KING THORN.

CHAPTER 4.

                      KING THORN.

“Why did you do that?!” Payton shouted the moment she settled in the back seat with the man whose name she still did not know yet.

King.

King?

Those reporters called him that!

His name was King!

King, my ass.

She hissed.

“It’s you,” she turned around as she heard King say to the driver.

“Man, I had to come out here myself,” the other man said.

“How did it…” he stopped talking as his eyes landed on the woman beside her King.

Instead, he ignited the engine and then drove away.

“Where do we go?” He asked.

“Where do you stay?” King turned to ask Payton.

“Why?

“Where?”

Payton turned her head to look out of the mirror and then closed her eyes as she heard her phone ring from her bag.

“If you think it would be okay to go home alone, then, talk so that he would stop the car. You probably don’t know the amount of people that have your face imprinted in their memory already,” he said, not sparing her a glance.

Payton spaced out for a while, wondering about what he had just said before she grunted and then said her address to him.

“Dariel.”

“Noted,” Dariel nodded his head.

~~~

The drive to Payton’s house was silent as no one said a word to each other. King kept his head buried on the screen all though while Payton kept her head down.

“They found her,” Dariel’s voice came up, and the two of them raised their heads.

“Who?”

“Her. Is that not your house right there?” Dariel asked and Payton peeped out through the front mirror.

“Shit.”

The car pulled in front of the house, and the reporters turned to look at it.

“Stay low-key. Don’t you dare try to meet the reporters,” he said to her and Payton snapped her brows together.

“What are…”

“Don’t even say a word till we meet again. I don’t trust you one bit and I swear, I will get their names from your mouth.”

“Whose names?” She frowned.

“I should be asking you! What happened?! How did I enter that room? First, we bumped into each other, you poured a drink on my dress, and the next thing I am in your bed. How?!” She hollered.

“We bumped into each… wait, you’re that rude girl from last night?” King widened his eyes.

“Rude girl? You poured drink on my clothes and you do not even bother to apologize and that’s all you could call me? A rude girl?”

“If you had looked where you were going also, I would not have bumped into you!” King snapped back.

“Who the hell presses their phone while walking?!”

“Hold on, are you two fighting about bumping into each other, or what happened between you two?” Dariel cut them short.

“And I am going to walk through those hyenas on my own?!” She ignored the man as she pointed her index finger at the paparazzi outside their gate.

“You want me to be your escort?”

“Screw you!” She snapped and pushed the door open.

“You’re a dick,” Dariel shook his head as he watched the woman struggle to walk past the little group of reporters who swarmed her immediately after they saw her.

“You don’t know what happened.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he rolled his eyes rather sarcastically.

~~~

Payton burst into tears the moment she finally got past the reporters and entered the house.

She kept crying till she reached the big door of the living room and then wiped her tears hurriedly.

Hopefully, Ava would be away as usual and her father would be at his company too.

She was in no mood to face anyone at the moment.

She turned the knob of the door, and instantly, she felt her throat dried up as she saw the people gathered in the living room.

It was like they were waiting for her to return.

As her eyes met with the disappointed face of her dad and Max, she burst into tears again and shook her head.

“Payton…” came the cold voice of her father.

“No, Dad, no. I promise…” her voice broke.

“I have always known that she was up to no good. You never believed me and took her side always,” her stepmother, Serah hissed.

“Dad… Max…” she moved over to them.

“I don’t know… I swear… I don’t know how it happened,” she cried profusely.

“What? Do you have any idea what you are saying? I… I trusted you, Payton,” Max’s voice broke.

“I swear… I don’t know. Ava, I was with you, right? Did you forget? We were drinking and all. Did you forget?” She rushed to Ava.

“It still does not change the fact that your sex tape is flying all over the internet. Plus, I warned you to not go to that man!” Ava screamed.

“W… what are you saying? What man?”

“I’m sorry, Max. I should not have left her alone with that man,” Ava sniffed and bowed her head.

“How is that your fault?!” Serah snapped.

“How long have you been together?” Max sniffed as he stared at her.

“What?! I don’t even know him!”

“Stop lying!” Max hollered and she jerked.

Ava rushed to the table, grabbed the remote, and then turned the television on.

“I deeply apologize for the obscene video which might have been very disturbing, but, this woman is my fiancé… and not a sex toy.”

She turned her head to look as she heard the voice of the man from earlier and palmed her forehead as the kiss part came up.

“You are his fiance?!” Max widened his eyes.

“I am so disappointed in you, Payton,” Will, her dad shook his head.

“Dad…”

“I don't even know how to explain to the press. I've been getting calls from every angle and I don't even know what to say. I… this is the last thing that I'm expecting from you,” his voice broke.

“Dad, I promise, I don't even know…” she swallowed the lump in her throat as she shook her head.

How does she even start explaining to them?

That she woke up in that room with a man?

They had sex… they don't know each other… he called her his fiance and kissed her.

Who was going to believe her?

Hell, no one would!

“Please, believe me. I don't know this…” She was cut short by the sudden knock on the door and the gatekeeper hurried in.

“Sir, there is someone here to see you,” he said.

“Who?” Will asked.

“I don't know who he is but…” 

He was still saying when the door pushed open and the man entered.

Everyone raised their head to look at him as surprise got plastered on their face.

Payton raised her brows, sniffed, and then turned to look at the person who just entered the room with them.

KING?!

“K…King?” Will stuttered.

“I am King Thorn, and I will marry your daughter…” he raised his lips.

“What, marry?!” Payton widened her eyes.

“Yes, Payton Vass. You will marry me,” he stated firmly while he locked eyes with her.