Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

His words changed the vibe in the suite immediately-suddenly, everything felt a little off.

Nicholas couldn't hold back. "Willing or not, honestly, it's better if she isn't. Dylan marrying her is just to make her miserable anyway. No wonder Chase said not to get on Dylan's bad side. Who else would use their own marriage as a weapon for revenge? Only him. That's cold."

Jackson finally snapped, jaw tight. "How did you even realize you liked Scarlette back then?"

Just hearing Scarlette's name was enough to put out the fire in Nicholas's eyes.

He looked down, tracing the rim of his glass with his finger. "Wasn't sure at first. I just felt super possessive, you know? Then, when I hit puberty, I started dreaming about her had to change my sheets every night for a week."

Honestly, if he hadn't realized he liked her after all that, he'd have to be an idiot.

Jackson didn't say anything, just thought, Classic Nicholas.

Meanwhile, Richard hadn't taken his eyes off Dylan since Jackson brought up whether Clara was even willing.

Dylan, of course, never answered.

A sharp smack echoed as a card landed on the coffee table-this time Jackson's.

He flopped back into his seat, chin propped on one hand. "I don't get why you're into Clara, but if that's what you want, I'll respect it. My wedding gift's the same as Chase's."

He nodded at Nicholas.

Nicholas patted his pockets, clearly empty. "I'll owe you."

Dylan's lips curled just a little as he picked up the red marriage certificate from the table and tucked it away like it was something precious.

He ignored the cards. Instead, he just asked, "Anyone want a drink?"

Richard stayed quiet. If Dylan had just married whoever Walter picked, they'd probably be happy to toast him—at least then life might finally calm down.

But with Clara, who knew what kind of trouble was coming?

Clara was always unpredictable.

No one felt like drinking.

Richard leaned back, staring up at the ceiling, voice steady. "I'm not drinking. I don't want to get blamed when you get yourself killed."

Dylan let out a quiet laugh, called Aiden in to collect the cards, and told the manager to bring some wine.

As the bottle opened with a pop, Dylan said softly, "I want this."

Maybe a forced marriage wasn't sweet, but having her close, for once, felt like something he could hold on to.

No more making up reasons to see her-she'd be at home, waiting for him.

The thought made him drop his gaze, hiding whatever he was really feeling.

*

Clara sat in front of a table loaded with food fit for a king, but she couldn't eat a single bite.

She'd

married on a

whimed into it by her ex-boss, Who could she even tell?

no

would believe her?

She was restless, more and more irritated as time dragged on.

It'd been a whole week with zero contact from the outside world. She wondered if

Z was worried about her.

If Z found out she'd suddenly married some guy, he'd probably drop dead on the spot.

Clara poked at the rice in her bowl, appetite gone.

A housekeeper nearby coaxed, "Mrs. Carter, please try to eat a little."

Clara gave a half-smile. "Do you guys get in trouble if I don't finish my meal? Got some kind of quota to hit?"

The housekeeper looked embarrassed-she knew Clara was taking a shot at Mr. Dylan, but she didn't dare respond.

Clara forced herself to calm down. No point taking it out on the staff-they were just doing their jobs.

Dylan...

How had things even ended up like this between them?

She forced down a couple bites before someone led her to Dylan's bedroom.

She'd been here before, but now

there was a big red "Double Happiness" character taped to the ctically shouting that

door

tonight was their wedding night.

Her mood soured all over again. She glanced at the housekeeper. "Can't I just

sleep in the room I had before?"

She'd been staying in the guest room next to the master bedroom these past few days.

Now, even that felt too close for comfort.noveldrama

For a split second, the whole thing seemed ridiculous. With a guy like Dylan, if he ever got close to a woman, everyone would think she'd hit the jackpot. And yet, here she was, worried he'd take advantage of her. The world really was upside down.

After all, she was just a stand-in.