CHAPTER 3
1885 Words
HARPER BENNETT
Silence returns.
And then, an explosion of murmurs ripples through the party.
It’s like I just challenged the king in the middle of his own court.
And I did. I challenged the alpha.
I don’t know much about Mason’s personal life, but I know he always participates in boxing matches and wins every single one.
He arches an eyebrow, his dark eyes assessing whether I’m serious.
"You want to box with me?" He laughs. A low, sharp sound. "This is going to be interesting."
Noah steps closer, trying to intervene.
"Harper, you don’t have to do this..."
"I want to." My voice comes out firm. More than ever.
"If I win, you shut up. And if I lose, at least I prove I deserve to be here."
Mason seems amused by the boldness. He shrugs, smirks, and steps back.
"There are gloves over there. Let’s see if your courage lasts more than one round."
The makeshift ring is in a smaller room next door.
Of course they have one. Rich people like them always have a place for violence disguised as entertainment.
I tie my hair into a messy bun, strap on the gloves, and step into the ring with my eyes locked on my target.
Mason is tall, strong, and his body looks like it’s made of stone and rage. He bounces lightly on the ground, fast feet, relaxed fists.
I’m smaller, lighter, and have almost zero technique.
But I’m stubborn. Stubborn enough to take hits and keep standing.
The bell rings — yes, they have a bell, of course they do — and the fight begins.
I hear Noah cheering for me and Lexie screaming for Mason. Of course.
His first punch doesn’t even hit me, but the wind knocks me off balance.
The second grazes my side and I already taste metal in my mouth.
He’s not hitting hard. He’s testing me.
"Are you giving up already?" he taunts.
I respond with a straight punch that hits his chin. Weak, but unexpected.
The guests around us cheer, excited. I see him smile. He starts to take me seriously.
And that’s when the real fight begins.
He knocks me down twice in the first round.
I fall like a rag doll, but I get back up. Always.
"You fight like a little girl!" he shouts mockingly and I sigh in frustration.
The third time I fall, everything spins.
But I think of my grandma. Her surgery. The bills. Noah’s eyes. And I rise.
Mason pauses for a second. His expression changes. From mockery to... respect?
"You’re unbearable," he mutters. "Just like me."
When he goes for the final blow, I stumble accidentally, dodge by inches, and land a punch on his face.
He could hit back and win now, but I see the look in his eyes and something stops him.
He lowers his fists. Takes a step back, touching his face as if the punch I gave him really hurt.
And then he falls.
The crowd goes wild. Someone rings the bell again.
And I... won?
Noah climbs into the ring, catching me before I collapse from exhaustion.
"Are you crazy? You almost died!"
I laugh weakly, breathless.
"But I won."
"Yeah, you won. You smashed my brother’s face. That’s my girl!" he shouts, and I laugh.
"Come on, let’s take care of that cut on your lips."
He carries me to a side room, where a woman starts cleaning my wounds.
He holds my hand the entire time.
On the other side of the hall, I see Mason.
He’s leaning against the wall, wiping his own lip with a towel.
But his eyes... are on me. Intense. Almost gentle.
Later, once I’ve recovered, I get a call from one of the best hospitals.
They say a top medical team will be sent to assess my grandmother... by order of a certain "anonymous benefactor."
I look around and see Mason’s assistant.
He stares at me for a second, then looks away. Bingo.
Did Mason send help? Or someone else?
Lexie must have noticed something too.
She storms past me like a hurricane, eyes locked on Mason. And catches him staring at me.
Her face twists in cold jealousy.
"Stay away from guys like Mason, Harper. I still don’t know how Noah hasn’t figured out what you really are, but he will. He’ll know you’re just a poor girl."
She walks away from me and I close my eyes for a few seconds.
I need to seduce Noah, but people like Lexie can ruin my plans, and I can’t let that happen.
"Harper, I have to take care of something. Can you wait here? I’ll take you home when I get back."
He leaves and I’m alone again, but not for long.
I need to get Lexie out of my way.
I look down the hall and see her talking to a group of girls.
I pick up my phone and pretend to be on a call.
She needs to hear this, and I know she will.
"Hello. I need to rent a dress. Yes, it has to be identical to the original, no one can know it’s fake... that could destroy me..." I lie.
I don’t need to turn my head to know Lexie is listening.
I smile. She thinks she’s won.
She thinks she caught me, but it’s her who fell into my trap.
I hear footsteps and turn, feeling my body tense when I see Mason behind me.
His eyes gleam with contained arrogance, like he's amused by everything that just happened.
He stops a few steps away from me, crosses his arms over his broad chest, and raises an eyebrow with that mocking expression that drives me crazy.
