Chapter One

Emilia

“What the hell is going on, Jayden?” I asked sharply.

I couldn't believe my eyes, even after stepping in here.

I could hardly believe it hours ago when Bae had called and told me that she'd spotted him entering what was a supposed celebration in a grand hotel at the other end of the city when he'd claimed to have travelled for work. Despite my doubts I had come here abd she was right.

The company he worked for, Kane Group was having a company wide gala and he hadn't told me.

But that wasn't the worst part. No. Because as I had rushed in her I saw him.

Jayden, my boyfriend of six years, wrapped around so comfortably with another woman.

I felt the urge to vomit.

Now, pulled away from the crowd he remained unresponsive, not even flinching from my question, instead his brown eyes narrowed and a hint of annoyance became evident.

He looked at me as if I didn’t belong here in the first place. Like I didn't have the right to ask why on earth he was at a company party he told me absolutely nothing about.

“Emilia,” he said coldly, his arm still resting around her.

“What are you doing here?”

I reared back in shock and anger.

What was I doing here? Is that all he could say to me? I couldn’t believe what I was hearing right now.

“Last time we spoke you said you were going on a business trip. So, you should imagine my surprise when Bae told me she saw you coming in here.”

I turned to the woman next to him. Katherine Jerome. Revulsion filled me at seeing her wrapped up against him in a slinky green dress. I recognized her as the daughter of one of the shareholders in Kane Group. Every single time I spotted him talking to her in the past he constantly stated that it was solely for work.

Seeing them so comfortable and close together now I knew it was a lie.

All a damn lie.

Sighing, Jayden released her reluctantly, like I was the one bothering him.

“I don’t have time for this Emilia,” he said and the irritation in me grew even more.

“You have gotta be kidding me.” I hissed out.

“You lied to me , I thought you were traveling. Instead, here you are at a company party I knew nothing about with another woman, yet you have the guts to tell me you don’t have time?” My voice rose in anger, attracting the attention of some of the guests.

“Can you blame me? I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d overreact, just like the way you’re doing right now.” he looked far from remorseful as he spoke, running his hand through his gelled hair.

“Overreacting?”, I repeated my voice shaking. “You lied to me. You’ve been sneaking around, hiding and you say…”

“That’s because the world doesn’t belong to you, Emilia,” he said, cutting me off.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, and watched as he gently untangled his arms from his side piece.

He took a step forward, closing the distance a little more, looking around his gaze scanned through the room before landing back on me.

“Look around, you don’t belong here.”

His words were like a slap to my face.I glanced down at my outfit, a simple t-shirt and a pair of jeans I’d hurriedly put on before rushing over here. Looking back at him I only saw a belittling look. Like I was nothing.

“Truthfully, I thought by staying with you I was doing you a favor, and giving you the life of luxury you could have never imagined.” Jayden continued, a sneer growing on his face.

“But you just had to ruin it. You just had to come here and embarrass yourself and me. I'm done pretending. To be honest, you're far below my league now. You're low class, Emilia.”

I inhaled sharply, his words hitting me straight in my chest. I couldn't believe it. Was this the man I knew?

He suddenly moved away, slipping back to Katherine's side easily in a movement that made my heart ache.

“Look at yourself right now. Katherine is everything I want, sophisticated and elegant. This was never going to work between us.” he murmured with a smirk.

That was the final stretch. My chest tightened and my blood ran cold. I surprisingly found it hard to breathe as my mind went blank.

All I could do was stare at him as Katherine looked like a Cheshire Cat beside him.

“You’re unbelievable,” I whispered to myself with a cracked voice. “After everything I’ve done for you, all those years…”

“Enough,” he said, cutting me off once again. “This conversation is over and so are we. Go home, before you embarrass yourself further.”

There were so many things I wanted to do at the moment. I wanted to snap at him, scream and curse at him for what he was doing. Yet looking around at the gold bathed room and some of the stares, the last thing I wanted was to draw more attention to myself.

And he knew it. As he smirked at me, all the sadness slipped out and all I felt was disgust and rage.

With a final glance, I spun around and walked away with my head held high. There was no way in hell I was going to let his words get to me.

What a fool I had been for trusting his lies. As my boyfriend since college, I worked to support him. I had helped him throughout till date, even doing some of his work for him at his request when I didn't even work there.

He was always using the excuse of us earning together to make me work with him. But suddenly after getting a promotion everything changed. He started growing distant, becoming more critical towards me and complaining over every single issue, whether it was the way I dressed or something as simple as visiting him in the office. Now I understand why.

I laughed bitterly. Now that he had a shareholder’s daughter by his side and had risen in position, he didn't need me anymore.

I ignored the stares of the other people in the gala as I passed by them heading to the bar area. I had come all this way after all and it was high time for a drink.

I slid onto one of the stools and ordered a shot of whiskey, my fingers trembling and picking up the cup.

“Well, that was pathetic,” a familiar voice sounded beside me.

I turned to find Katherine standing, her perfectly painted lips curled into a smug smile.

“What do you want?” I snapped, too exhausted to deal with her.

“To offer you some advice,” she said sweetly, though her tone dripped with condescension. “Jayden won’t miss you. You were never enough for someone like him.”

Her words sliced through me like a knife. I clenched my fists, biting back the urge to lash out. She wanted me to break. She wanted to see me crumble.

“Go to hell,” I muttered, turning away from her.

She laughed softly, a cruel, satisfied sound, and walked away.

I ordered another drink, my thoughts spiraling. How could I have been so blind? How had I wasted years of my life on someone who thought so little of me?

The bartender slid the drink toward me, but I barely had time to take a sip before a strange warmth spread through my body.

My skin prickled, heat rising in waves that made my head spin. My heart raced, and my breathing grew shallow as a strange dizziness overtook me.

“Bathroom,” I muttered, stumbling to my feet.

The bartender pointed toward the hallway, but my legs wobbled as I tried to walk. My vision blurred, and my body felt foreign, like it was no longer mine.

I pushed open a random door, desperate to get away from the crowd, and found myself in a luxurious bedroom. My head swam as I leaned against the wall, tugging at the neckline of my dress in an attempt to cool down.

Something was wrong.

The door opened again, and a tall figure stepped inside. I couldn’t make out his face, but I moved toward him instinctively, reaching for him like he was a lifeline.

After, everything became a blur. Burning heat courses through me and then…

Darkness.

…

“Mmmh.” I groaned against the lights. My head was pounding as I shifted against the cool sheets before I froze.

These silky sheets were not mine.

Where was I?

The memories were a blur but it slowly came to me. Bae’s call. Going to the party. Jayden and then…

And then?

I opened my eyes instantly in alarm, sitting up heart racing. As I looked around, three things were clear.

One, this wasn't my room or my home.

Number two, I was naked.

And number three? I wasn’t alone.