CHAPTER 1

Prologue

"Holding people away from you, and denying yourself love, that doesn't make you strong. If anything it makes you weaker. Because you're doing it out of fear."

~Sarah Dessen

Taylor's POV

"Thank you very much, ma'am." I smile happily at the woman in her sixties as she hands me the key to my hotel room.

What are you doing in a hotel when you have a house? You might ask,

Well, I'll explain much later.

The woman smiles back before she points the way. "Go through the left hall. The sixth room is room sixty-nine. Enjoy your stay young miss."

"I will do just that," I reply, putting on my most classy smile ever. I grab my expensive-looking handbag and swing it over my shoulder before walking on.

Back to the earlier question. I'm here because the three Js strictly told me to come here and after much debate, I am here. Where am I? I am in the Five-Star hotel suite, spending our hard-earned one thousand five hundred dollars for one night. But as the Js says, price is nothing compared to success.

The three Js: Jack, Josh and Jake, also known as The Snowfall's triplet have been the backbone to all the plans and backup I need and I wouldn't have come up with one thousand five hundred dollars if they didn't help me out. Jake (The brain in the family) won three hundred dollars from the mathematics competition he did with his mate and gave me the money, Jack (The loud one in the family) and his teammate won the race between the other schools and he handed me his share of three hundred and fifty dollars, Josh (The quiet and reserved in the family) gave me his two hundred dollars and forty-four cents contributions for the summer as he planned on staying home. And I added six hundred and fifty to the money and we had a total of one thousand five hundred dollars and forty-four cents.

But mom doesn't need to know that. That's me in Jack's voice.

So the Js had been helping me raise the money for the past two months when Jake discovered the Five-Star matchmaking scheme.

The Five-Star hotel has held the reputation of matchmaking for the past eighteen years and well the Js and I did more digging till late midnight last night we discovered more facts about the hotel matchmaking stuff and we took our time to analyse properly not to make any costly mistake.

The matchmaking first took place on the 1st January 1997 and the second February 1998 and the third March 1999 and so with more digging we came to the discovery that today being the nineteenth April 2015 the matchmaking happens today but that's all we know. So I'll just settle in and wait to see how the day goes.

I with the Js have also made further plans on seducing a rich millionaire just in case the matchmaking doesn't go as great as planned.

Call us desperate, but when things don't go your way, then you might as well play your way through things. That's me in Jake's voice.

I open the door and walk into the magnificent, heavily beautified room and I almost squeal from excitement; I feel so girly, but I'm so gonna take a lot of selfies before checking out tomorrow.

I carefully take a seat on the bed and take off me five inches, bringing me to my pitiful five feet three inches and I need to take a quick bath before moving out and seeing the rest of the massive and elegantly pleasant hotel.

I strip and entered the towel hanging on a hanger close to the door of the bathroom. I wrap the towel around myself singing my favourite Justin Timberlake song My love.

Ain't another woman that can take your spot my-

I hum the music loudly as I step into the bathroom. If there is anything I'm proud of being, it was being a number one fan of Justin Timberlake for fourteen years. He was the first one I fangirled, the first that made me cry, he always had my heart, and I did dream like every humble fan that on the day he'd come to me like prince charming and propose to me and I smile brightly probably from overwhelming love will accept.

Well, that dream was crushed when he got engaged in 2011 and got married in 2012. I remember locking myself up in the room and crying over someone who didn't even know I existed. Jack still teases me for that, but I guess you never get over your first love. Justin will always have my heart.

Yeah, because

I can see us holding hands

Walking on the beach, our toes in the sand,

I can see us in the countryside

Sitting on the grass, laying side by side.

You could be my baby. Let me make you my lady,

Girl, you amaze me.

Ain't got to do nothing crazy,

See, all I want you to do is to be my love.

(So don't give away) My love,

(So don't give away) My love,

(So don't give away)

Ain't another woman that can take your spot, my love.....

My singing is cut short when the door opens and closes again.

"Who is there?" I asked, poking my head out through the door to ask. I get no reply, so I guess there's no one there.

No one can be there. I'm the only one with the keys, remember? I think to my worrying self.

