The Honeymoon

Like a luminous pearl hung low in the sky, the full moon cast its silvery beam on the calm surface of the South Pacific Sea. A yacht was cruising at a slow pace of two knots per hour.

Inside the yacht's entertainment room, Leoric swirled the wine in his glass before downing it in one gulp. His gaze lingered a second longer on the woman dancing gracefully on the elevated platform at the front.

His cell phone lit up and vibrated. He opened the email that had just arrived.

"Boss, they are not related. I attached the result in the email."

Leoric's gaze subconsciously traveled back to the woman gyrating beside the pole. Her moves were graceful, just like a ballerina. He did not know why he felt a strange emotion within him. Was he relieved or frustrated?

"Hey, bitch! What do you think are you dancing? Ballet?" Emily shouted. She was full of resentment and wanted to vent. "Leo, let her do a pole dance. You promised me I could do to her whatever I like after the wedding." Emily wheedled at Leoric. She wanted to humiliate Angel.

The music stopped.

Angel paused and looked at the man sitting on the couch. He was her new husband, yet he was seated beside a voluptuous figure whose arms were wrapped around his waist like a koala.

The monitor behind her lit up, and Angel's eyes widened in horror when she heard the scream on the screen. She turned to see the woman's blouse yanked open, exposing the black undergarment underneath. The woman from the screen tried to cover her exposed body with her waist-length curly hair.

She was her best friend, Madeline, tied up in a chair in a hotel room.

"If you don't dance properly, that woman will be humiliated and the video will be shared on the internet." It wasn't Leoric who spoke but Emily.

Angel did not look at the smug woman but locked her gaze with the man beside her, who met her eyes with a hint of mockery. She clenched her fists so hard that her fingernails dug into her palms.

"Coward! Why are you targeting her? She is innocent!" She yelled at him.

The dozen men in the room all looked at her incredulously. How dare she talk to Leoric like that?

Leoric stiffened. He has been called a coward twice that day. He was very angry.

"What did you say?" Suddenly, the room was filled with a dangerous aura, and the temperature dropped a few degrees.

Angel remained quiet. Leoric gestured at one of the men, and sensual music started playing.

'Fine. If you think you can humiliate me, I'll give it to you.' She cursed inwardly.

Angel took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She waited a few seconds before she opened her enchanting eyes. When she did, she turned into a completely different person.

She transformed into a seductress as she raised both her hands in the air and swayed her hips in synch with the music.

She spun and moved toward the pole in the middle of the platform. She was at the forefront of the room and the center of attention of all the dozen men inside the private room.

She thought of Jasmine, the belly dancer she once portrayed during college when they needed to do a drama. Her dance moves mirrored the sexy Arabian dance. Madeline did not understand why she chose that role when she could have played the sweet and innocent princess in the lead role.

"Because it is a role that no one wanted." She said.

As Angel remembered Jasmine, she was immersed in the dance. She held onto the pole with one hand and arched her back, the tip of her hair touching the floor. She quickly straightened her back and scanned the men in the room, pausing a second longer on Leoric Graystone, the scumbag who became her husband a few hours ago.

Her gaze finally landed on the man with blue eyes. His rumpled ash-gray hair stood up like the crest of an excited Cockatiel. He was the flamboyant Alec Boden, Leoric's best friend.

Angel spun gracefully and stopped in front of him. She pulled him to the center of the platform.

Everything happened so fast that Alec was caught off guard. Angel placed her two hands on his broad chest and started gyrating in front of him. Her undulated body movement was graceful and elegant despite of her wanting to be bold and flirtatious.

Alec threw Leoric a nervous glance. He thought he would remain indifferent, but he was shocked to see the rage in his eyes.

Angel's soft and warm hands moved to clasp his big ones. She guided and planted them on her narrow waist.

Alec froze. He did not know whether to retract his hands from her waist or keep them there. Her waist was, after all, soft to the touch.

"Enough!" Leoric's booming voice was heard over the loud music.

Angel's hands, which were about to land on Alec's hips, froze in mid-air.

The music stopped, and everyone turned to the man who stood up. He emanated a coldness that seemed to freeze the room.

Alec was surprised to see the anger in Leoric's eyes. He hurried back to his seat to escape the storm about to be unleashed.

In three long strides, Leoric towered over the confused Angel. He grasped her chin. Angel felt that her chin was about to be crushed.

"I didn't know you were so skilled in seducing men. What a slut." His words were venomous.

Angel lifted her head, and her confusion turned into defiance.

"Isn't it what you wanted? You wanted me to do that dance to ruin my reputation, and you threatened me with my best friend. You left me with no choice."

Leoric pursed his lips. The vein on his forehead popped, a sign of how angry he was.

His hands moved down and rested on her neck. His gaze lingered on the deft between her bosom.

He hooked his finger on the sheer fabric that barely concealed her black undergarment. With a jerk, a ripping sound was heard, and the white fabric fell to the ground.

Angel gasped. She instinctively bent down to grab the fabric, but a pair of black leather shoes stepped on it.

"Didn't you want to be a seductress? Then I am helping you, vixen." Leoric said disdainfully.

Angel paused. An overwhelming anger engulfed her. She was still his wife. Wouldn't her disgrace tarnish his reputation?

With that thought, Angel rose from the ground. She straightened her back, not minding that she was half-naked. She tilted her head and met the cold gaze of her cheap husband.

Leoric's pupils constricted when he realized that Angel was only wearing a black lace bra, which made her smooth, fair skin alluring. His gaze subconsciously scanned the room and saw his friends' burning gazes on Angel. They looked down when they noticed his cold glare.

Angel snickered. "Just in case it did not synch in that brain of yours, you married this slut a few hours ago. I am no longer a Hart. I am Mrs. Graystone now."

Leoric's eyes narrowed. His big hand circled her neck and tightened.

Angel felt the oxygen from her lungs being cut off. She did not struggle at all but continued to look at him defiantly.

Just when she thought she would pass out, Leoric released his hold on her neck and pushed her hard. Angel, who felt weak after being strangled, slumped on the ground, wheezing and coughing with difficulty.

"Get Out!"

Angel did not wait for another second. She yanked the flimsy fabric under Leoric's feet, and a part of the thin cover-up was torn. Angel scrambled to her feet. She hastily covered her upper body with what remained of her upper garment. Then, she headed to the door without looking back.