"Don't get used to winning, sweetheart. Next time, I won’t let you win."
I touch my shoulder, where there’s a scratch, pretending to clean it just to hide the smile that almost escapes.
He’s not mad. He’s impressed.
"Good to know," I reply, lifting my chin. "So you admit you let me win?"
He smirks, a sharp, almost cruel smile. He’s about to answer when we hear it.
Hysterical screams coming from the main hall.
Our eyes meet for a second. We run.
My heels echo through the luxurious hallways of the mansion as we run side by side.
No one says a word. No need.
By the time we arrive, chaos has already spread.
Lexie is standing on a table in the center, her usually perfect hair now messy, and her makeup looks like it's about to melt.
She screams, her voice choked with rage and wounded pride.
"SHE’S A FRAUD! A LIAR!" She points at me with a trembling finger. "She pretends to be an heiress, but she’s just a poor gold digger! An impostor!"
People around whisper, glance at each other, forming circles like vultures around a corpse.
Lexie spins on her heels and sees me at the entrance.
A triumphant smile spreads across her red lips.
"Finally arrived, Harper. Why don’t you tell everyone who you really are? Why don’t you admit you faked your way into this world just to enchant Noah?"
I just stare at her. Still don’t respond. Not yet.
Mason slowly walks toward the center of the commotion.
He positions himself between us, and his presence silences half the crowd.
"What’s going on here?" he asks, his voice low but loaded with authority.
Lexie turns to him, panting, desperate.
"She lied to you too, Mason! She has no pedigree, no fortune! She rented a fake dress, faked everything! Look what she’s hiding!"
Before I can stop her, she comes up to me and grabs the hem of my dress and yanks it hard.
She grabs a wine glass from a table and throws it on me.
"What do you think you’re doing?"
The liquid splashes onto my dress, staining the satin with theatrical brutality.
Lexie smiles, convinced she’s exposed a fraud.
But the dress... remains flawless.
The designer’s label is right there, visible. Authentic. Genuine.
Lexie’s smile begins to crumble.
Mason says nothing.
He just watches me. His eyes fall on my shoulder, where part of the tattoo shows — a rose entwined with an iris, fine and delicate lines.
"She’s a fraud! Her family isn’t rich and she doesn’t live in a mansion!" she keeps yelling.
"Enough, Lexie!" Mason shouts.
Her eyes hit me and I stay still.
"Aren’t you going to say anything, Harper? Noah might be blind not to see what you really are, but I know the truth!"
"And what is the truth, Lexie?"
"You’re poor. She doesn’t even have money to take care of her sick grandmother!"
I feel the anger rising inside me, but something tells me to stay in control.
Mason doesn’t seem to know what to believe.
His narrowed eyes scan every inch of me, as if looking for a crack in my story.
Lexie is unraveling inside. Desperate.
Her reputation is crumbling in front of everyone. And then she screams:
"She has no money. Maybe she’s stealing something tonight. Strip her dress off! I’m sure of it!"
Before she can do anything, I hear a voice behind me.
"No one is going to touch her!" Noah says.
He rushes in.
His eyes scan the room until they find me.
"What the hell is going on here?" he demands.
Lexie runs to him, gasping.
"She lied! She manipulated you, Noah!"
Noah stares at her for a long moment. Then he looks at me.
"That’s enough of this scene, Lexie. Stop accusing Harper of things that aren’t true. Control your frustration."
Lexie widens her eyes and freezes, and I hold back my smile.
Noah’s gaze returns to me, and for a moment I think he’s going to believe her, but he just touches my face and looks at my stained dress.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes."
Mason seems like he wants to say something, but Noah gently pulls me and leads me to the lounge.
"Let’s get you out of this dress and dry you off," he says, and I turn my head to see Mason and Lexie watching us.
We enter a room and he comes closer to me.
"I should never have left you alone at the party with Lexie. I’m sorry about that."
"It wasn’t your fault, she hates me."
"She hates everyone except Mason," he says, and I laugh.
"I’ll be right back."
He asks for clean clothes to be brought and leaves, leaving me alone.
I close my eyes and sigh. So much happened today and I was almost truly exposed, but I think no one believed Lexie.
I start to unzip the dress, eager to strip off that wine stain and everything it represents, when the door opens.
"Noah... I..." I stop talking when I see who enters the room.
I slowly turn, holding the dress against my body when I see Mason closing the door and walking toward me.
I take two steps back.
"What are you doing here? Your brother could come back any second and I..."
He pushes me against the wall and my eyes widen as our faces come very close.
Mason smirks, looking at me with mischief.
"Admit it, Harper. You want me, don’t you? Seducing both brothers is part of your plan too?"
- Writer
