Vzzzt, vzzt, vzzt.

Fuzz filled my aching head and I groped around my bed, trying to find my phone. What I grasped instead woke me up instantly. Henley was right beside me on the bed, tangled in my silk sheets, wearing only her bra.

Before I even had a chance to gasp, she opened one eye, not even bothering to lift her face from the pillow. "Did you just touch my boob?"

A deep flush settled on my face and I coughed, noticing my mouth was absolutely parched. "Yes. Accidentally," I croaked out. My tongue felt like sandpaper.

Henley grimaced, closing her eyes tightly. "I'd be mad, but I feel like death. It's like the desert is overtaking my mouth."

"Where is your shirt?"

As if just realizing she was indeed shirtless, she shot up, sheets slipping from her body. "You could at least pretend not to stare!"

It took a few seconds for her words to register. When they did, I whipped my head to the left, bringing on the hammers knocking on my brain. "Ow."

"Crap, I don't even have a shirt to change into," she sighed.

"Where is it?" I asked again, covering my eyes with my hand. Partially for her privacy, partially because even the small bit of daylight coming through my window was like the blazing sun.

"Henry puked all over it. Don't you remember?"

I thought about it for a moment. It hurt to think. "No."

Henley patted my shoulder and I opened my eyes, noticing she'd wrapped the sheet around her chest. "Yeah, it's like all those shots hit you at once. One second you were about to fire Henry for puking, next you were clinging to him and telling him how much you appreciated him. With all that puke all over him."

My head snapped down. I realized I was also shirtless.

"Your shirt is off because we did the dirty deed," she said casually.

"I— we— what—" I stuttered, unsure whether the wave of nausea I was feeling was due to my hangover or her words.

"You know, we tied the true lover's knot."

"I'm sorry," I managed, struggling to keep myself calm.

She titled her head at me curiously. "You're sorry?"

"You can't give consent while drinking and I can't remember, so in case I pressured you at all..."

"Wow," she said, blue eyes widening. "You really are a good person. I feel bad for making that joke now."

"Joke?"

She smiled sheepishly. "We actually didn't do anything. When you hugged Henry you got puke all over your shirt, so you took it off."

"Please tell me I threw it out."

"You tried, but I didn't let you. You can just wash it."

My gaze travelled down my laundry basket and I saw the shirt in question. The whole basket would have to burn. Suddenly queasy, I lowered myself back onto the bed. "Remind me to never drink again."

"Let me go get you a glass of water," she said, sliding off my bed.

I watched as she stumbled out of the room, smiling as I noticed she was in a pair of my pajama pants. It figured the one time she spent the whole night in my bed, I didn't get to enjoy it. It would have been nice to feel her soft hair tickling my nose, her warm back pressing into my chest. Breathing in the scent of her shampoo...

Vzzzt, vzzt, vzzt.

My phone rudely displaced me from my daydream and I fumbled around for it, ready to tell the caller off. When I saw Mother flashing on the screen, I tossed it back onto the bed. Her voice would do nothing for my headache.

Vzzzt, vzzt, vzzt.

"Are you going to answer that?" Henley asked as she appeared again, a glass of water in her hand.

"No. It's too early to deal with my mother."

"It's past noon, Bennett."

"What?" I checked my phone again. There were over ten missed calls from my mother.

"Here." Henley handed the water to me. "Drink some. I have ibuprofen if you need it."

I took the water from her, but not the medicine. My prescribed medicine was the only thing that could take out any ferocity of my headaches. This one might have not been caused by a migraine, but I couldn't be sure it wouldn't build into one.

Vzzzt, vzzt, vzzt.

"What could she possibly want?" I said, deciding to answer it. It probably wasn't best to test her while fighting her about Henley. However, this time it wasn't my phone going off.

Henley picked hers up from off the floor, pressing it to her ear. "Hello?" Instantly her lips thinned, her body tensing. "It's Henley. And what are you talking about?"

I glanced at my phone, suddenly feeling a wave of unease roll through me.

"How can they even do that? I did it in self-defense! Watch the freaking cameras and you can see that!" she cried. "This was over two months ago, why is it coming up now?" Her fist clenched around her phone, her cheeks becoming red. "I didn't do anything wrong."

It took everything I had not to rip the phone away from her and deal with whoever she was talking to myself. Anyone that made her upset didn't deserve to talk to her.

Fortunately, it seemed to be a quick conversation. "I'll be there," she snapped into the phone before ending the call with a shaking hand. "I can't believe this."

"What's happening?"

"That Star Spangled Moron guy from Michelangelo's is trying to sue me for assault."

