Chapter 3

Kyle is confused; his head is spinning, and he has no explanation to offer.

"I don't know why she's here in my room."

"Forgive me for what I'm about to say, Mr. Pratt. That girl lying there is our daughter. From what I see, her dress is on the floor, and you were without pants, being the mature man you are. What do you think I can assume? Besides, our daughter is a decent young lady." With greedy, shining eyes, he mentally wondered, ‘How does my daughter know this man? I can take advantage of this situation.’

Kathen was infuriated by the luck of the girl being in bed with Kyle Pratt himself. She approaches Lindsey and shakes her.

"Lindsey, get up! You have a lot of explaining to do."

Lindsey moves on the bed, opens her eyes lazily, and the first person she sees is her father. She blinks several times, clings more to the sheets.

"What happened to me? I don't remember anything, just that I was dizzy and going to the bathroom," she mumbles sleepily, feeling her body heavy and a slight headache.

"The dizziness was an excuse to come here and fool around with this man," Kathen reproaches indignantly.

"This man has a name; don't forget who you're dealing with."

"Apologize, Mr. Pratt. She's upset to find our daughter in this situation, and she's not measuring her words," John says, signaling his wife to keep quiet with his eyes.

Grumbling, Kathen approaches her husband, thinking to herself, "This girl will pay for this."

Lindsey startles upon hearing that rough, masculine voice coming from her side. Dazed by the sedative and her family, she hadn't noticed she had company. She turns to her companion, unable to believe how handsome he is. Her heart starts racing, her breathing accelerates, and her mouth dries up seeing his naked, broad, and tan chest. Those intense sapphires leave her stunned, and she panics, her back tensing; she can't utter a word.

"Miss, can you explain what you're doing in my room?" protests Kyle.

At that moment, Freed enters alarmed by the situation, and the grandfather, seeing the scene, smiles amused.

Lindsey is blushing, finding herself in this state, naked next to a handsome man, and worse, with her family in front of the bed. ‘I don't know why I suspect that I'm really in trouble now,’ her subconscious speaks.

"I don't know! I just remember being dizzy from having a glass of wine and heading to the bathroom."

"The point is, you're here in this bed, and I don't understand how you got in."

One of the employees who was around approaches due to the commotion and asks,

"What's going on?" Their voices echo in the hallway.

"I wonder the same thing. This room is assigned to Mr. Kyle Pratt, and apparently, there was a young woman in the room."

The employee, upon seeing who it is, responds with a stutter,

"Mr. Pratt, I think you're mistaken. The rooms assigned to the presidents of the participating companies in the event are in the penthouse area."

The grandfather realizes what happened; Freed had informed him of his grandson's journey to the room and the collision with that young girl. With a firm voice, he intervenes,

"Let's calm down and leave the room so they can get dressed, and we'll talk about what happened."

"Nothing happened here. No matter how drunk I was, I wouldn't lay a hand on this young lady," Kyle says disdainfully.

"Don't be foolish, and just get dressed. We'll wait for you in the hallway," the grandfather leaves the room followed by the others.

Each person who left the room was thoughtful: Karen, upset about the girl's luck; John, anxious because he knows he can take advantage of this situation; Grandfather Hugo, amused because it's an opportunity to teach his grandson a lesson; Freed knows his friend is now in trouble, and his grandfather won't make it easy for him.

Lindsey, upon hearing those derogatory words, felt scorned. Summoning courage, she got off the bed with the sheet around her, picked up her dress, and walked to the bathroom to get dressed. ‘Don't get your hopes up; that man is too perfect for you, out of your league,’ she thought, looking at herself in the mirror. ‘Now, how do I get out of this mess?’

Kyle, showing no emotion, couldn't explain how he ended up in this situation. As everyone gathered in the hallway, John was the first to speak.

"How will we resolve this? Poor my daughter, she's the most aggrieved!"

Lindsey's head was a mess. ‘Could something have happened between them? I don't think so! As far as I can tell, I should feel pain in my intimate parts, some discomfort from my body, besides the headache, but I don't feel anything strange. So, nothing happened!’ She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the elderly man speak.

"The best thing we can do is withdraw. My daughter will communicate with you, sir. We will look for the best option so that our surnames are not harmed."

"That's what worries you, our surnames. It seems absurd that..." John couldn't finish speaking because he was interrupted.

"Lindsey, keep your mouth shut," her mother approached her, grabbed her arm, and gave her a deadly look. "Don't worry, Mr. Pratt, we are leaving."

John took his daughter by the arm, and with his wife, they left the place.

It's Monday, and Kyle is staring at the computer when he hears,

"You have to take responsibility for what happened. I met with the young lady's parents, and they demand that you marry her," Kyle's mother shouted, furious about the potential scandal that could arise if the media found out about what happened in that room.

"Offer them money, you know that's what that family is after, or leave it to me. If I can't resolve it with money and sink them, I'll handle it."

"Do you think you can fix everything with money? Or threaten people? Well, this time you won't be able to because your grandfather has reached an agreement with them—a marriage contract for a year is the best option. You know that a scandal involving the Pratt name would bring your grandfather to the grave," Susan expressed, annoyed on the other side of the desk. She wanted to throw the paperweight on her right.

Kyle chuckled ironically without taking his eyes off the computer, pointing with authority.

"If you and grandpa think that forcing me to marry will change my life, you're wrong. Let me know the day and time I should go to the registry.

Susan knew her stubborn and proud son. She hoped this young lady wouldn't be intimidated and would manage to get Catrina out of her son's life. She gracefully stood up, circled the desk, and bid her son farewell with a kiss on the forehead.