His Obsession, My Ruin

The New Partner

Chapter 4

Melanie's POV

The ballroom shimmered with old money and curated charm, dimmed chandeliers, glinting glassware, and violins humming something elegant and forgettable in the background.

I stood near the center, heels planted, smiling on autopilot at another networking dinner with just enough personal touches to pretend it wasn’t business.

Idris leaned closer, voice low. “Remind me why we came again."

“Because my father asked,” I muttered, tugging at the hem of my dress. “And because this place has better wine than our apartment.”

He chuckled under his breath, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Try to look like you’re having fun,” I said, fake-smiling as someone passed. “You’re scaring the donors.”

“They should be scared,” he said, eyes flicking across the ballroom like he was hunting something. “They’re lucky we even showed up.”

In truth, Idris made sure we showed up. He had to make appearances if he wanted to reach “golden boy” status.

“Mel,” a voice called.

I looked around and spotted Charlotte heading our way.

Charlotte was… a friend. We’d met at an event like this, and, like me, children of people like my dad were expected to socialize with each other, even though I couldn’t even place what family or influence Charlotte had. She just sort of popped up, but she was a decent person to me, at least.

“Hey, Charlotte, I didn’t think you’d be here,” I said.

“It was a last-minute thing, to be honest,” she said.

My eyes scanned her dress.

Black.

Not little, not simple. Black the way secrets are kept. Velvet maybe, or silk. Whatever it was, it drank the light and gave nothing back. It clung to her like the designer stitched it with ulterior motives. Slit high, neckline low, and not a single accessory to distract from the fact that she knew exactly how she looked in it.

I glanced down at my own gown. Wine-red, structured, elegant. The kind Dad’s tailor called “timeless.” Off-shoulder and floor-length, a quiet power move I’d carefully chosen.

It looked good.

It always did.

But suddenly, it felt… safe.

Charlotte didn’t do safe. She wore danger like perfume, with long honey-blonde hair, eyes that looked almost too doll-like, and a welcoming smile.

“Hi, Idris,” she said.

Huh?

“You know each other?” I looked at Idris.

“Yeah, we met at the anniversary party,” he answered.

Oh.

She was at that too?

Don’t be insecure. Charlotte was born gorgeous, but that didn’t have to mean anything.

“Yeah, are you two together or something?” she asked innocently.

“Yeah, he’s my fiancé,” I answered a bit too proudly.

“Oh, that makes sense.” She grabbed a wine glass off a moving tray and waved. “See you later.”

I couldn’t wait to tell Aria I met Charlotte here. She wasn’t a fan of Charlotte either, even less than she was a fan of Idris, which was exactly why I couldn’t call Charlotte my friend.

Speaking of which…

My father’s voice cut through the noise like a spotlight.

“Melanie, I want you to meet someone,” Dad said, and gestured to someone behind me.

I mentally prepared myself for another night of uncomfortable pleasantries and sucking up from someone old enough to be my father’s brother.

I turned my head, but I was way off.

This man was nowhere near my father’s age.

He walked past us and stood beside my father like he belonged there. Tall, definitely taller than Idris, with a blazer tailored so well I could practically hear it whispering numbers and power. Not flashy, just… clean.

His jawline was sharp, the kind people usually grow into with age, but he wore it like it had always been there. Short, neat hair, dark brown or black—I couldn’t tell under the lights. And those eyes… icy blue, unreadable, like he’d mastered the art of saying nothing without looking away.

I wasn’t impressed.

Just… curious.

“Jason, this is my daughter, Melanie,” Dad practically gloated.

I’d seen him proud of me, but something about the way he acted right now made it seem like I’d won a Nobel Prize or something.

Jason’s eyes locked with mine. His lips curved into a polite smile as he extended his hand.

“Nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot of good things,” he said.

The handshake was firm but polite. No overcompensating. No ego on display.

“Same here,” I said, “even though I must admit I haven’t heard anything about you.”

“Oh, of course you have. He’s the new partner I told you about, the one it took months to convince,” Dad said.

They looked at each other like it was an inside joke, like they were buddies. Actually, my dad looked at him like he was his friend, and that didn’t even happen with his actual buddies.

He looked… proud.

Yes, that was it.

That glint I’d seen in his eyes only when he talked about me, Mum, or the company.

My eyes measured Jason the way I was trained to.

Who exactly was this man?

People usually tried too hard around my father.

Jason didn’t.

“Jason’s going to be showing up more at the office. I figured you two should be introduced properly before then,” Dad explained.

Oh.

I noticed Jason’s eyes flicker to my side, and it hit me.

Idris was standing right beside me.

“This is my fiancé, Idris,” I said and turned to Idris.

He wasn’t smiling.

