The Shameless Vixen Who Stole Her Sister's Fiance

Sunlight filtered into the room, its early rays stirring one of the occupants. Hailey, still with her eyes shut, rolled over to her side and snuggled deeper with her pillow. She had been dreaming of her days back in Westbrook, the time before her life changed overnight. Living in Westbrook had been a hellish experience, and she was grateful that she had left that life behind. The foster parents she had back then, Mr. and Mrs. Bale, couldn't afford a bed as comfortable as the one she was currently lying on. She stretched her arms and legs out like a starfish, and in an unexpected turn of events, her foot brushed against cool flesh. Her palm felt warmth and the steady source of hot air nearby.

 

Suddenly, Hailey's eyes shot open, and to her astonishment, she found herself lying side by side with a man in a bed that looked nothing like the one she had at the Lincoln Villa. Her heart skipped a beat as she tried to recall how she had ended up in bed with this man, and not just any man—Luke, who was practically family because he was engaged to Ashley, Hailey's stepsister. Luke, blessed with the heritage of old money, was filthy rich, and his father was descended from modern royalty. He owned the Lunar Hotel and Suites, with an annual revenue that could easily purchase a small city.

 

"This is not good," Hailey realized, peeling the sheets off her shivering body. "This can't be happening. It must be a nightmare."

 

Luke was still fast asleep, buying her some time to salvage both of their reputations by leaving immediately. She sat up above the sheets, contemplating her options. She had no idea where she was, and her cell phone conveniently went missing. She rubbed her sweaty palms on the headboard of the bed, praying that Luke wouldn't wake up. Explaining how they ended up in a room, tucked in bed, would be an even more difficult task.

 

Suddenly, the door to the room was forcefully pushed open, and a swarm of news reporters and correspondents rushed in. Hailey's heart sank into her stomach, and she grabbed the nearest clothing within reach. It turned out to be Luke's pair of trousers, and horrified, she flung them away, opting to remain in her bra and shorts.

 

"Over here, Hailey!" they clamored, shoving wireless microphones in her face.

 

"Can you tell us how you ended up in bed with your half-sister's fiancé?" one assertive reporter shouted, waiting with a recorder for Hailey's response.

 

"We have reliable information that you drugged your brother-in-law and seduced him so you could have your way with him. How true is this?" another question flew.

 

The flummoxed young woman opened and shut her mouth like a dying fish. Then, the door swung open once more, revealing an agitated Ashley.

 

"Hailey, how could you?" Ashley shrieked, dramatically pulling at her rumpled hair. Ashley Lincoln, a social media sweetheart, was famous for her blog and always made a point of flaunting her achievements in Hailey's face. But this time, Ashley appeared as a hot mess—still beautiful even with her mussed blonde hair, but a mess nonetheless.

 

"It's not what it looks like, Ley. I swear, it's not what you think!" Hailey pleaded for her understanding, but a camera flashed, momentarily blinding her. Eventually, the commotion caught Luke's attention, and he swiftly sat up to assess the situation. Ashley, in tears, fed the media with ammunition. Seeing Hailey beside him, Luke leaped out of the king-sized bed, scrambling towards his fiancée, who cried like a jilted bride.

 

"Oh, Luke," she sobbed, shaking her head in heartbroken disbelief. "I thought you said you loved me, that there was no one who could come between our love."

 

Confused, Luke glanced from his weeping fiancée to the overly inquisitive press, and when his eyes fell on the equally perplexed Hailey, his lips curled back in an ugly snarl. Hailey recoiled from his menacing stare, inadvertently running into an unavoidable microphone.

 

Luke approached her, but she shrank away, falling to her knees in a dramatic motion that would have made Angelina Jolie applaud.

 

"Don't touch me! Just stay away! If you wanted my half-sister, you should have told me instead of leading me on blindly. I gave you my heart, Luke, and you chose to betray me in this way." She sniffed back unshed tears, her face red and blotchy with a surge of emotions. Luke, distressed and half-naked, wondered how he could salvage himself from the impending media defamation.

 

"Darling, it's you I want. I love you, and I want nothing to do with Hailey!"

 

His harsh comment caught Hailey off guard, and she flinched, offended by the near-insult. She had been set up by some faceless miscreants, but nobody seemed interested in that possibility.

 

"Ashley, please listen," she desperately tried to explain, her arms falling limply at her sides. As the lights went off, her ample bosom was exposed to live television, but she cared little. "I didn't do this. Luke, please, you have to tell her. This is all a big misunderstanding. We didn't do anything together. We..." Her next words were cut short by an unexpected smack from Luke, and she fell backward, crashing into a corner.

 

"There is no 'we,' Hailey!" Luke yelled, shaking his fist. "There's just you in this situation, trying to ruin our happiness. Let's go, Ashley, please." He grabbed his clothes and pulled Ashley away, with the cameras eagerly trailing after them. Some reporters remained, shamelessly taking snapshots of the scene. When they finally cleared out, shaking their heads in disapproval and disgust, Hailey sat alone, soothing her bruised cheek. The magnitude of the trouble she was in finally overwhelmed her, and she burst into tears, releasing the emotions she had been holding back.