Chapter 115
"Benjamin, okay, maybe you don't want to forgive me, but you can at least have a drink with me, right?"
Chloe's eyes brimmed with tears as she looked up at him cautiously.
She'd practiced this angle specifically in the mirror—it showed off her face to maximum effect, making her look especially vulnerable and deserving of sympathy.
Benjamin looked at her like this, his frown deepening.
Not because he felt sorry for Chloe, of course. He just found it all incredibly tedious.
He didn't want to drink with her, but he also knew Chloe's personality. If he refused, she'd probably keep harping on this all day.
Thinking of what she'd said about Charlotte, Benjamin pressed his lips together and reached out to take the glass, draining it in one gulp.
"Can you talk now?" He set the empty glass down heavily on the table.
The moment she saw him drink, Chloe's heart leapt with wild joy, though her expression remained unchanged. She nodded.
"Okay, I'll tell you."
"Benjamin, the truth is Charlotte… she doesn't even like Alexander. She's just using him to get back at the Johnson family. The person she really wants revenge on… is you..."
Chloe began spinning an elaborate web of lies about Charlotte's supposed "schemes," but the man across from her was already having trouble focusing.
He felt a constant ringing in his ears, and a strange, unsettling heat began rising through his body. His head grew foggy, and when he looked at Chloe, her image seemed to split into doubles.
"What… what did you put in that drink?"
Benjamin's eyes lost focus. His legs gave way beneath him, and his body swayed.
"What did I put in it? Something that'll make you feel good and ensure you belong to me forever, Benjamin."
Seeing his condition, Chloe dropped the act entirely. A twisted smile spread across her face as she moved forward, catching his unsteady form and pressing herself against him, her breath warm against his ear. "Stop fighting it. Tonight, let's just enjoy ourselves."
"By tomorrow morning, all of Imperial City will know that Mr. Benjamin Harris and Chloe are madly in love, having a passionate night at the hotel."
With that, she dragged the barely conscious Benjamin toward the king-sized bed in the bedroom.
After dumping him on the bed, she climbed onto his waist, disheveled his clothes, and left several kiss marks on his neck before nodding with satisfaction.
Then she pulled out her phone and took several compromising photos of them on the bed from different angles.
Once that was done, she dialed a number.
"Hello, is this Mr. Perez? I've got an explosive story for you… Yes, it's about Benjamin from the Harris Group… Come to Room 1808 at Celestial Peak Hotel right now with your crew. I guarantee tomorrow's front page will be all yours!"
……
The next morning, sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, spilling across the plush bed.
The man seemed bothered by the light. He instinctively frowned and turned his head slightly to the side.
The brutal headache from his hangover made him reach up and massage his temples before slowly opening his eyes.
When he saw the unfamiliar décor and the ornate crystal chandelier above him, the man snapped fully awake.
This… wasn't his villa!
In an instant, a terrible thought flashed through his mind. He whipped his head around—and a tear-streaked face filled his vision.
Chloe was huddled in the corner, wrapped in a sheet, her bare shoulders showing faint, suggestive red marks. Tears clung to the corners of her eyes, as if she'd suffered some tremendous injustice.
"Benjamin, you're awake." Her voice came out timid, but she couldn't quite hide the triumph in it.
Benjamin's memory came flooding back. The spiked wine. The woman's knowing smile. His own body spiraling out of control…
Instantly, he felt nauseated. He couldn't help but gag as he threw off the covers and moved to get out of bed.
When he saw that he was still wearing yesterday's dress shirt and slacks—rumpled but intact, not the scenario he'd feared—he breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank God. The worst hadn't happened.
But immediately after, the humiliation of being manipulated surged back up, stoking his fury even higher.
"Put your clothes on and get out of my sight. Don't let me see you again!" Benjamin's voice was ice-cold, his eyes devoid of warmth. "I'm telling you, Chloe, stop wasting your time. I will never marry you!"
"Everything you've done just makes me sick!"
Chloe's face went pale when she heard this. Tears immediately spilled down her cheeks.
"Benjamin, how can you say that to me? This is all because I love you too much! Last night…"
"Shut up!"
He cut her off brutally, his eyes filled with undisguised disgust.
Smelling the lingering scent of the room's fragrance, Benjamin couldn't stand to be there another second. He turned and headed straight for the door. All he wanted was to get out of this place that made him sick.
The moment he pulled open the door, camera flashes erupted like they'd been lying in wait. Countless microphones thrust toward his face.
"Were you two having a romantic evening here last night? Does this mean we can expect a marriage alliance between the Harris Group and the Johnson Group soon?"
"Mr. Harris, there are rumors you're with her sister to get revenge on Ms. Charlotte Johnson. Is that true?"
"Mr. Harris…"
The cacophony of voices crashed over him like a wave. Benjamin's expression grew darker and darker.
He never imagined Chloe would arrange this ambush too!
Just as Benjamin stood there surrounded, fielding endless questions, his anger boiling over with nowhere to go, a delicate figure emerged from behind him and slipped her arm intimately through his.
"Thank you all for your concern, everyone."
"Benjamin and I have always had a very stable relationship, and our wedding date is almost finalized. Once we've settled on a specific date, we'll be sure to let you all know first."
When the reporters saw Chloe—her hair still damp, wearing only a bathrobe, her face flushed with a shy glow—they looked like they'd stumbled onto the story of the year. They went wild with their cameras.
Benjamin froze completely. Looking at the sweetly smiling woman beside him, the rage churning in his chest threatened to consume him entirely.
He'd been set up! And by a woman he'd never even considered worth his attention!
"Get off me!"
He ground out the words through clenched teeth and shook off her hand violently.
His strength wasn't gentle. Chloe stumbled from the force and nearly fell.
The smile vanished from her face instantly, replaced by hurt.
"Benjamin…"
The surrounding reporters froze at the scene, exchanging glances with each other, clearly not expecting this turn of events.
But after looking at Chloe, they immediately understood what to do and swarmed forward again.