Chapter 3

The memories from last night hit me all at once, rushing through my head like ice water.

I remembered the dim lights of the VIP lounge at my bachelorette party. I remembered sitting on the velvet sofa, laughing with my bridesmaids, while Chloe stood at the bar with a cocktail shaker in her hands.

"Here, Evie," Chloe’s voice echoed in my memory, sweet and dripping with poison. "You’ve been so stressed about the wedding. Drink this whole glass. It’s a special blend of sweet wine, just for the bride. A toast to your very last night of freedom."

I had smiled at her. I had trusted my little sister. I drank the entire glass without suspecting a thing.

Within ten minutes, my skin had turned scorching hot, my vision had blurred, and my limbs had felt heavy as lead. Chloe had grabbed my arm, whispering that she had booked a quiet room for me upstairs to rest. She had dragged me into the elevator, pressing the button for the fourth floor, murmuring into her phone about an older investor who was waiting to take care of me.

She had drugged me.

Chloe and Julian had planned to ruin my reputation before the wedding even started. They wanted to catch me in bed with another man so Julian could play the heartbroken victim, take my father’s sympathy, and legally seize my shares of the family business.

Only, I hadn't stayed on the fourth floor. In my drug-induced haze, I must have stumbled out of the elevator on the top floor instead, crawling into the unlocked penthouse suite.

And into Alexander King’s bed.

My phone suddenly buzzed again in my hand, violently pulling me out of the memory. The screen lit up with Chloe’s name.

I took a deep breath, slid my thumb across the screen, and pressed the phone to my ear.

"Evelyn!" Chloe hissed the moment the call connected. Her voice was sharp, hushed, and furious. "Why did you hang up on Julian? Do you have any idea what kind of mess you’re making?"

"I don't think I'm making a mess, Chloe," I answered in a quiet, steady voice, keeping an eye on the sleeping man beside me.

"Julian is furious with you!" she whispered angrily. "Dad is pacing the lobby downstairs! Where did you wake up? Tell me the truth, Evelyn. Were you alone?"

"Why do you care so much if I was alone?" I asked.

"Because you were acting completely crazy last night!" Chloe spat, trying to sound innocent, though her panic leaked through every word. "You could barely stand up when I helped you toward the elevators! Did you... did you stay in room 402 like you were supposed to?"

A cold smile touched my lips. "Room 402? Is that where you wanted me to go, Chloe?"

"I—I just meant that Julian had a room reserved for you to rest!" Chloe stammered, caught off guard. "Don't twist my words! Did you sleep there or not? Did anyone visit you?"

"Why would anyone visit me on the night before my wedding?" I asked calmly. "Unless you invited someone to my room?"

"You're talking nonsense!" Chloe snapped, her voice trembling with irritation. "You must still be drunk! Listen to me, Evelyn. Dad said that if you don't show up at the cathedral in thirty minutes, he is going to publicly disown you. The press is already outside taking photos of the empty bridal suite. Julian’s mother is telling everyone you got cold feet!"

"Let them talk," I said.

"Are you insane?" Chloe shrieked, losing her temper. "Julian gave you everything! He’s standing by you even though you disappeared all night! Just tell me where you are, and I'll come get you myself!"

"I don't need your help, Chloe," I whispered. "I know exactly what you did with that wine."

There was dead silence on the other end of the line. For five long seconds, Chloe didn't say a single word.

"What... what did you say?" she finally choked out.

"I'll see you at the church, little sister," I said coldly, and hung up.

Before I could even set the phone down, it rang again. This time, the caller ID showed my father's name.

I pressed answer.

"Evelyn!" my father roared into my ear, his voice booming with fury. "Where the hell are you?"

"Dad, calm down," I said.

"Do not tell me to calm down!" he shouted, his breathing heavy and ragged. "The church is completely packed! Half the city’s business elite is sitting out there waiting for the ceremony to begin! Julian has been standing in the lobby looking like an abandoned groom for an hour. People are already gossiping, saying my daughter is reckless and irresponsible!"

"Julian is lying to you, Dad," I said quietly.

"Julian is the only one keeping this family from falling apart today!" my father snapped back. "He just told me how hard you’ve been taking the wedding stress. He’s in the other room trying to calm the reporters down while you run around acting like a spoiled child! If you embarrass this family and ruin this merger today, Evelyn, I swear to God I will sign over the entire company trust to Julian and Chloe before noon!"

Hearing his words, the exact same words he had spoken in my previous life before signing away my future, sent a chill through my heart.

"You don't have to sign anything over to them, Dad," I replied, my voice completely firm. "I'm coming to the church right now."

"You better be!" my father barked. "Get your dress on, get into a car, and be at the front doors in twenty minutes, or don't bother showing your face to me ever again!"

"Don't worry," I said smoothly. "I wouldn't miss this for the world. But there isn't going to be a wedding today."

"What did you just say?" my father gasped.

"I'll see you at the altar, Dad."

I ended the call, shutting my phone off completely so neither of them could interrupt me again.

I turned back to the room. I had to get out of here before Alexander King woke up. If the city found out I had spent the night in the bed of the country's most dangerous billionaire, my father would force me into hiding, and Julian would twist the story to make himself look like an innocent victim.

Carefully, I pulled the silk covers off my body. I slid my bare feet to the thick carpet, moving as silently as a shadow.

Beside me, Alexander shifted in his sleep. His brow furrowed slightly, his broad back flexing as he turned toward my side of the bed. My breath caught in my throat, and I froze in place, barely daring to breathe. But after a few seconds, his breathing evened out again, and he stayed asleep.

I walked quickly across the hardwood floor toward the desk.

I picked up the suite telephone and dialed the front desk.

"Concierge desk, how may I assist you?" the receptionist asked politely.

"I need a private taxi waiting at the basement exit in three minutes," I whispered into the receiver.

"Certainly, ma'am. Should we charge the fare to Mr. King's master suite account?"

"No," I replied quickly. "I will pay the driver in cash. And please do not send room service up or call this room again. Mr. King is sleeping deeply, and he left strict instructions not to be disturbed under any circumstances."

"Understood, ma'am. The car will be at the private underground gate in three minutes."

"Thank you."

I placed the phone down and looked toward the corner of the room. Lying beside the sofa was the red silk cocktail dress I had worn to my bachelorette party last night. The thin strap on the left shoulder was torn, and the hem was wrinkled from the night before, but it was the only thing I had to wear.

I pulled the dress over my head, smoothing the red silk down against my hips. I picked up my high heels and my small purse from the floor, holding them in my hands so I wouldn't make a single sound on the floorboards.

I walked to the heavy oak door of the penthouse suite and unlocked the latch.

Before opening it, I paused and looked back toward the king-sized bed one last time.

Alexander King was still fast asleep, completely unaware of the storm waiting outside his door, or the woman who had just shared his sheets.

I pulled the door open, stepped into the empty hallway, and ran toward the elevators.

Julian thought he was waiting for a blushing bride. Chloe thought she was waiting to take my place.

They had no idea that the woman walking into that church today was coming to stop her own wedding—and destroy them both.