The CEO And His Ambitious Model Chapter 01

The CEO And His Ambitious Model Chapter 01

Ever since I was a little girl, my one and only dream had been to marry into a genuine Old Money family.

And right now, it looked like that opportunity was staring me right in the face.

Backstage at the fashion show was absolute chaos. I’d just changed into my final look and was seconds from stepping onto the runway when someone grabbed me from behind and yanked me into a vacant makeup room.

The door clicked shut, locking us inside.

Before I could even scream, I was slammed up against the mirror. Theo’s face appeared in the reflection, mere inches from my shoulder.

His breathing was ragged and heavy, hot breath fanning across the nape of my neck. I stared at him through the glass—his usually calm and unreadable eyes were bloodshot, fine beads of sweat glistening on his forehead.

“Theo?” I tried to twist free, but his grip on me was iron-tight.

“Don’t move.” His voice was hoarse, almost unrecognizable. “Just… let me breathe for a second.”

I froze.

Theo Whitmore.

Heir to the Whitmore Media Group, the youngest power player in New York’s Old Money circle, and my current boss.

He stood a full head taller than me, yet in that moment, it felt like he was leaning his entire weight against me just to stay upright. I could feel his heartbeat, abnormally fast and thundering, through the thin fabric of his dress shirt.

“Are you drunk?” I frowned.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he buried his face in the crook of my neck and drew in a long, deep breath.

“Finally…” he murmured, so quiet I almost didn’t hear it. “I’ve been looking for so long…”

My heart skipped a beat.

Looking? For me?

I’ll admit I’m no saint—I’ve never had much resistance to good-looking men.

Especially not someone of Theo’s caliber—6’2”, Ivy League educated, worth billions, with a face that belonged on the cover of every high-fashion magazine in the world.

More importantly, he was Old Money. The real, generations-deep Upper East Side Old Money.

If he was interested in me…

I bit my lip, my mind racing a mile a minute.

The Whitmore family’s status on the Upper East Side would save me twenty years of struggling. No, forty.

But just as I hesitated, wondering if I should lean into him, several lines of bright white danmaku floated across my vision:

【Wake up, you stupid side character! The male lead was drugged by his rivals! He’s mistaking you for his childhood sweetheart first love!】

【How dare this side character even entertain the thought? Who does she think she is? Theo is way out of her league. She’s just one of dozens of new talents he signed. Does she really think she can climb that high?】

【Just wait. When the male lead sobers up and realizes he grabbed the wrong person, he’ll have you blacklisted from the entire New York fashion scene by tomorrow!】

I froze solid.

Wrong person?

So this whole thing… was just because he’d been drugged?

I took a deep breath, ruthlessly crushing the tiny scheming thoughts that had just begun to bloom in my chest.

Taking advantage of someone in a vulnerable state wasn’t who I was. Mia doesn’t do things like that.

Besides, I couldn’t afford the risk of being blacklisted and run out of New York.

So I spun around decisively, grabbed Theo’s arm, dropped my center of gravity—

And executed a perfect shoulder throw.

With a heavy thud, Theo hit the carpeted floor hard.

He grunted, a flash of utter disbelief crossing his drug-clouded eyes.

I didn’t have time to check on him. I fumbled for my phone and immediately called Will.

“Will, get over here fast! Theo got drugged or something, he’s not making sense. Can you call a doctor?”

Will agreed right away on the other end of the line.

I squatted a few feet away, waiting for the call to connect, keeping a wary eye on the man on the floor, scared he’d lunge at me again.

And Theo, lying there, felt the corner of his mouth twitch uncontrollably.

Staring at the woman squatting across the room, looking all guarded while she talked on the phone, only one thought ran through his head—

What is this woman made of?

How is she this strong?