The Billionaire Heir Fell for the Wrong Girl (Hathaway Whitmore) novel Chapter 1

Chapter 1 She Traveled Back

When Hathaway Whitmore came back to her senses in a daze, she felt the warm body of a man pressed tightly against her side.

Every inch of her ached. She slowly forced her heavy eyes open and saw an old brown ceiling fan spin overhead and keep creaking.

Hathaway had grown up as the daughter of the wealthy Whitmore family. There’d only ever been one time in her life when she’d stayed somewhere with a ceiling fan like this.

Years ago, in a run-down motel, Jeremiah Blackwood had taken her virginity while drugged out of his mind.

Back then, she’d thought that night would make him fall in love with her. Instead, it had ruined her life.

The memories hit her all at once, leaving her with a bitter knot in her chest. Then something suddenly felt off, and Hathaway wondered, ‘Wait… Wasn’t I already dead?’

Her mind cleared instantly. She whipped her head toward the man holding her.

A few strands of sunlight slipped through the curtains, casting long and narrow beams across the room. Right beside her was the younger Jeremiah, his handsome face close enough to touch.

He was in a deep sleep, and the usual arrogance was gone from his expression. His lean waist and defined chest were pressed against her, and his strong arms circled her body like she was something precious to him.

Hathaway’s mind instantly went blank. It felt like she’d been struck by lightning.

Jeremiah had never held her while sleeping, except for that very night.

That night, she’d saved him from the ocean. When she found him, half his body had been submerged in seawater. She’d struggled to drag him back onto shore.

Since she hadn’t brought her ID, they couldn’t get a room at any decent hotel, so she’d taken the barely conscious man to this crappy motel instead. And they ended up having sex.

That was when Hathaway finally realized that she’d traveled back to the past.

She pushed Jeremiah’s arm off her and grabbed her phone. As she’d expected, the text had already been sent half an hour ago.

Just like in her previous life, she’d texted her best friend, Jessica Kingsley, asking her to bring over a clean set of clothes.

Only this time, after sending the message, she must’ve passed out from exhaustion and fallen back asleep until now.

Checking the time, Hathaway knew Jessica would be arriving soon.

The second that thought hit her, she ignored the soreness in her body and hurried out of bed. She picked up her clothes from the floor and threw them on.

The outfit was still damp from the seawater, but she didn’t care anymore. She rushed into the bathroom to clean herself up.

Then her eyes landed on the cheap showerhead. She froze for a second before reaching out and turning it on instinctively. Just like before, it was broken.

She actually laughed out. Everything was exactly the same as her last life.

Back then, since Hathaway couldn’t shower there, Jessica had thoughtfully rented another room for her after arriving. By the time Hathaway finished bathing, dried her hair, and returned with a fresh look, both Jessica and Jeremiah were already gone.

Jessica had claimed she was the one who rescued Jeremiah that night, and from then on, she became the only woman Jeremiah cared about.

Even though Jeremiah still married Hathaway because his grandfather forced him to honor the engagement arranged when they were kids, his heart had always belonged to Jessica.

To give Jessica a proper place by his side, Jeremiah destroyed the Whitmore Group. Hathaway’s father died from a heart attack. Her mother lost her mind. Her older brother jumped from a building.

And in the end, Hathaway herself had been poisoned to death.

The Whitmore Group naturally ended up in Jeremiah’s hands and became another part of his empire.

The memories filled Hathaway with deep hatred that it made her chest hurt.

After walking out of the bathroom, Hathaway had originally planned to leave right away. But the rage boiling inside her was too much.

She climbed straight onto the bed and sat on Jeremiah’s toned stomach. Then she started slapping him across the face with both hands.

Her eyes turned red from fury. If she’d had a knife in her hand right then, she would’ve driven it straight into his chest without hesitation.

Hathaway knew Jeremiah wouldn’t wake up yet.

He wouldn’t wake up until Jessica arrived.

Jessica was really lucky. She stole the Whitmore family’s business. She stole the man Hathaway loved the most. Jeremiah spoiled Jessica rotten and protected her with everything he had. Hathaway, however, lost her entire family and died.

Hathaway put all her strength into those slaps. She didn’t even know how many times she’d hit him before her wrist was suddenly grabbed.

It was Jeremiah. Still half-asleep, acting on instinct, he held onto her to stop her from moving.

“Babe, sleep a while longer,” Jeremiah muttered in a low voice without opening his eyes.

Hathaway froze instantly. She didn’t dare move. Only after his breathing turned steady again did she carefully pull her hand back while holding her breath.

For one brief moment, Hathaway really wanted Jeremiah to open his eyes and see clearly who she was.

But since she traveled back, she realized she didn’t love him anymore, and she didn’t want anything to do with this man ever again.

In her previous life, he mistook the wrong person and destroyed the entire Whitmore family. This time, she didn’t care whether he recognized her or not.

She wanted nothing to do with him anymore.

The second Hathaway got free, she left without looking back. Her clothes were still damp and slightly see-through, so she grabbed Jeremiah’s suit jacket to cover the marks on her body before hurrying out of the room.

Fighting through the soreness all over her body, Hathaway stumbled downstairs.

“Miss, do you need any help?” a woman asked when Hathaway neared the front desk.

Startled, Hathaway looked over. She noticed it was the receptionist.

Last night, she’d been too busy checking in to really notice the receptionist, but now that she looked carefully, she found the woman was actually pretty and somehow familiar.

Then it hit Hathaway all at once. The receptionist was Scarlett Moore, who’d later become a movie star known all across the country.

In Hathaway’s previous life, Scarlett had only shared a few meals with Jeremiah, and Jessica treated her like a threat.

Hathaway didn’t expect that right now, Scarlett was still working the front desk at some rundown motel.

This time around, Hathaway had no intention of letting Jessica have everything she wanted.

A thought suddenly crossed her mind. ‘If it were Scarlett instead, would Jeremiah fall for Scarlett?’

A faint smile appeared on her pale face. She said, “The guest in room 506 asked me to get you. He said he needs a favor.”

*****

When Hathaway got home, the living room happened to be empty. Only Donut noticed her and trotted over to lick her ankle.

Hathaway returned to her room, grabbed some clean clothes, and headed straight for the shower.

Warm water ran over her freezing skin, and only then did her tense body finally relax. For the first time since waking up, she truly felt alive again.

She didn’t know whether Jessica or Scarlett ended up going to see Jeremiah afterward. Either way, it had nothing to do with her anymore.

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