CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE: A CRAZY SCENE

\-ARTEMIS- 

The smell of ginseng tea lingered in the air as I regained consciousness. I wiped my eyes clear; the image of gold interiors on a white wall sent shivers up my spine. This room, according to Mom, is a VIP suite for visitors only. How had I gotten in? 

I lowered my head, searching for my phone, which rested next to me. I grabbed it almost immediately; my eyes narrowed as the time appeared on the screen. 

“9 AM.” Had I fallen asleep? Has the party come to an end? Where’s Alexander? 

I shrugged off the bed, rising to my feet. My hands clinging onto my thighs. Funny, I couldn’t feel my jumpsuit. 

My eyes widened when I spotted my jumpsuit on the table on the other end of the room. How had it gotten there? I was full of questions. 

“You’re up early.” A familiar voice reached out to me. I motioned towards the sound, Jamie standing by the entrance, wearing only a short with a tray in his hands. 

I jumped back into bed, covering myself with the sheets almost immediately. He chuckled seeing how embarrassed I was. 

“You monster!” I let out. 

“Monster?” He held up a grin, holding back the urge to laugh. 

As he came forward, I moved back, clutching onto the sheets in case he tried to pull them off. 

“Artemis,” he said playfully. 

“Did you?” I held up a stern look, my index finger pointing in his direction.

“You should know me better than that. I wouldn’t take advantage of a lost little lamb,” he chuckled. 

“I don’t trust you.” 

“Do you feel any pains, pleasure, that wonderful wash you get after getting hit?” His eyebrows arched upwards as he stared at me. 

I said nothing, knowing I felt nothing but a relaxed feeling, an aftereffect I felt after retiring to bed every day. He hadn’t touched me? That’s new. 

“Did I say anything yesterday?” I muttered, my head lowered. 

“Oh, you said quite a lot of things…” He held up a smirk, his hands supporting his head. 

The smirk on his lips was enough reason for me to be curious. What had I spat out when I was subconscious? Had I said something about him? Alexander? Hope I hadn’t spilled the beans?

“What happened yesterday?” I asked. 

“Nothing much; you just waltzed in and headed for my bed.”

I heave a sigh, my curiosities fading away. 

“But then you took off your jumpsuit and you kissed me.” He spat. 

“We kissed.” I held my chest, hoping he hadn’t been lying about us not having a good time. 

“Right after you were like, Jamie, you know, you look quite handsome tonight.”

“I said that.” My eyes fixed on his ample smile. 

“Yeah, you were like, Show me how you make Bella moan. Show me why Bella is much better than me.” He leaned on the desk behind him, watching me hide my face in between my laps. 

“Make me yours, Jamie. I want you in me, Jamie.” He teased. 

I felt horrible, my head crouching as I fantasized about how crazy I would have looked saying all those things. What had gotten over me?

“Jamie, Bella claims you make her happy. Make me happy tonight.” He mimicked my words continuously. 

“It’s okay.” I said in haste. Sleeping on his bed without my jumpsuit was enough embarrassment, but with those words, I was cooked. 

“Eat up; I’ll sneak you out after the meal.” He offered. 

I stared at him, his perfectly sculpted abs greeting me. He had truly gotten bigger and more muscular than I had expected. I motioned towards my hands, which I believed had enjoyed playing with his abs last night. 

“Hope you didn’t tell Bella that I crashed in here.” 

“My phone’s dead; there’s no way I could reach her.” He grabbed a top, pushing it down as he covered his perfectly sculpted body. 

“Not a word about this to anyone.” I glare, trying to hide the embarrassment beneath my frown. 

“Yes, ma’am.” He chuckles. 

Though Jamie wasn’t the type to mingle with friends, not like I knew any of his friends even if he had. He was a single man, antisocial, and would do anything to keep his name clean. He wouldn’t like a scandal. 

Knock, knock… The door shook, voices on the other side. I motioned towards Jamie, who was more confused than me. He walked up to the door, not opening up for whoever’s there. 

“Who’s out there?” He asked, his voice deep and commanding. 

