Chapter 20
The hotel staff who saw Layla avoided her like the plague.
Meanwhile, Austin was out of breath as he bolted down the fire escape. His knees were wobbling as he hurtled down the flights of stairs. He didn’t think he had run so fast before, not even on occasions when his father threatened to beat some sense into him
He was about to step out from the fire escape on the first floor when he spotted a familiar male figure in the lobby.
Cursing silently under his breath, he retracted into the shadows and stayed hidden until Stephen walled into the elevator with a room card. Only then did he exit the fire escape and run out the front entrance to flag a passing cab.
Upon checking his inbox and reading the angry messages from Layla, Austin replied,
plied, “You’re on your own, Little Miss Princess. I refuse to be your messenger anymore!”
In the hotel room, Layla glowered at the message on her phone. She was about to call Austin and give him a piece of her mind when she heard the door opening.
“Well, look who’s back with his tail between his legs? I see you’ve overcome your fear of Stephen,” Layla drawled while leaning against the headboard. She was about to stand up when she suddenly noticed the spare room card on the nightstand
Tey realization hit bec: Austin did not have a room card at all!
She bolted to her feet and rounded the wall that separated the bathroom from the bedroom. She padded out to the foyer.
Layla froze when she saw the man standing by the door. He was glowering at her. His gaze was dark with displeasure and reprimand. The man was none other ti
than Stephen, who had just gotten back from his business trip.
The black suit he wore made him lookt even more intimidating than usual. When he reached behind him and closed the door, the heavy thud that followed made Layla’s heart leap to her throat.
Layla could tell from one look that Stephen was furious with her.
His black leather shoes were soundless on the carpeted floor, but his footsteps were deafening to Layla
As Stephen drew closer, Layla stepped back. She didn’t want to look scared or comered, so she willed herself to hold her ground before him.
Her tone was scathing as she drawled, “Well, if it isn’t my husband! I thought you were having so much fun with the glamorous crowd that you would stay longer. Did you get sick of the actress after two days?”
Stephen stopped before her and growled, “Who was he?”
she crossed her arms and eyed him imperiously. “Let’s not swap stories. I won’t ask you who that actress was, so don’t bother trying to get a name out of me, either.
He seemed to be truly enraged this time. He grabbed Layla’s wrist and made her back up until she felt the bed behind her. Even as he towered over her from the bedside, he did not go easy on her and pushed her onto the mattress.
bed.
“You wanted to sleep with someone, right? I’m right here, so let’s have some fun,” he said in a low, dangerous voice before pinning her onto the be
Layla’s mind went blank, though Stephen’s actions sobered her up as she snapped, “Get your filthy hands off mel” She reached up and clawed his neck. Her fingers lett red trails in their wake.
Running out of patience now that she had crossed the line, Stephen gritted his teeth and tore off his necktie. A menacing gleam flashed in his eyes as he grabbed her wrists and bound them together.
“What the hell, Stephen? Let go of me or I’ll tear out your throat! If you can sleep with an actress, I can–mmph! Stephen, you plece of–mmph!”
Stephen had cut her off with a kiss. He had interrupted her torrent of verbal abuse. She blushed under him. She was furious that he would resort to kissing her. The feeling of his lips on hers sent a current numning through herveins, and when his hand roved over her body, she protested, “Stephen! Let me–mmph!”
Stephen did not release Layla from the ldss until he found her phone,
Shar spat. “You pig! How dare you kiss mur after you’ve lassed some slutty actress? You’re disgusting!”
Her blushcrept up in the tips of her ears. When she noticed Stephen had taken her phone, she reached out despite her bound wrists and tried to stop him from reading her messages
