Flashback
"Hey, Jackson. I paid the man I hired to take Scarlet to the suite once he saw her drink the wine the staff prepared. When he's done, he'll send me the photos." Janet, Scarlet's stepsister, told Jackson over the phone.
"Great. I'm heading home now. Just make sure it goes exactly as planned. I'll call you once we arrive at the gala." Jackson replied.
"Don't worry. I've planned this perfectly; it will go off without a hitch. I'm hanging up now. See you soon, love you." Janet said, and the line went dead.
Jackson arrived home, walked in, and called out.
"Honey, I'm home! We have somewhere to be. Where are you?" Jackson called out, looking around. He saw her emerge from the kitchen carrying a tray of sliced fruit.
Scarlet looked at him, confused. She was hit by another wave of shock when Jackson walked over, took the tray, set it on the dining table, and gently pulled her hand.
"We're going out. Why don't you go upstairs and change? Meet me here when you're ready," Jackson said softly.
Scarlet was too shocked by his sudden gentleness to speak, but she was quickly jolted back to reality. "Come on, I'm waiting," he prompted. Scarlet could only nod and walk upstairs to change into a simple dress before returning to her husband.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"To a gala. I want to take my wife with me," Jackson said, causing Scarlet's eyes to widen in surprise again.
"Don't just stand there; let's go," he said, taking her hand. They walked out of the house, got into the car, and drove to the party.
At the gala, Jackson told Scarlet he needed to take a call. While she stood alone, a staff member approached and offered her a glass of wine.
"Thank you," she said, taking a sip. She drank nearly the entire contents of the glass. The room began to swim. Everything went blurry as someone approached her. Without thinking, she followed the person who led her to some unknown place before she finally blacked out.
The unknown man took her to a room and began to undress her, but Scarlet vomited all over him. He recoiled, his face twisted in disgust.
"What the fuck, you bitch," he spat out irritably, shoving her away.
"If I hadn't been paid for this, I wouldn't touch trash like you. Ah, damn it." The man was so disgusted that he abandoned the rest of the plan. Instead, he took several photos of himself and the unconscious Scarlet, staging them to look like they had been intimate, and then left her alone in the room.
The next morning, Scarlet woke up in an unfamiliar bed. She bolted upright and looked around, this wasn't her room. She clutched her head, trying to piece together what had happened. She remembered the party, her husband leaving, being served a drink, and the room spinning like she was drunk. She knew that a single glass of wine shouldn't have affected her like that. She had been drugged.
Realizing this, she jumped out of bed, raced out of the room, ran out of the suite, and took a taxi home. On the way, her father called, his voice tight with rage.
Scarlet arrived at her father's mansion. Everyone, her family, Jackson, and his family were present, looking at her with undisguised disgust.
Mr. Ben marched over and slapped her hard across the face.
"You shameless, unfilial girl! Is this how you repay me for taking you back into this family?" he bellowed angrily.
"Dad, wha…" Scarlet didn't finish the word before Mr. Ben slapped her again.
"You shameless, unfilial daughter! I don't want to hear anything from you. I forbid you from coming near me or my properties," Mr. Ben roared after the second blow. Scarlet stood there, tears streaming down her face, trying to explain that she didn't remember anything after being drugged.
"Before you damage the name and image I spent years building before your useless birth, I will remove you from my family." Mr. Ben yelled. He walked over to Jackson, grabbed the prepared divorce papers, and threw them at her.
"Sign this and get out of my mansion. Never show your face near me or anything I own again." Mr. Ben said, his voice laced with fury.
In tears, Scarlet signed the papers and was thrown out.
…..Present….
A young man in a tailored suit walked up to Scarlet, who was lost in thought on a hospital lobby chair.
"Hello, Ms., the man you brought in is fine now, and he'd like to see you," the man said softly.
"Did you hear me, Ms.?" the man repeated, tapping her lightly on the shoulder, causing her to look up.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?" she asked.
"The gentleman you brought to the hospital would like to see you. Please come with me." The man then led Scarlet to the ward where the patient was lying in bed.
"Boss, she's here," the man announced to the young patient.
The young man turned and looked at Scarlet, who was standing there.
"What do you want in return for saving my life?" he asked weakly.
"Marry me," Scarlet stated boldly, completely surprising both men.
"What did you say?" the young man in bed asked again.
"I said, marry me," she repeated.
"Do you know who you're asking to marry you?" he asked with a frown.
"I don't. Is it important? If so, tell me who you are," Scarlet replied with the same boldness.
The standing man started to interject, but the patient stopped him.
The young man in bed studied the woman who was asking for his hand in exchange for saving his life.
"If that is what you want, we'll need to discuss it, but not now," the young man in bed said, causing the standing man to look even more shocked.
Scarlet tilted her head and spoke again.
"Well, I have one more request: Can you give me shelter?" she asked. The man in bed looked at her with amusement. He couldn't help but let out a laugh a genuine one he hadn't had in a long time.
"You are very funny, young lady. What's your name?" he asked.
"Scarlet," she replied simply.
"You wanted to marry me, and now you need a place to stay? In that case, you have to choose one," the man in the bed said with a smirk.
Scarlet looked at him and bit her lower lip.
"I really need a place to sleep tonight. Can't I just... not choose?" she pleaded, looking up at the young man.
The man chuckled again.
"Life doesn't always work that way. You helped me get to the hospital once, so I'm only returning the favor once. Choose wisely," he advised.
"What if I help you again, and then my other request will be granted?" Scarlet countered, making the young man look at her with even more interest and amusement.
"I'm quite sure there won't be a next time for you to help me. If it hadn't been you, I wouldn't have gotten out of my car, and you wouldn't have had the chance you got today to save my life," the man stated.
"I must be out of my mind," she mumbled to herself. Then she spoke clearly, "You should give me shelter then." This caused the man's lips to form a slight frown.
"Oops, I thought you were going to choose to marry me. Are you giving that up just for a place to stay?" he teased.
"I must have been out of my mind asking you to marry me. Who knows if you're already taken? I won't snatch someone else's husband," she said, letting out an awkward, short-lived laugh.
"We'll discuss how to repay you later, but if you truly need a place to stay tonight, I can help you with that. Think of it as me being nice," the young man in bed said. The standing man was visibly surprised to hear his boss say such a thing. He had never seen his boss act like this before.
"Thank you so much, I appreciate that. But you still haven't told me who you are. How should I address you?" Scarlet asked eagerly.
"Call me Marcus," the young man in bed said, sitting up. The standing man rushed to help him, but Marcus stopped him.
"It's fine, I can walk. Take me back to the villa," Marcus instructed his subordinate. "And she is coming with us," he added, causing the young man to stare in shock.
"Boss, but she's a stranger. We know nothing about her. I don't think…" the man was cut short by Marcus.
"Just do what I say," he said coldly. The man immediately nodded.