Megan stared at her salad, arms crossed over her chest in a sign of clear distaste. After being kicked out of the Drunken Moon Hotel, she had to go to another restaurant, right on the other side of the street with her father, mother and Austin. They all sat gloomily, eating in silence and lost in their own minds.
Not only was their pride bruised, but they couldn't help but be resentful thinking that Georgina was at that moment in one of the best hotels in New York, probably being pampered by the entire staff. Megan was so upset that she had a knot in her throat and couldn't bring herself to eat anything. Suddenly, all her hard work seemed to be in vain. She'd gone through thick and thin to take everything from Georgina but she hadn't expected this to happen. How did her step-sister get to know a powerful man like the CEO of Globex Corporation? The curiosity was almost making her go crazy.
"Eat," her mother Joyce nudged her lightly.
Megan just shrugged, her moody expression only deepening. Her dad Harold spoke, trying to cheer her up:
"Don't worry, Meg. It doesn't matter that we were kicked out of there. This restaurant is much better anyway. You should taste the steak, it's absolutely divine."
Megan rolled her eyes.
"I don't care about the damn food, dad. What I want to know is how Georgina pulled this off. The b***h is not sleeping with the CEO of Globex Corporation, is she?"
Megan noticed her father's hand tightening around his fork. A forced smile took over his face:
"Honey, I know you are upset but you shouldn't call her names, alright? She's your sister."
"She might be my half-sister but I can't lie, can I? She must have slept with him… It wouldn't be the first time, anyway."
Megan was so used to her lies that she was starting to believe them. She knew that Georgina was a virgin before her trap, but didn't even allow herself to think about that. Austin was sitting across from her and he looked more upset than she was. Megan cringed, knowing that he was jealous. His feelings for Georgina were unfortunately still very present.
"I never could have expected," he complained. "Georgina played me like a fool. All this time, she made me believe that I was the only one when—"
"She's a liar, always has been," Megan interrupted him.
"But still… How did she do it? No one ever even met the Mysterious CEO. I've been trying to book a business meeting with him but never got a chance."
"What do you mean, how? I will tell you! She just had to spread her legs open!"
"Megan!" Harold boomed, hitting the table with his fist.
Megan knew better than to speak up again and risk upsetting her father more than he already was.
"Sorry, dad… It's just that I'm so angry at her. She got you kicked out of a restaurant for God's sake."
Her strategy worked. Harold quickly forgot about her lack of respect to focus on that moment when he'd been escorted out by security.
"I have never been so humiliated in my life," he said.
He was a known businessman, respected by all his peers. Luckily, no one he knew was present at the restaurant to witness the humiliation he went through. All because of Georgina.
Austin could relate to the older man's embarrassment but on the other hand, Megan and Joyce were quite used to it. They were not from wealthy families, and being mistreated was something that happened to them quite often, unfortunately.
They watched curiously as Harold took his phone out with a determined look on his face:
"What are you doing, darling?" Joyce asked him.
"I'm freezing all of Georgina's credit cards," he responded.
Megan sat up, a glint of excitement showing up in her eyes for the first time since they left the Drunken Moon Hotel.
"You are?" She grinned.
"Yes. I think I have been too lenient with her and I must teach her a lesson. She will know that she's nothing without me… Not coming back home, huh? Let's see how she'll survive out there without my money."
Harold smiled with smug pride after freezing his daughter's cards. The four of them resumed their meal with a lighter heart, now that they'd done something they believed would compensate for the humiliation they suffered thanks to Georgina.
And right on the other side of the street, the young woman was having a great time in the most luxurious booth of the Drunken Moon Hotel. And to believe that her day had started in tragedy…
She was served with the most delectable meals. All kinds of dishes filled her table and Georgina picked at them, each meal more delicious than the previous ones. She ate to her heart's content and sipped on sweet French wine. In that single instant, she really felt like royalty.
Of course, she couldn't bring herself to finish all the food and there was plenty of it left when she decided that she'd had enough. A few minutes later, the door opened again and a young waitress asked if she wanted anything else. Georgina thanked her and said that she was satiated. The waitress left and came back shortly with the same manager as earlier.
"I hope dinner was to your liking, ma'am."
"Oh it definitely was," Georgina responded with a giggle. "I have filled myself with so much food, I can barely breathe."
"Good to know," the manager grinned. "If you are ready then, I will take you to one of our VIP rooms."
"Sure."
