A Scandal With Mr. Nightwood

I always imagined my New Year's Eve ending with a proposal... not with my boyfriend buried between my friend's legs.

That night, everything I loved died.

"E-Edric?"

The room went dead silent.

Edric sat upright, his hair a mess, his skin flushed with a heat that wasn't meant for me.

He was shocked but not guilty or ashamed.

Amie didn't hide either, she simply leaned back, a slow, triumphant smirk spreading across her face.

"Kristine," Edric panted, wiping sweat from his brow, "You are early."

"What the fuck is going on here...?"

"Don't look so shocked, Kristine." Amie chuckled, "He was already mine."

My vision was blurred. A single tear escaped, hot and stinging, trailing through my makeup.

"How could you...?" I choked out, tears blurring the sight of them.

"I thought... I thought we were building a life together, Edric,"

The resonance of my sobbing echoed in the beautifully decorated suite yet he remained completely unmoved.

"A life? Together? When did I agree to such an absurd idea?"

The cruelty of his statement made me flinch.

Was it the lowest my life could get?

No.

It could get worse.

In my trembling hand was a digital pregnancy test.

POSITIVE.

I had envisioned this moment a thousand times. The look of pure joy on Edric's face when I told him he was going to be a father.

All shattered in one moment.

"Both of you are assholes," I whimpered, my steps faltering under the weight of heartbreak.

"How could you betray me? What have I not done for you? I give you all my assets, my love and this is what I get?"

My gray eyes burned with pain. My black hair clung to my tear-streaked face as I glared at the two people who had destroyed everything.

"So what? You are just a mess in the end. A pathetic woman. What do you have for me to desire you?"

Shaking violently, the papers in my hands almost ripped as my chest constricted with inexplicable heartbreak.

I searched their faces for a slightest hint of regret but to no avail.

They were enjoying it.

"Weren't we friends, Amie? Weren't we lovers, Edric?"

"Exactly. We were."

"Go home, Kristine. You are interrupting us."

He laughed when Amie mocked me, purposely tightening her grip on him while pressing herself harder into him.

Those bastards, I wanted to rip them apart, do the worst to them. They couldn't get away with this so easily.

"One day, you will regret betraying me, you will beg me for forgiveness... just watch!"

"You wish,"

No, I won't let it.

They won't be forgiven easily.

I looked at the crystal vase on the side table and locked my hands around it.

My mind shut down.

I swung.

CRACK.

The vase shattered against Edric's temple. He slumped instantly, blood blooming across the white sheets.

Amie screamed, scrambling back, but I was already at the door.

"Happy New Year, assholes," I spat, wiping my useless tears before showing my middle finger to them.

I didn't remember leaving the hotel afterwards.

I only remembered crying.

Two hours later, my world had become a blurry mess.

I was expressing my grief to my best friend Rose at our usual elite bar.

"How could he do this to me, Rose? What is going to happen to my baby now?" I sobbed, tears streaming down my face without any intention of halting.

"Edric had always been a piece of shit. I suspected, but with Amie? That's bottom-tier behavior," Rose shrugged, taking a shot of tequila.

"I hope both of them suffer in the worst way possible," I muttered, tightening my grip over my drink, losing my composure.

"They will. You don't have to cry over those losers."

"How can I not?"

"Come on, Kristine, it's New Year. Maybe this is a sign for you to have a new start." She suggested.

"He is not the last man on Earth."

"Or a sign that my life has reached its lowest point and I have to raise this baby alone," I scoffed, wiping my tears roughly, pouring myself another drink.

"Come on, you are Kristine Iglesias, you don't need that man to raise a child," she tried to be optimistic, clicking her glass against mine.

"Fuck it. Enjoy the New Year,"

Soon the alcohol started to blur my perception.

I mindlessly agreed in order to subdue the overwhelming pain.

Maybe denial was easier.

"Yeah... you are right... Why should I sob? We don't need a pathetic baby daddy."

I pushed my messy hair, getting pumped for the night and, surprisingly, it worked as I was immersed in the moment.

"You shouldn't drink, you know? You're pregnant, Kristine."

"I don't fucking care! I am done being the victim, Rose," I said, slamming my empty glass onto the table.

The tequila had finally numbed the sharp edges of my heartbreak, replacing it with a reckless heat.

"Good," Rose replied, her eyes darting toward the shadows of the VIP lounge.

"Because the most dangerous man in the room hasn't taken his eyes off you for the past twenty minutes."

"Who?" I followed her gaze.

Every conversation in the VIP lounge seemed quieter around him.

Men respected him.

Women admired him.

