Payton felt her legs weaken as she watched the video and she fell to the ground instantly.
Her eyes dilated and she dropped her phone.
She was trending with this unknown man on the internet.
Their obscene videos were on the internet.
“You are a disgraceful woman…”
Max’s voice rang in her ear and tears dropped from her eyes.
She had no idea what was going on and she could swear that she had not gotten into this man's bed on her own.
The bell rang and she watched the man move over to the door.
She didn’t know who he was talking to, but when he returned to the room, he walked past her and headed to the bathroom again.
“There is another bathroom over there. Use it, and get your clothes on. We’re leaving here. The paparazzi is here.”
That was all she heard before she heard the loud bang of the door.
She did not see his face, but she could feel the anger that was oozing from his voice.
It was definitely not a coincidence that this man and she had a bit of a clash the previous night and had ended up in bed together.
As her phone beeped and she picked up her phone to read the message from her father, her heart skipped again and she pressed her lips together.
“Ignore my calls however you can. Just come home.”
Read his message.
Grudgingly, she stood from the ground, turned in the direction of the bathroom the man had pointed to, and then walked towards it.
~~~
“Like that?” King stared at her with disgust evident in his eyes and then walked to the closet.
He returned with a white round neck and then threw it at her.
“Put this on.”
“What did you do to me?” Payton asked instead as the cloth dropped on her feet.
“Listen, I am trying to not erupt right now. Do not ask me that question again. Enough of feigning ignorance.”
“Feigning igno—”
“Put that cloth on, now,” he cut her short, dominance emitting from his word.
Payton picked up the cloth, undid the first button of her shirt, and then raised her head to look at the man who stood in front of her.
Realizing that was his cue to look away, he turned around and then waited for her to do her thing.
Right now, King was appreciating his patience.
He wanted to force the truth out of the woman’s mouth but he knew that he had to get out of here first.
No matter the facade that she tries to put on.
No matter how much she tried to feign innocence, King knew for a fact that this woman was a part of this setup and he would never forgive her for it.
Whoever placed the camera in this room might still be watching.
Because he knew that there was no CCTV in this room, then, a camera was around, but… he had no single time to search for it, he had to get out of the room before he could say anything or make any calls.
“I’m done.”
He turned around when he heard and then scrutinized her from head to toe.
He did not like that this woman was wearing his clothes but right now, he had no choice.
He would not allow her to walk out of this room with him looking that way.
He could have left her alone and just left, but King knew a person like her.
What if she gathered the press and started telling them things that were not real?
His reputation was suffering already because of this unknown woman, so he could not take another risk.
King grabbed his phone and then walked to the door. He hit the door door once and when he heard a knock that came twice, he unlocked the door and then pushed the door open.
“What is the status outside?” He asked the security men that guarded his room.
“The paparazzi and a few media companies are outside. Podcasts are being aired and some television companies are starting to make topics out of it,” one of the men answered.
“We’re going through the basement, right?”
“Unfortunately, they got a whiff of the basement also, and they are fully swamped there, so, I think it would be nice if you used the main door. It would be easier to pass through, and there are security men out there too. They would not get to you,” he answered.
King nodded his head and then gestured to them to move. As he turned to walk, he stopped rather abruptly when he felt a hand wrapped around his arm.
“We are passing through the paparazzi?!” she widened her eyes.
“Do you want to stay in here forever then?” he asked and then snatched his hand from her.
Payton bit her lower lips as she watched the man walk away and then exhale.
She hurried after him as she tightened her grip on her bag.
Getting caught together, and being captured together was just like telling those people that whatever happened was true.
Of course, it happened, but… do they need to show everyone that again?
===
“It's Kings!”
“Kings!”
The paparazzi shouted as they saw the couple walk out of the hotel with security guarding them heavily.
“Is the video true?!”
“Who is this woman?!”
“What do you have to say about the video?!”
“Do you admit to being a womanizer?!”
“Is it true that she is just your sex toy?!”
He was bombarded with those questions as they made their way to the car that was pulled away from the crowd.
