Chapter 1

VELORA.

My hands were on something hard, veiny, yet for some reason warm.

Veiny?

I fluttered my lashes open immediately, the room swirling as I turned to the side of the bed. There was an unmistakable extra weight there.

Bloody hell!

A one night stand with a stranger? I bit my lip, shutting my eyes as my head spun a bit, the aftermath of the amount of alcohol I had taken yesterday.

It was my sister's engagement party after all, I had to loosen up a bit. But this? This was…

I stroked the veiny thing subconsciously, warm and thick liquid spilling on my palm and I gasped.

I glanced down immediately, my body freezing in place while my eyes were wide open like they would bulge out of their socket.

The hell!! I was actually holding a man's dick? I hadn't even slept with my own boyfriend before this and I was stroking… it?

I couldn't move, I couldn't react perhaps because I was unsure of how to when he suddenly stirred.

Oh hell no.

I grabbed the quilt, hiding my naked body as he tried to sit up, his face over his palm like he was trying to ground himself. Gosh, he seemed seriously hung over.

“Ughh, who are you?" I suddenly found the courage to ask, my teeth clenched against each other. Could he just show his face so I could know how to solve this dilemma?

“Velora, why aren't you up yet? We still need to see Elion—" My eyes widened as I heard my sister's voice and a millisecond later, the door bursted open.

I felt my breath catch in my throat. She looked stunned, pale like blood was drying out of her eyes while mother who trailed her behind, pointed at me with disdain in her eyes.

“Elion?” Aurelia, my sister called out and my eyes snapped to my side. His eyes were still shut but he had brought down his palm.

Oh dear lord, I hope I am just having a nightmare. It wasn't even a one night stand with a stranger? It was cheating with my sister's fiancee?

“Velora. Tell me this is a nightmare…or a bad joke?” My sister's voice broke and I tried to stand from the bed, panic settling in while I pulled the quilt over my body while tears suddenly brimmed at the edge of her eyes.

“Relia, listen. It's…it's really not what you think.” I begged, tears pooling at the corner of my eyes.

“It's not what I think? You're both naked, hiding your shame under a duvet and you would sit there and say it's not what I think? Velora, i just got engaged to him yesterday!" She yelled.

I turned to him. Why wasn't he saying anything? Won't he try to explain it to his fiancee or something?

My sister would hate me forever and she loved me the most here. If dad heard of it, I was practically dead. The name Valemont would never be attached to me again.

I gulped, forcing air into my lungs.

“Relia, please…” I tried off, my thighs tightening together. Hold on. I don't feel anything.

It was my first time and though I had no experience whatsoever in that area, I had read tons of romance books that gave me an inkling.

I had to feel some type of way, maybe sore down there? I squinted my eyes in confusion, a thousand thoughts running through my head.

“Velora. You are my person. You wouldn't…actually, hurt me like this, right?” Aurelia drawled her words, coming closer as she stared at me, questions filling her eyes.

She grabbed my hands, the way she pressed them telling me all that I needed to know. She desperately didn't want this to be true. I didn't too.

But I was hungover, confused and spiralling to even think.

"Such noise,” Elion finally muttered, "You Valemonts actually dared to drug me.”

Mom scoffed, matching up to me in anger as Aurelia suddenly let go of my hands.

"How shameless, Velora! Tell me, did you drug your brother in law? Your sister loves you so much, why would you try to harm her like this, a day after her engagement.” Saliva dried up in my mouth as tears trickled down the corner of my eyes.

“No. No, mum, listen. You know I would never do that. I'm not that vicious." I pleaded, my eyes locking onto my sister, God! She didn't even want to look at me.

She was using the door frame as a support, her eyes already swollen with tears.

“Your brother in law isn't even able to speak. He's been silent like he's hurting the entire time." Mom yelled.

" Gosh! That rings.” Elion muttered, his brows creasing while I tried to stand. The quilt nearly slipped away as I used my hands to secure it in place.

"I certainly didn't drug anyone. And besides, it doesn't feel like anything happened between us. We can check the CCTV cameras. This could be someone trying to frame me. Why would I even want to sleep with my brother-in-law? Even worse, right here in the family house?” I said, trying to clear my name immediately.

Definitely, the cameras would hold the truth.

Mom grabbed a curtain from the pile I was supposed to hand over to the maids to launder, glaring at me hard, her eyes red with anger.

“Come with me, now!” I nodded, throwing the curtain over my body as I stood from the bed, grabbing my clothes and ran into the walk-in closet.

In less than 2 minutes, I was fully dressed and out, standing in front of my mother and my sister.

None wanted to hear my explanation. None wanted to hear anything from me.

And funnily, no one had tried questioning her fiancee.

Understandable though. Because he was a Mortier.

Mom stormed out and I ran after my sister. She shot me a hard glower, making me stop dead in my tracks while trailing her behind slowly.

~

“Your pathetic excuses are clear as day now, right? What else do you have to say?” Mom yelled as we watched the cameras.

Oh God, no. I had actually drugged Elion Vane Mortier? I had mixed a white substance into a drink and toasted him with it.

And the next clip was one of me leading him to my room. I had no recollection of this. I would never do something like this.

"Dad—” His palm struck my cheek and I bit back the tears that were about to flow out.

“I have treated you well over the years, everything you wanted you got and you actually coveted your brother in law?" I stayed silent.

As the first daughter, I had known long ago that when these kind of situations arise, the best thing to do was to shut the fuck up in that moment.

But my body was trembling. Even if my parents decided to keep this under wraps, what about the Mortiers? Would they want that too?

“Velora, you do not mention this to anyone else. You can't ruin your sister's reputation, the engagement is already done. You will await—”

"It's a little too late for that.” We all turned to Elion, descending the stairs. His wet messy hair complimented the majestic way he walked and—

Velora Elysia Valemont, please focus!

“Mr…Mr Mortier?” Dad muttered, pairing it with an uneasy chuckle as he approached Elion Vane.

“You thought this through pretty well.” His eyes held a murderous intent as he gazed at me. Shivers ran down my spine and I clasped my fingers together, fear clawing at me.

“How…” Aurelia whimpered and trailed off, unable to make out full sentences. How could I have betrayed her like this?

“You already released photos of our ‘one night stand’ to the media? Wow, Elysia. And before you speak, you were a little too tipsy to avoid the camera's." My lips trembled.

What? I did what now?

“Media?" I queried.

“Velora!" Mom, Dad and Aurelia yelled in jinx as the picture showed up on the screen of the television in daily time news.

“Why am I the only one being blamed?" I suddenly questioned. Yes, it was already clear I had lost my fucking mind. There were a lot of things I did in one night. A lot! And all had evidence and yet I couldn't remember doing any of them.

“No one wants to hear from me and everyone is sacrificing me. If anything, you need half the blame, Elion Vane Mortier! You slept with me and just because there isn't footage of the sex doesn't mean you didn't do it!”

“Shut up!" Dad yelled, throwing a glass vase at me and it broke right on my forehead.

I clicked as blood trickled down.

“Even if they all don't listen, won't you listen to me too, sister?" I looked at Aurelia pleadingly, she was the only one that mattered now. Her opinion. Her heart. Everything!

“Relia? What could be my end game in doing this?" I said, hoping she would see reason with me.

“Isn't it clear as day? You wanted in to the Mortiers family. Congratulations, you got in. Welcome to your own personal hell."