Sitting in a booth sat the irresistible billionaire who dominated his field like a King and discarded enemies like tissues.

Zayne Nightwood.

CEO of Nightwood Corporation.

He owned the country's one of the largest airline and shipping empires.

"Zayne... Nightwood?"

Our eyes locked, he raised his glass.

Surprisingly, tonight, he didn't look like a businessman, he looked like a predator and his target was me.

His breathtaking sapphire eyes didn't break contact, intensifying the moment.

Unable to look away, I stared back at him.

"Your ex's mortal enemy. How does that sound like ultimate revenge?"

I was shocked at her suggestion but then something wicked stirred in my mind.

I didn't just want to move on.

I wanted to burn Edric's world to the ground.

"How..." I smirked back, raising my glass too, "Perfect."

I stood up, smoothed my black dress, and walked straight toward the man who made the city tremble. I didn't wait for an invitation.

I stepped into his space, my fingers grazing the edge of his table.

"Mr. Nightwood," I purred, extending my hand out to him which he grabbed without hesitation, pulling me into his lap.

He pressed me harder into him with his hot breaths on my neck, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine.

"Where is that good-for-nothing boyfriend of yours, Miss Iglesias?"

"Ex," I corrected him sourly, taking a sip of my drink, sliding my hand to his thigh, biting my bottom lip seductively.

A wicked glint flickered in his eyes, as if it was the most felicitous news, and simultaneously, we both sensed a hidden intention.

"Finally decided to raise your standard?"

"Uh-huh,"

I was barely in my sense, giggling as my fingers traced over his chiseled jawline, running my fingers through the beard of this enticing stranger.

He saw lust clouding my eyes, his lips hovered near my neck.

"In that case,"

Holding my hand, he kissed my wrist while wrapping his other hand around my waist.

"Would you like me to show you the pleasures your ex could never, Miss Iglesias?"

"With Pleasure, Mr. Nightwood~"

Fuck, I needed this. A method to forget it all.

Thanks to the alcohol, my confidence boosted and here I was, kissing him passionately while he had me pinned against the door.

He tasted like expensive bourbon and dark intentions-a dangerous combination that drowned out the memory of Edric's laughter and Amie's triumphant smirk.

He pulled away just enough to study me, a low chuckle rumbling in his chest, his eyes dark with a hunger that made my blood pump faster.

I reached for his shirt, my fingers fumbling with the buttons until I ripped the fabric open, exposing his muscles and abs.

"Eager, are we?"

Before I could answer, he spun me around, pressing my back against the chilling wall with a crushing weight.

Like, he won't release me, ever.

As if he owned me. As if his fingers burned to graze me.

As if I... belonged to him.

"You are shaking," he murmured, his hands sliding down to my hips, pressing me harder into his toned body.

"Is it cold, Kristine? Or is it me?"

Leaving a trail of wet kisses from my shoulder, to my neck, ensuring every inch of my skin bore his touch.

His marks were planted everywhere and surprisingly, I let him, moaning his name with a truthful answer.

"Y-You... it's you."

A mewl escaped my lips, resting all my weight on him, sensing his strong arousal.

"Fuck... you are so desirable, Kristine,"

He moved with a tempting efficiency, stripping away my dress until I stood exposed in the moonlight, forming goosebumps all over my body.

"Good thing you left a loser like him. He was never worth it,"

His hands roughly moved across my skin, mapping every curve under his palm.

Due to the heat from his large palm, I instinctively started to cover myself, but Zayne caught my wrists.

He held them above my head, his gaze raking over me with an intensity that pinned me in place.

On one side, it felt immoral.

But, on the other hand, the moment of stepping out of my comfort zone was scrumptious.

"Don't," He commanded, turning me around to face him.

"I have wanted to see you like this since the moment you walked into that club. Let me."

He lowered me onto the sheets, his body following. As he moved between my thighs, his movements were slow.

Slowly crawling up to me, taking his amusement from every reaction.

He kissed my ankles, my inner thighs, his tongue trailing a path of fire that made me clench the sheets, arching my back.

"Zayne..."

"What? Do you want to back away?"

He smirked, burying his face down to suck on my nipples, "Or continue?"

"C-Continue, pl- please!" I moaned deafeningly, fingers clasped around his hair, granting him further access.

The way his tongue drenched my sensitive spot, I had never sensed this pleasure before.

It defeated every other sense and turned me blind.

He bit harshly, which caused me to whimper, running my nails down on his toned back, pressing him more into me.

"Zayne!"

Moving upward, he started giving me butterfly kisses while rubbing me, noticing my wetness was increasing by each passing second.

