Chapter Two

"You!"

Linda dropped her glass. It broke on the floor.

"How are you here?" Linda shouted. "You should be in the hotel room! With Investor Li!"

Chloe's face turned white. Then red. "You! How did you escape! I drugged your juice myself! You should be ruined!"

Robert stood up fast. "Chloe! What are you saying? What drug?"

Chloe covered her mouth. "I... I didn't..."

Ariana didn't move from where she stood in the middle of the living room. Dress dry now, hair damp. She looked at each of them, calm but cold.

"You drugged me," she said, looking straight at Linda. "You wanted to push me to that 60-year-old man in hotel room."

Linda forced a smile. "What? No! We wanted you to talk about investment! Don't make up stories!"

"Investment?" Ariana laughed short. "At midnight? In a hotel room? And you film girls?"

Robert looked at Linda. "Linda, is it true? You said you just wanted her to meet Investor Li for business!"

"Business my foot!" Ariana cut him. "You know what Investor Li does! You wanted to ruin me so you can take my mom's shares!"

Linda screamed, "Your mom's shares should be Chloe's! You are useless! You do nothing in this house! You deserve to be ruined!"

Ariana clenched her fists. She wanted to slap her. But she didn't. Not yet.

"If you ever drug me again," Ariana said quietly, voice low, "I will make you drink it yourself. I will record it and send it to all your rich friends."

Linda shivered. Ariana's eyes were too cold.

"Okay okay! Enough!" Robert shouted, always weak, always in middle. "Ariana, you are back, go to your room! No more fight!"

Ariana didn't argue. She walked past them, up the stairs, to her small room at the end. She locked the door.

She sat on the floor, back against door. Now her hands started shaking.

So hot. Still hot from drug. Even after cold bath and antidote.

And that man... Ethan Knight...

She pulled the Patek watch from her pocket. Heavy. Real.

She saved him. He didn't even say thank you. Just "Who sent you? How much?"

"Arrogant bastard," she whispered, but a small smile came. He was also drugged, also angry, also rude.

She hid the watch under her mattress and lay on her bed, staring at ceiling.

She needed to leave this house. She was secretly boss of Starlight Corp, No.2 company in country. She had money. But if she exposed now, Linda would make more trouble, take her mom's shares, sue her.

She needed a clean, legal way out. A marriage that lets her leave without them chasing her.

She fell asleep thinking about it.

Next morning. Knight Group. CEO Office.

Leo put file down, nervous.

"Sir, Madam Henry and Madam Rose called three times already. They said 7 days. If you don't bring a wife in 7 days, they will give inheritance and CEO seat to Ray Knight."

Ethan didn't look up from laptop. "I know."

"Your uncle Ray is already telling board you are not stable after last night. He said you were drugged and with a woman in hotel," Leo said.

Ethan closed laptop.

"Find me a wife," he said coldly. "Contract. One year. Then divorce. Find someone quiet, no trouble, no love."

Leo nodded fast. "I have list. Cole family. Robert Cole has two daughters. Chloe Cole 21, studies design, likes party. Ariana Cole 22, they say useless, no job. But family desperate to connect to us. They will say yes to anything."

"Useless?" Ethan frowned.

"That's what outside says. But her mother left shares. Family wants to marry her off," Leo said.

Ethan thought about the girl last night he was drugged. That girl with butterfly tattoo on ear, fierce, rude, pulled him from bathtub, said "Idiot, who are you waiting for?" Not gold-digger. Different.

He still didn't find her. Leo said search needs time.

He had no time. 7 days.

Ethan stood up, took coat. "Cole family. Go now. I have no time for dating."

"Now? Sir, it's 10 AM and the Cole family hasn’t been informed to brief their daughters.

"Now." Ethan said, walking to door. "Call their house. Tell them I am coming to choose a wife. Now."

Leo ran after him, calling Cole’s family house.