The Dominant Heir

Laura turned around in bed, lazily stretching her arms above her head as she fought off the last traces of sleep. A dull ache pulsed behind her temples, and her body felt unusually heavy, like she had barely rested at all.

She frowned.

Why did the sheets feel different?

The silk beneath her fingers was rougher than the expensive Egyptian cotton she was used to. Even the scent lingering in the air was unfamiliar— a mixture of masculine cologne, detergent, and something faintly woody.

Her eyes remained closed for another second as confusion slowly crept into her sleepy mind.

Then she felt it.

Warmth beside her.

Laura’s entire body stiffened.

Immediately, her eyes flew open.

The first thing she saw was a man lying inches away from her face.

A stranger.

He was staring at her with sleepy amusement, dark eyes calm and completely unbothered, as though waking up beside terrified women was a perfectly ordinary part of his morning routine. His messy black hair fell slightly over his forehead, and despite the situation, Laura had to admit he was annoyingly handsome.

That realization only made her panic worse.

With a horrified gasp, she jerked upright so quickly the blanket slipped from her body. Cold air hit her bare skin.

Laura froze.

She was naked.

Completely naked.

Her heartbeat slammed violently against her ribs.

“What the hell—?!”

She snatched the blanket and wrapped it tightly around herself before glaring at the stranger with pure outrage. “Who the hell are you?” she demanded, her voice trembling between fury and panic.

The man simply blinked at her before letting out a low chuckle.

“Relax, baby girl,” he murmured lazily, stretching one arm behind his head. “I’m not going to bite you.”

Then, unbelievably, he closed his eyes again like he intended to go back to sleep.

Laura stared at him in disbelief.

“Would you answer my question?!” she snapped.

Ignoring her anger completely, he asked instead, “How are you feeling? Any soreness? Want me to give you a massage?”

He reached toward her shoulder casually, but Laura smacked his hand away so hard the sound echoed through the room.

“Don’t you dare touch me, you asshole!”

This finally made him open his eyes properly.

Laura looked around frantically, taking in her surroundings for the first time. The room was unfamiliar and painfully average. The walls were plain beige, the curtains cheap, and the tiny hotel room looked nothing like the luxurious spaces she was accustomed to.

Her own bedroom alone was more than twice this size.

Even the bed felt embarrassingly small, forcing them far closer together than she ever would have willingly allowed.

Disgust immediately filled her expression.

The stranger was poor.

The thought came instantly and instinctively.

“How did I get here?” she demanded. “Did you kidnap me?” Her eyes narrowed with growing suspicion. “You slug, are you trying to demand ransom from my family?”

For the first time, the man frowned.

“Now how exactly did you arrive at that conclusion?” he asked dryly.

Laura ignored the question. Her memories from the previous night were blurry and fragmented. Loud music. Flashing lights. Drinking. A crushing feeling of frustration she couldn’t fully remember.

And then… nothing.

But she wasn’t stupid.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what must have happened between them.

Her expression darkened.

“You have no idea what you’ve just done.”

The corner of his lips lifted. “Oh yeah?” he said calmly. “Please. Enlighten me.”

That smug amusement on his face pushed Laura over the edge.

“I’m going to make sure you rot in jail,” she hissed. “You shameless idiot. How dare you take advantage of me? Out of all the pathetic mistakes you’ve made in your miserable, impoverished life, this is probably the worst—and definitely the last.”

The man stared at her silently for a moment before laughing under his breath.

That only enraged her more.

Without hesitation, Laura grabbed her phone from the bedside table and called the police.

The stranger watched her calmly the entire time.

Almost too calmly.

By the time the officers arrived, Laura had worked herself into full fury. She immediately pointed at the man and demanded his arrest for rape.

The police quickly restrained him despite the fact that he was still only wearing black underwear. One officer began pulling him toward the door while another questioned Laura.

Still, the man didn’t panic.

If anything, he looked irritated.

Not afraid.

Just irritated.

Laura folded her arms triumphantly as the police demanded his name.

“I’m not telling you,” he replied flatly.

“Show us some identification then.”

“No.”

Laura let out a sharp laugh. “See? He’s probably an illegal immigrant. That’s why he doesn’t have proper identification.”

The man merely shrugged.

Then, with surprising composure, he said, “Before you embarrass yourselves further, maybe check the hotel footage.”

The officers paused.

“If you drag me out half naked and arrest me without evidence,” he continued evenly, “then later discover I’m innocent, that becomes your problem. Not mine.” His gaze shifted coldly toward Laura. “And if that footage proves she willingly came with me, I’ll sue her for defamation. Then I’ll expose her online for sleeping with someone and trying to blackmail him afterward.”

Laura’s jaw dropped.

“You—!”

But the officers were already exchanging uneasy looks.

None of them wanted a scandal.

Eventually, they agreed to review the security footage before making an arrest.

Minutes later, everyone stood silently inside the hotel’s surveillance room.

Laura’s confidence slowly began to crack.

The footage showed her stumbling through the hotel lobby shortly after midnight. Her makeup was slightly smudged, and she looked distressed, anxiously glancing around as though searching for someone.

Then she crashed directly into a hotel employee carrying bags near the elevator.

The stranger appeared seconds later.

He helped steady her before offering her a bottle of water. The footage clearly showed him trying to walk away afterward.

Then Laura grabbed him.

Hard.

She clung to his arm and refused to let go.

The officers continued watching in uncomfortable silence as she repeatedly pulled him closer, kissed him aggressively, and wrapped herself around him despite his visible attempts to pry her off.

At one point, he even looked around helplessly like he regretted getting involved.

But Laura refused to release him.

Eventually, the footage showed the two of them entering the hotel room together.

Voluntarily.

Laura felt heat flood her face.

Humiliation swallowed her whole.

She couldn’t believe it.

She had thrown herself at him.

At some random nobody staying in a cheap hotel room.

The police immediately released the man and apologized repeatedly before leaving as fast as possible.

The silence afterward was suffocating.

Back inside the room, Laura refused to look directly at him.

Even after everything, pride refused to let her fully back down.

“You still look suspicious,” she muttered bitterly. “You’re probably some kind of criminal anyway.”

The man stared at her for several long seconds before suddenly laughing.

Not mocking.

Just genuinely amused.

“It’s obvious you’re upset,” he said. “So let’s settle this properly.”

Laura frowned cautiously. “What are you talking about?”

He sat up fully now, leaning back against the headboard with infuriating calmness.

Then he looked directly into her eyes and said:

“Since I took your first time, I’ll marry you.”

Laura blinked.

“…What?”

His expression remained completely serious.

“I’ll marry you,” he repeated casually. “How’s that for compensation?”