Awakened Behind Bars: The Golden Finger

“Please, he’s had 12 surgeries already, but nothing’s worked. I believe you can heal him, Golden Ornix.” A trembling woman, pleaded, holding the little boy in her arms. Tears filled her face. She looked completely dirty and frail, as if she hadn’t eaten in days.

As she knelt before the Golden Throne, that extremely handsome man sat, his expression calm and his aura exuded power. Just before the man could say anything, another woman rushed forward.

“Please! My case is way worse than hers! Please, help us! My daughter hasn’t even been able to speak in 5 months, because of her condition!”

The man sighed. More people kept rushing in. The huge mansion was filled with crying, desperate people, each pleading for help. The women’s voices overlapped, cries mingling with sobs.

And then, the moment he opened his mouth to speak, he —

***

Desmond Knight woke up to cold water being splashed on his face. He opened his eyes and was met with a pair of angry hazel eyes, which belonged to the famous Cherry Vixen, daughter of a well-renowned multi-billionaire in the city.

The two things Cherry hated the most were dirt and poverty, and Desmond looked like he had both of them. She grabbed him by the collar. “You fool! How dare you!” she clenched her teeth, trembling with anger.

Desmond was so confused as he looked around the room. He had the craziest dream, and now this? He looked at her, wondering why she was acting up. They literally had a good time last night.

“Hey, Cherry. Relax. Why are you yelling? Is something wrong?”

“Shut it! How dare you talk to me? Your mouth stinks. How dare you touch me? What am I doing here?”

Desmond’s brows furrowed in confusion. “I don’t understand. What are you saying? You spent the night with me.”

“That’s a lie!” Cherry spat. “Ew, you reek of everything I’m allergic to. How can you say I spent the night with you, huh? Start talking. Did you…”

She let go of his collar and then pulled the waistband of her skirt, looking inside. “Oh my gosh! You violated me.”

Desmond raised his hand. “What? I would never do such a thing. It was consensual. Why in the world would you say something like that?”

“There was nothing consensual. You violated me, you perv!”

Desmond just stared at her in confusion. He had arrived at the city really late. He came all the way here to start a new life after he had just lost his mother and his little sister. He had arrived late, so he just booked this hotel. He was settling in when Cherry just walked in and started making advances toward him.

He knew he should have resisted, but he didn’t think much of it. He was feeling depressed, and he just let her have her way. Plus, she didn’t exactly seem drunk. There was no sort of alcohol on her breath, so he let her. And now she was saying all sorts of bullshit.

“Hey, are you spacing out on me?” She slapped him across the face. “You poor people, you see a rich girl and you want to pin her down. But I promise you, you’re going to pay.”

Desmond looked at her. “I didn’t violate you, Cherry. You came in here by yourself.”

Cherry clenched her teeth. “Why would I come in here? Why would I let someone like you even touch me? My bag can buy your entire family. Look at your clothes! I wouldn’t even let my servants wear that.”

She got off the bed quickly. “The whole world is going to know that you violated me.”

She turned to leave, but Desmond got up quickly, holding her wrist. “Hey,”

She wriggled her hand away. “Don’t you dare touch me. Gosh, I’ll have to have a bubble bath, you stinking freak.”

Desmond raised his hand in the air. “Fine, but you can’t go out spreading rumours. I didn’t touch you. I booked this hotel room. You came in here making advances toward me, and we had sex. I didn’t do anything with coercion.”

“You liar. I was a virgin. Why would I lose my virginity to a pauper like you?” She looked him up and down. His clothes looked worn out, and his shoes looked like they were from ancient times.

Desmond sighed. “Look around. Did you book this room? I booked it myself, Cherry. I promise. You came in here.”

That was when Cherry froze. Slowly, she looked around. This room wasn’t the VIP section she had booked. It wasn’t the Excot Suite either. There were no marble floors, no private balcony, no gold-trimmed furniture. The room was plain. A basic hotel room. The kind of room people who looked like Desmond would book.

Her heart skipped a beat. This definitely wasn’t her room. Cherry’s fingers loosened at her sides. For the first time since waking up, doubt crept in. “Did I really come in here myself?...” She whispered to herself, her heart racing.

She lifted a hand to her head, pressing her palm against her temple. A dull ache throbbed behind her eyes. Her thoughts felt foggy. “How would I even come in here?” she muttered under her breath.

She closed her eyes, forcing herself to remember how she even got to the hotel in the first place.

Slowly, the pieces began to connect.

She hadn’t come alone. She had come to see Murphy Davis, the billionaire’s son with a flawless reputation and pristine image. They had been chatting and laughing. He had offered her snacks. She remembered taking them.

Then, her brows knit tightly as she remembered pulling away from him. The sound of a door opening. Her heels clicking against the floor. Walking down a hallway, then another door and into another room. Warm lips pressing against hers.

Her stomach twisted violently. “Oh my God…” Her eyes flew open and stared at Desmond, feeling her skin crawl. Her breathing became uneven. Did Murphy put something in those snacks?

Her gaze moved over Desmond again, wondering if she really had sex with such a man. “Dirty human being,” she spat, her voice shaking.

She took a step back, then another, as if distance alone could erase what had happened. Her hands trembled uncontrollably. “No way,” she whispered, shaking her head. “No way my dad would forgive this.”

The thought of her father finding out made her stomach drop.

Desmond saw the realization in her eyes, and then he looked at her softly. “You remember now? You’re the one who came in here.”

He stepped closer. “You don’t have to feel bad. Maybe I shouldn’t have let myself in so easily. I promise I’m not that type of guy. I was just… my head was so filled up yesterday, I should have resisted. I’m sorry. I—”

She glared at him. “Do you think you have the ability to resist me? Someone like you, resisting me? Can a hungry lion resist meat? Certainly not.”

“Don’t get yourself all hyped up,” she added, irritated. “It seems you don’t know who I am, or you have serious amnesia.”

Cherry straightened with pride. “I’m Cherry Vixen, daughter of a multi-billionaire in this city. My father is one of the biggest shots here. And so, even being in the same space with me is something you should be happy about. You’re supposed to lick the floor I walk on.”

Desmond just looked at her, trying to understand if she was a spoiled brat or if she had always been this rude.

Cherry snapped her fingers in the air. “I’m not going to let this slide. Whether I came in here or not, the fact is that you took my virginity. And I’m going to make sure I tell my dad about it. And I promise you, you’ll hate your life afterwards.”

With that, she grabbed her bag and stormed out.