Consume Me, Mr. Zwane

Chapter 1: The Sweetest Birthday Betrayal I gave my reflection a final look in the mirror, smoothing down my favorite dress before grabbing the red velvet cake. I had spent hours watching tutorials to bake it perfectly, infusing every layer with love. Humming to myself, I dashed out of my room and flew down the stairs with a burst of excitement. Today was my man's birthday, and this year, I was finally ready to give him something irreplaceable. I had guarded my virginity fiercely, wanting to be absolutely certain he was the one. Even though our three years of dating had been physically lukewarm—his touches never quite giving me the sparks I read about—I believed in loyalty. I thought taking this step might finally change things between us. “I’m off to see Brian, Zoë!” I yelled toward the kitchen. “Don’t stay out too late, Kim!” Zoë shouted back. “You know how special today is.” “I know! I promise I won’t!” I replied hastily, pushing open the front door. Zoë had mentioned earlier that her brother—my childhood best friend whom I hadn’t seen in five whole years—was flying back into the city today. She wanted us all to meet for dinner so we could reconnect. Honestly, I hadn’t been thrilled about splitting my time on Brian’s birthday, but I couldn’t say no to Zoë. She had been my rock since we were six years old. She was the only reason I had survived the crushing isolation of being the sole heir to the Klein empire. To the world, I was a girl who lacked nothing. My parents saw me as an asset rather than a daughter, a tool to move our family’s massive corporate legacy forward. My father never asked about my well-being; he merely wired exorbitant amounts of money to ensure I never lacked material things before pushing me into the family business the moment I came of age. True love was a concept I only understood because of Zoë and her brother. When the cab pulled up to Brian’s office building, the sky was already beginning to darken with heavy storm clouds. I paid the driver, stepped onto the pavement, and stared up at the glass tower. A soft sigh escaped my lips. Brian said he was working overtime, I thought, swiping my pass card at the entrance lobby. He’s always overworking himself. He probably forgot his own birthday. A small, nervous smile played on my lips. I can’t wait to surprise him. But the moment I stepped onto his executive floor, the quiet hum of the empty office was shattered. Low, breathless moans filled the air. My legs froze. The wet, rhythmic sounds of groans and gasps echoed straight from the cracked door of Brian’s private office. My hands clenched around the cake box. My knees began to wobble violently, but a sickening urge pushed me forward. I forced my feet to move, stepping into the doorway. The sight before me felt like a physical blow to the chest. A woman was on her knees beneath my boyfriend. Brian’s fingers were tangled ruthlessly in her hair, his head tilted back in ecstasy, his voice deep and rough as he buried himself in her mouth. My heart shattered instantly. Tears flooded my eyes, spilling over my cheeks and staining my collar. He’s cheating on me? With his secretary? How could I have been so blind?! “Yes… right there. You’re so good on your knees. f**k!” Brian groaned, his hips moving faster against her face. “You’re so much better than my frigid girlfriend.” “Brian,” I choked out, my voice cracking under the weight of the agony. The world seemed to stop. Brian froze, his eyes bulging out of their sockets as he looked up and caught me standing there. The secretary, however, remained entirely unbothered. She slowly stood up, rolling her eyes as she calmly buttoned up her white shirt, deliberately leaving her cleavage exposed. Brian scrambled to pull up his trousers, crossing the room in a panic to approach me. The secretary followed a few steps behind, trailing a lazy, malicious gaze up and down my body. “Kim? What… what are you doing here?” Brian swallowed hard, a visible lump moving in his throat. “Brian Bennett, you disgusting piece of s**t!” I screamed, the tears carving burning tracks down my face. “Is this what you call working overtime?!” The secretary didn’t say a word. She simply twirled a strand of her silky red hair around her finger, watching the performance with a look of pure amusement. “It’s not what it looks like, okay?” Brian stammered, holding his hands up as he stepped closer. He glanced back at his secretary for a split second before hardening his expression. “I was just… I was just relieving stress, Kim. It’s a high-pressure job. I was just relieving stress!” “Relieving stress by dumping it into her?!” I shrieked, pointing a trembling finger at the redhead. Seeing his excuses fail, Brian’s panic turned into pure, ugly rage. He clenched his teeth tightly, his eyes dark with malice. “You know what, Kim? This is entirely your fault! You’re too much of a prude to give me anything!” I stared at him, completely stunned. The words felt like a second dagger to the heart. Instead of begging for forgiveness, he was blaming me for his lack of loyalty? “You jerk! We are over!” I screamed. With all the strength left in my shaking body, I slammed the red velvet cake directly onto his chest. The box crushed, exploding frosting and red crumbs all over his expensive shirt. Brian stumbled back in shock, looking down at the sugary mess before staring back at me with absolute fury. I was breathing heavily, a volatile mix of heartbreak and rage pulsing through my veins. Before I could turn to leave, Brian lunged forward. With one vicious, aggressive sweep of his hand, he