Game of Love and Deception: The Billionaire's Ex Wife
Chapter 49: For her daughter

Chapter 49: For her daughter

Ashley’s eyes fluttered open with a soft yawn. She purred, turning to the other side of the bed and hugging the fluffy pillow. That was when she noticed the unfamiliar bedsheet... and even the duvet covering her.

She slowly sat up, frowning in confusion as she took in her surroundings. Minimalistic coffee-brown walls. A walk-in closet. A matching coffee-brown carpet at the center of the room, the same shade as the duvet.

Everything was different from the white and peach tones of her own bedroom.

That could only mean one thing—she hadn’t slept in her room. Or, in her house.

Where was her phone? She found it on the bedrest, but it was dead.

God. Michelle must be so worried.

She tried to remember what had happened in the last few hours, but her memory stopped at the press release after she signed the deal with Grey Group. What happened after that? And how had she ended up here?

Her heart began to race.

Could she have been... kidnapped?

Her eyes dropped to the black shirt she was wearing. Alarm bells rang in her head when she checked underneath... and found she wasn’t wearing any panties.

How the hell did she end up naked?

She brought the shirt closer to her nose and inhaled. Earthy cologne. She loved it instantly. But then she quickly had a rethink. If this belonged to her kidnapper, she shouldn’t be liking it.

She slid off the bed, eyes scanning the room for something—anything—she could use to defend herself. Her frustration grew when she found nothing. Not even a pen.

With her phone dead, she couldn’t even tell what time it was.

She took a deep breath, tiptoeing toward the door. Her hand shook slightly as she reached for the knob, holding her breath.

Her heartbeat thundered in her chest.

Just then, she felt the door start to open from the other side.

In a panic, Ashley bolted back toward the bed, and in the chaos, her foot slammed into the side table. Pain shot through her leg.

"Ah!" she cried, limping backward.

"Ashley?"

Lorenzo rushed over, scooping her up like she weighed nothing, gently setting her on the bed. He crouched down, inspecting her foot with a mix of confusion and concern.

"Shit. You’re bleeding."

He disappeared, only to return less than a minute later with a first aid kit.

Ashley stared at him, wide-eyed. What was going on? How had she ended up here—in his house—or wherever the hell they were?

"Why did you run?" Lorenzo asked as he carefully tended to the small cut on her big toe.

Ashley blinked, staring at the oversized bandage he wrapped around her toe. One would think she’d been hit by a trailer.

"You weren’t trying to sneak out without me noticing, were you?" he added, his tone casual despite the concern in his eyes.

He’d heard noises while working on his PC in the next room, and when he came to check, he found her bolting toward the bed like a frightened rabbit.

Ashley wanted to hiss, hating how the familiar sound of his voice made her heart skip. How she’d felt a strange sense of relief when she realized she was with him instead of a random kidnapper. How being in his arms had felt so natural.

"I thought I was kidnapped," she muttered, scooting farther into the bed to put some distance between them. "How did I get here?"

"You came on your own... drunk," Lorenzo said, putting away the items from the first aid kit before standing up.

Ashley frowned. "I don’t remember that."

Then the realization hit her—the shirt was his, and the lack of underwear.

Oh, no!

A lump instantly formed in her throat.

"Did... did we... you know..." Her voice trailed off, her cheeks flushing bright red.

Lorenzo knowing what she was going to ask, smirked, stepping closer. He leaned in, placing one hand on each side of her, caging her in.

Ashley’s pulse quickened.

"Did we what?" he asked, his tone teasing.

Ashley pressed her lips into a tight line, knowing he was messing with her, but she still needed to be sure.

"I woke up in your house. Wearing your shirt. Without my..." she cleared her throat. "panties."

"Okay?" he replied, listening with too much amusement.

She cursed under her breath and glared at him.

"Since you clearly want me to spell it out... did we have sex?" she snapped.

"Oh, that?" Lorenzo brushed a stray hair from her face, making her freeze at the gentle touch. "We didn’t get there."

