The Man Who Destroyed Me Begged on His Knees

On her eighteenth birthday, just before high school graduation, Adrian Blake coaxed Nina Jensen into filming their first night together. Holding the camera above them, he murmured against her lips between heated breaths, tempting her into unclasping the front of her lace bra. An hour later, the entire Campus Forum exploded. The trending post was filled with seductive photos of her, along with looping GIFs of her kneeling between his legs, eyes dazed with desire. Overnight, Nina's reputation was destroyed. Adrian calmly buttoned his suit and returned to being the untouchable golden heir everyone admired. Before boarding his flight, he left her with only cold words. "You acted so pure and innocent, but who knew you were a venomous b***h? You're the one who drove my sister Yvette to her death. Yvette is dead. Your life is ruined. Fair trade." Her brother tried to defend her and was beaten into a vegetative state by Adrian's bodyguards. Her mother coughed up blood in rage, pointed at the door with trembling fingers, and ordered her to get out. A week later, her mother died. To keep her brother alive, Nina gave up every last shred of dignity she had left. Again and again, she took off her clothes in front of cameras and became an adult film actress. Three years later, in a cramped film studio, the new investor walked in. It was Adrian's fiancée, Chloe Reed. She got straight to the point. "Fifty million. Bear Adrian's child for me." Chloe was still exactly the same as she had been back in school: arrogant, absurd, and convinced the entire world should bend to her will. The only difference was that back then, she had begged. It had been Chloe who drove Yvette Blake insane, yet she had knelt in front of Nina, crying so hard she could barely breathe. "If anyone finds out it was me, I'm dead! I'm not like you. I'm just an illegitimate daughter. My brother would never protect me. Please... just help me this once." Nina had softened for a moment and gone to apologize to Yvette in Chloe's place. The very next day, Yvette lost her mind. And now Chloe was no longer begging. She was giving orders. Leaning forward slightly, Chloe lowered her voice, every word dripping with contempt. "All I want is the title of Mrs. Blake. You give me the child, take the money, and disappear. Isn't that a perfect deal?" Nina's throat felt dry. "Why me?" Chloe lifted her chin and tipped Nina's face up with her lacquered nails. "Because no one looks more like me than you do. And I don't want my child growing up while people whisper behind their back. Hiring you is the best option, isn't it?" She pulled out a check and held it between two fingers. "Ten million. Deposit." Then she deliberately let it fall to the floor. Chloe looked down at Nina with smug satisfaction. "Your brother's medical bills cost a million a month. How many more years do you think you can keep selling your body? Agree to this, and in ten months you'll have enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your life." Pride had long since become the cheapest thing in the world to Nina. Hatred was a luxury she could no longer afford. Before anything else, she had to survive. So she bent down quietly and picked up the check. That night, Chloe personally delivered her to Adrian's bed. In the darkness, the man stood with his back to her. The deep grooves of his spine ran down the lean lines of his waist before disappearing beneath the waistband of his slacks. Nina drew a shaky breath and pressed the softness of her chest against his burning back. His body stiffened instantly. A second later, he turned around, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pinned her beneath him. Desire roughened his voice as he murmured against her ear, "Chloe... give me a child." At the exact moment he thrust fully inside her, his hand brushed the switch. The lights snapped on. The instant Adrian saw her face, every trace of desire vanished from his eyes. His expression turned cold and vicious as he stared down at her. "Nina, you really are filth to the bone. Since you're shameless enough to throw yourself at me, I'll indulge you." His eyes burned scarlet with fury, yet his movements only grew rougher and more merciless, each thrust harsher than the last. Tears slid silently from the corners of Nina's eyes into her hairline, cold against her skin. Still, she forced herself to meet his gaze head-on and bit out every word. "Adrian... after all these years, you still remember me so clearly. Is it because you've never managed to forget me?"