Her head throbbed with an annoying ache, and every muscle screamed in protest.

Hands-on her forehead, Esme Ashworth struggled to sit up, only to be shoved back onto the bed with a force that made her wince.

"What trick are you playing this time, Esme?" Jaiden Wescott's furious shout echoed through the room.

The force of the shove sent a dull pain radiating through her brain as her head hit the mattress. The shock of it quickly cleared the fog in her mind. Esme's eyes flew open, taking in the sight of the angry man looming over her—Jaiden Wescott, his body bare and his cheek heaving with rage.

"I..." she began, her voice weak. In a flash, the events that happened today flooded back to her, crystal clear. Just as she is about to explain, another voice cuts in.

“You… What are you guys doing?”

The voice belonged to a girl who looked exactly like Esme. She stormed through the door, her eyes wide with shock. Behind her followed a woman with a tense expression, clearly dissatisfied with the scene in front of her.

Esme's gaze shifted to the girl just in time to see tears beginning to stream down her face. The girl quickly covered her face with her hands and fled the room, sobbing. The woman behind her, alarmed by the girl’s tears, quickly ran after her.

At almost the same time, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway of the hotel. Moments later, a large crowd of paparazzi burst into the room, their cameras flashing and their voices calling for the two’s attention.

“Mr. Westcott!” one of the paparazzi called out, thrusting his phone forward and recording the scene. “Can you explain what’s happening here?”

Esme watched as Jaiden's face darkened, his jaw clenching in anger. Without a word, he snatched the phone from the man's hand and hurled it to the ground. The phone shattered on impact, pieces scattering across the floor.

“Get out!” Jaiden roared, his voice filled with anger. The paparazzi recoiled, momentarily stunned into silence, before backing up, murmuring amongst themselves as they left the room.

The room fell into an uneasy silence, broken only by the distant murmur of voices from the hallway. Esme shuddered as she watched Jaiden, her heart racing. When he turned to look at her, their eyes locked. She bit her lip, trying to bring up the courage to speak.

“If I say it wasn’t me, will you believe me?” Esme's voice was barely a whisper.

The answer was painfully predictable.

“I just didn’t pay attention for that little bit of time, just that little bit, and you managed to drug my drink.” Jaiden's voice was cold and filled with accusations.

His large hand reached out, gripping her chin with sudden force, making her look up at him. Jaiden's smile was icy. “You’re so desperate, aren’t you, Esme? You're so desperate for money that you’re here to ruin the relationship between me and Anissa.”

As his hand tightened around her face, pain shot through Esme. She gritted her teeth, her eyebrows scrunching together. Despite the pain, she forced a bitter laugh. “Is there any point in me saying anything since you won’t believe me anyway? Yes, I need money. So desperately that I’d ruin you and my little sister’s relationship. Happy now?”

“Esme Ashworth!” Jaiden’s handsome face flushed a deep red, his anger clear. He gritted his teeth together, his rage increasing. “Don’t you try to play the victim here. That doesn’t work for me. Don’t think that just because the paparazzi got wind of us together, you can marry into the Westcott family. I won’t ever allow that!”

As Jaiden finished speaking, he pushed Esme away, his touch as cold as his words. He quickly threw on his clothes, his movements jerky with anger, and then stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him with a deafening bang.

The room finally fell silent, the echo of the door's slam still ringing in Esme's ears. She pushed herself up on the bed, glancing at the tightly closed door. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. After a moment, she began to gather her scattered clothes from the floor, picking them up one by one with trembling hands.

Outside, the paparazzi had learned their lesson and didn't dare to provoke Jaiden again, nor did they approach her sister Anissa, or her mother, Madison Tyrrell. But as Esme stepped out of the room, she was immediately surrounded by the paparazzi. They braced themselves, thrusting microphones and recording devices into her face.

“Ms. Ashworth, everyone knows about Mr. Westcott’s marriage proposal to your sister, Ms. Anissa. Did you plan this encounter with Mr. Westcott beforehand?”

“There are rumors that you were raised outside of the city. Did you do this because you’re jealous of Ms. Anissa?”

“Are you and Ms. Anissa...”

The number of questions stunned Esme. She had never dealt with the paparazzi before, and their relentless questioning left her momentarily speechless. But as she saw the gossip and mocking glint in their eyes, a wave of determination surged through her.

"Was it Anissa who asked you guys to do this?" Esme demanded, clenching her fists and glaring coldly at them. “Then bring it on.”

She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and used her long legs to walk out of the crowd that surrounded her. The paparazzi, however, weren’t going to give up that easily and quickly followed her into the elevator, firing questions at her non-stop.

“Ms. Ashworth, did you plan all of this to sabotage your sister’s engagement?”