Billonaire YOUR BODY BELONGS TO ME

"You seriously brought your adopted sister home, Ryan? What do you think Natalie will do when she finds out?"

For the first time in a year, Natalie Phillips could hear clearly again. She stood outside the club's private room when those words reached her. The smile disappeared from her face, and she suddenly couldn't move.

Caylee Edwards had returned?

"If none of you says anything, Natalie won't know," Ryan Edwards replied without concern. "Caylee has been away for more than a year, and she wanted to come home."

"She didn't miss home. She missed you."

Knowing laughter broke out among the people inside.

"Stop talking nonsense. Caylee is my sister."

"Your sister? Come on, Ryan. I watched her kiss you earlier, and there was nothing sisterly about it. She acted more like your girlfriend!"

Ryan frowned. "She surprised me, and it was over before I had a chance to stop her. Caylee is still young, so she doesn't always understand where the boundaries are. I'm not going to turn one foolish kiss into a serious issue."

Then Ryan seemed to remember something, and a warning entered his voice. "Nobody mentions this again. Natalie will arrive soon, so be careful what you say around her."

Someone cleared his throat before asking in a sober tone, "You're honestly going to ignore what happened, Ryan? Caylee paid someone to run Natalie over. Natalie nearly lost her life, and she still hasn't regained her hearing."

"Caylee was only nineteen at the time," Ryan responded coldly. "She acted without thinking and made one honest mistake. She was overseas for an entire year, and she has already suffered the consequences. She won't do it again, so why are we still talking about it?"

One honest mistake?

Disbelief swept through Natalie as she listened from the hallway.

Nothing about his excuse made sense to her.

One year ago, Caylee's obsession with Ryan had taken a violent turn. His rejection had pushed her over the edge, and she hired someone to strike her with a car. That crash had taken her hearing from her.

Back then, Ryan had been furious beyond reason. His punishment left Caylee so badly injured that she nearly died. Eventually, his parents intervened and arranged for her to be sent overseas.

Throughout the following year, Ryan spent an enormous amount of money bringing specialists from every corner of the world to treat her hearing loss. He even stepped away from his career so he could remain with her throughout the entire recovery.

Months of treatment brought her unbearable pain and exhaustion. Whenever she felt too overwhelmed to continue, Ryan would become teary-eyed. He always pulled her into his arms and whispered that he wanted Caylee dead for destroying her life.

For a long time, she had carried nothing but bitterness over what happened. Still, she had seen Ryan travel anywhere necessary to find the right doctors, and he had never left her side through all those difficult days and nights.

Somewhere in her heart, she had begun to believe that despite everything she had suffered, she had at least found a man who truly treasured her.

Her hand moved to the small velvet box inside her pocket before she even realized what she was doing.

Hidden inside was a custom-made ring for Ryan that she had secretly ordered.