Actually, he looked like he was right on the edge of letting full-blown scorn settle across his face.

I gulped.

Shit.

If I had noticed the rapport between my dad and this new “partner,” he must have too. Idris had been working so hard for my dad to treat him like that, so I got why he wasn’t taking it well.

He stretched out his hand regardless. “Maddock. Business Development Director. Nice to meet you.”

Okay… that was a shocker, but thank God he was keeping his cool.

“I look forward to working with you,” Jason said.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what do you do? I must have forgotten the details of the partnership,” Idris said.

Actually, he was just never told.

There was a little crack in his composure. Maybe it was just because I knew him too well, but I could feel the hostility.

Jason paused, almost like he could sense it too, and then he smiled like nothing happened.

“My company does a lot of things, some of which piqued Albert’s interest,” he answered.

Albert?

He was calling Dad by his first name.

“Jason’s just being humble. He built his company from scratch with pure talent. Did I mention he has his hands in the tech sector?” Dad, well, “Albert,” added.

Okay, that was as much weirdness as I could take.

“I wish I could stay to talk longer, but I have to go greet the other guests. Once again, it was nice to meet you.” I flashed a smile and linked my arm with Idris.

“Let’s go.”

Idris didn’t object, but he waited until we’d made it through the crowd, exchanging pleasantries and trained smiles, before he finally spoke to me.

“You knew about this?” he asked, discomfort written across his face.

“Yes… not really,” I said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked.

“Hey, Dad mentioned it once during dinner. I didn’t really pay attention because I thought it was one of his old hunting buddies. You know he says stuff like that all the time,” I tried to explain.

My heart ached slightly. I could see the hurt disguised as offense in his eyes.

“Well, that’s not a hunting buddy. Is he the son of one of his friends?” he asked.

I shook my head. I’d met all of his friends, and I mean ALL of them. Unfortunately, that meant I’d endured their attempts at matchmaking me with their children.

If I’d met or even seen that man before, I’d remember.

His face wasn’t one you forgot.

“You should have told me,” he murmured.

“Idris.” I placed a palm on his chest, his heart pounding against it.

He was scared.

“It’ll be fine. It’s a temporary partnership. Dad’s just being weird. He’s like that sometimes. Sometimes he pretends I’m a man just so he can say he has a son,” I joked.

That was very much exaggerated, but it did the trick.

Idris’s brown eyes lit up a bit. His lips curled into a smile.

“I didn’t mean to be harsh.” He pressed his lips to my cheek.

“I understand. It’s your job to know about these things. I’ll talk to Dad.”

He smiled at that and finally loosened up a bit.

Huh?

My eyes wandered around the room until I found my dad, and when I found his new partner too, goosebumps ran through me.

He was looking right back at me.

His expression unreadable from over here.

Who exactly are you?

As we walked into the apartment, my back ached from standing straight all night, and my dress dug into my sides, even though it had been tailor-made for me.

But I knew what I had to do first if I wanted to smooth over what happened tonight.

Idris had felt small in that room.

I knew it, even if he would never say it out loud.

And maybe I felt guilty for not warning him. Maybe I felt guilty for noticing Jason too much, for wondering too much, for letting my father’s approval of another man sit between us like a third person.

So I did the only thing that felt easy.

The only thing that had always made Idris look at me like I was still enough.

I took Idris by surprise, my hand on his chest as I placed a kiss on his neck. He murmured something about being tired, but I knew just what he wanted. I slowly traced the outline of his body as I knelt, my hand already cupping the bulge that showed through his trousers.

“Let me help you with that,” I murmured as I unbuckled his belt easily, pulling down his trousers. My legs grew wetter as his d**k sprang out of his pants. Long, hard, and aching for my warmth.

“f**k yes,” Idris groaned as I rubbed the length of his c**k slowly, then, without wasting time, I engulfed it. I could taste the pre-c*m on his c**k, and with each groan from him that made my core throb hotter, I took him even deeper until he hit the back of my throat.

“Yes, f**k, that’s good. That’s right, you’re mine, my little plaything.”

I responded by turning slightly with his c**k in my throat, and that made his entire body shake as he groaned loudly.

Finally, I gagged, still keeping him in because he loved the feeling of me choking on his length, before I pulled out and engulfed him again. My hands were already working on my aching p***y as I rubbed it furiously, trying to push myself to the climax I knew Idris was about to reach.

The way he twitched, the throaty groans, and his tightening grip on my hair only pushed me further. And I didn’t know whether it was the stress of the day or what happened with my father, but he came even earlier tonight, the warmth of his c*m pushing me to my own climax as my vision blurred to white.

The only thing I heard was, “Bend over the chair,” in that deep, hungry tone of his, and my body obeyed even though I was still dazed.

He wanted me.

And I was his.