The Scandal.

My eyes snapped open.

My head jerked to the side, breath catching as his sleeping face flashed before my eyes. Close. Devastatingly close.

He lay beside me, utterly unguarded, lashes resting against his cheek, chest rising in a slow, steady rhythm that mocked the chaos pounding inside of me.

My heartbeat did not slow, it pounded as if it wanted to flee before I did.

I had to put up a strenuous fight to regain myself before my eyes glanced down, the duvet was the only thing covering me. Beneath it...nothing. Bare. Exposed. My first night is now gone.

I had only planned to have a minute staged sex with him, something quick and forgettable, yet hours had slipped through my fingers drowned in his reverie.

What madness had possessed me to let this man unravel me this thoroughly? To let him draw such pleasure from me. To give back without restraint.

Stupid. So incredibly stupid of me.

I needed to leave now. I have already gotten what I wanted. There was no need to linger around or regret it later.

Carefully, I slid out from beneath the duvet, every muscle taut as I willed the mattress not to shift, mindful not to wake him. The air kissed my skin. I swallowed a curse as I scanned the room.

Where had everything gone?

The fact that I had to find where every piece of clothing had fallen in the course of his actions.

I found my skirt first, abandoned near the chair, then my top crumpled beside it. Relief washed through me as I slipped them on. One earring. Then the other was missing. My waist beads—

My breath hitched.

I couldn't believe my cheeks were flushing at the sight of them littered shamelessly across the sheets and the floor. Heat flooded my cheeks as memory threatened to surface. I forced it down and gathered my thoughts quickly.

The moment I reached to grab my bag and leave whatever was left lying, the awkward realization came, I remembered one more thing... Where was it?

Quietly, I quickly checked the nightstand, the chair, and the floor again. I flipped a pillow, turned back the edge of the duvet.

Nothing.

There was no way I was leaving it here.

I can't bring myself to shame.

"What is this," I muttered under my breath, bending to peer beneath the bed, heart hammering.

"I believe this is what you're looking for?"

I froze on hearing his voice. He had woken up.

My body went rigid as I slowly straightened. He was sitting up now, the sheet slipping low on his waist, revealing the sculpted lines of his torso still marked by sleep's languid grace.

His skin glowed faintly in the moonlight, every muscle relaxed yet powerful, as though rest had only sharpened him.

I forced myself to look away from his face to his hand.

Between his fingers dangled what I had been searching for. The small piece of clothing was torn, unmistakably.

"I thought you might want it later," He said smoothly, eyes lifting to meet mine, a smug curve playing on his lips again. His hair, dark spirals tousled and unruly framed his face in a way that made him look both dangerous and devastatingly handsome. "so I decided to keep it safe for you."

Too much of an aura for a one-night stand I paid for!

I clenched my jaw.

He winked at me, gesturing for me to come take it. I could smell his cologne, which I had once noticed when I stepped in now mixed with the smell what had happened between us.

Immediately, I felt heat creep up my neck and spill down my spine, igniting places I had no intention of revisiting. My mind betrayed me instantly, replaying sensations I should have buried.

The way he had touched me with precision that ceased each breath from me.

How I had moaned hard, responded to every strangled kiss, kicked at every position, and ached for more even now.

No wonder he had the power to look at me that way now. But my mind kept betraying me. What was this longing between my legs all over again with the cause of his eyes lingering on me.

Good lord, I needed to get over this, to gather any piece of shame left of me and leave right now.

If I had any dignity left in me, then I shouldn't stand a second more.

I snatched my purse, refused to look at him again, and turned sharply toward the door. Heart racing, pulse roaring in my ears as I fled before he could say another word.

Before I remembered too much.

He could go to hell with my panties for all I care.

I never wish to see him again. He's a slut!

I wouldn't be surprised if Emily had also thrown herself at him. That was the type of man she loved. Men who played around with women.

I remember she would sometimes make a jest of me saying I should have been born in the era of a princess meeting a prince charming fairy tale not in this era when Gen Z enjoy their life and not bother about obligation and sentimental judgment of dedication.

Sometimes, she would make a joke of saying that I had probably been born in the 70s before, and then reincarnated into this era to find my lost prince charming, whom I had made a vow to love and offer myself only to him.

She had told me she could never dedicate herself to one man the day after I broke up with my fourth boyfriend. She believed being dedicated was too stressful and exhausting.

She had said I was too picky and prideful. However, I don't call that just pride. I call it knowing my self-worth. I never found it interesting having many body count. Just my taste and nothing sentimental or judgmental attached to it.

I couldn't believe that in all the years of my four relationship he ended up being the type of man I gave my first night to!

Arriving home brought relief.

I was grateful no maid lingered around to have seen me when I arrived. Thanks to my always heavy schedule, my parents had become accustomed to me sliding quietly into my room after a long day at work when I did not want to be bothered. They always respected that privacy.

Quickly I reached for my purse to retrieve my phone, only to realize I had left my phone behind in the hotel room in my rush to leave.

Panic set in.

Without it, everything I had planned would fail. I didn't want to believe that a night with a stranger was going to waste. Sleep abandoned me as I couldn't wait for morning to arrive.

However, when morning came and I hurried to return to the hotel, the notification sound dinged.

LEGAL NOTICE:

Effective immediately—Access to the following assets has been restricted to Mr. Walker Dominic with pending investigation.

I saw my father's jaw tighten as he scrolled on his tablet, hands barely holding the device from slipping out of his fingers. One after another, he read the restrictions that had been issued to him in just 24 hours.

Property: Vinci Banc villa— Access restricted. Operational control frozen.

Position @VCP hotel withheld: Mr. Walker's interest in the management and control of the VCP hotels has been seized and he is warned to step down as the CEO. A new manager would be assigned to take over his role until the new CEO decides to assume office.

Property at Caesar: Usage right revoked until further notice.

Failure to comply with all restrictions will result in legal conviction against Mr. Walker and any involved member of the family.

From the way he shook, I could sense his heart deteriorating, and I was sure he would pass out if he continued reading the restrictions and the name of his family coming to ruin in barely a day, all because of his daughter who disobeyed his orders.

The photo he had currently seen caused pain through him. "You..." He flipped the tablet aside as I felt a hard contact on my cheeks, heavy enough that I believe it could leave a mark later.

"I taught you to be better than this. How could you take such stupid actions without thinking? Now see the shame you brought to the family. You think putting up a scandal could save your marriage with him? Do you think it could solve the issues? Now look at the problem you caused this family. My properties, all my hard-earned assets over the years have all been taken away from me in just one night!

I held my burning cheeks as tears found their way down. The pictures of me in bed with another man were already in my father's possession.

But how did he get the picture when I was unable to release them? My one-night stand?