The door to his place hadn't even fully clicked shut before he had me pinned against the wall possessively.

When his lips met mine in a magical way, I mindlessly reacted, feeling daring enough due to the alcohol and kissed him back.

He tasted like expensive bourbon and dark intentions, a mystic sync that drowned out the echoes of Edric’s laughter and Amie’s smirks.

He pulled back just an inch to catch his breath before trailing his finger to my neck. 

With a low chuckle, he stepped back, his eyes dark with a hunger that made my blood pump faster.

I didn't want to be gentle. 

I reached for his shirt, my fingers fumbling with the buttons until I ripped the fabric open, exposing his ripped muscles and inviting abs.

"Eager, are we?" Zayne’s voice was a husky growl.

Before I could answer, he spun me around, pressing my back against the chilling wall, the predatory weight of his body crushing mine. 

Locking my one hand beside my head, his grip on me was firm, chaining me against the wall like he won’t release it, ever. 

As if he owned me. As if his fingers burned to graze me. 

As if I… belonged to him. 

"You are shaking,” he murmured, his hands sliding down to my hips, pressing me harder into his toned body, “Is it cold, Kristine? Or is it me?"

Leaving a trail of wet kisses from my shoulder, to my neck, down to my collarbones, ensuring every inch of my skin bore his scent and wetness.

Implanting his mark everywhere and surprisingly, I let him, moaning his name with a truthful answer.

“Y-You,” 

Closing my eyes to sway along the heated rhythm, a mewl escaped my lips, resting all my weight on him, sensing his strong arousal. 

“Fuck… you are so desirable, Kristine,” He growled.

He moved with a tempting efficiency, stripping away my dress until I stood exposed in the moonlight, forming goosebumps all over my body.

“Good thing you left a loser like him. He was never worth it,” He hummed.

His hands roughly moved across my skin, making every curve under his palm, biting my earlobe. 

I instinctively started to cover myself, but Zayne caught my wrists. He held them above my head, his gaze raking over me with a terrifying intensity.

On one side, it felt immoral but on the other, the delicious taste of stepping out of my comfort zone pulled me back to him.

"Don’t," He commanded, turning me around to face him sharply.

"I have wanted to see you like this since the moment you walked into that club. Finally, you are mine."

He lowered me onto the silk sheets, his body following. As he moved between my thighs, his movements were slow, agonizing. 

Something hauntingly beautiful flashed in his eyes, as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time. 

Slowly crawling up to me, taking his amusement from every reaction. 

He kissed my ankles, my inner thighs, his tongue trailing a path of liquid fire that made me clench the sheets, arching my back due to neediness.

“Zayne…” 

“What? Do you want to back away?”

Burying his face down to suck on my nipples, he bit down, “Or continue.”

“C-Continue, pl- please!” I moaned deafeningly, fingers clasped around his hair, granting him further access. 

The way his tongue drenched my sensitive spot, I had never sensed this pleasure before, it defeated every other, it turned me blind.

He bit harshly which caused me to whimper, running my nails down on his toned back, pressing him more into me.

"Zayne!" 

Moving upward, he started giving me butterfly kisses while rubbing me to check the wetness, noticing my lust was amplifying by each passing second.

Letting a soft hum, "You're wet." 

He moved to my neck, biting it, marking me as his and completed his sentence.

"For me." 

“Hmm... For you,” I nodded in desperation, requiring more of it, more of him, to experience the sinful taste of euphoria.

His lips curved upward from one side menacingly when he pulled my legs apart, wrapping them around his torso.

"Are you sure?" He asked huskily, holding my wrist, kissing it gently before making an intense eye-contact that hastened my beats.

"I want you," I gasped, my voice breaking. "I want to burn everything else away."

The first thrust was a shock, a forceful, overwhelming presence that made me cry out in pain. 

Zayne froze, his muscles locking as he stared down at me, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.

“You-” He groaned, “You are so tight, Kristine,” 

"This is my first time... like this," I confessed, my heart pounding madly when the sensation of him being inside me overwhelmed me. 