Georgina followed him to the lift and her eyes widened when the manager pressed one of the last floors of the hotel. She knew that's where the presidential suites were and that they cost a fortune, even for one night. Georgina almost told the manager that she couldn't afford that much but then, she changed her mind. She was going to pay with her dad's money anyway. Since she was so upset with him, she believed that he deserved a punishment and making him spend a bit of money was the least she could do.
If the restaurant booth was luxurious, then the suite Georgina was taken to was heaven itself. The door opened to a breathtaking sight of expensive furniture and furthermore, a dreamy sight of New York City. A few young maids were just finishing with tidying up the place and greeted Georgina on their way out.
"We have prepared your bath, Ma'am," the manager informed her. "Please enjoy it and we hope it will help you relax before bed."
"Really… I can't thank you enough," Georgina said to him.
"You don't need to thank me, it's only normal. If you need anything else, you just have to call reception. Good night, miss…?"
"Devins."
"Alright. Good night, Miss Devins."
Georgina waved at him and the man smiled before leaving the suite. She turned around and squealed happily, staring at the wide, lavish suite. In the room of five or six hundred square meters, there were two master bedrooms as well as a study room and an entertainment space. The decor was simple but luxurious, it was definitely to Georgina's liking.
She made her way to the bathroom where indeed, her bath was already waiting for her and next to it, there was another bottle of old French wine, similar to the one she had for dinner.
Georgina stripped slowly out of her dress and underwear. She picked them up and set them carefully in the closet. She stood in front of the large mirror and remembered how broken she'd been in the morning, staring at a different mirror, in a different hotel room. She would have never thought that her day would end like this. Her spirit was uplifted and it eased her broken heart, even if it was just a little bit.
She entered the bathtub and soaked in the warm water with rose petals and essential oils. Georgina almost dozed off in there. She'd played some light music and drank her wine with a lazy smile on her face. Her bath lasted more than an hour before she decided that it was time to go to sleep. She wore a light robe and jumped on the bed, covered with silky sheets.
She was so carefree, Georgina had no idea that on the upper floor, there was a man sitting in his study room and thinking about her.
Klaus was leaning in his chair, twirling his glass of whisky when someone knocked and came inside. It was no other than the hotel's manager. Klaus sat up, his wolf senses immediately detecting the scent of the human woman several floors below them. Alex had been restless ever since they'd encountered her in the restaurant. Alex was oddly protective of the human female, a reaction Klaus hadn't experienced before.
"What is she doing right now?" he asked, his voice carrying a slightly husky undertone when mentioning Georgina.
"She's been taken to one of the suites, sir," the man responded. "Right now, I believe she's taking a bath or getting ready to go to bed."
"Hmm… Was she happy?" Klaus's fingers tightened slightly around the crystal glass. Klaus knew he'd been acting strangely lately. As the playboy of the Von Wald family, he'd never lacked female companions. In New York, the Upper East Side buzzed with rumors that he never dated the same woman twice. But this time was different - every little thing Georgina did caught his attention in ways he couldn't control.
"Yes, she was definitely pleased, sir."
The manager raised one eyebrow when he noticed the little smile tugging at his boss's lips. It looked odd on the face of someone as cold as him. And Klaus didn't even seem to notice that he was smiling.
He was thinking of Georgina's teary blue eyes as she was getting humiliated in the middle of the restaurant earlier. She really didn't deserve it after the morning she had. Klaus felt the powerful need to protect her and couldn't explain why. There was just something about little Georgina Devins that made him weak. Or maybe he was just feeling guilty for what he'd done to her. The memory of those blood-soaked sheets in the morning made him feel guilty.
"Take care of her, alright?" He mumbled to the manager.
The man nodded quickly and Klaus asked him to leave. He stayed alone in his half-lit study room, Georgina occupying every inch of his mind. He saw himself the night before, his hand roaming all over her sexy little body. A shiver ran through him and he felt himself harden in his pants, his wolf's desire merging with his own. He was used to the company of beautiful women but... Georgina wasn't like any other.
Had Klaus considered that Georgina might be his true mate? But he quickly dismissed the thought.If she was his mate, Alex would have recognized it instantly, rather than being just as confused as he was. Besides, as an Alpha prince preparing to compete for leadership of his pack, he knew forming an attachment to a human woman was dangerous, unprecedented even. The royal bloodlines of werewolf society had never accepted a human mate.
However he felt indebted to her after taking something as precious as her virginity. Perhaps his feelings were just guilt-driven compensation?
Klaus set down his glass, not wanting to think about it anymore.