It took a second to process her words because of how outrageous they were. Curtis was trying to sue Henley for assault? How could that be? Both her and I were witness to his actions. Why would he even bother to try and win against our words? Why would he even bother to sue Henley to begin with? He had nothing to gain from this.

Henley pressed her hands to her temple, groaning. "This is so not what I wanted to deal with today. Not with this hangover."

"We need Sebastian," I told her. "Let's find him and get ready and stop this before he takes it any further."

"I don't want to pressure him—"

"He'll do it," I interjected. Whether he wanted to or not. Sebastian was one of the best lawyers I knew. "Being accused of assault is serious. With the wrong defense attorney he could win a lawsuit against you, even though you're innocent."

She hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip. "I guess."

"You can take a shower in here, I'll use the other bathroom," I said as I swung myself out of bed, snatching my phone up, and heading to my closet. We both got ready as quick as possible and headed downstairs together, searching for Sebastian. Ariana and Henry were wedged together on the couch and Brandon lay face down on the coffee table, snoring loudly. The sight would've been hilarious had the circumstances been different.

Sebastian was sitting at the kitchen table, reading a newspaper while sipping a coffee. "Good morning," he greeted us warmly.

I noted that he showed no signs of a hangover whatsoever. However, he did miss a button on his shirt. But as unusual as that was, it wasn't important.

"Henley needs your help," I told him. "Remember that guy from Michelangelo's? He's trying to sue her."

Sebastian's eyes slid to Henley and he folded up the newspaper. "Do you have the recordings of the incident? Has Curtis tried to contact you?"

"No..." She gasped. "But I don't live at the address listed on my license! He could be looking for me. That's probably how Collin found out about it— that moron! Is it bad if it looks like I'm avoiding him?"

"We should go to the restaurant," Sebastian said. "The first thing we should do is get a copy of the surveillance video."

The color drained from Henley's face and she nodded. For the first time, she looked scared. Just as I was about to reach out for her, Sebastian placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I don't understand why he's trying to bring it up now," she responded, folding her arms over her chest.

Vzzzt, vzzt, vzzt. My phone went off in my pocket. I went to ignore it, but paused. Why would Curtis bring it up now? Even after I warned him? What could Henley have done to him to make him sue her?

Or what had Henley done to someone?

It hit me like an icy brick. There was only one person above me who Curtis knew. My mother.

"Sebastian, I'm trusting you to help Henley deal with this," I spoke, trying to keep my voice even, my hands curling into fists at my side.

"You're not coming with me?"

I avoided Henley's gaze. "Something came up."

"Oh... alright."

The defeated tone in her voice caused me to turn to her. She frowned at me, like a puppy who'd been abandoned. How could anyone do something like this to her? I couldn't let this happen.

I reached for her, pulling her firmly to my chest. "We'll fix this. Nothing will happen."

"Okay," she mumbled.

I pulled back a little, searching her face. She attempted to smile at me. "It's okay. Don't look like that," she told me. "I'll be fine."

Yes, this was Henley. Head strong Henley. Who wanted to comfort me when I wanted to comfort her. Gripping her shoulder, I pressed my lips to hers, hoping to kiss some of her worries away. She leaned into it and I thought maybe she was trying to do the same.

"I'll see you in a bit," I said as we broke apart.

Her nose wrinkled as she smiled. "See you."

As Sebastian and Henley readied themselves to leave, I woke up Henry, who I realized was only in his underwear. It wasn't a position I'd ever thought I'd see my mousy assistant in. Clearing my throat, I prodded him in the shoulder. "Henry. Wake up."

"Not in the office," he mumbled.

"Henry."

"Lock the door."

I shook him roughly. "Henry! Stop being disturbing and wake up."

Finally the brown haired man awoke, sitting up and accidentally knocking Ariana off the couch. Henry took one look at me and then covered his mouth, letting out a disgusting belching noise. Before I could open my mouth to order him to get ready, he was off running to the bathroom.

I realized Henry probably wouldn't be of much use. "Ariana, please stay here until Henley and Sebastian return. Have Henry pick up something to eat. Make sure Henley eats it. Not just a couple nibbles either, a lot of it."

She blinked at me blearily. "Alright."

"She might be sad... so cheer her up for me."

"I think just letting her know you said that to me will make her happy," Ariana responded, smiling.

I cleared my throat, nodding to her before heading to the front door. If my mother turned out to be the person behind this, I wasn't sure what I'd do. Unlocking my BMW, I slipped in, turning the engine and peeling out of my driveway.

