Love me Or Ruin me

Chapter Four

The office was quiet and dimly lit by the time evening came. Most employees had left hours ago, heading home to their normal lives. I was still stuck at my desk, eyes burning from staring at spreadsheets and quarterly reports for so long. My body ached with every small movement.

The soreness between my legs, the bruises on my hips, and the tender marks hidden under my blouse served as constant reminders of what Arian had done to me the night before.

I hated him.

I whispered it under my breath as I typed furiously. “Arrogant, cold-hearted bastard.”

My fingers slammed on the keyboard harder than necessary. “Thinks he can f**k me senseless all night and then treat me like trash the next day. Bastard.”

The quarterly reports were finally done and perfect, but the humiliation from his shouting still burned in my chest. Every time I remembered how he had roared at me in front of the entire floor, fresh anger flared up.

The door to his office opened. I tensed immediately.

Arian stepped out, still looking fresh and powerful in his tailored suit, like the long day hadn’t touched him at all. His dark eyes landed on me coldly.

“Larissa.”

I stood up quickly, ignoring the protest in my sore muscles. “The reports are ready, sir. I’ve emailed them and printed the hard copies.”

He walked over to my desk, picked up the printed files, and flipped through them without a word. The silence stretched painfully. Finally, he dropped the stack back down.

“Not good enough.”

My stomach dropped. “But I triple-checked everything—”

“Tomorrow morning, I need a full competitive analysis on the three companies we’re targeting for acquisition next quarter. Market positioning, weaknesses, key executives’ personal backgrounds, and risk assessment. All of it. It must be on my desk before I arrive at 7:30 AM.” His voice was flat, aggressive, and left no room for argument. “If it’s not perfect, don’t bother showing up the next day.”

I stared at him in disbelief. That kind of work would take hours. Deep, exhaustive hours.

“Sir, it’s already late and—”

He cut me off with a sharp look. “I don’t care about your excuses. Do your job or get out of my building.”

His phone suddenly rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen.

For the first time today, something almost like a smirk touched his lips.

“Sky,” he answered, voice shifting slightly. “Yeah… I’m still at the office. Alright. Give me twenty minutes. The usual bar.”

He ended the call and looked back at me like I was nothing more than an inconvenience.

“I’m leaving now. Don’t waste time. I expect excellence, not mediocrity.” Without another word, he turned and walked toward the private elevator, leaving me standing there fuming.

“f**k you,” I muttered the second the elevator doors closed. “f**k you, Arian Voss. Cold, heartless prick. Hope you choke on your drink with your stupid friend Sky Stone.”

I sat back down and opened new tabs, pulling up every piece of data I could find. The office felt even emptier and colder now. Just me, the humming computers, and the city lights twinkling mockingly through the windows. My stomach growled but I ignored it. No time for food. No time for rest.

As I worked, cursing him under my breath became my only outlet.

“Thinks he owns me just because he f****d me… Well, he does own me, but still — asshole.” I rubbed my sore thighs under the desk. “Treating me like a w***e at night and a slave during the day. I hope Sky Stone drags you to some expensive strip club and you catch something.”

The hours dragged on. My eyes grew heavier. The flashbacks kept coming unwanted — his hands choking my throat while he thrust deep, his growled words claiming me, the way he had filled me until I couldn’t walk straight. My body reacted even as my mind hated him for it. Shame and unwanted arousal mixed together until I wanted to scream.

By the time I finished compiling everything, organized the report neatly, and double-checked every detail, it was almost 9:00 PM. My head was pounding. My vision was blurry. I emailed the file to him, printed everything, and placed the thick folder on his desk exactly where he would see it first thing.

I packed my bag slowly, legs trembling with exhaustion. The building was almost completely empty now. I took the elevator down, walked through the quiet marble lobby, and stepped out into the cool night air. The taxi ride home felt like a blur. I leaned my head against the window, fighting to stay awake.

When I finally pushed open the door to our small apartment, Camila was on the couch watching TV. She jumped up the moment she saw me.

“Larissa! Jesus, it’s almost 9:30. I was getting worried—”

I didn’t even have the energy to speak properly. I dropped my bag, stumbled forward, and literally crashed into her, wrapping my arms around her in a tired hug before my legs gave out. We both tumbled onto the couch in a heap.

Camila laughed in surprise but held me up. “Whoa, easy! What the hell happened to you today? You’ve been acting so weird since last night. Did something happen at work?”

I buried my face in her shoulder, breathing in her familiar scent. Tears of pure exhaustion prickled my eyes but I refused to let them fall.

“Work is… hell,” I mumbled. “My boss is a monster. A rich, cruel, beautiful monster.”

Camila rubbed my back gently. “You poor thing. You’re burning up. Have you eaten anything? Let me make you something quick.”

I shook my head weakly. “Just want to sleep. So tired… He gave me impossible work again. Shouted at me like I was worthless. I hate him… but I can’t…”

My words trailed off. The soreness, the lack of sleep, the emotional rollercoaster — it all hit me at once. My body felt like lead.

Camila helped me up and guided me to my room. She pulled back the covers while I kicked off my heels and stripped out of my work clothes, not even caring that she saw some of the faint bruises. I collapsed onto the bed face-first, groaning into the pillow.

“Get some rest, babe,” Camila said softly, covering me with the blanket. “Whatever’s going on with that boss of yours, you don’t deserve to be treated like this. You’re killing yourself for that company.”

I wanted to tell her everything. About the penthouse. About the way Arian had claimed me so completely. About how part of me craved the cruelty. But the words wouldn’t come. Sleep was already pulling me under.

As my eyes closed, the last image in my mind was Arian’s cold, furious face in the office… and the dark promise in his eyes that this was only the beginning of my torment.

I was trapped.

And the worst part was — some sick, twisted part of me didn’t want to escape.