CHAPTER 1

Eva's POV

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Waking up in bed, I felt a pounding headache. When I moved my right hand, I was stunned to see another person lying on the bed next to me.

"What? Who are you?" I gasped, sitting up in bed immediately.

The man had a sharp jawline, full eyebrows, and thin lips.

I took a look at my body and was stunned to see that I was nàked in bed with him.

"Who the hell are you?" I yelled at him before the events of the previous night hit me hard like a tidal wave.

I had been invited by Layla Parker to celebrate her birthday at the hotel. Layla was from a rich family; she was 24 years old, fair-skinned, and my best friend from college.

Although I knew Layla came from a rich family, I was from a struggling home. She had promised that I would have fun at her party, even though I didn't want to go. I agreed, and now I was in bed with an unknown man.

"I should be the one asking what the hell you're doing in my bed. This is a VIP suite. How did you get in here, miss?" asked the handsome man in bed. He shifted away from me, and I was stunned by his masculine physique.

Broad chest, chiseled abs, and six-pack.

"Don't drool at me like that. Get up and get out of my room!" he said, but I refused.

"I'm a virgin. I'm not a prostitute, and you slept with me. Is this how you take responsibility for your actions? How did we end up entangled in bed?" I sobbed, unable to believe that I had had sex with an unknown man. He ignored me and pulled the bedsheet away from my body to shield his own.

When he went into the bathroom and the sound of running water filled my ears, the entrance door swung open, and Layla came in with my boyfriend, Jacob Stone.

"So this is what you do, Eva? You hook up after everything I did to support you," Jacob accused me as he stood at the door with Layla.

"No, Jacob. I don't know what happened. Layla, you invited me to your party. How did I end up with that stranger in here?" I asked my best friend, needing her help.

Layla wore a short blue dress and clung to Jacob's arm like she was his girlfriend.

"Jacob, I don't know what Eva is saying. She came to my party and told me she was looking forward to meeting a rich guy in this luxury five-star hotel, the Owen's Hotel. I honestly don't know how she got here until I check the hotel footage," Layla lied to Jacob, and he believed her.

"I can't believe you would do this, Eva. After everything I did to feed you, sponsor you—this is how you repay me. It's over between us," Jacob said, glaring at me.

"You never let me touch you, and now you gave your body willingly to another man. I want back all the money I spent on feeding and clothing you for the five years we dated. Fail to do that, and I'll have you arrested. Trust me," Jacob said. He snatched his hand away from Layla and walked out of the hotel room.

Layla glanced at me and smiled. "Do you think you're deserving of a rich man like Jacob? Look at you, Eva. A poor girl like you cannot climb to the top of the ladder of wealth and power in Dominic City. You belong in the slums, and don't worry about Jacob; I'll take care of him." Layla smirked and walked out of the room, slamming the door with a deafening sound.

Tears flooded down my cheeks as I sat on the bed speechless. Where was I going to get money to pay Jacob now?

Jacob had promised to marry me after I graduated, and now Layla had ruined everything just after my graduation this year.

Wiping the tears from my cheeks, I knew that crying wouldn't solve anything. But I wouldn't just leave. I needed an explanation from the man in the bathroom.

How dare he use me despite knowing I was intoxicated, yet he acted like I was the one who had taken advantage of him.

I waited for him to come out as I grabbed my clothes from last night, which were sprawled on the ground.

It was a green dress that I had worn to Layla's birthday party.

A knock on the entrance door startled me again, and I quickly used the green dress to cover my chest and shield my nákedness.

A tall man in a black suit came into the room. Seeing me using the green dress to shield my chest, he lowered his head and apologized. "I'm sorry, miss. Where's Mr. Owen?"

"Mr. Owen? Who?" I asked, confused, as the bathroom door opened and the handsome man stepped out.

"Leave, Pete. I'll call for you later," he said.

"Okay, boss," the tall man in black replied, and my eyes widened. This handsome stranger was a boss? Who was he, and why had the tall man called him boss?

However, the man ignored me and went to get dressed.

"Mr. Owen, you can't take advantage of me without an explanation. I was drunk last night, and I bet you were too," I said accusingly as he put on his shirt and buttoned it.

Turning to face me with his sharp green eyes, he replied, "I wasn't drunk. But how do I know you were, when you came into my room, offered yourself to me, and kissed me first? Do you need me to replay the footage of what you did?"

"No, I..." I was at a loss for words. "I would never do that. You're accusing me wrongly," I said, my voice quivering, as I didn't remember any of that.

"I see," Mr. Owen smirked and walked up to pick up his phone.

"Have a look," he said as he played a video from last night on his phone.

In the video, I couldn't believe my eyes as I barged into his room, rushed to the bed, mounted him, and started kissing him.

"I don't remember doing that. That's not me, and how do you have the video on your phone?" I asked accusingly, and he smirked.

"Don't play dumb with me, young lady. I own this hotel—the Owen's Group in Dominic City—and if anyone needs compensation between us, it's me. You took advantage of me, and I could only help you when I sensed you were drugged. If I hadn't slept with you, who knows what damage would have happened to your body? So you should compensate me," he said with a smirk, and my jaw dropped.