Chapter 1

I would do anything for my sister, Lacey Holmes.

I heard she loved the most prestigious man in the city but never managed to win his heart.

And so, I gathered my courage and drugged the cold, ruthless man, then tied him up and threw him onto Lacey's bed.

When Lacey found out, she practically exploded. My phone blew up with her messages.

Lacey: [When did I ever say I liked that damn King of Hell?!]

Lacey: [Get the hell out of there. Now!]

I glanced at Ryan Weaver, who was chained to the bed.

My legs trembled.

I texted back, [Lacey, it's too late. I don't think my legs can take me anywhere right now.

[He's terrifying. He said he'd teach me a lesson and make me regret I was born.]

*****

When Lacey called, her scream was so loud it felt like my eardrums were about to explode.

The floor outside the bathroom was a total mess, with clothes tossed everywhere.

Even if I was the biggest idiot alive, I could tell from Lacey's tone that things were about to go south.

I said, "Lacey, weren't you supposed to come back today?"

Lacey was surrounded by a bunch of hot guys, but she was pushing them away.

She replied, "Oh, I forgot to tell you. I met two younger guys and decided to stay in Oriaburg for a couple more days."

Before hanging up, she kept warning me, "Don't mess with Ryan. Get the hell out of there, now! I'm buying a ticket right this second to come clean up your mess."

But it was too late now.

I had just placed a gleaming bowtie collar around Ryan's elegant neck and threw the key away.

Before he went into the bathroom, Ryan shot me a nasty look and growled, "Just you wait!"

I stood at the bathroom door, clutching a towel, ready to make peace.

I said, "Uh, Mr. Weaver, this is all a big misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?" Ryan snorted.

The collar around his neck caught the light, flashing coldly.

"I'll call a locksmith right now and get the collar off you," I said hastily.

Ryan didn't care about excuses or explanations. He simply yanked me over and threw me onto the bed.

Revenge wasn't just talk for him. He took action.

It started in the bathroom and later, moved to the king-sized bed.

The first time was nothing like what I'd hoped for.

Pleading and scrambling to get away, I tried to crawl off the bed.

However, Ryan clamped his hand around my ankle and dragged me right back.

His eyes glinted with a dangerous desire, and he drawled, "Weren't you acting all tough just now? You said I was like a cat, and you wanted to keep me as a pet."

By the time it was all over, I had blacked out three times, my body utterly limp.

When I finally came to, it was already twilight.

Ryan headed to the bathroom.

I missed Lacey, but her phone was switched off.

My top was ripped to pieces, and my skirt was all torn and stained.

My legs shook as I climbed out of bed. I slipped on his suit, not leaving any clothing behind for him.

I didn't want to risk my life anymore by lingering here.

When I finally made it home, I bit back the pain and dragged myself upstairs, collapsing onto my bed like I'd survived a war.

Fear only really sank in then.

My hands trembling, I grabbed my phone and started googling Ryan.

From all the online remarks about him, he was viewed as a pretty-faced demon, someone who was cold, ruthless, decisive, and would do anything to reach his goals.

But the most chilling part? He never let a grudge go unpunished.

A day later, Lacey finally came back, having made many layovers in order to get back as soon as possible.

When she saw me looking half dead, she instantly assumed Ryan had gone full psycho on me.

Lacey was my fiercest protector. She started swearing like crazy. "Fucking hell, Ryan's a damn beast! He's such a filthy businessman and a sick freak. How could he mess with you?"

Once she'd finished cursing him out, Lacey flopped down on the edge of my bed and started laying into me.

"Corrine, are you dumb or what?" she snapped.

I muttered, "Everyone said you were hung up on him but couldn't get him, so I figured I'd give you a hand."

Lacey choked up, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "Corrine, I love you to death, but damn, I still want to stay alive, okay?"

I blinked at her. "You're a goddess. Ryan's just a man. You could have him eating out of your hand if you wanted."

At a party a few days ago, I saw how everyone else was terrified of Ryan, but he was completely awed by Lacey.

Lacey even bragged to me about it afterward, saying, "So what if he's the Weaver family's heir?" She snorted dismissively.

Right now, Lacey was about to blow a fuse. "Don't you know I'm just a coffee shop owner who struck it rich?"

She looked like she was about to whack me upside the head.

But seeing all the marks on me, she couldn't stay mad.

"Uh, was Ryan really that desperate?" she mumbled. "Y-you guys remembered to use protection, right?"

She stared at me, hoping I'd say yes.

Tears rolled down my cheeks helplessly.

"Freaking beast!" Lacey hissed through clenched teeth. "That son of a bitch! Scumbag! Asshole! Piece of shit! I'm gonna fucking end him!"

Lacey was so pissed she looked like she might explode right then and there.

I didn't dare admit that I was the one who made the first move. Someone else had drugged him and I picked him up.

Ryan was burning up then, and I thought Lacey might want to try something different for once.

Now that I think about it, maybe he was just down with a fever.

Lacey was losing her mind, terrified I'd end up knocked up, and practically sprinted out to grab some emergency birth control.

"Let's get the morning-after pill. No, screw it, maybe you should get a shot, just to be extra sure," Lacey said.

I buried my face under the blanket. "Lacey, actually, it's my safe period..."

Before I could finish, she smacked me upside the head. "Are you clueless? There's no such thing as a safe period, you hear me?"

Losing my virginity was nothing like the movies. It was a total letdown.

That night, I hid under the covers, scrolling through my phone.

My bestie, Helen Palmer, shared some gossip with me, reading out the latest juicy post titles from the internet.

She said, "Wealthy heir shows up super late to family's birthday party.

"These trust fund kids are wild. This guy's neck was covered in hickeys, and that bowtie collar doesn't even match his suit. For rich elites to turn up like that, no wonder everyone's talking about it."