Thanks to the security men who guarded them, there was no doubt that this group of hungry paparazzi would have covered them the moment they got out.
“Do you truly change women every time like underwear?!”
He heard the question amidst the hundred of questions that were flying around and he stopped walking.
There was one thing he was genuinely grateful for and that was the fact that he was no womanizer.
“Womanizer, you say?” He raised a brow.
“Words are flying around that you have several sex toys and this woman is just one of them,” one of them said.
He turned his head to look at the woman beside him and raised a brow as he saw that her face had clouded in anger.
“She is not a sex toy, she is my girlfriend,” he blurted unconsciously.
He would not sit still while he allowed them to drag him forward in the mud.
He had kept a clean reputation all through his years as a businessman and it takes this woman… and one night to ruin it.
He… would do anything to restore it anyway.
“What?”
He heard the woman mouthed and he wrapped his arms around her shoulder.
“I deeply apologize for the obscene video which might have been very disturbing, but, this woman is my fiancé… and not a sex toy,” he announced.
King looked down at her, cupped his cheeks, and then crashed his lips down on hers.
“I’m sorry you had to go through this because of me,” he blinked as he bore his eyes on her.
“Shithead,” Payton whispered as she locked eyes with the man.
Screw you.
She screamed inwardly.
======
“How the fuck did that mix-up happened?!”
Ava yelled at the caller and then slammed her palm against her forehead.
“I thought it was room 1102, I did not know we were supposed to go to room 1103,” the man defended.
“How could you make such a mistake?!” Ava screamed and turned to look at the door again.
Hopefully, no one would hear her.
“At least, the result is the same, right? Just that the man is different. Nothing spoiled, no?”
“Do you know who that person is?!”
“Should we know him?”
“Asshole, that is Thorn! King Thorn!”
“King Th… King?!” she heard the panic in his voice instantly.
“First, get rid of the CCTV footage in the corridor. We would be done for if he finds out!”
“There is no CCTV camera in the VIP corridor. I made sure of that as we entered there.”
“Find out again! I can't trust any word that comes from your mouth!”
Ava snapped and then dropped the call immediately.
As if setting Payton up with the wrong man was not enough…
The wrong man had to be King.
King Thorn…
Damn.
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
===In the car, before King showed up at Payton’s house.===“Stop the car, Dariel,” King gave off a loud hiss and slapped his forehead.“What’s going on?” Dariel asked as he looked around for a perfect spot to park the car.After a while, he pulled the car, and King came out from the back where he sat.Moving over to the front beside Dariel, he hissed again and turned the iPad in his hand to him.“What is this?” Dariel asked as he stared at the screen.“These idiots are coming up with things that I’ve not even done before. Why am I being termed as a womanizer?” King frowned.Dariel parted his lips as he browsed through the tons of podcasts that were being aired and he shook his head.“What the fuck?” Dariel burst out in laughter as he saw the clearly edited picture of King coming out of the hotel with another woman.“Is this a comedy show?” King snapped his brows together as he stared at Dariel.“Your head is edited on another person’s body. Damn, lies are spreading already,” Dariel
“Yes, Payton Vass. You will marry me.”Payton did not know what was more surprising. This man showing up at her house… or knowing her name.She was sure she did not tell him that.Seeing the expression on her father’s face, she shifted uncomfortably and moved over to Max who had a betrayed look on his face.“Max…” she called him in a whisper as tears dropped from her eyes.“Mr. Thorn,” came her father’s voice.“Hi, Mr. Vass.”“You all must have seen the video and must have been disturbed by it…” he said as his face dropped on Payton who was torn between pleading with her boyfriend or rushing over to him.“I… we were not expecting you.”Payton frowned as her father fidgeted in front of the man and she moved over to him instantly.“Dad, you can’t welcome him in. He did this to me!” She hollered.No one answered her, instead, King kept his eyes pinned on Will, Payton's father.“How may I help you?”“I am sure you heard me. You saw the news. You know what is going on, and I am going to ma