“It’s me, Bella.” 

We gazed at each other, and he ran back to the bed. His eyes searched the room as I grabbed my jumpsuit, ready to escape if needed. 

“Under the bed,” he whispers.

“Isn’t there a closet or something?” I said, barely above a whisper. 

“Under the bed now!” He grabbed my jumpsuit suit, swinging it into his bag. 

“Go, go.”

I roll under the bed, trying my very best to position myself in the safest way possible. 

“Uh, yeah, that’s it.” Jamie began to moan loudly, shaking the bed with all his might. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Shhhh!” He pushed the bed more, the sound loud enough to reach the other side of the door. 

“Jamie darling, what are you doing? The press wants to see you. They claim they want to hear your latest business proposal for LEON.” Bella said. 

“Uh, ah, yeah. I’ll be out in a minute; I just have to get this out real quick.” He continues pushing, his moans louder than before. 

“Is he masturbating?” A female voice came from the other side. 

“Jamie?” Bella said. 

Jamie pulls his shorts down a bit, his underwear peeping out. He grabs the bottle of water by his side, pouring it over his body before taking off his top. 

“Hey baby.” He said as he opened the door. 

Bella scanned him from his head down, her eyes fumbling on his underwear, which had also been hit by the water. “Did you?”

“I was just plumbing?” He forced a smile. 

She pushed him away, the press behind her as she walked in. 

“Artemis I know you’re in there.” She yelled. 

“What’s this supposed to be about?” Jamie groaned. 

“None of your business.” She let out, searching the room with her eyes. 

“It is my business. This is my suite; you can’t expect me to not have not an understanding of what you guys are doing in it.”

Bella walked up to him, their eyes locked. “We want Artemis.” 

“Artemis? She’s not here.” Jamie said with a plain face. 

I knew he was good at pretending, but this was quite an exceptional performance if you ask me. He was maintaining composure while misleading the press. 

“Check the kitchen cabinet.” Bella let out. 

Kitchen cabinet? This was a suite; was there supposed to be a kitchen cabinet…

“Where did you hide Artemis?” She groaned.

“I told you Artemis isn’t here. You can take it or leave it.” He headed towards me, sitting on the bed and blocking my view with his legs. 

It was at this moment I realized my head was revealed the whole time, and she had mildly seen it. 

“Is she there?” Bella knelt before him. 

“I thought you weren’t into heads?” 

She backed out, getting to her feet immediately. “I’m not into it, and I never will be.”

“More for me.” He let out a chuckle. 

“Ma’am, we have searched the entire room. We couldn’t find a trail of her except some sneakers. 

“Shit.” I cursed underneath my breath. 

“What do we have here?” Bella chuckled as she waved my shoes before Jamie. 

“You can’t tell me you haven’t seen me wearing those.” His face stern. 

“I haven’t.” She retorted. 

“Maybe if you’d paid attention to me, then you’d have seen it. You’re always out for yourself, and that’s the result.”

Bella puffed, her hands clutched into fists as she stared at his stern expression. “She’s not here; let’s go, people.”

The sight of Bella and the media crew leaving gave me much more joy than I anticipated. I knew I would never be able to get out of the scandal if the media crew had caught me here.

The headline would definitely be Mercedes Heiress, Artemis, caught in the ruthless CEO Jamie Leonardo’s suite after the house party without her clothes—the prince has been played. 

Bella returns to the room alone, his face red. She was furious; her plan had failed, and it was all thanks to Jamie, who had helped me out of it. 

“I know you helped her.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“No matter what you do Artemis will definitely go down before my very eyes, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. That’s a vow.” She swore. 

“Bella?” His eyes narrowed.

“Do you really mean that?” His voice deep and stern. 

“I made a vow, didn’t you hear?” She placed her hands on her waist, watching Jamie puff in fury. 

“I can’t stay with someone who wants her sister’s downfall.” His words echoed around the room.

“What are you saying, Jamie?”

“We’re out, Bella; there’s no us in the equation anymore.”