Cedar\u2019s POV<\/p>\n
I stood outside Room 412 in the Preston Hotel, checking the email on my phone one last time: [Emily Parker, Wilson Group Design Liaison. Room 412, 7:00 PM.] I was meeting a woman executive specifically to avoid another uncomfortable situation with Brad Wilson. Taking a deep breath, I raised my hand to knock when I heard unmistakable moaning and heavy breathing from inside.<\/p>\n
This was definitely not the sound of business negotiations.<\/p>\n
I lowered my hand, clutching my portfolio closer to my chest. Eight million dollars\u2014my freedom price\u2014suddenly seemed too costly. I wanted to leave, but that meant returning to the Wright family\u2019s control, continuing to be treated as an exploitable asset. To completely break free from my adoptive parents, I couldn\u2019t give up easily.<\/p>\n
But clearly, this wasn\u2019t an appropriate time for a business meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll reschedule for tomorrow,\u201d I whispered to myself, turning to leave.<\/p>\n
At that moment, the door swung open. A blonde woman in a revealing dress leaned against the doorframe, her smoky makeup smudged and lipstick smeared down to her chin. She looked me up and down with contempt.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d she asked, her voice raspy.<\/p>\n
The sounds inside abruptly stopped. Brad appeared behind her, hastily tucking in his shirt. A flash of embarrassment crossed his face when he saw me, quickly replaced by a confident smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Wright, you\u2019re earlier than expected,\u201d he said, his gaze assessing me like merchandise. He turned to the blonde and another woman inside the room. \u201cLadies, our time together needs to end. Business hours now.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt my chest tighten with anger and fear. \u201cI\u2019m supposed to be meeting Emily Parker. Where is she? Why are you here instead?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brad smirked as the women gathered their belongings. \u201cEmily works for me. She\u2019s\u2026 indisposed tonight. I decided to take this meeting personally.\u201d The women exchanged knowing glances, deliberately bumping my shoulder as they passed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Wilson,\u201d I tried to keep my voice steady, \u201cperhaps we should reschedule since I was expecting Ms. Parker.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brad fastened the last button on his shirt and shook his head. \u201cI\u2019m afraid that won\u2019t work. I\u2019m flying to Los Angeles tomorrow with Emily, and I have meetings on the East Coast next week. It\u2019s now or three weeks from now.\u201d He smiled, showing perfectly white teeth. \u201cCan your company wait that long?\u201d<\/p>\n
He knew the answer. Reluctantly, I followed him into the room, the sound of the door closing behind me like a trap snapping shut.<\/p>\n
It was a business suite, but the atmosphere was all wrong. The air smelled of alcohol and perfume, empty bottles scattered on the sofa, a silk scarf forgotten on the carpet.<\/p>\n
I took a deep breath, attempting to steer the conversation back to professional territory. \u201cI\u2019ve brought the complete design proposal for the Wilson Group,\u201d I opened my portfolio, displaying meticulously created 3D renderings. \u201cWe\u2019ve incorporated reclaimed walnut and brushed steel to echo Chicago\u2019s industrial heritage\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
Brad didn\u2019t even glance at my designs. He grabbed my wrist with surprising strength. \u201cListen, Ms. Wright,\u201d he pulled me closer, his breath heavy with alcohol, \u201cI\u2019m not interested in your designs, but I am interested in you. Your company needs this contract, and getting it is simple.\u201d<\/p>\n
I tried to pull my hand away, but his grip was too strong. Fear spread through my chest as my back hit the wall, realizing he had cornered me.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease let go, Mr. Wilson. This is unprofessional,\u201d I struggled to stay calm, but my voice had started to tremble.<\/p>\n
\u201cDrop the act,\u201d he sneered. \u201cYou think I don\u2019t know about your stepmother\u2019s plan? She made it quite clear at that dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him in shock. Elara had truly sold me out.<\/p>\n
Taking advantage of my distraction, Brad pushed me onto the sofa and pressed himself on top of me. I felt my blouse being torn open, a rush of cool air on my chest. Fear and rage exploded simultaneously, and I kicked him with all my strength. He stumbled back but quickly regained his balance.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike it rough?\u201d A dangerous light flashed in his eyes. \u201cI don\u2019t mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
He lunged at me again, more violently this time. I tried to scream, but his hand covered my mouth. I felt suffocated and desperate, tears streaming down my face uncontrollably.<\/p>\n
Just as he was about to tear my skirt, a sudden knocking came from the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet lost!\u201d Brad shouted toward the door. \u201cI said no interruptions!\u201d<\/p>\n
The knocking paused for a second, then returned more determined and urgent. My heart raced wildly in my chest, that sound like a lifeline.<\/p>\n
Brad cursed, still pinning me down. \u201cDon\u2019t think someone will save you,\u201d he threatened in a low voice. \u201cI paid the front desk enough to ensure no disturbances.\u201d<\/p>\n
The knocking turned into heavy pounding, as if someone was trying to break in.<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes and prayed silently. Please don\u2019t let whoever is outside leave. Please help me.<\/p>\n
The doorknob began to turn, distracting Brad. I seized the moment to take a deep breath, preparing to fight back with everything I had left.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, the door opened, and there stood a man I had never expected\u2014Ridley Sterling.<\/p>\n
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland\u2019s breathtaking cold.<\/p>\n
The Sky Remembered the Touch of Our Uninished Goodbyes by Lysa Orion Rehn 9 Chapter 9 Cedar\u2019s POV I stood […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-zero-stars-for-daddy-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30408\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}