Chapter 1

When the message arrived and I over to the archery range, Sebastian was standing in front of the target—fully geared up, with only his face exposed.

“He made a bet with someone,” one of his buddies sauntered over and kindly offered an explanation. “If he wins, that brand-new supercar is his.”

My grip tightened around my bag. It was far too dangerous.

“Wait.”

I stepped in front of Sebastian, meeting his irritated, utterly repulsed gaze.

“What? Looking to make me angry again?”

I used my best coaxing voice. “If you want it, I can buy it for you. There’s no need for the silly bet.”

Sebastian shoved me away. I stumbled back, barely regaining my footing.

“Get the hell away from me. Who knows where your dirty money comes from? I wanna keep my hands clean.”

His gang of wealthy heirs had no sense of restraint—plenty of people had been played to death in their stupid games. I stared at Sebastian’s face, gritted my teeth, and planted myself directly in front of him.

“I’ll take his place.”

Standing at his mark, my entire body trembled out of control. I squeezed my eyes shut, not daring to look as arrows hissed past my ears.

The moment the three rounds ended, my legs gave out completely, and I collapsed onto the ground.

Applause and loud jeers erupted all around.

“Hahaha! You really know her inside out! Now I see how obsessed she is with you. One slip-up and her face would’ve been ruined!”

“No kidding, man, my loss. That car is yours to take whenever you want!”

A layer of frost enveloped my heart.

So, I was the bet all along.

It didn’t matter.

I looked up at Sebastian’s untouched, flawless face and let out a quiet sigh of relief.

He laughed with pure satisfaction. The once-formidable female CEO was acting like a helpless puppy beside him, jumping at his every command. Naturally, he soaked up the crowd’s adulation, his vanity well fed.

“Let’s go. Drinks on me tonight!”

The gang flooded out of the archery range in high spirits. Upon reaching the exit, Sebastian tossed me a condescending glance.

“Cynthia, don’t you love seeing me in a white dress shirt? If you walk all the way back to the apartment from here, I’ll put on one just for you.”

One of Sebastian’s buddies glanced at my high heels and couldn’t help chiming in with pity. “Come on man, this place is over twenty miles from downtown. Won’t that ruin her feet?”

Sebastian swept a cool, dismissive glance over the guy. “What? You feeling sorry for her?”

I dug my nails into my palms. Even as every shred of my sanity screamed at me to refuse, I still heard my own trembling voice answer:

“Fine. I’ll walk back.”

So I walked over twenty miles, including a long stretch of mountain roads. By the time I reached the apartment, it was already late into the night.

The soles of my feet were raw and bloody. Ignoring my nearly paralyzed body, I opened the apartment door, my heart filled with desperate anticipation.

My gaze froze dead the moment it hit Sebastian’s bare upper body, covered in suggestive love marks.