Chapter 2: The Mysterious Beauty Straddling Him

Archie Carrington had always been a man of action. He called his aunt, Denise. As soon as she heard the place was priced below market and on the prime floor in the top building in the complex, she scheduled a showing for the next day without hesitation. Micah Baron checked his schedule. He had a project going live in the afternoon, but he could spare an hour in the morning to go with Archie's aunt to see the apartment. He set the time for ten o'clock. Archie tried to steady his friend. "Alright, man, lay off the booze and focus on work. But breaking up now-what about that wedding you've spent months planning? Our classmates already got your invitations. How are you going to get out of this without causing a scene?" Micah let out a rough breath. It wasn't just classmates; he'd mailed invitations to every relative and friend. Back home, his parents had already prepared the betrothal gifts and gold jewelry for their future daughter-in-law. How was he supposed to back out? The only way to save face was to hold the wedding anyway. Micah's voice was flat. "Same wedding, different bride." That night, after Archie left, Micah drank alone until past midnight. He watched the dance floor packed with people in all sorts of outfits, but his mind kept circling the same problem: a little over a week remained. Where was he supposed to find a woman willing to marry him? The alcohol dragged at his eyelids. Slumped in the booth, he drifted off. When he opened his eyes, he was on a hotel's king-size bed. A half-naked, cool-eyed beauty was on top of him, straddling his hips. Micah nearly jumped out of his skin. H-he… he'd only been drinking. What on earth was happening? He rubbed his aching temples and stared until he was sure he wasn't dreaming. A stunning woman with lush curves and a lovely face was indeed straddling him, tugging clumsily at his belt buckle. Her skin was so fair and soft it looked like porcelain. Her dewy eyes held a chill that made the warmth beneath all the more seductive. Under the amber glow of the wall sconce, she was unintentionally alluring. She was bold, but there was an inexperienced, fumbling edge to her. She couldn't even work the simplest belt buckle. Her patience snapped. Her tone turned imperious. "You've got ten seconds. Take your pants off." The sharp command jolted him. Absolutely not. He had standards. Seeing him lie still, she added, "Someone set me up and drugged me. Help me, just this once, and I'll make it right. Otherwise the drug will kill me." The liquor dulled Micah's thoughts. Before he could answer, her soft, red mouth covered his, and a small hand slid down along his abs. That restless hand sent a current up his spine. … A wild night. Micah's alarm dragged him back at dawn. He rubbed his heavy eyelids just as something dropped onto his face. He sat up to find a pair of delicate jade earrings and a note in neat, feminine script. "Had to run. Phone 187*****888. The room is paid for. Good morning~" The chaos of last night came rushing back. He bolted upright. She was already gone. Scratches scored his skin, proof of how fierce it had been. The memory of her slick, silken warmth made his ears burn. Then he saw the marks on the sheet and went still. She had been a virgin. If he had known… He wouldn't have been so rough. He lay back for a moment longer. An email pinged into his inbox. "Dear Hacker James, This is the Information Security Department of Malatopia. We sincerely invite you to join us. Name your terms." Micah closed the email without responding. He was a world-class hacker who took down certain foreign websites he couldn't stand. His identity was a closely guarded secret. He had no idea how they had found his address. No matter the offer, he would not go. He loved his country. Elsewhere, in the conference room at the Brewsley Group, a woman in a turtleneck sat at the head of the table. Just below her collar, a faint, fresh hickey showed-the kind left by the night before. A ring of executives sat around the table, heads low. "Ms. Eileen, we're afraid only Hacker James can design a firewall tough enough. Our rival is going all-out to crush us." Facing them, Ms. Eileen's presence filled the room. "You have one day. Get Hacker James on board. Whoever contacts him first gets a cash bonus of one hundred thousand dollars." Micah lay there a minute longer before getting up. He arrived at Moon Lake Residence at exactly ten. Denise had already made a full circuit of the grounds. She was delighted by the neighborhood. The complex was loaded with amenities, it was zoned for two top-rated schools, and the subway was just a few hundred yards from the gate. "Micah, selling in such a hurry-are you upgrading?" she asked. "Haven't picked a new place yet," he said. "I'll sell this one first." He took Denise upstairs. At that hour, Liana Carver had already left for work; the apartment was empty. He showed her around. She liked the layout and the décor, and the low price made it irresistible. She decided on the spot to buy. "Micah, I'll transfer a two-thousand-dollar deposit to you now. I'll get the money together and come back in three days to close." He hadn't expected the sale to go so smoothly. He accepted the money, exchanged numbers with Denise, and set the closing for three days from now. After walking her out, he tidied the place, packed his everyday clothes into a suitcase, and stopped at Liana's vanity. He slipped off the watch on his wrist and set it down. It had been Liana's birthday gift to him, a little over a hundred dollars-not expensive, but the thing he had treasured most in three years. He returned it to where it belonged. His gaze swept over the expensive cosmetics on the table. Even the smallest bottle ran several hundred dollars a pop, all bought with his money. He gave a crooked smile. The relationship had been unequal from the start. A marriage built on uneven give-and-take was bound to crack. At least they hadn't stood at the altar; there was still time to pull back. He felt wretched, yet oddly grateful she hadn't gone through with it. Remembering that his debit and credit cards were with Liana, he changed the passwords immediately. Micah opened Messenger, unblocked Liana, and typed a message. "Liana Carver, I've sold the apartment. When you have time, pack your things and move out within three days." Across town, Liana gathered files and a stack of résumés to print. She worked as a staffer in the Executive Office at Brewsley Group. The pay was low, but the company ranked among the world's top five hundred, and working for such a giant filled her with pride. She'd been busy all morning and hadn't checked her phone when it rang. The caller ID showed the Louis Vuitton Store. She smiled and answered. "Ms. Carver, the bag you reserved has arrived. We're holding it for you. When would you like to pick it up?" Her eyes lit up. "I'll come at lunch." Brewsley Group's tower stood just a street away from the mall with the Louis Vuitton Store. At noon, she skipped lunch and headed straight there. She had waited ages for this bag. It was September tenth, the day Micah's quarterly bonus and salary hit his account. She had told the associate to notify her as soon as the bag arrived. Holding it, she could hardly bear to set it down. It was the bag of her dreams. If Micah earned more, she would have bought it long ago. Instead, she had waited three months, right up until the bonus day. The associate printed the bill. "Ms. Carver, the price is eight thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine dollars. This way to pay, please." Cradling her prize, Liana felt giddy, like Pop Rocks fizzing in her mouth. She pulled Micah's debit card from her wallet. "Charge it." She tapped the card to the reader and keyed in the password. A second later, the machine chirped, "Wrong password. Please re-enter." She blinked. Wrong password? She entered it again. The same error flashed. Her brows knit. Micah set all his passwords to her birthday. It shouldn't be wrong. "Maybe your machine is glitching. Can we try another one?"