"Do I really have to take everything off?" Sia Thubron swallowed hard, forcing herself to stay calm. "If I tell you to strip, then strip." The middle-aged female doctor flicked a cold glance at Sia on the soft bed, irritation sharp in her tone. Sia bit her lower lip with her neat, white teeth, leaving two deep impressions. Her small face was tight with nerves. "Can I ask what you're checking for?" The doctor frowned, her voice turning harsher. "A full premarital exam, of course. You're marrying into the Yoxal family as a young madam. Naturally, your body has to be clean and untouched." She didn't stop there. "Your physical condition has to pass, too. Otherwise you won't be able to handle Young Mr. Yoxal's… affection. If something happens on the wedding night tomorrow and it ruins Young Mr. Yoxal's mood, who's taking responsibility?" Sia's breathing stuttered. "Hurry up. Take it all off, then lie down properly." The doctor's tone left no room for argument. Sia clamped her lips together until they ached. Humiliation and bitterness churned in her chest, like she was some ornament put on display, something people could handle and inspect at will, with no dignity to speak of. They had drugged her and delivered her here. The Thubron family and the Yoxal family had arranged a marriage. The bride was supposed to be her cousin, Eva Thubron. They had already accepted the Yoxal family's sky-high betrothal gifts and agreed to the match, yet they had plotted to shove her into the wedding in Eva's place. Despicable. The Yoxal family was so rich it could rival a nation. Rumor had it that Young Mr. Yoxal possessed a fortune in the hundreds of billions and power that reached the heavens, but he was a cripple, half-paralyzed, violent and cold-blooded. Worse, people whispered he was the kind of pervert who enjoyed tormenting women. No. She couldn't just sit there and wait to be swallowed whole. Sia lowered her head. Beneath her curled lashes, her clear, spotless eyes shimmered as thoughts raced. She slipped off her coat first. When her fingers moved to her buttons, she lifted her gaze cautiously. "Um… can I shower before the exam? It'll be quick. Please?" The bright light fell across her soft, pale face, luminous as moonlight. Her eyes were so clear they looked like they held a river of stars, and it was hard to look away. Her slightly loosened collar revealed a delicate sliver of collarbone. Her skin was snow-white, so fine it looked like it would bruise at a touch. Sweet and obedient, with a young girl's gentle charm, she didn't trigger the doctor's guard. "Hurry up. Don't try anything, or your entire Thubron family will pay for it!" "Yes." Sia nodded lightly, her voice soft and pliant, the picture of a harmless little thing anyone could squeeze. She steadied the panic in her chest and walked into the bathroom. The moment she locked the door, all the tension holding her together collapsed. Her legs went weak, and she sagged against the door. Her mind went blank, her heart hammering. She had to run. She had to. The bathroom was lavish. Forcing her shaky body upright, she went to the window and shoved it open. The floor was high, but the window wasn't sealed, and there was a safety railing outside. Sia didn't hesitate. Even with her fear of heights, she climbed out. For her purity, for her future, she gripped the railing with trembling hands and edged along. At the far end, in a presidential suite, Liam Hawksford's temperature rose steadily. He tossed the photo in his hand onto the sofa and reached for a robe, intending to take an ice-cold bath. His brother had actually drugged him just to force him into marriage. Even if they sent the woman to the room next door, he wouldn't let them get what they wanted. A gust of night wind rushed in through the window. Something rolled in from the sill, followed by a crisp, pained yelp. "Ow…" Liam paused mid-motion, robe in hand, and swept his dark eyes toward the window. Sia tumbled into the room. Her body went limp, and she hit the floor hard enough that stars burst behind her eyes. She pushed herself up from the carpet. The instant she looked up, she met a pair of deep, icy eyes fixed on her. A man in a dress shirt and slacks stood by the sofa. His gaze was sharp and cold, his features striking: a high nose bridge, thin handsome lips, and a face so perfect it felt dangerously unreal. Sia's cheeks flushed. She was still catching her breath, and the pressure rolling off him made her breathing turn tight. "Um… I'm from the room next door. My door wouldn't open and nobody would help me, so I had to climb through the window. Sorry." She offered a sweet smile, then inched sideways, trying to slip out through Liam's door. She didn't blink once while she lied. Liam glanced at her, then lowered his eyes to the photo on the sofa. Same face. So this woman was determined to marry him, no matter what it took. She had even dared to climb down from the thirtieth-something floor. Sia had just reached the door and lifted her hand to the knob when she heard voices outside, the female doctors. "Miss Thubron climbed out the window. Find her, now!" They were practically at the door. Sia's eyes widened in terror. They found out that fast. She was finished. She spun back at once and hurried to Liam's side. At the same moment, Liam tossed the robe down, covering the photo. Sia looked him up and down. He was outrageously well-built, like a runway model with perfect proportions, broad shoulders and a narrow waist, every inch of him polished and expensive. "Are you staff, or a guest?" "You tell me," Liam shot back. The instant this little woman moved close, the heat in his body surged to a boil. He forced it down, watching her, waiting to see what game she thought she was playing. Sia's face turned paler by the second. Her brows pinched, panic plain on her soft features. "Who you are doesn't matter. Please, can you help me? There are bad people outside trying to catch me. They want to force me to marry some crippled, old pervert!" She rushed on, words tumbling out. "You know Young Mr. Yoxal, right? People say he's ugly and vicious, and he's a eunuch. They want me to marry him to bring him luck, like some sacrificial bride. Do you think a pure girl like me can marry a short-lived monster like that? I can't! So… could you help me? I'll rent you. Pretend to be my boyfriend, okay?" She slandered Young Mr. Yoxal with dramatic exaggeration. In a crisis like this, all she could do was play the pitiful act, win sympathy, and save herself. Liam's deep, cold eyes filled with fury. Eunuch? Old pervert? Sia lifted her face, staring at the handsome man in front of her, barely daring to breathe. Her bright eyes stayed locked on him as her heart pounded. She was terrified the people outside would knock and storm in. If they caught her, she was done. But why did his gaze feel sharper and more vicious by the second? She wasn't talking about him. So why was he looking at her like that? "Rent me?" Liam's voice dropped, low and heated with restrained anger. His gaze pinned her, unreadable. "I'm expensive." A chill ran through Sia. She swallowed, then forced herself to say, "I… I have money!" Liam reached out, hooked an arm around her slender waist, and pulled her against him. The grip was rough, sudden, leaving her no time to react. When his warm, broad palm met her skin, Sia shivered. "Fine." Liam stared down at the little thing in his arms, his handsome face dark with a wicked edge. "How do you want me to help?" His clean, distinctive scent brushed her face with every breath. Sia tensed so hard her toes curled instinctively. How? She hadn't thought that far. She looked up at him with innocent, watery eyes. The way she leaned back and bit her lip gave away her nerves. "Take pictures. The kind with… a bigger scale. The kind that can fool people." Yes. If it meant escaping the fate of being forced into someone else's wedding, a few obscene photos were nothing. "You take your clothes off. Hurry." Sia wriggled out of his arms and grabbed his hand, tugging him toward the large bed. Too nervous to think straight, she reached up and started undoing his buttons herself. Her soft fingers brushed his scorching skin, fleeting and teasing. Liam's throat bobbed uncontrollably, his eyes burning hot.