Chapter 3

The moment I stepped into the lobby, Brenda spun and pointed at me, shrieking.

"That's her! She's here!"

Dozens of furious eyes snapped toward me at once.

The crowd surged forward, forcing me back until I hit the cold corner of the wall.

An older woman rushed up and spat right onto my jacket.

"So young and already this rotten. How can anyone be this vicious!"

"Right! Look at her, all dressed up like somebody, and she's a killer!"

I raised a hand, faced the shouting crowd head-on, and made my voice cold.

"Sir, pull the security footage from the back courtyard."

"Let's see exactly who was destroying the supplies!"

The words dropped a brief silence over the room.

Clifford, who had just slipped out from the back, burst in loudly.

"Don't stand there bluffing!"

"The cameras out back broke ages ago. You think I don't know that?"

He lunged, trying to clamp a hand over my mouth.

"Don't listen to this snake, everyone. She's just trying to stall!"

I looked at him, cornered and thrashing like a rat, and let a mocking curve pull at my lips.

"Is that so? You're sure the cameras are broken?"

The way I looked at him crawled under his skin, and he lost it completely.

"Shut your mouth!"

He raised his hand, and the slap was already coming for my face.

Bang. The lodge's heavy solid-wood door was kicked open from the outside.

Wind and driving rain roared into the lobby.

My real childhood sweetheart, Sebastian Gilbert, one of Manhattan's top young heirs, strode in soaked through.

Behind him came more than a dozen broad-shouldered bodyguards, all in matching black suits.

"Let's see who dares touch her!"

Sebastian closed the distance in one stride and drove a fist straight into the bridge of Clifford's nose.

Clifford let out a piercing scream and was knocked clear into the fireplace pile beside him.

The scalding cinders had him rolling on the ground.

Sebastian swept his gaze around the room, his eyes cold as a blade.

"Anyone who touches a single hair on her head today doesn't walk out of this rainforest!"

The dozen men in black forced the travelers who'd been raising hell back a good five meters.

The whole lobby went dead silent in an instant, nothing left but Clifford wailing by the fire.

Sebastian pulled off his custom waterproof coat, still warm from his body.

He crossed to me in long strides and wrapped it snugly around me.

"Cecilia, I'm sorry. I got here too late."

His eyes were full of ache as he reached to wipe the rain from my face.

I shook my head to tell him I was fine.

Over in the corner, Brenda saw all this, whipped out her phone, and started streaming live to the whole internet.