Letting a soft hum, "You're wet."

He moved to my neck, bit it, marking me as his and completed his sentence.

"For me."

"Hmm... For you," I nodded in desperation.

His lips curved upward from one side menacingly when he pulled my legs apart, wrapping them around his torso.

"Are you sure?" He asked huskily, holding my wrist, kissing it gently before making intense eye-contact that hastened my beats.

"I want you," I gasped, my voice breaking. "I want to burn everything else away."

The first thrust was a shock, a forceful, overwhelming presence that made me cry out in pain.

Zayne froze, his muscles locking as he stared down at me, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.

"You-" he groaned, "You are so tight, Kristine,"

"This is my first time... like this," I confessed, my heart pounding madly when the sensation of him being inside me overwhelmed me.

"My first one-night stand."

I ended up squirming at the sensation but he pinned me down by holding my wrist.

His lips kissed my neck passionately, trying to hush me beautifully.

"Shh, shh, it's fine, you will get used to it,"

He began to move again slowly this time, allowing me to adjust to his size and relax eventually.

I bit my lips, looking out of the window, feeling strangely good when he pushed himself harder, surging a wave of euphoria.

"Zayne...!"

I moaned loud enough for the walls to tremble and alarm the neighbors as the pain was now replaced with extreme pleasure.

Gradually his thrusts turned into a rough, driving pace.

Every hit, every breath, every growl from his throat blinded me to scream for more.

He was claiming every inch of my skin.

"Yes.. Yes... right Ah! There," I said senselessly, solely immersed in the endless bliss my love-deprived body was receiving.

My grip over his hand became tight when Zayne picked pace and began to thrust harder, faster, driving me wild, mixing our groans and releasing one symphonic sound.

Edric never felt this amazing, this... perfect.

"Goddammit... You are mine now." He snarled, forcing me to stare into his obsessive gaze that intimidated me.

"And now that I have claimed this body... " His eyes darkened, commanding strictly, "No one else will... Understood?"

He gave me a rough thrust, enough to make me scream.

When I failed to respond, he grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking me forward, "I said, Do you fucking understand?!"

My body reacted on its own, agreeing hastily, "Y-Yes.. I am all yours.."

The possessiveness should have scared me. Instead, it was the most intoxicating thing I had ever felt.

Why did it feel like it was much more than a one-night stand for him?

Soon, I could feel twitching around him, letting him know I was at my edge and could no longer last long.

"I.. I can't take it anymore, Zayne,"

"Then let go, let it all out of your head and focus on me entirely, Sweetheart,"

He increased the speed, so I wouldn't be able to contemplate my surroundings.

Screaming his name, calling out like he was all I needed, to think only about the heavenly sensation as we both reached our climax.

"Oh..! Oh God...!"

"Fuck!" He growled when he came inside me, stopping gradually as I was shaking under him due to extreme pleasure surging in me.

"Fuck..." He let out a breathless voice, giving me a proud smirk "I bet Edric couldn't make you this satisfied, right?"

"Yes..." I admitted timidly.

I let out a sigh of relief finally to show I had witnessed paradise just as I used to imagine in my dreams only.

"Fuck yeah..."

Regaining my composure, I noticed his bewitching features from up close, holding his face in my hands.

Our eyes fell on the clock. It struck twelve.

Oh Lord, THAT'S how I am starting my new year!?

He laughed a little before lying beside me, "So... how is your New Year?"

I smiled.

"Heavens."

He held me a little tighter, as though letting go had never been an option.

"Good. Because from tonight onward... you're mine."

I laughed, believing it was nothing more than a possessive joke.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

Morning sunlight spilled through the curtains, dragging me back to a room that still smelled faintly of bourbon.

My head throbbed, a reminder of too much alcohol and a heartbreak that hadn't quite died.

I reached out, expecting to feel Zayne's warm skin, but the sheets beside me were cold.

"Huh..? Zayne?"

A note sat on the nightstand next to a tray of gourmet breakfast.

'Had to leave. Sorry.'

Short. Professional. Cold.

Just like the man himself.

I couldn't help but laugh bitterly. What did I expect? A confession of love? It was a one-night stand, a strategic move in his war against Edric.

I pushed my hair behind, took a shower in his place, and since I was starving, I ate everything.

After being done, I grabbed my things, called a cab and left his place.

Rose and I were sharing an apartment after disowning my family - yes, I disowned them.

Rose was absent. Must be enjoying her night too.

Smirking coldly, I decided to rest for the time being before the top-class gathering.

By 8:00 PM, I was standing in front of the mirror, Rose watching me with a mix of awe and concern.