"My first one-night stand."

I ended up squirming at the sensation of pain but pinning me by holding my wrist, his lips kissed my neck passionately, trying to hush me beautifully.

“Shh, shh, it’s fine, you will get used to it,”

He began to move again slowly this time, allowing me to adjust to his size and relax eventually. 

I bit my lips, looking out of the window, feeling strangely good when he pushed himself harder, surging a wave of euphoria.

"Zayne!" 

I moaned loud enough for the walls to tremble and alarm the neighbours as the pain was now replaced with extreme pleasure. 

Gradually his thrusts turned into a rough, driving pace. Every hit, every breath, every growl from his throat blinded me to scream for more.

He was not just fucking me, he was claiming every inch of my skin.

"Yes.. Yes… right Ah! There." I said senselessly, solely immersed in the endless bliss my love-deprieved body was receiving.

My grip over his hand became tight when Zayne picked pace and began to thrust harder, faster, driving me wild, mixing our groans and releasing one symphonic sound.

Edric never felt this amazing, this… perfect.

"Goddammit… ." He growled which made me shudder and made an unforeseen enunciation.

"You are mine now.” He snarled, forcing me to stare into his obsessive gaze that intimidated me. 

“And now that I have claimed this body… " His eyes darkened, commanding strictly, "No one else will… Understood?"

His dominance crushed me as he pressed all his weight upon me and gave me a rough thrust, enough to make me scream.

When I failed to response, his grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking me forward, “I said do you fucking understand?!”

My body reacted on its own, agreeing hastily, "Y-Yes.. I am all yours.." 

The possessiveness should have scared me. Instead, it was the most intoxicating thing I had ever felt. 

Why did it feel like it was much more than a one night stand to him?

Humming, he continued and soon could feel twitching around him, letting him know I was at my edge and could no longer last long. 

“I.. I can’t take it anymore, Zayne,"

"Then let go, let it all out of your head and focus on me entirely, Sweetheart," 

Excited to claim my body as his, he increased the speed so I won’t be able to contemplate my surroundings.

Screaming his name, calling out like he was all I needed, to think only about the heavenly sensation as we both reached our climax.

"Oh..! Oh God…!" 

“Fuck!” He growled when he came inside me, stopping gradually as I was shaking under him due to extreme pleasure surging in me. 

“I bet Edric couldn’t make you this satisfied, right?” He smirked proudly. 

“Yes…” I agreed timidly.

Incapable to even breath or think, I let out a sigh of relief finally to show I had witnessed paradise just as I used to imagine in my dreams only. 

"Fuck yeah…" 

Regaining my composure, I noticed his bewitching features from up close, holding his face in my hands. 

He kissed my palm as his eyes fell on the time and the clock twelve, indicating a new year had started.

Oh Lord, THAT’S how I am starting my new year!?

He laughed a little seductively before laying beside me, wrapping his strong arm around me, permitting me to lay on his chest and relax.

"So… how is the start of your New Year?" 

I smiled and replied with one word.

"Heavens." 

“Glad to hear it,”

Closing our eyes, we both collapsed into each other for a satisfied sleep after a night of ecstasy. 

Sunlight penetrated through the window, cascading over my face, dragging me back to my senses as I woke up to a room that didn't belong to me.

My head throbbed, a reminder of too much tequila and a heartbreak that hadn't quite died. 

I reached out, expecting to feel Zayne’s warm skin, but the sheets beside me were cold. Empty.

“Huh..? Zayne?”

A note sat on the nightstand next to a tray of gourmet breakfast. ‘Had to leave. Sorry.’

Professional. Cold. Just like the man himself. 

I laughed bitterly, the sound echoing in the massive suite. 

What did I expect? A confession of love? It was a one-night stand, a strategic move in his war against Edric.

He must have done this to claim his enemy’s woman and I, out of heartache. 

Smiling to myself feebly, I pushed my wet hair behind and since I was starving, I ate everything, grabbed my things, called a cab and left his place.

Rose and I were sharing an apartment after disowning my family — yes, I disowned them.

