Chapter 2
The dorm room went quiet.
The air conditioner's breeze fluttered the curtains.
Emily looked at me, and the gentle look in her eyes vanished.
For the first time, she dropped the act.
"You really think if you go, he'll actually like you?" she asked.
I got out of bed and opened the closet.
The original Sophie had bought a whole bunch of cutesy dresses that didn't suit her.
Pink, white, lacey, all of them.
She'd bought every single one to copy Emily.
I pushed them aside one by one and pulled out a black slip dress from the very back.
The tag was still on it.
Emily's eyes froze for a second when she saw the dress.
I held the dress up against myself, sizing it up.
I shrugged. "Who cares if he likes me or not,
"As long as he can't forget me, that's all I want."
The next afternoon, I took the day off.
Instead of going for Emily's signature clean, natural look, I skipped the innocent makeup altogether.
I curled my hair, drew my eyeliner extra long, and picked out a deep red lipstick.
The girl staring back at me in the mirror looked like the kind of villainess who's doomed to be written out early in the heroine's story.
That was exactly what I wanted.
A villainess needs to make a villainess's entrance.
At 6:50 PM, I was standing in the penthouse suite at Grandview Hotel.
The place was pitch black, every light was off.
I set the blindfold down on the cabinet by the door.
My phone buzzed.
William: [I'm here.]
Me: [Come up.]
Two minutes later, the doorbell rang.
I didn't open the door right away.
Before opening it, I let the strap of my dress slip down a bit, revealing a flash of pale skin.
Then I walked to the door, barefoot.
I opened the door.
William stood outside.
Before he could see anything, I yanked him inside and slipped a blindfold over his eyes.
"You, " he started.
I reached out and pressed my index finger to his lips.
"Shh, it's all part of the ritual when you finally meet your online crush," I said.
His Adam's apple bobbed.
"Who taught you that?" he asked.
"Are you here to grill me, or to actually meet me?" I shot back.
William didn't say a word.
The black blindfold covered those ridiculously beautiful eyes of his.
His jaw was clenched tight.
He looked like a puppy, nervous as hell, but trying so hard to act tough.
I closed the door behind us.
Then I stood on my tiptoes and whispered softly in his ear:
"William, tonight, you're in for a treat."
That night, the curtains on the top floor of Grandview Hotel were drawn shut.
The city lights were blocked out.
I didn't let him see my face.
He never took off the blindfold.
It was two adults lost in pleasure, low moans and soft sighs echoing and mingling in the darkness.
Later, he rested his forehead against my shoulder, his voice rough and husky.
"Baby, you're the one I love most," William whispered.
*****
When William woke up, I was by the bed, fastening my earrings.
At some point, he'd pulled the curtains open a crack.
The morning light streamed in, landing right on my face.
The moment he opened his eyes, all the warmth in them vanished.
I knew he finally saw me for real.
He realized I wasn't Emily, the girl he'd seen in the pictures.
He realized the voice, the hands, the person who made him lose his breath in the dark last night, all belonged to someone with a different face.
He sat up, the thin blanket slipping down to his waist.
"Who was in the photos?" he asked.
"Emily," I replied.
"Was it you I was chatting with?"
"Yeah."
"And you were the one who used Emily's photos to trick me into sending you money, right?"
I finished fastening my earrings and turned to look at him.
"Not bad, Mr. Carter. You really put it all together," I said.
He got out of bed.
The carpet muffled his steps.
But as soon as he stood in front of me, that intense pressure was back.
"Aren't you going to explain?" William pressed.
"Explain what?" I shot back.
"You tricked me."
"You never asked last night."
He let out a laugh, half amused, half exasperated.
"Sophie, you're shameless," he said.
I reached up to fix his collar for him.
He caught my wrist.
His hold wasn't hard, but he stopped me from touching him.
"Don't do that," he said.
"That's not what you said last night," I teased.
The tips of his ears went pink.
It was barely noticeable.
But I saw it.
I made a show of looking down at his hand.
"Hey, you're squeezing me too hard," I said.
He let go like he'd been burned.
But then he seemed irritated at himself for giving in so easily, and his expression darkened even more.
"I'll sue you," he snapped.
"Go ahead," I replied.
"I'm getting every cent back."
"Go ahead."
"You think I won't?"
"I know you will."
I picked up my phone and swiped to show him the transaction history.
"That's about 92,300 dollars in total," I said.
William stared at the screen, his face darkening even more.
"You sure keep track, don't you?" he said.
"If you don't keep tabs on a guy's money, you might end up getting less than you should," I teased.
He was left speechless.
I put my phone away and turned to grab my bag.
William suddenly asked, "So, did you blow through all of it?"
"Every last cent," I replied.
"Not a single cent left?" he pressed.
"The only thing left was the room you booked last night."
He closed his eyes.
"Sophie," he said.
"Yeah?" I replied.
"You're the worst person I've ever met."
I turned to look at him.
"Thanks. I'll take that as a compliment," I said.
William looked like he was about to curse me out.
But when his eyes landed on the red mark by my collarbone, the words died in his throat.
He quickly looked away.
"Put your clothes on," he said.
I glanced down at myself.
I was wearing his suit jacket over my slip dress.
It should've looked like a mess.
But instead, I looked like a winner flaunting her trophy.
"Isn't this exactly your style?" I teased.
His lips pressed into a thin line.
The next second, my phone rang.
It was Emily.
I put her on speaker.
Her voice was shaking with anxiety.
"Sophie, did you actually go last night? Did William give you any trouble? Where are you right now?" Emily blurted out.