1. Framed

The heat made Elena's body squirm. Sweat ran down her forehead and neck, making her pull back the blanket covering her body. Suddenly she felt something strange. Her body didn't seem to be covered by anything.

Her eyes snapped open and the realization made her sleepiness disappear instantly. The unfamiliar-looking ceiling of the room made her frown. This was not her room. Her head lifted slightly to look at her body which felt strange, and her eyes widened immediately.

"What the hell?" She screeched as she pulled the blanket up to cover her body that wasn't covered by a single thread, but there seemed to be something holding the blanket down.

Her head quickly turned to her side and immediately screamed when she saw her bodyguard lying on his bare body just like her. Only the lower part of the man's hips was covered by the blanket, and even then, it stood out because something seemed to be "waking up".

"Jack! What are you doing? Fuck!" She shouted angrily as she punched the man's broad chest which made Elena silently swallow her saliva.

The man immediately woke up with a stutter and looked dazed for a few seconds.

"Did you rape me?" Elena snapped with her face flushed with anger.

The man, Jack Peterson, raised his body and blinked repeatedly while massaging his head.

"I didn't think you'd use me," Elena shouted with bated breath, but then burst into tears.

Gone was the crown she was desperately guarding for her lover who would marry her in the near future. The pain between her legs made her uncomfortable, coupled with a burning desire to pass urine in the bathroom.

"Wait, what the hell?" The man looked genuinely surprised when he saw their condition.

Elena looked at the man sarcastically. "You're pretending to forget. What an asshole."

"Wait, I thought I slept with Claire last night...oh, shit!" The man squeezed his hair, looking both desperate and embarrassed. "I'm sorry. Last night I was a little..."

Elena didn't care about how messed up the guy was. She was the one who was more fucked up here and at a huge disadvantage. Her virginity was gone and she felt dirty. She hurriedly ran to the bathroom with a blanket, even though her private parts felt very sore.

"Damn bodyguard!" She swore as she rubbed her cheeks roughly.

After relieving herself, she turned on the cold shower and soaked her dirty body. Why did all this happen?

She remembers the night before chatting with some business colleagues after the grand finale of her father's company anniversary celebration. Many praised her ability to make Greenlake Corporation successfully expand and add more subsidiaries under the Greenlake Group.

Then suddenly everything seemed to fade away. She still remembers the part where she toasted her father, her stepmother, her half-sister Bella, and her boyfriend Lucas. Her forehead furrowed when she vaguely saw Jack also drinking champagne next to her. And after that, she didn't remember anything else.

Why couldn't she remember what happened after that? Was she drunk? But she only took a small sip of the drink because she planned to visit her secret business after returning from the hotel hall.

And why did she suddenly end up in a hotel room with Jack Peterson, the bodyguard who had replaced the previous bodyguard who had resigned two months ago?

A feeling of guilt assaulted her. She had betrayed Lucas, her boyfriend of two years.

"What the hell is going on? Did someone poison my drink?" She murmured as she closed her eyes.

Elena was not an innocent woman. She knew many enemies were after her. As the daughter of a conglomerate family with companies everywhere, many were trying to bring them down and she was the main target.

It was not uncommon for Elena to receive terror from business competitors, yet they acted as supportive partners in her presence. She was no longer surprised. So, did an enemy sneak in and try to poison her through her drink? But why did Jack get it too?

"Miss Pierce! Are you okay?" Jack shouted as he banged on the bathroom door.

Elena opened her eyes and hurriedly poured shampoo into her hair. "I'm fine! Order me some food!"

"Okay," the man replied, then silence followed.

She quickly finished her bathing ritual because her stomach was really hungry. She had not eaten at all last night. After finishing her bath, Elena came out wearing only a bathrobe.

There was no Jack anywhere, making Elena breathe a sigh of relief. She hurriedly put back on her dress from last night even though it felt uncomfortable. The fact that her dress and underwear were scattered on the floor embarrassed her.

Did Jack see it? No, she had to get dressed before he suddenly walked in. After finishing dressing, she was about to put the bathrobe into the bathroom when her eyes caught a sizable red stain on the bed sheet.

Her heart sank. One more fact that she was no longer pure because of an incident she didn't realize. Anger, sadness, shame, and guilt gnawed at her heart.

But she shouldn't have snapped at Jack like that. The man looked just as confused as her. The previous bodyguard did look cold and stiff, just like Jack. It was just that Jack looked too handsome to be a bodyguard.

Jack Peterson was more suited to be a young tycoon or a dashing police chief than a bodyguard. The man's face had a shine in his eyes and a different aura. Elena was sure he had the ability to lead hundreds or even thousands of people.

The man's face was also so handsome, even more handsome than Lucas. The image of his broad chest and broad shoulders made her face feel hot. What's more, they had...

Elena shook her head while cursing herself. What the hell was she doing imagining her bodyguard's sexy body? But she was a normal woman. Did she hug the man's sexy back last night? Earlier she had seen some red marks on his neck and chest. Was it all her doing?

"Oh my God, Elena! Why are you such a pervert? You already have Lucas," she scolded herself.

Suddenly the door to the room opened. Jack appeared and looked at her with cold eyes. For some reason, Elena felt her heart beat faster. Suddenly the man looked different. His messy hair and his gaze made something inside Elena flutter. Damn her weird hormones.

"Sorry." They said together, making Elena clear her throat awkwardly.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier," Elena said quickly.

The man just nodded expressionlessly. They were silent for a moment.

"I already called room service. Breakfast will be here soon." After that, the man headed to the bathroom without another word.

Elena unconsciously held her breath. What was wrong with her? Just as she was about to let out a sigh of relief, Jack suddenly turned around. Elena froze instantly.

"Miss Pierce..." The man stopped what he was saying, seemingly in thought. Then looked at her. "Sorry, that won't do. I'm going to take a shower first. Do you mind waiting?"

"Yes, please. Take your time."

As soon as the bathroom door closed, Elena breathed a sigh of relief. Her right hand pressed against her chest which continued to pound.

"Tsk, what's wrong with me? I don't usually get nervous in front of my own bodyguard," she muttered. "Such a handsome and sexy bodyguard."

The sound of knocking on her hotel room door made her jump. Who would want to pay a visit to her hotel room? Suddenly her heart felt uneasy. Did anyone know she was here?

The question is, who rented this hotel room? Who brought her and Jack to this room? There was no way they could just walk in without checking in first.

The knock sounded again, making her swallow. She hesitantly approached the door, afraid that the person behind it was someone she knew. She hoped in her heart that it was the room service Jack had booked earlier.

When the knock sounded once again, she immediately opened the door. Her body froze on the spot when she saw that the person standing in front of her was not the hotel staff as she expected.

"I thought I saw it wrong yesterday, but it was you."

Elena was speechless. Her body tensed up as the man before her looked at her coldly.

"Can you explain why you're here?"

"I-I..."

The bathroom door opened, making the man in front of her avert his eyes. Elena could only resign herself to closing her eyes as the sound of Jack's footsteps could be heard approaching.

"You slept with your bodyguard?"