phone pinged with a message from Rosalyn.

"Hey Carly, Declan just gave me a tour of your future home. It's gorgeous! The bed in the master bedroom is particularly amazing. It's so big and comfy!"

Rosalyn had cheekily attached a photo of the disheveled bed, hinting at what had taken place.

The disrespect made Carly's skin crawl as if she had ingested something repugnant.

Rage bubbled up inside her, causing her hands to shake so much that she nearly dropped her phone.

As the Bentley pulled to a stop, Carly inhaled deeply, then turned to the man next to her, her hand on his lap.

"Why don't we head to my place? We can pick up where we left off last night."