MasukMe: “Darling, what are you doing here? Did you come to pick me up?”
When he saw me, his usually handsome face immediately darkened. He was visibly furious. I knew I was putting him in an embarrassing position in front of his employees, but I didn’t have time to think about that. Perry and Courtney were right there, and I refused to be humiliated in front of them. So I used Nathan to save face. Nathan: “You? What are you doing here?” His voice was low, but I could clearly feel the anger in his tone. Me: “Please… just do me this one favor. After all, I gave you my virginity, the least you could do is play along.” I had no idea how Nathan would react. Would he reject me? Go along with it? I had no clue. His dark eyes were furious, unreadable. I couldn’t guess what he was thinking, but instinctively, I could feel the dangerous aura radiating from him. Just when I thought he would push me away, he suddenly wrapped an arm around my waist and looked into my eyes with a soft smile. Nathan: “Are you okay, baby? I hope I didn’t hurt you too much last night…” His voice was so gentle. I couldn’t help melting under his gaze, especially when a man as stunning as him looked at me so tenderly. Me: “I… yes, I’m fine. Much better now…” I replied with a shy smile, unable to hold his gaze. Nathan: “I’ll be gentler next time. I won’t hurt you again. I promise.” He reached out, swept a loose strand of hair behind my ear, and looked at me lovingly. Without meaning to, his words made me panic, and I suddenly started blushing. And then… what did he just say? “Next time”? There would be no next time! I had given him my virginity and he had the nerve to handle me roughly all night, and now he was talking about a next time? Pfft… I secretly cursed Nathan in my heart, but I had to pretend to be happy in front of Perry and Courtney. Perry’s expression changed instantly: his eyes darkened with anger as he stared at me. Courtney looked completely shocked as she stared at us pressed against each other. Courtney: “What… he’s your man?” One look was enough to see that Nathan surpassed Perry in every way. Looks, presence, prestige… Even without knowing his identity, Courtney must have sensed it too. Me: “Of course he’s my man. Do you regret choosing Perry now?” I looked at Courtney with a mocking smile. Perry: “Mr. Spence…” Perry straightened up and walked toward Nathan, suddenly looking very respectful. Nathan: “Perry, can you explain why there’s so much noise here? What’s going on?” Nathan asked coldly after giving him a brief look. Perry glanced at me, clearly embarrassed by Nathan’s question. He didn’t know how to answer. I was in Nathan’s arms, and I wondered how Perry felt at that moment. But I felt absolutely triumphant. Perry: “It… it’s nothing, just a personal issue. But… what brings you here today?” he asked quickly, trying to change the subject. Nathan: “I came to accompany this beautiful lady while she chooses whatever she wants. Since you’re here, maybe you could give her some advice? What do you think, baby?” he asked, staring straight into my eyes. Me: “Uh… no, it’s fine. Liliana is here, and I know the center very well.” Courtney: “Perry, you know this man? Is he really Irene’s boyfriend?” Courtney had always been arrogant. She must have been upset after seeing Perry tremble in front of Nathan. Nathan wasn’t just more handsome—he clearly had a higher status than Perry. Seeing me with a man better than Perry must have deeply frustrated her. Perry: “Courtney! Shut up!” Courtney: “Why should I shut up? I’m telling the truth! I’m sure Irene still loves you. She’s just hurt because you left her, so she found some guy just to pretend!” Perry: “Courtney, that’s enough!” he shouted, finally stopping her. Perry knew very well that Nathan wasn’t the kind of man anyone could use to pretend or manipulate—there was no way this was a game. Courtney: “You… you yelled at me? Perry, you don’t love me anymore?” Her expression turned vicious in an instant. Tears filled her eyes as if she had been wronged. I snickered at Courtney’s pitiful act. She always had to pretend to be the victim. Maybe that was how she seduced Perry—men liked delicate, gentle women. But I was the complete opposite. Nathan: “Perry, you should seriously reconsider your taste in women.” Nathan let go of my waist and stepped closer to Perry. His tone was mocking as he looked at Courtney. I didn’t expect the usually reserved Nathan to spice up my little game. When he spoke, I could clearly see the embarrassment on Perry’s face. Watching him look so defeated made me feel triumphant. Perry: “Mr. Spence, I have something to attend to, so I’ll take my leave now.” Perry was a reserved man. Courtney’s behavior must have embarrassed him, so he quickly dragged her away. Liliana: “See? Even a random guy off the street would be ten times better than Perry!” Liliana said, adding fuel to the fire. I could no longer pretend, and I struggled to maintain my smile once they left. I hesitated for a moment, then walked toward Nathan and said: Me: “Thank you… for what just happened.” Nathan glanced at Liliana standing next to him. Then he turned to me and spoke coldly.I got up early, determined to prepare myself. I slipped into a professional outfit, knowing I had an important interview ahead. A touch of makeup was all I allowed, just enough to look polished. I worked in advertising design, and today, I was stepping into a chance to join a bigger agency.Standing in front of Milshire’s largest advertising agency, I felt a twinge of intimidation. The building loomed over me, far grander than anything I’d ever experienced. I had spent my career in small agencies; my results had always been excellent, but the rewards had been modest. To truly advance, I needed to be part of a larger company. That was why I was here. The only catch? Perry worked here. Initially, the thought of applying filled me with dread. But for my career, I forced myself to take the risk. I had to swallow the unpleasant reality: working in the same place as him.I also knew that Nathan had founded this company, though it was just a side venture for him. Running into him seemed almo
