The Unwanted Heiress And The Cold-Hearted CEO

A torn dress and a wrinkled shirt lay scattered beside the hotel bed.

Hanna Wheeler found herself ensnared by a massive hand, her senses dulled by the swirling effects of a potent drug and the heated breath of an unfamiliar man.

Her voice hoarse and her entire being aflame, she endured the onslaught of his aggressive kisses.

A peculiar blend of pain and pleasure sent shivers across her skin, and then she felt a discomforting sensation between her legs.

Yet, amidst the haze, she recalled her fiancé, Ryland Quinn, giving her a glass of wine under the instigation of her sister, Emerie Wheeler.

If Ryland, that scoundrel, hadn't drugged her, how would she find herself breaking into this man's room, subjected to such torment?

It was beyond her wildest imagination that the gentle and considerate fiancé she thought she knew had betrayed her, entangling himself with Emerie, the adopted daughter of her parents.

He drugged her, aiming to tarnish her reputation. Had she not escaped, she could have fallen victim to a gang of ruffians.

In a semi-conscious state, gritting her teeth, she whispered, "Ryland Quinn..."

The man halted, his voice a low and cold. "Hanna?"

Did he know her?

Struggling to open her eyes, she could only make out his cold, red eyes.

Lost in the throes of ecstasy, she leaned on the man's shoulder, breathless.

It all felt like a nightmarish dream.

It was unclear to Hanna when she entirely lost consciousness as a result of their intimacy. She was simply uncomfortable all over and had an embarrassing discomfort between her legs when she woke up again.

As she glanced at the bedsheet and the suggestive red marks on her body, the memories of the previous night flooded back.

How could she have shared intimate moments with a stranger?

But he had called her by name. He knew her.

Her countenance darkened.

She was the daughter of the Wheelers. However, when she was born, she was unintentionally taken away by another family. It wasn't until she was eighteen that she was returned to the Wheeler family.

But the Wheeler family was completely indifferent to her. Rather, they were partial to Emerie, the fictitious daughter. Her five older brothers always sided with Emerie and treated Hanna badly.

Despite that, Hanna harbored no grudge against her brothers or Emerie. But now they conspired against her. She vowed not to let them off the hook easily.

Was this man part of their wicked plot, attempting to besmirch her engaged status?

The bathroom light flickered, accompanied by the gentle flow of water as the man continued his shower.

After changing into new clothes, Hanna pressed her lips firmly. She was too scared to waste time trying to figure out who he was. All she wanted was to get out of there quickly.

She tiptoed to the door. But as she reached it, the bathroom door swung open.

A deep, resonant voice queried, "Leaving already? Did I say you can leave?"

Hanna's face paled when she saw his features.

How could he be Ryland's uncle一Chris Willis, the head of the formidable Willis family?

Unconsciously stepping back, Hanna was gripped by the wrist.

Eyes wide open in shock, she stared at Chris. His body was only wrapped in a bath towel, his hair wet. Water droplets trickled down from his hair, chin, broad shoulders, chest muscles to powerful lower abdominal. It was quite a breathtaking sight.

Unveiling a faint smile but still cold, he leaned in, pressing her against the wall. "So, Miss Wheeler, do you recognize me?"

Though Hanna wanted not to know Chris, she was unable to pretend.

Yesterday was Ryland's birthday, and she had gotten to know Chris. He was a regular on financial news, and he was well-known throughout the nation.

As the leader of the Willis family, Chris was reputed to be cruel and cold. Many ladies had attempted to crawl into his bed and become his wife throughout the years. Not one of them ended well.

Oh no! How could she rile up Chris?

In her thoughts, she called Ryland an asshole. She wouldn't have stormed Chris's room to escape those thugs if he hadn't drugged her.

Now that he had caught her, what should she do?

"Mr. Wills... There's a bit of a mix-up here."

Hanna spoke, her hands tensing as she fought to keep her composure. She turned her gaze away from Chris, trying her best to stay calm. "I was set up, and it unintentionally implicated you. Can we, perhaps, brush it off as a misunderstanding?"

Was she set up?

Chris, darkening eyes and all, tossed her onto the sofa with an air of nonchalance. "What's this? You even got set up at Ryland's birthday party? Ryland, that fucking loser, couldn't even protect his fiancée?"

Hanna clenched her fists again, nails digging into her palms.

Did he think she was deliberately luring him?

But he spoke about Ryland in a contemptuous tone. It sounded like he and Ryland were not on good terms.

Chris, cold as ever, rarely bothered with social gatherings. She assumed he cared for his nephew when he graced Ryland's birthday party the previous day.

After a thoughtful pause, she cautiously said, "It was Ryland who set me up. He aimed to drug me and orchestrate a rape so he could wriggle out of our engagement and cozy up to my sister..."

Before she could finish, Chris' eyes turned cold, with a sudden aura of hostility enveloping him.

Hanna froze at that.

Was he angered, suspecting she was intentionally maligning Ryland?

Taking a step back, she anxiously offered, "If you doubt me, I can show you the evidence!"

The man stared, a slight softening in his gaze. After a pregnant pause, he asked, flatly, "What evidence?"

Relieved, Hanna fished out her phone, connecting it to the hotel's WIFI. Tapping the screen, she played the surveillance video.

Handing the phone to Chris, she spoke carefully. "I was indeed chased before I broke in. You can look into those people's identities. I didn't have the guts to set you up. I won't bring trouble to your doorstep. You and I will still be strangers once we exit this room. What do you think? Ultimately, disclosing it to others is not beneficial for either of us."

After a moment, Chris glanced at her with a faint smile. "Did you breach the hotel's firewall?"

Hanna blinked, puzzled by the question. She nodded. "Yes, the hotel wouldn't give me the surveillance video. Since this hotel seems to be under the Quinn family, I had to..."