“Our mess?” Payton scoffed and moved over to the man who didn’t move one bit.“Our mess! And… pay for it? You are so crazy. Trust me. Damn you if you think I plan on getting married to a person like you. You disgust me!” She snapped.King’s face clouded in anger. He had been trying to keep it in. He wanted to, really.He believed that there was still a lot of time to find out who had sent the woman to do what she had done to him.No way he would believe her facade and trust that she had no idea how they had gotten into this situation also.He covered the space between them, “It was you who put us in this mess, Payton, and you will do as I've told you!” his eyes blazed in anger as he grabbed her arm.“It was you who did this to me! You better get us out of this mess!” she snapped back as she yanked her arm away.“Then we are going to get married. You think I want to marry you too?” He let out a mocking smile and shook his head.King dipped his hand in his pocket, removed his card, and
“Did you check the hotel?” King asked Dariel over the phone as he pulled the car to a stop.“Yes, there is no camera.”“Are you sure? I am certain something is there.”“Maybe someone got there first? I checked the angle you described. And… your drink…”“Yeah. Did you take it for a test also?”“The room has been cleaned so there is nothing there. I checked with the staff and they had already poured it away.”King twitched his lips upward and nodded his head. “Okay.”“Where are you?” Dariel asked.“I’m at Sasha’s.”“You are going to see her? At a time like this?!” King imagined the frown that must have gathered on Dariel’s face and shook his head.“Still, I gotta see her. I will talk to you later.”“Sure. Be careful to evade the reporters.”===“How dare you show your face here?!” King stopped abruptly as the pillow flew in his direction.He exhaled and stared at the woman who sat on her bed, crying profusely, and then looked around the room that was scattered.As he slowly walked to
“A bigger smile, please!” Payton exhaled gently as the photographer said and she breathed in again.She raised her head, clenched her teeth together, and widened her fake smile.It must have been evident.She thought.That this marriage was just of convenience and nothing more, because right now, without being told, she knew that she had the fakest smile ever.“Can the bride's father and mother move closer to the bride?”He demanded again.“Jesus, can we just get this done with?!” She burst out unconsciously and then swallowed hard.She dared to not let it show.Why was she letting her emotions get the best out of her?“Ohhhh, I see that the bride can’t wait to walk down the aisle,” he joked and Payton forced a smile again.After a while of taking pictures in different styles with her family, they moved away from her while she sat ‘pretty’ on the chair, a bouquet held tightly in her hands“Sister!” Came the loud pitched voice from Ava who rushed to her and then pulled her in a quick
“Do you, Payton Inez Vass, take King Thorn for your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”King pinned his eyes on Payton as the officiant asked her. She stared at him back and he chuckled inwardly.She really looked like she was going to yell NO to his face but instead, she exhaled.“I do,” she said.“King Thorn, do you take Payton Vass to be your wife, to live together in harmony, to love her, to honor her, to comfort her, and to keep her in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?"“I do,” a mocking smirk tugged on his lips as he said immediately.‘Forsaking all others… for as long as you both shall live?’As if they would even manage to spend six months together!King knew that he was going to have real issues with Payton. He does not even need to be told.‘Dream on. If that makes you sleep at night?’She dared to tell hi
“Ah… I… F… I am so sorry, ma'am,” she bowed gently while she twitched her lips rather guiltily.She really should not feel guilty, honestly. It was King’s fault that he did not tell her about her.Just an ‘I have a mother’ would not hurt his ego, for real.But instead, all he was after was how she should respect him and not put her mouth in his matter.What an egoistic bastard!“I can see you are short of words,” she smacked her tongue.“I am so sorry. King did not tell me…”Should she be saying that?What if King had told his mother that he had told her already?“Girl, same!” She exclaimed and Payton raised a brow.The ‘girl, same’ totally blew her away!“He did not even show me your picture either. I have been wanting to meet you for a long time!” She said.“A long time?” Payton raised her brows.“Yes. About a year or something. He kept refusing to tell me anything about you! Could you believe he called me a few days ago to tell me about the wedding?!”Hold on. A year ago?She had b