After Lisette said her piece, she opened the door to the suite.


    In the very next instant, Calliope stepped forward and, without warning,nded a solid kick to Lisette''s backside.


    Off bnce andpletely taken by surprise, Lisette pitched forward and fell headlong into the room.


    Robert, drawn by themotion, had just reached the doorway. Lisette crashed right into his arms.


    "Calliope, have you lost your mind?" Lisette shrieked, reeling from the sudden assault. "What is wrong with you!"


    But her protests were cut short-Robert caught her and, without hesitation, pushed her down onto the bed, pinning her in ce so she couldn''t move.


    Outside, Calliope coolly shut the door behind them with a faint, knowing smile. She leaned against the wall for a moment, then slipped her phone from her pocket and idly started checking her messages.


    Soon, muffled noises drifted out from behind the door. At first, it was the frantic sounds of Lisette struggling and protesting. But, after a few minutes, as the drug she''d ingested began to take hold, her resistance melted away. After that, the room fell quiet, save for the heavy breathing and rhythmic creaking of the bed.


    Calliope lingered at the door, ying on her phone for a while longer. When she judged enough time had passed, she sent a discreet message to Portia: Now''s your cue-bring everyone over.


    Time to slip away before anyone caught on. As she turned to leave, Calliope tugged the door open just a little, leaving it ajar. With everything happening inside, neither Robert nor Lisette noticed in the slightest that the room was no longer secure.


    It wasn''t long before Portia appeared with a flock of eager onlookers trailing behind her.


    "Ms. Sutton, you said there was something exciting going on. So, what''s the surprise?" one person called.


    "Yeah, we''ve marched all the way over here-I hope it''s worth it!" chimed another. "Where''s the big reveal? Give us a hint!" someone else pleaded.


    "This suspense is torture!"ughed another.


    Portia shed a sly smile and nodded toward the door. "Right here. The party''s in this room. Get your phones ready trust me, you''ll want to catch this on camera."


    "For real? What''s inside?"


    "Quit with the secrets-I''m dying to know!" The group exchanged curious nces, but everyone was already gripping their phones, poised for action.


    With a cold glint in her eye and a flourish befitting the moment, Portia swung the door wide open and hit the light switch.


    A wave of camera shes erupted as the group surged forward, snapping pictures before they''d even processed what they were seeing. Better to shoot first and figure things outter no one wanted to miss a thing.  s?novels


    Once the initial shock subsided, a collective gasp swept through the hallway.


    "What on earth is this?!"


    "Oh my god, isn''t that Robert?"


    "And that woman... wait, isn''t that Lisette from the Jewell family?"


    "How in the world did the two of them end up together?!"


    "This is wild! So indecent..."


    "She was practically in tears earlier, and now she''s all tangled up with Robert..."


    A chorus of shocked whispers and stunnedughter filled the corridor as people snapped photo after photo, hungry for gossip.


    ???


    Valerian arrived just as someone shouted Lisette''s name. He pushed his way through the crush of bodies and stopped in his tracks eyes wide in disbelief. There on the bed, stark naked and intimately entwined with Robert, was Lisette.


    He stared, frozen, as the truth set in.


    Feigning startled innocence, Portia gasped, "Oh wow-did we walk into the wrong room by mistake? But, Lisette don''t you already have a boyfriend? Is he just not keeping you satisfied these days?"