1. Fiery Touch 

“What happened?!”

Lily woke up, her heart pounding wildly. Her breath hitched as her eyes swept across an unfamiliar room bathed in sunlight. Her head was still throbbing violently from last night’s alcohol, but what truly froze her in place was the sharp, piercing pain down below.

With trembling hands, Lily reached for the blanket wrapped around her body, slowly lifting it to check.

She wasn't wearing anything.

“No way…”

Quickly, Lily looked around, and she instantly froze.

Her clothes were scattered across the floor, and a pair of men's shoes sitting neatly near the coffee table was proof that she had not been alone last night!

Panic seized her immediately. Lily hurriedly held her head, trying to recall how all of this could have happened.

Last night, Lily had witnessed her fiancé, Bryan, sharing a passionate kiss with another woman in his own apartment. To make matters worse, that woman was Sonia—the girl who used to bully her the most back in school.

Who would have thought that the girl had now become the mistress of the man she was going to marry?!

As if that weren't heartbreaking enough, Lily had even discovered that Bryan had never truly loved her!

“If she weren't the only daughter of the Mahesa family, why would I ever marry a boring woman like her?”

When those words left Bryan’s mouth, Lily’s world shattered instantly. Her body couldn't move; she was completely frozen in place until the two traitors finally noticed her presence.

“L-Lily?!”

Bryan had tried to chase after her, but Lily turned right around and fled the apartment.

In her rage and devastation, Lily drove her car aimlessly and ended up at a bar.

Lily had never drunk alcohol before. Yet that night, she downed hard liquor like water. Every gulp felt like it was burning her throat, but nothing stung worse than the ache in her heart.

She couldn't remember how much she had consumed.

All she remembered was a pair of sharp eyes watching her from a distance.

Then, someone helped her up. A man.

A faint smile had touched her lips. At that moment, she had thought he was a good person who would take her home safely.

But after stepping into the hotel room…

That burning touch. The lips hungrily devouring hers. Strong arms lifting her body and laying her on the mattress.

Too vivid.

Too real.

Lily shook her head violently. No. No. No.

She didn't want to remember any further.

Slowly, she tried to get up, but her body instantly went rigid. The pain…

Tears pooled in her eyes.

She had done something she could never take back.

Hurriedly, Lily gathered her clothes scattered on the floor. However, while she was still bent over, the sound of the bathroom doorknob turning froze her in her tracks.

The door opened.

Lily turned around, her back immediately pressing against the wall as she clutched the blanket to her chest like a final defense.

Her heart was beating erratically.

A man walked out of the bathroom.

Tall. Cold. Dangerous.

Wearing only a white shirt with a few unbuttoned top buttons, the man casually adjusted his Richard Mille watch—one that Lily knew was worth as much as a luxury apartment unit.

The man looked straight at her.

"Are you awake?"

His voice was deep and calm, as if what had happened last night was no big deal.

Lily swallowed hard, but her throat felt bone-dry.

The man said nothing more. With measured steps, he walked toward the mirror, adjusting his shirt collar as though this were just any ordinary morning for him.

However, his next words sent a chill right through Lily's body.

"Aren't you afraid your client will scold you?"

Client?

Lily's brow furrowed deeply. Did this man just mistake her for an escort?!

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

No. This had to be a nightmare.

But seeing the man's relaxed expression, reality hit her even harder.

Lily wanted to snap back, but her tongue was completely tied. She could only stare at him—the man who had taken the most precious thing from her.

When the man turned around and prepared to speak, Lily immediately sprinted toward the bathroom and locked the door behind her.

Her back pressed tightly against the door, her body shaking uncontrollably.

The tears she had been holding back finally streamed down her face.

What had she done?! Just because of her foolish choice to go to a bar, now she had lost her purity to a man who didn't even care about her!

Lily didn't know how long she stayed inside the bathroom, overwhelmed by how ashamed she would be if her parents ever found out about what had transpired.

She only hoped that by the time she walked out, the man would already be gone.

However, her hopes were crushed instantly.

When she opened the door, the man was still there.

Now fully dressed, he was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, gazing at his phone screen with a completely indifferent expression.

Lily bit her lip. She didn't want to stay here a second longer.

Without saying a word, Lily snatched her bag from the floor and walked past the man toward the door.

However—

"Take your payment."

Lily’s footsteps stopped dead.

Her heart trembled violently.

Slowly, she turned around.

The man hadn't even looked at her when he spoke.

His hand moved casually, pointing at a stack of cash on the coffee table.

"Payment?" Lily muttered, her body frozen on the spot.

At that moment, Arsen Sebastian Luis raised his gaze and glanced at Lily. He knitted his brows, then decided to stand up and approach the woman before him.

Tall. Dominating. Dangerous.

Lily actually had to look up to meet Arsen’s sharp, unreadable face.

"Is it not enough?"

Lily felt like crying. This man truly believed she was…

"I don't know how much my friend paid you," the man continued as he grabbed Lily's hand, forcing her to accept the stack of money. "But just take this. It's a fair payment for you."

Lily's blood boiled.

Her chest heaved as she fought back an explosion of emotions.

Without thinking twice, Lily raised her hand and slapped him hard!

SLAP!

“Mind your manners, you bastard!”

Without waiting for a response from the man in front of her, Lily rushed out of the room, holding back the tears brimming at the corners of her eyes.

On the other side,

The man, Arsen, stood motionless. He had never expected to get slapped for trying to give extra payment to the escort his friend had ordered.

Inwardly, he couldn't help but wonder: Are escorts nowadays really this fierce?

Sighing, Arsen turned back to grab his suit jacket so he could leave. But at that moment, his gaze fell onto the bed.

He froze.

Red stains. Blood?

Arsen stared at it for a long moment, then narrowed his eyes.

That escort earlier... was still a virgin?