I went home, Rose was absent. Must be enjoying her night too.

Smirking coldly, I decided to rest for the time being before the top-class gathering where I had to solidify my steps.

By 8:00 PM, I was standing in front of the mirror, Rose watching me with a mix of awe and concern.

"You look like you are going to a funeral, Kristine," She smirked, wearing her shoes.

"I am," I smirked back, applying a coat of blood-red lipstick. "Edric’s."

Feeling bold tonight, I had chosen a dress that was practically a weapon, floor-length black lace, backless, with a slit that climbed dangerously high.

All eyes must be latched on me. I was the CEO of Scents’n’Secrets, topnotch fragrances after all. 

I was a woman of perfume and power. I wouldn't let them see me bleed.

Tonight, people would consider my attention a privilege.

“My, my, aren’t you becoming bolder?” Rose teased, scanning me from top to bottom.

“One should be when they have to stand alone,” I replied derisively, picking my purse, holding my head high and leaving for the party.

The second I entered, I could feel the eyes following me, studying me thoroughly, but I had decided to make it MY year. 

I won’t lose to them. 

But, then, I felt it. 

Him.

The air behind me shifted, growing heavy, powerful.

 A hand, large and familiar, grazed at my back, tracing a line on my spine. The heat of it burned through my lace dress, sending a traitorous shiver straight to my core.

"Avoiding me already, Sweetheart?" Zayne’s low, tempting tone reached my ears.

 "I am not avoiding you, Mr. Nightwood,” I didn't turn around. I couldn't, “I am just... sober now."

"Sober is boring," he murmured, his hand tightening slightly on my waist, pulling me back until my heels were locked between his. 

"And you weren't boring last night. You were a masterpiece of screams."

I could feel myself getting excited by the thought of him pinning my hands, of making me scream his name, of turning me into a senseless mess— 

What the fuck am I thinking!?

"Stop," Hoping to impede the attraction, I shifted to face him with my steps retreating, "It was one night. You left a note, remember?"

"I left breakfast too," he corrected, closing our distance with his gaze darkening, "And a warning, remember?"

“By the way, what a masterpiece you have created,” He commented, pointing at Edric’s bandaged head.

I rolled my eyes, folding my arms at my chest, indulging in the sight where he was making up excuses to hide his deed.

“I think I should go now,” 

Before I could snap back, the sound of a fork hitting a crystal glass rang out. The room went silent.

“Everyone, on this auspicious day, I have an important announcement to make,”

Oh? The bastard even had to say something?

On the raised platform, Edric stood. He looked pathetic with the bandage wrapped around his head, but he was smiling. 

He looked at the crowd, his eyes landed on me, distressing me. For a second, he faltered. Then, his gaze shifted to the woman beside him.

Amie.

He shifted to one knee, dropping my impishness.

“Amie, you are everything I could possibly desire, my love, my happiness, and will you do me the honor of showing you how much I love you for the rest of our lives?”

My chest constricted badly, the future we were supposed to create was purloined from me, brimming tears in my eyes.

The pain I was trying to hide through makeup, through lust, through any possible means burst when he offered Amie a ring.

“Will you marry me?”

“Oh my God, Edric! Yes! Yes!” 

I stood miserably. Lips quivering, soul being torn apart, strength draining.

For how long was he taking advantage of me? For how long was this going on behind my back?

How could he do this to me?

My steps stumbled, colliding with Zayne's who was behind me all this time, observing my agonizing reaction with amusement.

He didn't offer a shoulder to cry on. 

Instead, he gripped my shoulders firmly, forcing me to stand straight. He leaned down, his eyes boring into mine, cold and calculating.

"Don't you dare cry," he hissed, "Look at them. They think they won. Are you going to let them keep thinking that?"

"He's marrying her, Mr. Nightwood," My broken tone came, "He is giving her the life he promised me."

"Then take it back, Kristine" Zayne said, a wicked smirk playing on his lips, pressing it against my ear.

"Or better yet, take everything he owns. Including his dignity."

