Chapter 1 My Good Little Pup

On the day Damian Cross returned to the country, Lila Hart was summoned to his mansion. He was especially harsh that day. He offered no foreplay, gripping her waist with one hand and seizing the collar he had picked out in advance. "Are you my good little pup, huh?" he murmured in her ear, his voice as sweet as honey. A tripod-mounted camera stood at the head of the bed, aiming straight at Lila. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were puffy from tears. The glossy lens reflected the helplessness on her face. She felt embarrassed, even though it wasn't the first time Damian had been rough with her in bed. He was a friend of her older brother, Aaron Hart, and she'd once thought of him as a brother, too. However much Lila liked Damian, she couldn't fully let herself go in front of him. She bit her lip until it nearly bled as she forced down those shameful little gasps. "Damian… Could you not record this? I don't like it..." Damian caught her earlobe between his teeth, displeasure edging his voice. "What happened to being good? We agreed to record everything, so I can watch the videos and get myself off when you're not here." The husk in his voice was pure tease, and whatever reason Lila had left unraveled. Before she left, she had overheard her parents say that the Crosses were planning a marriage alliance with the Harts. She was about to become his wife, so there was nothing shameful about the kind of play that happened between a married couple. With that in mind, she swallowed the discomfort, obediently hooked her arms around his lean waist, and tucked her face into the hollow of his neck to match his pace. They moved through several positions. It went on for a long time—so long that Lila had no strength left before Damian finally let go, his interest waning. He seemed a little worn and brushed a quick kiss to her earlobe. "I'm going to shower first. I'll have Gary take you home later, okay?" Lila paused and turned to the window. It was pouring, and it was already 11:00 pm. Dazed, she realized that after three years of secretly dating Damian, she'd never once spent the night at his place. He said nothing more, patted her head, and headed into the bathroom. The soft hiss of water rose a moment later, reeling her thoughts back in. Lila felt a little let down. Nevertheless, she obediently headed to the guest bathroom. She showered on autopilot, and when the mirror caught the red marks on her skin, shame burned through her. She rinsed off in a rush and was about to head back to change when the laptop on the table caught her eye. The screen display was still on, and she saw a group chat titled "Princess' Guard" blowing up with messages. Lila hadn't meant to pry into Damian's privacy, but as she turned to leave, a line on the screen made her freeze. "Erin's flying back soon, Damian. It's time to dump Lila, right? When are you releasing the spicy stuff? Everyone's itching for it!" A few more messages popped up. "Seriously, I want a look too. Lila might have been a trash rat from the sticks, but her face and figure are no joke. Her chest has to be at least a C, right? Was she good in bed?" "I heard her once. She sounded dirty as hell. You'd never guess it when she's all sweet and compliant, but those photos were wild." Then a familiar sketch-avatar appeared on the screen. "Not yet. It'll be released later." Lila went still, her grip on the towel tightening until her nails nearly bit her palm. It was Damian's avatar, the one she'd pressed him to switch to before his business trip overseas. It was the profile sketch of him she'd drawn herself. Why did this group chat even exist? And how could Damian discuss something so private between them in there? Lila moved stiffly to the laptop and stared at the stream of flashing messages. "She's just a country bumpkin. So what if she's the Harts' real heiress? The one who actually grew up with Damian, his real childhood sweetheart, is Erin. "Back then, Lila tattled to Mr. Hart Senior, got Erin sent overseas, and even tried to steal her engagement. Now that Damian has those recorded videos, let's see if Lila can still hold her head up in Evermere!"