Nathan: “Take your friend home first. I need to talk to you.”Me: “I don’t think we have anything to talk about. If that’s all, I’ll go.”I didn’t understand why just meeting Nathan’s dark gaze could unsettle me so much. I grabbed Liliana by the arm to leave. I had drunk way too much that night. I had let myself go, and so had Nathan. But now I was sober, and I no longer had the courage to talk to him.Liliana: “Well… I’ll leave you two. I just remembered I still have some errands to run. Irene, I’m going now,” she said.I had no idea what she was up to. She let go of my arm and slipped away immediately, leaving me alone. Just as I was about to leave, Nathan grabbed my wrist. He pulled me toward a corner near the stairs and pinned me against the wall. We were so close I could almost feel his scent, his masculine aura. I had been completely drunk that night. Aside from the fact that we slept together, I remembered nothing. And now my heart was racing wildly.Me: “Na… Nathan, what are y
Me: “Darling, what are you doing here? Did you come to pick me up?”When he saw me, his usually handsome face immediately darkened. He was visibly furious. I knew I was putting him in an embarrassing position in front of his employees, but I didn’t have time to think about that. Perry and Courtney were right there, and I refused to be humiliated in front of them. So I used Nathan to save face.Nathan: “You? What are you doing here?”His voice was low, but I could clearly feel the anger in his tone.Me: “Please… just do me this one favor. After all, I gave you my virginity, the least you could do is play along.”I had no idea how Nathan would react. Would he reject me? Go along with it? I had no clue. His dark eyes were furious, unreadable. I couldn’t guess what he was thinking, but instinctively, I could feel the dangerous aura radiating from him.Just when I thought he would push me away, he suddenly wrapped an arm around my waist and looked into my eyes with a soft smile.Nathan: “A
Me: “Liliana, what do you think I should do now?”I stood there, staring blankly out the window. For years, Perry had been my entire world. Everything I did revolved around him. Now that he was gone, I felt like I had lost all purpose. I didn’t even know why I woke up in the morning anymore.Liliana: “Irène, he’s just trash. Thank God you realized it before it was too late. Imagine finding out after the wedding.”Sitting next to me, Liliana wrapped her arms around me to comfort me. I could see the worry in her eyes, but my heart… it hurt even more.I had cried every tear I had these past few days, but the heartbreak refused to disappear.Liliana: “Irène, you’ll forget him eventually. And you’ll find a man a million times better than him.”I was really lucky to have her by my side at that moment. Without her, I wasn’t sure I would’ve survived this far.Liliana: “Get up, get dressed and put on some makeup. We’re going shopping today. It’ll do you good. You’ll see—after this, Perry will
Nathan: “Is it your first time?”Still shaken by what he had just seen, Nathan shifted his gaze back to me.Nathan: “Yeah, so what? Do you have a problem with virgins?”He frowned and looked at me with an expression I couldn’t decipher.Nathan: “Go on, tell me what you want. Money?”After a long silence, he spoke again with the same indifference as before.Me: “So every woman who sleeps with you asks for money, is that it?”I felt insulted and glared at Nathan. Last night… I had only wanted to release everything I was feeling, and now I almost regretted doing something so stupid.Me: “Do I look like a prostitute to you? We just answered a need. I don’t need your money. And now, we go back to being strangers. Period.”That meant I didn’t want to say anything more to Nathan, and I quickly left the hotel. Once I arrived at Liliana’s place, she dragged me straight into my room.Liliana: “Irène, you didn’t come home last night. Do you know how worried I was? I called you but you didn’t ans
IreneIn the residential neighborhood of West Brunswick, it was ten o’clock at night when I opened the door and stepped into the house. Everything was pitch-black. I pressed the switch, and the crystal chandelier lit up, its light reflected on the large bay windows, casting my shadow onto the floor.Tomorrow, this house would become my marital home.My fiancé, Perry Bart—department director, handsome, always attentive. I was so lucky to have met such a man in my life. According to tradition, we weren’t supposed to see each other the day before the wedding, so Perry was staying here while I stayed at my best friend Liliana’s home.Right before going to bed, I had checked the things I needed for the next day and realized I had forgotten my wedding veil. So I slipped quietly into the house without calling Perry first, just to surprise him. Thinking that after tomorrow Perry and I would live happily together forever, I was all smiles. I put on my slippers and walked toward the living room