I looked at Edric, who was now kissing Amie, back to the heartless businessman, Zayne Nightwood — the man who hated Edric more than anyone. 

Growling, I hit his chest, making him chuckle. 

Indulging in my utter defeat, it infuriated me as I walked away with tears glistening in my eyes, cursing both of them. 

I was back at the apartment, the black dress shredded on the floor. I wasn't crying anymore. I was pacing, my eyes wild.

"Kristine, stop," Rose pleaded, trying to grab my hands, “We can just leave. Move away. Start over."

"No," I snapped, “I won’t run away. Not this time,” 

“I wish they die, I wish the worst would happen to them. I wish they never live happily after what they did to me.” I growled, throwing the nearby vase in the air, losing my composure and strength before falling on the ground.

“Hold yourself, Kristine. You can’t lose. You have a child to think about,” 

“They…” 

Sniffling, I pulled away a little, wiping my teary eyes roughly, smearing the immaculate eye look, curling my hands in a fist.

“They will pay, Rose. Like hell they will get their happy ending after destroying mine.”

Holding my hands to help me calm down, she asked softly, “But, what are you going to do?”

Shifting back, resting my back against the couch, I hugged my knees close to my chest as a fierce fire of revenge bloomed in my empty chest.

This won’t end easily, I won’t let it and for that, I would stoop to any level. 

Placing my hand over my stomach, no longer in my right state of mind, breaking the boundaries of ethics, I enunciated darkly.

“I think I know exactly what to do, Rose. Edric will pay hell for betraying me.”  

"Kristine Iglesias is pregnant with Zayne Nightwood's child!

Yes! She was in love with his rival, Edric Carton, but their breakup led to a twisted one night stand where she is now pregnant with Mr. Nightwood's baby.

Is it for revenge or a beginning of a new bond that is yet to find out. We are waiting to hear further from Miss Kristine and Mr. Nightwood.

Are they going to keep the child? Stay tuned with us to find more!"

The headline glared at me from every digital billboard in the city. Two weeks. That was all it took to drop the bomb of the scandal.

We were the new hot topic, a vicious headline plastered across every digital and print tabloid. I knew it was an incredibly low blow, but wrath had blinded me.

I sat in Zayne's high-rise office, legs crossed elegantly, watching the news cycle churn, indulging in the rage unfolding.

SMASH.

The remote shattered against the massive LED screen on the wall. He turned, his blue eyes burning with a cold but terrifying fury.

"What the hell is this, Kristine?"

"Who told you not to wear a condom?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"You are telling me," He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous hiss, "That after one night, you are carrying my child?"

"Biology is a funny thing," I smiled coldly.

He glared for a long time before regaining his composure and pinching the bridge of his nose, loosening his collarbone before snatching the file from my hand.

"Look at the reports yourself, check the date, two weeks after our sweet time,"

The reports were a masterpiece. A hefty bribe to my doctor had shifted the gestation date from five weeks to two.

On paper, this baby was a Nightwood. In reality, it was that motherfucker's.

After confirming, he threw the papers away outrageously, "Shit!"

Running his fingers through his silky locks while loosening his tie, looking undeniably heart-throbbing by these gestures as he leaned against the table.

We both were staring at each other. He was attempting to decrypt my intention but failed to do so I kept an innocent expression.

After a piercing silence, Zayne finally asked in a sigh.

"What do you want?" He finally asked, leaning over the desk until he was inches from my face.

"I want a father for my child," I said, my voice steady, like the obvious thing before hesitation brimmed in my chest.

"And I want a husband who can help me burn Edric Carton to the ground. I want him to watch us together, grovel and lose everything, including his dignity,"

Zayne's eyes narrowed, jaw clenching, "So, I am just a weapon to you against him? An asset?"

"... Maybe,"

The second I trailed off, he snapped his fingers twice and pointed at his door dominantly.

"Out,"

"Huh?"

"Get the fuck out of my office, Kristine Iglesias. I am not a pawn in someone's revenge fantasy." He declared, eyes sharply narrowed at me with disgust.

I returned the same gesture, glaring back at him with contempt.