I continue bathing and when I'm done; I wrap the towel around my small body and walk out of the bathroom. I stop when I saw a MAN lying across MY bed with his arm covering his face. His legs are scattered carelessly all over the bed like he owns it.

No one has the key, no one should have the keys. He broke in. What if he wants to rape you? What if he wants to hurt you?

I can see from where I am that he didn't notice me, so I grab a pepper spray that was in my bag where I had kept it earlier.

Never go out of the house unarmed. That's me, in Josh's voice.

I launch forward quietly, ready to destroy the intruder when my leg hit the table in the centre of the room and I fall face down, which causes a loud noise. When I pull myself up, I notice my towel loosening and I looked up to see the man clenching his teeth and coldly glaring down at me.

Glaring? Why is he glaring? I should be the one glaring.

"I know this is a five-star hotel, but I specifically asked for a room, not a room and a whore, you know?" The glare and the clenched teeth don't disappear, but a frown is added to his face.

Wait, he didn't just... Did he.......? He did!

My mouth is hanging open from shock and I feel like I'm dumbstruck. I try to speak, but nothing comes out of my mouth. What the hell is happening to me? The three Js will be so disappointed in me if they find out.

Don't let a guy disrespect or walk on you, break his legs, crush his balls and knock his teeth out before you leave.

Those were the exact words Jack told me before I left this evening, but all that seemed to be buried inside me as I stare at the most arrogant man I've ever met.

This gesture seems to annoy him even more as he speaks again. "I know it's your job to please and satisfy your customers, and I would take up the offer any day, but today is not that day. So pack. Your. Self. Up. And. Get. Out. Of. My. Room."

My body jolt as yet another bitter word from his mouth slaps me across my face. This would be the perfect time to initiate my kung fu skills, but the towel is the only thing I have on. Damn!!

I study the man that has made me feel lower than anything on the surface of the earth. He is wearing an old jacket on an already faded blue T-shirt. His grey Jean is already fading and turning into white from excess use, I guess. His hair messy brown hair mixed with gold and it looks like he doesn't have the time to take care of it.

Maybe he doesn't have the money to.

For someone who comes from a class much lower than the low-class people, he has a filthy mouth; I used to think Jack had the worse mouth on earth, but I take it all back now because this man's mouth put Jack's mouth to shame.

Still, something about him feels familiar, and it draws me in to understand the mystery behind those deep green eyes of his. Any day green eyes would be my weakness, but not today, and certainly not his.

"Are you going to lie there all day? May I remind you I'd like my room to myself?" He says, his tone brittle with annoyance.

I shake my head, finally recovering myself. "Shut the fuck up, you worthless twat!" I hiss out at him, clearing reaching my breaking point. I pull myself to my feet to meet his cold, angry, and yet surprised gaze.

"Did I hear you well?"

I roll my eyes in disgust, "I. Said. Shut. The. Fuck. Up. You. Good. For. Nothing. Twat." I spit out at him through gritted teeth.

Anger flares in his eyes and I can practically see him going red and ready to burst any minute, and I might as well get ready.

"Listen to me." He starts to say, but I cut him off.

"No, you listen to me you two face son of a nobody, I've been quietly patient for the last ten minutes, and I do not know or want to know how you got into my room, but I want you gone by the time I get back." I grab my dress and my handbag from the chair where I laid them earlier, and walk back to where I know I can dress up without being seen by any pervert.

I take the next twenty minutes to dress up. Let's just say my handbag has it all. I do my make-up light, foundation, and powder, not adding more than that to my face. My lip, I grease with a nude lip gloss and my hair; I release from the ponytail I kept it to shower earlier and I'm ready to go.

I am determined not to let nobody ruin today, because tonight, I'll be meeting someone special, someone, who will definitely be rich, handsome and tall. I don't care if it'll take a lot of work to win his heart, I'm up for it.

Jack's words ring through my ears. When you find that rich guy, you don't have to fall for him, but make him fall for you, get married, then file for a divorce 30 days after. They will compensate you with millions and we would become rich.

I know it will not be easy, but I have to save my family from poverty.

I step into my high heels and grab my handbag from the bathtub. I'll probably just take a walk around the hotel and get more exposure if you know what I mean.