The state of my appearance must've been shocking, because when I arrived at the hotel, everyone was staring at me. I straightened out my shirt as I got in the elevator, doing my best to ignore everyone's gaze. Was it really that bad? The mirror in the elevator proved their surprise reasonable. My hair was a mess and still wet, my shirt was rumpled from not being ironed, and I'd forgotten to put on a belt, so it didn't stay tucked in properly.

And as much as it hurt my impression, I couldn't find it in me to care.

I marched into my mother's office, not bothering to knock. Her phone was to her ear and she looked up from her desk, eyes narrowing. As she took in my appearance, her mouth dropped. She immediately hung up her phone. "What do you think you're doing coming to work dressed like that—"

"Was it you?" I asked.

The smirk that crossed her lips was enough of an answer.

"Why would you—?" I began, my muscles taut as I tried to hold in my anger. My pulse pounded in my ears and I felt flushed. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been this outraged.

"Curtis had every right to sue her, Bennett. Don't be mad at me because she has to accept the consequences of her actions."

"You incited him into doing it. I know you did."

"I have done nothing wrong," she said calmly, picking up a pile of papers from her desk and flipping through it. "If that is what you've come here for, you may leave. Fix your appearance before you come back."

I strode up to the table, taking the papers from her and strewing them across the floor. "Call him off."

She fixed me with a cool stare. "Stop acting like a child."

"I won't stand by idly as you try to ruin an innocent young woman's life."

"Then leave her. If you do that, I will have Curtis drop the lawsuit."

"No."

"If sending her to jail is the only way to get you to leave her, I'm not below it. She is insignificant to me. She's simply a girl who doesn't know her place in the world."

"And what is 'her place in the world'? What is our place in the world? When will you stop pretending we are so different? We're all human. We're all equal. In the end, we all end up in the same place—six feet below the dirt."

My mother slowly stood from her desk, making her way toward me, like a cheetah stalking her prey. "You two are not equal. This whole company— our family— rests on your shoulders. She is a hindrance. She's already changed you. You would have never treated me with such disrespect before."

"She hasn't changed me. I changed me."

She stopped a foot in front of me. The heady scent from her name brand perfume sent a wave of revulsion through me. "My point remains. As long as you're with her, I won't have Curtis call off the lawsuit."

"I'm sure I can think of a way to get him to call it off myself," I stated, giving her the hardest look I could manage.

"You will not take any steps to stop him," she responded confidently.

"What makes you so sure?"

"If you do, I'll take away your rights to the company. I'll take away any stocks you might hold. I will tell the board members you will never have what it takes to become the heir. I will keep your fortune from you."

I almost found it comical. Henley had basically predicted she would say this. I should've known. This was the only thing she could hold over my head.

She should've known it wouldn't work.

"I never wanted the company to begin with. I would rather be poor and happy than wealthy and miserable."

My words hung heavy. I expected her rage. I expected her curses. What I didn't expect, was a small, haughty laugh escaping her lips. It caught me off guard. Why was she laughing? Was she not taking me seriously?

"You thought I'd be shocked by this?" she asked, trying to mask another snicker.

I was at a loss for words. This wasn't I was expected. It made electricity shoot through my veins. Something was wrong here. I knew this feeling.

As always, my mother had the upper hand.

My mind worked frantically. What could she be holding over me? What gave her this confidence? If I didn't become the heir, no one would. Yet that didn't seem to bother her.

"You forget who I am," she spoke again, this time much more quietly... much more deadly. "You forget I know you."

"You won't intimidate me into anything."

"I don't need to intimidate you, Bennett. I know your weakness."

My skin crawled. My weakness? What was my weakness? I could only think of one person.

Henley.

"You will become the heir to the company. You will break up with Henley." With each word, her wicked smirk grew wider.

"I won't," I said, but my words didn't sound as strong as I wanted them to be.

"You will," she repeated. "Do you want to know why you will?"

Nothing she could say would change my stance. Nothing could tear me away from Henley. Nothing would work on me.

She leaned in closer, her smile becoming almost demonic. "Because..."

The next words out of her mouth ended every ounce of fight in me. It ended any resolve I had. It ended everything.

It ended me.

______________________________

Hi friends!

Who went to NYCWattcon? It was amazing! It was so much fun to meet other authors and readers and fans and sign books! I roomed with , , , and !! They are all completely amazing and boy did Ariana, Lindsey, and I hit it off with the our mutual love for kdramas lol. If you missed out on it, I have some pictures on my Instagram and a butt load of tweets on my Twitter!

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