The CEO's Priceless Bride

It was agonizing.

Daniela Pearson felt as if a car had run her over, pain radiating through her entire body.

When her eyes fluttered open, a good-looking face was right in front of her.

She was stunned.

Why was Kevin Bradley here?

Daniela was horrified to realize that after being drugged the previous night, she had ended up in Kevin's room and...

As she looked at Kevin, once the object of her deepest affections and now her worst nightmare, memories of the past three years flooded back.

Three years ago, for his sweetheart's sake, Kevin threatened her with her brother and mother, forcing her to move overseas.

Her brother had disappeared in the process of looking for her.

Three years passed; her mother's health, already frail from a car accident, had worsened, compelling her to return to the place she detested.

Yet, Daniela hadn't anticipated that within days of her return, she would find herself in bed again with Kevin, the man who had haunted her thoughts all these years.

Her feelings towards Kevin were now tinged more with fear than hate.

If he woke up and found her naked in his embrace...

Fearful of what might follow, Daniela's first instinct was to run away.

She attempted to free herself from Kevin's arms carefully.

However, the moment she moved a little, Kevin's eyes snapped open. He grabbed her neck and pinned her beneath him.

He looked down at her with a ruthless expression, filled with undisguised sarcasm and disgust.

"Daniela, you just couldn't wait to sleep with me, could you?"

Sleep with him?

She hadn't even planned to see him upon her return, much less this.

Daniela met Kevin's gaze and retorted with a forced smile, "Mr. Bradley, I came to the hotel with my fiance yesterday, but now here I am with you. If anything, I'm the one being taken advantage of. I haven't even confronted you about it. Why the anger?"

Indeed, she and her fiance, whom her father had arranged for her, had checked into the hotel together. Her father and her sister, Katherine Pearson, had drugged her in a ploy to force them into having sex.

Daniela mused bitterly about how Katherine would react if she knew her scheme had thrown her most despised sibling into her fiance's bed.

"Don't play games. Keep your dirty thoughts to yourself," Kevin warned.

Daniela's thoughts were interrupted.

Kevin leaned in, his breath warm on her face, but his words sent a shiver down her spine. "Katherine and I are going to be married soon. If you dare tell her anything about us, I will kill you."

How absurd!

Why would she bring Katherine into this now? Did he really think she wanted to force him into loving her again, hoping for even a shred of affection like before?

Well, what a stupid idea she used to have.

Daniela felt a sting of bitterness but managed a smile. To provoke Kevin, she put on a confused expression and asked, "What do you mean by 'anything about us'? Are you referring to three years ago when Katherine was in the hospital, and we were secretly together? Or last night, when I just returned from abroad and you couldn't wait to sleep with me?"

"Daniela Pearson!"

Kevin's grip on Daniela's neck tightened, and her smile vanished. As she struggled for air, her face flushed red. In a frantic attempt, she tried to pry his hand off.

Seeing the fear in her eyes, Kevin scoffed, "Do you think I'd have any trouble getting rid of you? Or someone would avenge you after I strangled you and left you in the street?"

Yes, Kevin was capable of that.

The Bradley family was a globally recognized financial dynasty, owning banks in major cities around the world. They had established a bank network that spread all over the world and wielded immense power and wealth.

As the new leader of the family business, Kevin was known for his ruthless demeanor.

If he killed her, no one would intervene.

Her family couldn't help-her brother was missing, and her mother was seriously ill.

Daniela frantically slapped at Kevin's hand, convinced he would go through with it for Katherine.

Desperate, she kicked him sharply between the legs.

The pain made Kevin release his grip, and Daniela quickly escaped the bed.

Clutching her neck, she coughed violently and gasped for air.

Seeing Kevin's grim expression, she realized the gravity of her actions and felt a surge of fear.

But in the end, Kevin just spat, "Get out."

Daniela didn't hesitate. Wincing from the pain, she stooped to gather her dirty clothes, her body marked with red bruises. She dressed slowly, then straightened up and walked out.

Once the door closed behind her, Daniela burst into tears.

She had cried for Kevin for years. Though she thought she was over him, the tears still came.

It was unfortunate. After all their history, here they were again, and still, she had nothing.

Daniela headed to the bathroom to clean up and carefully washed her face. Once sure there were no signs of her tears, she prepared to go home.

If not for her mother, she would have never come back. She would have stayed far from those disgusting people.

Daniela went downstairs. When she just arrived at the roadside, her phone rang. It was Katherine.

"Daniela, something's happened to your mother. If you want her to be okay, come to my birthday party now!"