Ashley’s eyes widened in a way that Lorenzo found far too cute.

"What do you mean we didn’t get there?"

"I mean," he said bluntly, "we didn’t get to the fucking-ourselves part."

Her heart thudded harder. "So... where exactly did we get?"

Lorenzo leaned closer. She wanted to move away, to put more space between them again, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. Her limbs felt weak. She just sat there, tense, waiting—unsure if she wanted him to stop or keep going.

His breath brushed against her neck, then slowly drifted toward her ear. She panted softly.

"You asked if I wanted to cuff you and spank your ass," he whispered. "Then you asked for the rules... to become my mistress."

His fingers trailed lazy patterns down her neck, across the bare skin of her arm, then down to her thigh—right above her lap.

Ashley’s breath hitched, her chest rising and falling unevenly. She wanted to push him away, to stop this—whatever this was—but her body betrayed her. She stayed still. She hated how helpless she gets around him.

"Then," Lorenzo continued, just when she thought he might touch her more, "you puked all over my shirt. So I took you to the bathroom."

The moment he said it, scattered memories flickered in. She was drinking in her office after the press release, the team celebrating, her own thoughts spiraling to her missing daughter. And then nothing.

"I-I’m sorry," she stammered, her voice soft and shaky. His touch still lingered on her skin like it belonged there.

Lorenzo smirked.

His hand paused, hovering right where she thought he might finally touch her wet center. But then he pulled away.

To her own dismay... she missed the contact.

"For someone who says she hates me and doesn’t want to be near me," he murmured, "you’re so wet."

Ashley’s face flamed. Her whole body burned with shame and frustration. She had to say something—anything.

"Don’t get ahead of yourself," she snapped, cheeks flushed. "It’s just the lingering effect of the alcohol."

Lorenzo scoffed. "It’s the alcohol indeed," he mocked under his breath.

Seeing how much his presence undeniably affected her, he smirked and straightened up.

Ashley exhaled in relief at the space between them. "I want to go home," she said quickly.

"It’s 3 a.m., sunshine," Lorenzo replied. "Go back to sleep—unless you want to hear the rules before you do."

Another thought hit her, sudden and even more embarrassing.

"Did Amelia see me puke all over you?" she asked, heart jumping.

"Nah," Lorenzo said. "She went home before the drama. I cleaned it up, so you don’t worry about her ever finding out."

Relief washed through her again... then something else. Something warmer. He cleaned her mess. Quietly. Without complaint.

Christian wouldn’t do that for her, not even if she were dying.

Why was she comparing them?

"Help me find my daughter," she blurted suddenly, voice low but steady. "I’ll do whatever you want."

Lorenzo blinked, clearly caught off guard. He’d expected her to keep stalling, to have more rethink. His eyes met hers, piercing, searching. But she didn’t look away.

He sat beside her again, gently taking her injured foot in his hands, and massaged it softly. Then, he placed a slow, lingering kiss on it. Ashley’s toes curled in response.

"Are you sure about this, sunshine?" he asked, voice rough. "Can you handle what it means to be mine... even if it’s only for a while?"

Ashley took a deep, slow breath, calming her nerves. This wasn’t about her. It’s about her daughter, she reminded herself. Lorenzo had hurt her once, she’d never want him again.

Still, she’d have to guard her heart like never before... if she didn’t want him finding a way back in and break it all over again.

"I’ve handled a lot of things," she said finally, her voice steady. "This will just be one of them."

A small smile tugged at Lorenzo’s lips as he watched her. "You’ll get the rules once I’m done drafting them," he said in a manner that made her suddenly unsure if she wanted to continue with the deal. But she had no choice now.

Lorenzo stood and walked away, leaving her alone... with nothing but silence... and the war waging inside her chest. And the flame between her legs.

No matter how much she tried to quiet her thoughts, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d just made a deal with the devil. One that, at the very least, would steal her soul.

But for her daughter... she’d do anything.

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