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CHAPTER 1
~Audrina~
My eyelids flickered open, and the warm glimmer of morning filtered through the curtains. As I took in my surroundings, disorientation flooded over me, and the events of the previous night faded from my mind.
Next to me sat a tall figure, his silhouette outlined against the faint light. Even though he was already dressed, I couldn't help but feel uneasy when I saw him because of the little strain in his broad shoulders and the well-defined muscle shapes that suggested an unquestionable power.
As I glanced at him, the sensation of our fingertips brushing prompted a crushing surge of passion to run through me. The fragrance of pine and earth filled the air, and a low growl from his lips.
And when he looked directly into my eyes, a raw intensity like that of a predator sizing up his prey, and I knew that I might be lured in with his irresistible charm.
Even with his face obscured by the darkness, I could see the harsh lines on his face and the suggestion of tension in his posture.
My heart raced as I attempted to recall his face, but the features eluded me in the early fuzz.
"What's... What's happening? And who are you?" I managed to croak, my voice barely audible over the pounding of my own pulse.
He turned to face me again, his expression unreadable in the dim light. "Here," he said, extending a piece of paper toward me.
I blinked, my eyes focusing on the object in his hand. "What? What's this?" I stammered, my fingers trembling as I reached out to take it.
"Compensation," he replied tersely, his tone clipped.
Confusion clouded my thoughts as I tried to make sense of his words. "I don't understand," I murmured, my head spinning with uncertainty.
"There's no need to pretend," he continued, his voice tinged with impatience. "You knew what you were doing."
Panic surged within me as I struggled to piece together the fragments of memory from the night before. "I don't remember," I confessed, my voice trembling with uncertainty.
He let out a heavy sigh, his frustration evident in the tension on his shoulders. "It doesn't matter now," he stated, his tone resigned. "But don't expect anything more from me."
“What? I never asked for this.” I told him in return.
His alluring eyes turned cold before he rolled them with irritation. “Who wouldn’t want to accept a check for 100 million dollars? That's more than enough to change your life.”
My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at the mention of the figure, but at the same time, I needed to make it clear that no amount could sum up my worth.
“Definitely, not me.” I pushed it back toward me.
Letting out a snort, he replied, “That’s your problem, and I won’t be taking it back.”
My face fell as I was yet to understand why I was in a room with a total stranger who was offering me money like some roadside harlot. “Why not?!”
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