"Abstinent, Overbearing CEO"

Chapter 3: When Will You Take Me Again?

After Qin Mengyan left, Rosalina sank back into her chair, feeling utterly defeated. Her face ached, and her stomach hurt — it was as if the weight of the world had come crashing down on her. "Rosie, do you want some painkillers?" Su Ruo asked, placing a cup of warm water in front of her.

"No need," Rosalina replied, taking the cup and sipping a large gulp. "It’ll pass in a little while, thank you, Ruo Ruo."

Su Ruo wasn’t so easily pacified. "What do you think’s up with that Qin lady? Why is she so arrogant?"

"What else could it be? She’s a top actress and the daughter of the Qin family, one of the most powerful in the city. Of course she’s going to act like she owns the place," Rosalina said as she pulled out a wet tissue and gently dabbed at the red marks left on her face from the slap.

Su Ruo grumbled, "Top actress? I think she’s already past her prime. Honestly, I’m glad President Dai taught her a lesson. Does she really think she can climb her way up with him?"

"Mmm…" Rosalina responded absentmindedly.

She hadn’t expected Dai Desmond, who was usually so cold and indifferent, to actually step in on her behalf. Could it be because of what happened last night? Was he feeling guilty for his violent actions?

Looking at Rosalina’s bruised cheek, Su Ruo felt a pang of sympathy. According to Qin Mengyan, Rosalina had been a total nobody back in high school, a "garbage," she had called her. But looking at her now — fair skin, bright eyes, a delicate nose, and soft lips — she looked nothing like the kind of person anyone would call trash. She could easily pass for the school’s most beautiful girl. It was hard to reconcile the picture Qin Mengyan painted with the person standing before her. But Rosalina didn’t say much, so Su Ruo didn’t press her further.

"Rosie, how about we have some spicy hotpot for lunch? My treat!" Su Ruo suggested.

"No, not spicy hotpot," Rosalina replied, her expression turning serious. "You don’t want to end up being thrown out of here along with the bowl, do you?"

Su Ruo pouted, realizing that Rosalina had a point. Just then, the finance manager and his assistant, Wu Yan, stepped out of the office.

"Secretary Rosalina, President Dai is asking for you," they informed her.

"Got it," Rosalina replied, rising from her seat.

Dai Desmond was seated at his desk, reviewing documents. When Rosalina entered, he glanced up briefly.

"Come over here," he ordered.

Rosalina walked slowly over and stood by his side, respectful and composed. "What can I do for you, President Dai?"

His eyes flashed with a cold light. What was going on with her? The night before, they had been alone together, and she had been a completely different person. What had happened between then and now? Was she scared by his actions last night?

His gaze dropped to her pale face, where five distinct handprints from the slap were still visible. Her lip was slightly split, and a faint trickle of blood was drying there. A rush of anger surged within him.

"Get the PR department to buy a trending topic," he ordered, his voice low and steely.

Rosalina blinked, stunned. "No, President Dai, really, I’m fine!"

"I told you, I’m doing it for you," he insisted, his tone unwavering.

"Okay..." Rosalina hesitated, realizing that Dai Desmond always had his reasons for everything. It wasn’t hard to see that his strategic mind had brought his company to the top of the city. He wouldn’t do something without a purpose, not even for her.

"Anything else, President Dai?" she asked, maintaining her poise.

His gaze didn’t even lift from his documents. "Did you take the morning-after pill?"

Rosalina’s heart skipped a beat. How could he ask such a thing so casually, without a hint of shame, right here in the office?

"Don’t worry, President Dai," she stammered, her voice almost trembling. "I’ve taken it. I won’t cause you any trouble."

A mischievous glint flickered in Dai Desmond’s eyes as he scrutinized her. "You just called me trash collector, right? So when are you going to let me collect you again?"

Rosalina’s ankle wobbled in her high heels, almost causing her to fall. A second time? Dai Desmond wasn’t known for his interest in women; he was practically the embodiment of restraint and self-control. If he wasn’t pretending, then no woman was out of his reach. So why was he fixated on her? Why couldn’t he just let her go?

Seeing her face change, Dai Desmond smirked. "What’s the matter? Are you unhappy with the one million for the night? Or is there something else about me that you don’t like?"

Rosalina’s world seemed to crumble around her. She was more than satisfied, in fact, so much so that her stomach churned with pain and her legs trembled uncontrollably. She hesitated for a moment, biting her lip, before making up her mind. "President Dai, what if I return the one million? We can pretend nothing ever happened."

A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes. With a swift motion, he grabbed her face, his fingers tightening around her skin.

"Do you think I, Dai Desmond, am someone you can just come and go as you please?" he growled.

Her face still stung from the slap, but now his grip only made the pain worse. Tears welled up in her eyes as she gasped, "I… I’m sorry, President Dai."

Seeing her tearful, pitiful expression, Dai Desmond felt a sudden tightness in his chest. He released her face with a curse, trying to suppress the unsettling feeling.

"Get out," he ordered coldly.

"Yes, President Dai," she murmured, barely able to hold herself together as she fled from his office.

Once outside, Rosalina retreated to the washroom. The tears she had been holding back all morning finally broke free, flowing like a river. She couldn’t help but regret everything — every single choice that had led her here.

When she was eleven, her parents died in a car crash, and Rosalina was sent to live with the Lin family. The Lin family had long been business partners with the Xiao family. Their son, Lin Xiao, was two years older than her, and since childhood, he had always been the model child — smart, talented, and good-looking. As a joke, their parents had even arranged a marriage between them. Rosalina had always believed that she would marry him when she grew up.

But everything changed in high school when Lin Xiao started dating the school’s queen bee, Qin Mengyan. She had never liked Rosalina, and the bullying had gotten worse. On Lin Xiao’s birthday, Rosalina had prepared a gift, only to walk in on him kissing Qin Mengyan behind the school’s fake mountain.

"Rosalina’s just a poor, ugly girl. Who would ever like her?" Lin Xiao had sneered.

That day, Rosalina dropped the gift and ran away. Later, on graduation day, she returned home early only to find Lin Xiao and Qin Mengyan tangled in her bed. She moved out of the Lin family’s house that very day.

Years later, she saw Qin Mengyan at a high-profile event with Dai Desmond, the ruthless president of the Dai Corporation. Although Dai Desmond had remained indifferent, Rosalina knew that Qin Mengyan had set her sights on him after breaking up with Lin Xiao. To get back at Qin Mengyan, Rosalina made a bold decision to get close to Dai Desmond. Despite knowing how foolish it was — that a man like him would never be interested in someone like her — she still wanted to make Qin Mengyan uneasy.

But that night, when it all happened, Rosalina regretted it immediately. She was terrified. She didn’t want to sell herself like this. She wanted to give herself to someone who truly loved her. But in the end, no one was coming to save her.

There were no second chances in this world.

She had unknowingly boarded a pirate ship, and now she couldn’t escape.