Hired Groom: My Husband Is The Billionaire

Demi Rodgers lifted the heavy hem of her wedding gown and hurried down the quiet top-floor hallway of the St. Regis San Francisco. Her breathing was shallow as she reached the bridal lounge to grab her reception dress. Just as her fingers brushed the half-open mahogany double doors, a soft, breathy moan slipped through the crack.

Her hand froze in midair. Her fingertips turned ice-cold.

She bit her lower lip hard and shoved the heavy wooden door open. In the dim light, two tangled bodies on the velvet sofa hit her vision like a heavy hammer.

An expensive bespoke suit jacket lay crumpled on the carpet. Ezell Myers, her fiancé of five years and the heir to the Myers family, was burying his face into the neck of the woman beneath him, completely oblivious to the open door.

The woman arched under him was Keely Holman. Her blonde-streaked curls spilled across the cushions, and the red rose tattoo on her left collarbone stood out sharply in the shadows. She was the biological daughter of the Holman family, Demi's adoptive sister in name only.

Demi sucked in a sharp breath. Her bridal bouquet slipped from her numb fingers and hit the hardwood floor with a loud thud.

Ezell sprang back as if electrocuted. He scrambled to tug down his rumpled shirt, his hazel eyes wide with panic as he looked at the doorway.

"Demi, listen to me, I can explain!"

Keely did not flinch at all. She slowly slid her silk strap back onto her shoulder, her lips curving into a mocking smirk.

Demi stared at the man she had trusted for five years, her voice shaking with rage.

"At our wedding venue, you're in bed with my adoptive sister?"

Ezell dropped his gaze, avoiding her clear amber eyes, though his tone carried a hint of defensiveness.

"Demi, the Holman family decided to cancel our engagement. I didn't have a choice."

A wave of nausea rolled through Demi's stomach. She stepped forward and raised her hand to slap the coward awake, but Ezell caught her wrist mid-swing.

Keely stood up from the sofa, swaying her hips as she walked over and linked her arm through Ezell's.

"Don't blame him, little sister. Blame your own bad luck."

Demi wrenched her wrist free, digging her fingernails deep into her palms to force herself to stay calm.

"What are the two of you plotting?"

Keely twisted the diamond ring on her finger, her voice dripping with glee.

"Mom and Dad already made the call. They're sending you to the Collier family to take my place and marry that old, ugly, crippled monster."

The name hit the room like thunder. Demi's pupils shrank. Everyone on the West Coast knew Bentley Collier, the second son of the Collier empire, was a violent, disfigured recluse with a brutal temper.

She stumbled half a step back, her spine hitting the cold wall.

"Are you out of your minds? That's a high-stakes corporate marriage. You can't just swap the bride at the last minute!"

Ezell straightened his tie, slipping back into his usual hypocritical mask.

"The Colliers only requested a daughter of the Holman house to fulfill the contract. Whether it's the biological heir or her adopted sister matters little to them-their reclusive son is in no position to inspect the bride beforehand."

Demi's stomach churned violently. She spun around and grabbed her clutch from the table, her voice freezing.

"I will never agree to this. I'm going downstairs right now to expose both of you to the press."

She took a single step before Ezell roughly blocked the doorway, his eyes bloodshot with a flash of ugly violence.

"You aren't going anywhere today!"

Demi tilted her chin up, anger burning in her eyes.

"Get out of my way, or I'm calling security right now."

Keely let out a cold laugh, walking to the bar cabinet to pour herself a glass of champagne.

"The guards were all hired by the Holman family. Do you really think they'll listen to a cheap adopted girl like you?"

Demi's heart sank like a stone. The entire top floor of the hotel was locked down by the Holmans. She was trapped in a cage.

She turned slowly to face the pair, a bitter curve forming on her lips.

"Twenty years, and you finally tore off the last shred of your disguise."

Keely strolled closer with her glass, looking down at her from above.

"You've lived off our family for twenty years for free. It's time you paid your debt."

Demi met her gaze without backing down, enunciating every word.

"I would rather die than step into that fire pit for you."

Ezell looked at Demi's pale, striking face, a twisted possessiveness flickering in his eyes as he lowered his voice.

"Demi, as long as you do what you're told today, I'll still take care of you in private later."

Disgust rose straight to Demi's throat. She snatched a glass of ice water from the side table and threw it directly into Ezell's face.

"You make me sick."

Ezell wiped the water from his face and raised his hand in a fury, but Keely grabbed his arm in midair.

Keely dabbed at the water droplets on her hem in annoyance.

"Don't ruin her face. She still has to take photos and sign the papers in a minute."

Heavy footsteps suddenly echoed from the hallway outside, accompanied by the sharp clicking of high heels drawing rapidly closer.

Keely smiled in triumph, setting her glass down to smooth her hair.

"Looks like Mom and Dad have the agreement ready."

Demi kept her eyes locked on the door, her chest heaving as her mind raced for a way out.

The brass doorknob turned from the outside with a metallic click, cutting off her only escape route.

Demi backed quickly against the vanity table, snatched a pair of sharp eyebrow scissors, and slipped them inside her wide lace sleeve, her eyes cold and guarded.

Two burly bodyguards in black suits shoved the heavy mahogany doors wide open from the outside, flooding the dim room with harsh hallway light.