"Miss Wheeler, you've got it wrong," he interrupted, a smile playing on his lips. "This hotel is mine!"

Hanna was taken aback.

She had hacked into Chris' hotel right in front of him.

"Oh God, things just got worse!" she thought.

Taking a deep breath, she apologized, "I'm sorry, Mr. Willis... If you're willing to let this slide, I'll compensate you for any losses. Just name your terms."

She didn't want to offend him, so she would do everything in her power to make things right.

Hanna thought she was sincere enough. But to her surprise, Chris squinted at her, a dangerous smile forming. "Miss Wheeler, are you suggesting we sweep last night under the rug?"

Hanna nodded, ready to make amends, but he unexpectedly pinched her chin.

"What do you take me for? Do you believe we can act like nothing happened after such an incident?"

He traced her lips with his thumb, causing a tingling sensation. "Hacking my hotel is one thing, but since we were intimate, you owe me an explanation!"

Did Chris really expect Hanna to explain anything? What was going on in his mind?

Perhaps he wasn't content with a pile of cash; he seemed to fancy breaking her hands or feet.

Hanna shuddered, gritting her teeth as she muttered, "Mr. Willis, you're quite cruel while you can avoid it!"

Chris lowered his head, casting unfriendly glares her way.

His grip suddenly tightened, causing a jabbing pain in her jaw, forcing her to meet his cold gaze.

Ready to go down swinging no matter the outcome, Hanna was however totally thrown off when Chris dropped a bomb. She was lost for a good minute there and couldn't even budge.

"So? What's the big deal about getting married to me? What's with that face? It's like you're about to meet your maker!"

His grin sent shivers down her spine. "Back when you were engaged to my good-for-nothing nephew, you weren't putting up a fight like this."

He pulled her in, pinching her chin. With his nose almost touching hers, he asked, "In your eyes, am I not as good as that little rascal?"

Hanna stood dumbfounded.

She didn't wish for him to be on the hook for her; he was the one demanding explanations and a walk down the aisle!

Had he a screw or a couple loose?

"Mr. Willis, let's not play a prank like this." Hanna attempted to retreat.

"I'm engaged to your nephew now..."

Chris' eyes turned piercing. "He set you up. And you still want to tie the knot with him?"

"No. I'm not dim-witted for heaven's sake!" Hanna swiftly rebuffed. "But I can't hitch up with you either!"

Chris' expression softened but darkened as he heard her last words. "Why? You have a bone to pick with me?"

Hanna shook her head. "No. It's just a tad unnerving being around you."

Chris bit his lip. "You are scared of me? What devilry did I unleash on you?"

Hanna struggled for words, surprised he was throwing such questions at her.

Lost for a reply, she finally uttered, "Well... Everyone gets the jitters around you. Don't you know that?"

At the party last night, the big shots were walking on eggshells around Chris yesterday.

Chris clenched his fists, coldly saying, "Other women would gladly tie the knot with me. Why the cold shoulder from you?"

Hanna was rendered speechless again.

She was on the verge of a breakdown. She wanted to grab him by the collar and ask, "What's your game?"

But fear held her back.

Looking deep into his eyes, she took a deep breath, saying, "Mr. Willis, marriage... It's no small potatoes. Can I mull it over and give you my answer?"

Chris looked at the birthmark on her shoulder, nodding slightly. Then, he took out a golden business card. "My digits are on there. Ring me when you have it figured out."

He put on his outfit and made a quiet exit after that.

Hanna breathed a sigh of relief and stowed away the card.

After she dressed and headed home, Emerie got out of the car when she got there.

When she saw Hanna, surprise flitted across her eyes.

Soon after, she regained her composure and pretended to be concerned. "Hanna, where were you last night? What made you vanish from Ryland's birthday party? We were all on edge because of you..."

"Is Emerie still putting on a facade in front of me? Does she believe I'm unaware that it was her idea that Ryland drugged me?" Hanna thought in disdain.

Seeing the light marks on Emerie's neck, Hanna recalled the rowdies mentioning Ryland cozying up with his sweetheart. She felt nothing but disgust for the shameless couple.

Before Emerie could finish, Hanna landed a resounding smack on her face.

"I'm a Wheeler. What business of yours is it, adopted sister, to stick your nose in my affairs?" Hanna said coldly.

Her red palm showed that she had slapped Emerie hard.

Emerie's face was swollen, her hair disheveled, looking thoroughly messy.

A touch of disbelief appeared in Emerie's eyes, soon replaced by malice and ferocity.

How dare that rustic slap her! Did she think she could lord over the Wheeler family after staying with them for a long time?

Why didn't she just die out there? Why had she returned to steal her identity?

Emerie gritted her teeth, about to speak, when she spotted a figure on the villa stairs.

The malicious expression vanished in an instant. She played the pitiful card, saying, "Hanna, I didn't mean it. You disappeared all night, and I was fretting. You're a city greenhorn now. I was worried you'd be taken for a ride. After all, you and Ryland are set to tie the knot. If something happens to you, both families get dragged in."

She bit her lip, adding, "And word got out you left with a bunch of guys. I... I was concerned..."

Emerie was insinuating Hanna had done something unsavory.

Hanna sneered, yanking Emerie's hair, wiping away the foundation on her neck, revealing those kiss marks.

"Why fret about me? You thought I'd gallivant with those guys all night like you, throwing decency to the wind?"

Approaching Emerie's ear, Hanna asked coldly, "Did it send shivers down your spine sleeping with your soon-to-be brother-in-law? Spare me the act. I can't stand that worthless guy, and I'm thrilled you're happy with him!"

Emerie's pupils dilated with shock, her body involuntarily trembling.

How the hell did she know?!