Fever Pitch Temptation

Chapter 9 f**k Me

Making Owen embarrass himself in front of everyone was my plan for revenge.

But what I didn't expect was that he'd lock down the villa and start playing detective to cut off my escape route.

'What will happen if Owen catches me?'

Before I could even process that thought, security came up and showed Owen the footage on a tablet. That was when I realized there were cameras everywhere!

Owen glanced up, his sharp eyes scanning the crowd. I suddenly became nervous. The cameras must've caught the person who used the projector!

"Where's the coward hiding?"

"Coward? Nah, someone brave enough to mess with Owen's not a coward. He's a straight-up warrior!"

"Let's hope he's already escaped. If Owen catches him, it's gonna be bad... Maybe Owen will shove that bat right in his ass!"

People snickered as they whispered, even volunteering to help look for suspicious figures.

I forced myself to stay cool and replay the moments in my head—the dim lighting and my path, trying to figure out if the cameras could even catch a decent shot of my face. I'd changed my outfits, so I was sure he wouldn't find anyone matching the description from the footage.

Just as I thought, Owen seemed stumped. His gaze lingered with some uncertainty before he muttered something to the security and slipped an earpiece in to confirm a few things. Then, a smug smile spread across his face.

"Good. No one left the villa tonight. She's still here," said Owen with a smile.

"She?" People immediately picked up on the keyword, and I could feel the pressure building. I tried to quietly slip away while no one noticed me.

"Yeah. The staff is searching in the villa. I just checked the guest list, and aside from..." Owen's tall frame pushed through the crowd and stopped in front of our dance troupe. He flashed a gentlemanly smile and continued, "An extra lady among those beautiful ladies."

All eyes turned toward us—specifically, our masks.

The girls exchanged nervous glances, and Mary, the lead dancer, stepped up to speak, "Dear Owen, we sometimes adjust the lineup for the performance. There's nothing strange about it, right?

"Or what do you wanna do? Do you want us to take our clothes off in front of everyone? No way. We're just here for the gig. We're not prostitutes!"

"No, no!" Owen held up his hands, pretending to be innocent, his face twisting into an apologetic smile. "How could I ever embarrass the ladies like that? But, hey, a cool ten grand might make it easier for the girls to volunteer to take off their masks, right?"

"Woah, ten grand? Is Owen for real? That's so generous!" a girl shouted.

Owen was despicable—he knew exactly how to play people. With that kind of money, he didn't need to force anyone, and the girls would just hand over their masks willingly.

As I expected, two of the girls pulled off their masks immediately.

Owen looked at me and Mary with a self-satisfied grin and casually declared, "And as for your other outfits, I'd say they count too."

That sentence sent the whole room into a frenzy. Some people even started chanting, "Strip!"

This was straight-up humiliation. I couldn't let this go any further. I had to stop it!

"Enough!" I snapped, unable to take it anymore. Just then, Owen pressed the mic in his ear to listen carefully, and his gaze zeroed in on me—there was a dangerous look in his eyes now, like he'd finally found his prey.

"The butler found the T-shirt from the surveillance footage, and you two are the only ones who went in and out of the dressing room. If there's nothing else to say, maybe you should talk to the police about it..."

"No! It was me! It has nothing to do with Mary!" I yanked off Mary's mask and shoved it into Owen's arms. "And make sure she gets her ten grand!"

"You?" Owen caught the mask with a raised brow, confusion flooding his deep blue eyes. "Is there some kind of misunderstanding between us?"

I sneered. "Oh, I'm sure you don't remember all the wrongs you've done to me. But maybe if I take this mask off and show you my face, it'll remind you of something..."

Owen's frown deepened, and before I could reach for the mask again, he grabbed my wrist with a quick motion, his smile tinged with reluctant surrender. "You win. Let's talk alone."

I took a deep sigh, feeling a bit relieved. If I revealed my face in front of everyone, there was no doubt Owen's fans would tear me apart even more.

"Sorry to ruin the fun, folks. The game's over, but the party goes on. We'll be back soon," Owen said to the crowd. His words only sparked more excited chatter, and Alissa, completely ignored, wanted to protest, but Owen was already pulling me toward the stairs.

He threw open a door, shoved me inside, and slammed it.

"Alright, now we can talk. When did I ever hurt you?" he asked.

"Humph, this must be the funniest joke I've heard this year," I retorted.

I couldn't help but laugh bitterly as I pointed a sharp finger at his chest. "You ruined my reputation, almost cost me my job, and left me buried in debt that I had to pay off with side gigs. And don't even get me started on your damn fan club humiliating me! And you... you're completely unaffected by it all with not even a hint of guilt!"

Owen's mouth opened in surprise, and he scanned me from head to toe again. "Dr. Everly?"

"Anveena! At least remember the name of your scapegoat!" My chest was rising and falling with rage as I shouted.

A soft chuckle escaped from Owen's throat. His voice was smooth and teasing like he was enjoying my anger. A smug smile tugged at his lips as he leaned back. "Alright, lovely Anveena. I apologize to you. You've got your revenge. Does that make you feel better?"

His nonchalant response only made me seethe. "Hell no! You have no idea what I've been through these past few days!"

"Oh, right... I almost forgot it. As agreed, I owe you an exclusive private picture. Do you want to wait for a moment, or are you going to take it yourself?" Owen smiled.

Geeze! The guy who'd been my secret crush for years knew exactly how to push my buttons!

"No! I don't want your stupid picture! f**k you!" I flipped him the bird, my anger boiling over.

"OK, I got it..." Owen shrugged with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "As you wish, come on and f**k me."

"F... What?!" I was completely stunned by his words.