Chapter 2

I remembered the afternoon ten years ago when I first came to the Sterling family.

I was fifteen, and my parents had passed away.

At the funeral, relatives gathered around, discussing which orphanage I should be sent to.

It was Margaret who spoke up and said, "I'll take her with me."

She was an old friend of my mom's. They used to be really close before my mom got married.

To marry my dad, my mom severed all connections with Riverfory.

If my mom hadn't called Margaret before she passed away, she probably would have never met me.

Margaret took my hand and led me into a big black car.

Inside, a boy around twelve or thirteen was leaning against the window, headphones on, not sparing me a glance.

Margaret smacked him and yanked off his headphones. "Charlie, this is Donna. From now on, she's your sister."

He glanced at me, looking down from above, clearly acting superior. "Got it."

Then he put his headphones back on and went back to staring out the window.

Because of his attitude, Margaret gave him another scolding when we got home.

Charlie had always liked to put on airs as a kid.

He was the pampered heir of a wealthy family, used to everyone singing his praises. He wasn't used to being put in his place like that.

After that, he started looking at me like I was a thorn in his side, making everything feel awkward and tense.

I knew Margaret forcing him to marry me this time must've hurt his fragile ego all over again. He was definitely upset about it.

Fine, I should let him cool off by himself.

After I finished getting ready, I went to the guest room on the second floor. I had washed up and lain down when I heard someone knocking loudly on the door.

When I opened it, it was Charles.

"It's our first night as husband and wife, and you're not going to sleep with me?" He was leaning casually against the door, peeking inside, and his tone was a bit disgruntled.

I didn't let Charles in. I peeked at him through the crack in the door and said, "Didn't you say you didn't want to marry me, and you'd never like me?"

"So, you want everyone to think I'm treating you badly, ignoring you on purpose? See, you really are a piece of work."

Charles scoffed, looking like he'd expected this, and tried to squeeze his way inside.

Too bad for him, I blocked him.

"Suit yourself. I couldn't care," He gave me a cold glare, scowled, and stormed off without another word.

In the middle of the night, I suddenly felt someone's warm body snuggle up next to me.

I shot awake and kicked him hard.

The lights flicked on, and Charles was sprawled on the floor, clutching his waist. He snapped, "Damn, you're vicious. I'm your husband, and it's only our first night. Are you trying to make yourself a widow?"

"Why are you sneaking into my bed in the middle of the night?"

Charles's cheeks flushed, and he dodged my eyes, looking totally flustered. "Come on, we're married. How can you call it sneaking when we're husband and wife?

"Anyway, this is my house. I can sleep wherever I damn well please."

At that point, he suddenly seemed to get all confident, sounding so sure of himself. "Who ever heard of newlyweds not sleeping together? If people find out, they'll laugh at us."

He kept muttering, but he was already climbing onto the bed in a hurry.

He moved so fast that a few buttons on his pajama top popped open, revealing his perfect skin and a seriously muscular chest. As he bent over, I could see those defined abs through his loose shirt.

He was only wearing a pair of baggy shorts, showing off his powerful thighs.

I knew Charles was into working out, but damn, I had no idea he was packing this much muscle.

Charles already had one leg up on the bed, babbling nonstop, coming up with all sorts of reasons for climbing in.

Under the warm yellow light, I felt a sudden heat rise within me. I locked eyes with him and asked, "Oh? So, are we doing this or what?"

For a split second, Charles's hair literally stood on end. He froze, his face turning as red as a baboon's butt, staring at me stiffly, completely caught off guard.

"What are you saying? You flirty woman. I knew it. So, that's what you want, huh? My body. Well, let me tell you, I'll never fall for you."

"Didn't you say newlyweds are supposed to sleep together? So, isn't it normal for us to share a bed on our wedding night?"

I tilted my head, my eyes slowly traveling down from his face, lingering on his chest, then those abs...

Charles's face was burning red from my stare. He wrapped himself up in the blanket, leaving his head sticking out, shooting me a resentful glare. "Shameless!"

"Whatever, forget it." I was a little bummed, but if he was not interested, that was his loss. I rolled over, turned my back to him, and tried to get some sleep.

His breath was hot and heavy in my ear. I turned around, and suddenly, I was staring right into Charles's eyes.

He looked totally shocked that I'd turned to face him. He froze, then snapped his eyes shut at once.