Sabotage

“I am so sorry,” Arabella muttered as she stared at the unconscious man before her. Her fingers trembled as she began undressing him.

Biting her lip, she added, “It’s the only way to save my father. I will properly apologize to you and… pay for all the damages in the near future.”

Her heart pounded loudly in her chest, the nervousness overwhelming her. The man was obviously drunk, but whatever he drank shouldn’t have been enough to make him pass out like this. They must have drugged him. She didn’t know who he was. Her only instruction was to come to this room, where she’d been handed an access card.

Her job was clear: get this man and herself naked on the bed, looking as though something had happened between them.

Arabella had managed to remove everything except for his underwear. Her face flushed bright red; she had never seen a naked man before.

Clenching her eyes shut, she grabbed the waistband and tugged it down. There was no turning back now… if she stopped, her father would die. He was all she had left, and she would do anything to save him.

Once finished, she got up from the bed and began undressing herself, leaving only her underwear. She scattered their clothes and shoes across the floor to make the scene look convincing.

Taking a shaky breath, Arabella slid under the quilt beside the unconscious man. With trembling hands, she removed her bra and panties, tossing them onto the floor.

Staring up at the grand ceiling of the suite, she took a deep, steadying breath and muttered, “All I need to do is stay here until they come in and see us together.”

Gathering more courage, Arabella turned to face the man. He had a chiseled face, harder than stone, every edge sharp, and she bet he would look even more commanding once awake. 

His perfect pointed nose and prominent dark eyebrows framed his features with striking balance. His hair was jet black, matching his long, fluttering lashes. She wondered what color his eyes would be when he opened them. 

Though clean-shaven, faint traces of a beard and mustache remained, adding to his rugged charm. His lips were full and undeniably perfect.

Arabella took a deep breath and tried to clear her thoughts. This man would definitely not like what awaited him once he woke up. 

Gulping nervously, she forced herself to stop imagining the consequences. She didn’t know how many times she sighed while staring at him, feeling worse with each passing second.

“But if you and your fiancee truly love each other… then you two will surely surpass something like this,” she muttered under her breath. 

The irony wasn’t lost on her. If she failed to separate the two and sabotage their arranged marriage, her father would die. She prayed this setup would be enough to cancel the wedding.

Moving carefully, Arabella rested her head in the crook of his neck, pulling his arm around her. She needed to sleep too. It wasn’t just her body that was exhausted, she was mentally and emotionally drained beyond belief.

Surprisingly, her body relaxed in his warmth, and without realizing it, she quickly dozed off to sleep.

Hours passed.

“What the hell is this?!” A loud, high-pitched voice echoed through the room.

Arabella stirred slowly on the bed, her eyes fluttering open. Bright flashes assaulted her vision, forcing her to close them again. 

Murmurs began to fill the room.

“What is this? Isn’t their wedding supposed to be tomorrow? How could he sleep with another woman?”

“I’ve heard about him, many fear him. He’s known for fiercely protecting his privacy. This is the first time he’s been involved in such a scandal with a woman.”

“This is shameful. He even did it in the suite where we were supposed to conduct the interview. Is this a deliberate act?”

“I can’t believe this! I can’t believe what I’m seeing! I refuse to marry you, Sebastian Bancroft! I will not marry a jerk like you!” the woman’s furious voice echoed through the room.

Arabella bit her lower lip. It looked like she had succeeded and wouldn’t need to proceed with plan B. When Arabella turned her head to the man beside her, her breath caught. He was awake and staring at her, his deep-set grey eyes cold and furious.

Arabella gulped, her heart pounding as she took in the dark, stormy expression on his face.

She tried to sit up, but his commanding voice roared through the room. “Stay where you are and don’t dare move an inch!” 

Her body froze on instinct, her fingers tightening around the edge of the quilt that covered her naked form.

The man sat up with a deadly aura, his voice a low, dangerous growl. “All of you, get out of this room this instant!”

“How could you do this?!” the woman shrieked in response, her voice shaking with rage. “How could you disrespect our family like this, a day before our wedding?! The Bancrofts will pay for this humiliation!”

Arabella cringed at the venom in the woman’s words and instinctively tried to hide her face against the mattress.

“If none of you leave right now, I swear, you’ll all die by my hands!” the man thundered.

Arabella’s throat tightened as a wave of fear washed over her. His deep, chilling voice alone was enough to make her entire body tremble uncontrollably. Then he moved out of the bed, and silence filled the room.

Arabella slowly peeked out from behind the quilt covering her face. The sound of running water echoed through the room, signaling the man was in the bathroom.

She frowned and thought, ‘How could he calmly take a shower in a situation like this?’

Seizing her chance, she slipped out of the bed, clutching the quilt tightly around her to shield her naked body. With trembling hands, she gathered her clothes one by one from the floor, hurriedly slipping them on.

Just as she finished dressing, she turned to leave, only to freeze midway.

“And where do you think you’re going, woman?! Didn’t I tell you not to move an inch from that bed earlier?”