grabbed the collar of my jacket and ripped it clean off my body, tearing the fabric apart and leaving me completely exposed in my basic undergarments. The red-headed secretary let out a sharp, mocking giggle. She walked up beside him, her slow, insulting gaze raking over me like I was a pathetic piece of trash. “Where did you even get those? Your grandmother’s wardrobe?” she purred, laughing behind her hand. Humiliated but filled with a sudden spike of adrenaline, I stepped forward to slap the smirk off her face, crossing my arms over my chest to cover myself. But Brian instantly threw himself between us, shoving me back. “You don’t get to talk here, w***e!” I screamed at her, my voice hoarse. Suddenly, Brian’s hand shot out, wrapping painfully around my throat. He tilted my head back roughly. My hands flew up to claw at his wrist, but his grip was unyielding. “Look at her, and then look at yourself!” Brian hissed, his eyes dragging down my exposed skin with deep disgust before returning to my face. “You think a frigid virgin in granny panties is ever going to get a real man off? If it weren’t for your father’s name, no man would ever look twice at you!” “You’re shameless,” I whispered, gasping for air against his grip. “Three whole years… and you throw it away for a quick thrill with your assistant?” “A quick thrill?” Brian snapped, finally releasing his grip on my neck with a harsh shove. “She gives me the pleasure your unhealthy, tightly locked p***y never could!” “Brian…” I gasped, a shaky breath rattling in my lungs. He scoffed loudly, smoothing down his ruined shirt. “I don’t even know why I bothered explaining myself to you, Kim. You aren’t worth a single second of my time. What kind of grown woman refuses to let her partner of three years fully touch her? You keep acting like a sweet, innocent teenager. Screw you, and screw your body. The only reason I ever tolerated you for this long was because of your family.” He let out a sharp, mocking laugh that cut deeper than any blade. “Look at yourself right now. You look absolutely pathetic, Kim. Do you honestly think anyone would want you if you weren’t a Klein? I just needed your father’s backing to elevate my business. That’s the only reason I put up with your prude act.” The words pierced through my chest, leaving a hollow, aching void. Every sweet memory of our three-year relationship burned into ash in a matter of seconds. Fresh tears threatened to blur my vision, but I forced them back. I refused to let him see me break completely. I closed my eyes for a single second, letting the crushing grief morph into a cold, defensive armor. When I opened them, I forced a sharp, mocking smirk onto my face. “It all makes perfect sense now, Brian,” I said, my voice steadying. “I always wondered why you were ‘too busy’ or ‘too tired’ to ever satisfy me when we tried to get close. It turns out you’re just completely useless in bed unless you have your secretary guiding you. You’re pathetic.” Brian’s face contorted into pure rage. Before he could strike back, I unzipped the front pocket of my handbag. I reached inside and pulled out the small, sleek vibrator I had bought a few weeks ago, hoping to spice up our eventual intimacy. “I definitely won’t be needing this anymore,” I said, tossing the device squarely at his face. “It already does a vastly better job than your useless fingers ever could.” While he was frozen in shock, I snatched my torn jacket from the floor, wrapped it around my shoulders, and stormed out of the office. By the time I hit the street, the sky had completely ruptured. Rain was pouring down in heavy, blinding sheets, perfectly mirroring the storm inside my head. I collapsed into the back of a hailed cab, shivering as the adrenaline began to fade. My phone gave a soft buzz inside my bag. I pulled it out to see a text from Zoë, sending me the address of the high-end restaurant where we were supposed to meet her brother, Zander. Everything felt entirely wrong. The tears finally spilled over, and I sobbed hysterically into my hands, the sound drowned out by the thunder outside. I couldn’t go to a public restaurant like this. I couldn’t face a stranger. I needed to escape. I needed the only person who actually loved me for who I was. I needed Zoë. With trembling fingers, I dialed her number. She picked up on the first ring. “Hey, Kim! How did it go?” Zoë’s cheerful voice filled the car. “I just sent you the—” She went completely silent mid-sentence. Even without seeing her, I could picture the immediate confusion and dread washing over her face as my loud, hysterical sobs filled the line. “Kim? Oh my god, Kim, are you okay? What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” The final wall of my restraint crumbled. My voice came out broken, the words fragmenting into jagged pieces. “Zoë… Brian… Brian… that jerk… B-Brian…” “What did that piece of s**t do?!” Zoë’s tone shifted instantly into a protective, dangerous fury. It was no secret that Zoë loathed Brian; she had spent three years warning me about him, sensing an emptiness in him that I had been too blind to see. “Did he hurt you?! Kim, talk to me! Where are you right now? Send me your location, I’m coming to get you.” Forming words felt like trying to swallow glass. Unable to speak, I hung up the phone and dropped my real-time location pin into our chat. I leaned my head against the cold glass of the cab window, watching the rain blur the city lights, completely unaware that the location I had just sent was about to steer me directly into the arms of the one man who could rewrite my entire destiny.