Chapter 1

James watched as Sarah tripped over her dress for the umpteenth time in the name of dancing. The red velvet A-line gown that had been an object of pride and admiration a few hours ago was now about to strangle her if she kept tripping over it.

They had been married for three years now, but in all that time they had never shared an intimate moment.

Forced to marry her because of a debt his family owed her father, James Brown had been put through hell by both Sarah and her family for not being up to standard for either of them.

He put his hand on her shoulder to keep her from falling, but she just shook it off like a bee sting.

Her disgust for him was never far from her mind.

Sarah had long despised the man she had been forced to marry by her father's will because he was tired of bearing the shame. It came with her ex's abandonment after their formal engagement. 

But her heart still longed for her ex-boyfriend, Fred Page, who had dumped her the minute he found someone better, even though he was already engaged to her.

"It's time for us to go. I'll take her home now," James said to the lady he had been chatting with just moments before she lost control and decided to hop around the dance floor.

"Who died and made you my boss, huh? You poor, miserable fool, what do you know?" She blurted out, clearly drunk and out of it.

"Honey, I think you should listen to him, honey. Get some rest," the lady advised, gently touching her hand.

"Fine," she replied, trying to take off her still standing shoes. James just shook his head, wondering what she was thinking when she downed all those glasses of wine.

He pulled her into a chair even though she pushed him and kicked him with her strapped on pointed heel. After successfully removing her shoes, he helped her to her feet.

She jerked his hand away from her arm.

"Get your filthy hands off me! You dirty, slimy bastard. What do you care? You only married me for the money."

Sophia scolded him, still struggling to maintain her balance and stamina. James raised his hands in surrender and stepped back to let her lead.

She had stumbled more than once just standing on the sidewalk while they waited for the chauffeur to bring the car around.

"Where's the...? The car was right here," she moved to the edge of the sidewalk and almost fell. James reached out at just the right moment to steady her.

When she regained her balance, she turned around and punched him in the chest.

"Let me go, you horrible monster! You bastard! Could you leave me alone? Gold digger! People like you deserve to be on the streets, not in shelters, because you are just users! All you think about is how to leech off rich people... like me!" She gulped and screamed.

Her constant screaming began to attract an audience. Passersby stared at her as she walked by.

The chauffeur finally drove the car back to the wedding site. Sarah pushed him away and dragged herself into the waiting car.

James took the front seat because that's how they always rode. Although they were married, they had never shared the same space for more than ten minutes.

James didn’t answer. She had no idea of the truth. Her father forced her to marry James because he knew his true identity.

The truly powerful and wealthy individuals are not the ones who appear on the Forbes list; they are the invisible ones. Only when you reach a certain height, this circle will open up to you. They control everything - technology, money, politics... the development of the whole world is in their hands.

And James used to be one of them.

Now he is with Sarah, in a normal life, as a nobody.

Even though he had been forced to retire from the organization, he still had to endure all the insults they threw at him. It hurt even more when it came from Sarah.

The car pulled up in front of the hotel where they were staying. James got out and held the door open for her.

"Sophia, can you hear me?" James said as he pulled her into the hotel, "We need to get inside."

 As they rode up in the elevator, Sarah suddenly moved close to him. 

She leaned her head on his shoulder, giggling. James flinched at her touch, not sure if she knew what she was doing.

"I haven't noticed you have strong arms," she mused, running her finger seductively up and down his left arm.

 James stood still, his back arched as a tingling sensation began to form in his spine, running down to his groin.

He knew he had always liked Sarah and now, with the smell of her perfume and her soft body against him, he didn't know what to do. He stood in shock as the elevator came to a stop.

"We've got to get off the elevator," he murmured, his voice barely audible.

They walked out of the elevator together, her leaning against him. He walked her to the hotel door and before he could put the key in, he noticed that Sarah had already begun to nuzzle his neck.

She kissed him slowly. James couldn't understand what was happening, so he gently pushed her back.

"You don't know what you're doing, Sarah," he said, using the key card to unlock the door. He walked in ahead of her and threw the key card on the bed.

He heard a thud on the floor and turned around to find Sarah undressed, standing in nothing but her underwear. She slowly approached him and leaned against him.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked her.

"Shh," she whispered, unbuttoning his shirt. She pulled his shirt off and pulled him into a kiss.

"I know you want to, touch me, please touch me," she said putting his hand on the clasp of her bra.

 James tried to think about it but decided to improvise instead. He kissed her and unbuckled her bra. Before he knew it, his pants were off and his boxers followed.

James couldn't get over the fact that he was making love to Sarah Brown.  

"I love you, Sarah," he murmured, as he kissed and touched her, "Though you're a stupid woman."

"I love you too, Fred," she answered.

That was the off switch for James.

Fred? Her ex-boyfriend?