"You look like you are going to a funeral, Kristine," She smirked, wearing her shoes.

"I am," I smirked back, applying a coat of blood-red lipstick. "Edric's."

Feeling bold tonight, I had chosen a dress that was practically a weapon, floor-length black lace, backless, with a slit that climbed dangerously high.

All eyes must be latched on me. I was the CEO of Scents'n'Secrets, topnotch fragrances after all.

A woman of perfume and power.

I wouldn't let them see me bleed.

Tonight, people would consider my attention a privilege.

"My, my, aren't you becoming bolder?"

"One should be when they have to stand alone," I replied derisively, picking my purse, holding my head high and leaving for the party.

The second I entered, I could feel the eyes following me, studying me thoroughly, but I had decided to make it MY year.

I won't lose to them.

But, then– A familiar warmth settled at my back before a large hand traced the length of my spine.

Him.

The heat of it burned, sending a traitorous shiver straight to my core.

"Avoiding me already, Sweetheart?" Zayne's low, tempting tone reached my ears.

"I am not avoiding you, Mr. Nightwood," I didn't turn around. I couldn't. "I am just... sober now."

"Sober is boring,"

His hand tightening slightly on my waist, pulling me back until my heels were locked between his.

"And you weren't boring last night. You were a masterpiece of screams."

I could feel myself getting excited by the thought of him pinning me, of turning me into a senseless mess-

What the fuck am I thinking!?

"Stop," I shifted to face him with my steps retreating, "It was one night. You left a note, remember?"

"I left breakfast too," he corrected, closing our distance with his gaze darkening, "And a warning, remember?"

"By the way, good shot," He pointed at Edric's bandaged head.

I rolled my eyes, folding my arms at my chest, indulging in the sight where he was making up excuses.

"I think I should go now."

Before I could snap back, the sound of a fork hitting a crystal glass rang out. The room went silent.

"Everyone, on this auspicious day, I have an important announcement to make,"

On the raised platform, Edric stood. He looked pathetic with the bandage wrapped around his head, but he was smiling.

He looked at the crowd, his eyes landed on me. For a second, he paused. Then, his gaze shifted to the woman beside him.

Amie.

He shifted to one knee.

"Amie, you are everything I could possibly desire, my love, my happiness, and will you do me the honor of showing you how much I love you for the rest of our lives?"

My breath caught.

That ring... It was everything I had once imagined on my own finger.

Every dream I had built with him now belonged to someone else.

The pain I was trying to hide through makeup, through my one-night stand, through any possible means burst.

"Will you marry me?"

"Oh my God, Edric! Yes! Yes!"

I stood miserably. Lips quivering, soul being torn apart, strength draining.

For how long was he taking advantage of me?

For how long was this going on behind my back?

My steps stumbled, colliding with Zayne's who was behind me all this time.

He didn't offer a shoulder to cry on.

Instead, he gripped my shoulders firmly, forcing me to stand straight. He leaned down, his eyes boring into mine, cold and calculating.

"Don't you dare cry," he hissed, "Look at them. They think they won. Are you going to let them keep thinking that?"

"He's marrying her, Mr. Nightwood," My broken tone came, "He is giving her the life he promised me."

"Take it back, Kristine." Zayne said, a wicked smirk playing on his lips, pressing it against my ear.

"Or better yet, take everything he owns. Including his dignity."

I looked at Edric, who was now kissing Amie, back to the heartless businessman, Zayne Nightwood - the man who hated Edric more than anyone.

I hit his chest, making him chuckle.

I walked away with tears glistening in my eyes, cursing both of them.

I was back at the apartment, the black dress shredded on the floor. I wasn't crying anymore. I was pacing, my eyes wild.

"Kristine, stop," Rose pleaded, trying to grab my hands, "We can just leave. Move away. Start over."

"No," I snapped, "I won't run away. Not this time,"

"I wish they die, I wish the worst would happen to them. I wish they never live happily after what they did to me." I growled, throwing the nearby vase in the air.

"Hold yourself, Kristine. You can't lose. You have a child to think about,"

"They..."

Sniffling, I pulled away a little, wiping my teary eyes roughly, smearing the immaculate eye look, curling my hands in a fist.

"They will pay, Rose. Like hell they will get their happy ending after destroying mine."

Holding my hands to help me calm down, she asked softly, "But, what are you going to do?"

I rested a trembling hand over my stomach.

Once... I had dreamed of giving this child a loving family.

That dream had died.

Now only one remained.

I looked Rose straight in the eye.

"I'm going to destroy them. By the time I'm finished... they'll wish they had never betrayed Kristine Iglesias."