Chapter 2. The Headlines

“How come it’s not working?” Richard asked, frowning.

“What?” Winona asked, confused.

“Do you remember what happened just now?” he asked.

“You just took my clothes off?” Winona answered, still confused.

“Not that. I mean before.” Richard looked at Winona as if forcing her to remember.

“You mean… You turned into a wolf and…” Winona trailed off.

“Damn…” Richard mumbled. Only this time, Richard failed to erase someone’s memory.

He didn’t know what was wrong. Had his powers weakened? Or was there something wrong with Winona? Richard frowned. He decided to give it another try.

“Now shut up and look me in the eye!” Richard exclaimed.

Winona was silent because she didn’t know what to do. She still covered her bare breasts with her crossed arms. However, Richard didn’t look at her breasts at all. He just stared straight into her eyes for a few minutes while holding her tiny face in both hands.

“Damn it!” scolded Richard again because he failed to erase Winona’s memory once more.

He let go of Winona and then turned his back to her.

“Put on your clothes!” he exclaimed.

With a trembling body, Winona immediately grabbed her clothes from the carpet and put them on. She wondered in her heart if this man had a sexual perversion. He just held her face without doing anything. However, it didn’t matter to Winona. What was important to her now was that she was safe and had a million-dollar check. She quickly took the check and put it in her trousers’ pocket.

However, as she was about to leave, Richard suddenly caught her hand.

“Mister Lerroy, I’ve done what you wanted. I have also received the payment. I promise I won’t say anything to anyone,” Winona said in a trembling voice.

“You can’t go now. It’s not safe for you outside,” he replied.

Before Winona could answer, her cell phone suddenly rang. She immediately looked at her cell phone screen and found that the incoming call was not just from one person. Her boss called, and soon another call was waiting. Winona didn’t even know her cellphone could receive several calls on hold mode. In addition to phone calls, chat messages flooded in from hundreds of chats in just a few minutes. Her cell phone couldn’t handle it and shut down.

“What happened?” Winona asked.

Richard then turned on the television in the hotel and searched for a news channel without answering her question.

As soon as she saw what was being reported on television, Winona was shocked, and her knees felt weak. The picture showed her and Richard Lerroy facing each other, with her bare back clearly visible in the image.

“Shit!” Richard exclaimed, quickly turning to look at the open bedroom window. Even though they were on the eighth floor of the hotel, the paparazzi were still able to take pictures from the adjacent building. Richard immediately closed the curtains of the hotel room.

Meanwhile, Winona was still staring at the television screen with her mouth agape.

“Richard Lerroy, alleged to have harassed actress Gina Jade, was caught on camera in a hotel room with a woman who is believed to be a rookie journalist with the initials VH. Richard Lerroy and VH are not available for comment at this time,” the reporter said in the report.

Richard checked his cell phone, and it turned out that he also received as many messages and calls as Winona did.

“I-I have to get out of here immediately,” Winona said.

“I forbid you. Besides, I’m sure the reporters are waiting downstairs,” Richard replied. “Damn! All of this because of Gina!” he exclaimed, pounding the table.

If it wasn’t for Gina being a well-known actress in this country, Richard certainly wouldn’t be in the public spotlight. Now everything became big. Richard couldn’t avoid the public spotlight anymore.

“Th-then? What should I do?” Winona asked, confused.

She already had a million dollars in her pocket, and she thought all the trouble would be over. She could pay off all her debts and even buy a decent place to live, maybe even a better car. However, now she was trapped in a hotel room with a scary werewolf.

Richard took a deep breath as he held his head in both hands, thinking hard. He was in big trouble now. Winona could have pretended to be a victim of abuse and extorted more money. Everyone would sympathize with her, and Richard’s company would be in trouble if that happened. He was forced to make Winona remain near him for a while, as he had to find a way to erase Winona’s memories.

“You like money, right?” he asked her suddenly, thinking that Winona was a materialistic type of woman.

“O-of course,” Winona replied.

“This million of dollars is just a down payment, as long as you’re willing to do something for me,” Richard said again.

“W-what do you want?” Winona asked.

Richard didn’t answer right away; he looked at Winona from head to toe.

She was a tall, slender woman with sun-blonde hair that hung almost to her waist. Her beautiful round eyes were blue like sapphire. This woman could have been a model if she wanted to, but instead, she became a journalist for a gossip column. Winona could be the perfect camouflage he needed.

“News has spread right now. So you must become my wife. This is not an offer, so you have to accept it, or you will suffer unimaginable consequences. As compensation, I will give you a monthly fee until the time limit I set until we divorce. Understand?” he asked.

“W-what?”

Winona immediately felt that she could not understand English. The words that just came out of Richard’s mouth were too shocking.

“You become my wife, now!” Richard shouted again.

Winona gaped. She would become Richard Lerroy’s wife. Didn’t she hear wrong? Was Richard the kind of pervert who liked to pay women to warm his bed? Winona was not that kind of woman.

“You have to stay with me. My driver will help you carry all your stuff. Tell me the address of your apartment and hand me the keys. Tomorrow morning the agreement letter between us will be completed, and you will sign it. Now let’s go to my house,” Richard continued.

“W-wait… B-but…”

“I don’t accept rejection, Winona Wilde. If you refuse, don’t expect to see the morning sun tomorrow,” said Richard.

Winona trembled. She realized she had been playing with a devil.