"Then you should have thought about your actions before, asshole,"

I stood up, smoothed my skirt, and walked out without a word because I knew he would call. Men like Zayne didn't let their 'blood' walk around unprotected.

He would take the responsibility and I would take advantage of that.

Depraved of me, I know.

But, that is life, no one had mercy for the other, everyone was an asset to use for another and I won't let people take advantage of me anymore.

After a tiresome day, ignoring the looks I received during work, I returned home. Too exhausted to discuss things, we both went to sleep.

The next day, humming to myself, I walked toward my car, and a group of women, Zayne's obsessed followers, blocked my path.

"You liar!!"

They were screaming, calling me a social climber, a liar. One of them reached down, grabbed a stone, and hurled it at me.

I braced for the impact, my hands instinctively flying to cover my stomach.

But, the blow never came.

The man with an addictive scent and dominating aura appeared before me, blocking my stomach instinctively to protect me from his fangirls.

Gasping inaudibly, I looked up and saw Zayne.

"Touch her again," Zayne growled at the crowd, sending daggers at them for daring to forget their place, his warning cutting through the air.

"And I will make sure you never see the light of day." A single warning was all it took for him to send them away.

"Zayne...?"

"Are you hurt?" He asked, hesitantly placing his hand over my stomach, gaze softening with a tremble I knew would exist in him.

Forming my lips in a thin line, I nodded, "Yes,"

He didn't say another word. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me back toward my apartment building, not giving me enough time to comprehend.

He shoved his way inside, slamming the door shut behind us.

He didn't give me space to breathe, to register, to speak, he simply pushed me against the door, a large hand clasped my wrist before securing it beside my head.

The atmosphere in the room shifted, from protection to something much more predatory and darker.

Ignoring my question, he stepped dangerously closer, towering over me while taking a strand of my hair between his fingers, caressing it.

"You want your revenge?" He growled, hovering over me that sent an unforeseen spark down my core.

"Fine. I will give it to you. I will give you a wedding that will make Edric choke on his own heart. But, I don't do charity, Kristine."

I blinked, "Come again?"

I knew he would return but didn't expect it to be this early.

"I have my conditions," He demanded strictly.

My heart skipped a beat at his level of seriousness. His features were hardened, holding no place for jest or refusal, seeking nothing but submission from me.

Tensing my shoulder, I stepped back cautiously, "What conditions?"

"Be mine. All mine."

Wrapping his hand around my throat perfectly, he brought me closer, emerging the heat from his hot body into mine.

Possessiveness flickered in his oceanic eyes. With his face adjacent to mine, he gave my throat a gentle squeeze that made me weak to my knees.

"From your emotions to your body, all of it shall belong to me. I will have you whenever, however I want, and you won't resist,"

Surprised to find him needing me so explicitly, I tried to get back but he didn't allow me and pressed me into him, forcing me to maintain the intense eye-contact.

"Why?"

He smirked maliciously, "Offers should be made equal. You will get your revenge and I will get my child and you. Every. Single. Piece."

Tentativeness bloomed, I began to have second thoughts but when I had taken a step forward, giving up became no longer an option.

Inhaling sharply, I held his wrist to remove it from my throat.

"Will you truly help me, Zayne?"

"Yes, I will, Kristine,"

Taking a step back, holding his chin up in pride, he offered his hand to me, making the terms crystal-clear.

I get my revenge.

He gets me.

"Offer your heart, your body, your soul to me, Kristine, and I shall ensure you get anything you want,"

I realized then that I wasn't just making a deal with a billionaire. I was signing a contract with the devil. He had a motive, something darker than just wanting a family.

But I had already stepped into the fire. There was no going back.

My heart picked pace, hands turned cold in anticipation but at the same time, an equal amount of thrill filled me.

Glancing at his handsome face, and back to his hand, I clasped his hand in mine, pleasing him endlessly.

Smirking darkly, I kissed his knuckles, widening his smirk, accepting his offer wholeheartedly.

"From this moment onwards, I am all yours, My Dear Husband,"