Chapter 4 Starry Night

Blood drained from Nina’s face. Just as their hands were about to touch her clothes, with her trembling lips, she managed to shout. “I agree.” Silence. The surrounding area seemed to have immediately quietened down upon hearing her voice. The man who had left her to fend for herself stopped in his tracks. Shaking his head, he knew that it was going to be a long night. Footsteps could be heard in the eerie night, and the man appeared in front of her. With his impressive height, he looked down at her miserable self and sneered. Her long hair was plastered to her delicate neck and the right side of her face had started to swell. It was a ghastly sight. The guard did not hold himself back while slapping her. “But I don’t want to help you now.” His low, monotonous voice rang in her ears. “I had given you a chance, but you did not cherish it. You must have thought I was too easy to talk to. Want me to help you? Sure, but first beg me.” Nina shut her eyes, and two streams of tears rolled down her face. The pain and humiliation she felt just now could not be described in words. Her trembling lips moved, enunciating every word. “Jayden Luxton… please help me and I-I’ll owe you my life. I promise to marry you and be at your mercy.” Jayden who heard this felt a mix of emotions and his lips unwittingly curled up. “Are you sure? You’ve chosen this yourself, so don’t blame me in the future.” Nina raised her misty eyes at the terrifying man in front of her. Although he appeared to be smiling, within a span of a few minutes, he had made her realize what a cold-blooded demon he was! Time was tight for Nina and she knew she could not afford to offend this man. Weighing the pros and cons, it was still better to be with him than get ruined by that old pervert with a potbelly. This time, his subordinates did not wait for his signal and took action immediately. Lifting her, Jayden placed his lips near her ear and whispered. “My dear, I hope you remember that freedom is not easily obtained. You can’t blame me for being ruthless. It was you who knocked on my door first.” Nina did not reply and clung on to his neck, burying her head in his chest. At the presidential suite. Jayden entered the suite and walked towards the enormous bed, placing Nina on it. He did not immediately take action and instead walked straight to the French window. From his position, he could see the entire city. The neon lights blinded one’s eyes as they bustled in excitement. “Hot…” The person on the bed rolled over and let out a soft moan. A sudden stream of hotness burned throughout her body. Nina reached to pull on her clothes to dissipate some of the heat. It felt so hot! Before she could undress, the man strode over and tied her hands. Then he took off his clothes and entered the bathroom. After a few minutes, he came out wrapped in a bath towel. He climbed on the bed and half kneeled as he leaned over her. His stature was too tall, forming a shadow that shrouded her. Untying her hands, he caressed her smooth skin. The man was naked, with only a towel wrapped around his waist. As soon as her hands were freed, Nina touched his chest as he moved closer. He did not seem to be in a hurry as he let her touch him as she pleased. Seeing the lack of response from him, Nina was displeased. She grabbed his hand and pressed it against her chest. His touch instantly gave her a pleasurable feeling. Nina did not know that her sudden actions had successfully awakened the beast that was hidden in the depths. He had the kind of flickering gaze a beast had when it discovered prey. He caught her wandering hands and pinned them above her head, his lips crashing forcibly against her. Soon, the clothes on their bodies fell one by one and crumbled together on the floor. --- The next morning. On the bed, Nina felt her eyelids heavy as she struggled to open them. Her eyelashes fluttered open, and a hint of confusion appeared in her eyes. She quickly looked around and realized it wasn’t her room. Her waist was wrapped under a muscular arm, and the man’s rhythmic breathing entered her ears. Nina’s stomach churned in fear as she recalled last night’s events. Her long hair covered her slightly pale face and immediately scrambled away from his hold until she was at the edge of the bed. The sudden movement caused her to hiss in pain. Nina felt as though her whole body had been hit by a truck, threatening to fall apart. Enduring the discomfort that came from her body, she composed herself and climbed down the bed. She picked up her clothes that were scattered on the floor and put them on, before quickly fleeing the room. After a period had passed, the man slowly opened his eyes. It was rather rare for him to sleep in this late. His gaze landed on the empty spot beside him, which had turned cold, a hint of playfulness appearing in his eyes. He grabbed his cell phone from the nightstand and dialed a number. “Get her.” He spat out two words as soon as the call connected. --- “Mom, what do we do? That bitch managed to escape under the heavy security. Mr. Lawrence sounded furious when he called earlier. If we don’t give him a satisfactory explanation, he would blacklist me from the industry!” Alyson paced back and forth anxiously inside her room. When she thought about how her career might end before it even started, her face turned pale. Mrs. Santiago watched her daughter jump around and consoled. “Don’t worry. We will not let the contract slip out of our hands. But I’m curious, the drug we gave was the strongest aphrodisiac we brought from the black market. The drug had no antidote, and unless she found herself a man to have sex with, it would be impossible to wear off its effects. In that case, where did she go last night?” Nina had been away from the house for an entire night. As much as she was aware, the girl had no one to rely on in the city. She had no friends either and was a loner. “Of course, she must be fooling around somewhere!” Mr. Santiago, who had been silent all this time, hollered angrily. “That ingrate! I shouldn’t have taken her in back then. Like mother, like daughter. Both of them are the debts I must have owed in my previous life.” Mrs. Santiago immediately calmed him down. “Honey, don’t forget, we still have to send her to Mr. Lawrence. We have already taken his money. Once the contract is signed, you can scold her as much as you want.” Alyson added. “That’s right, Dad. You know how dark the entertainment industry is. To marry into a wealthy family, I can’t be tainted. We can only let Nina do the dirty work for us to lead a good life.” Clap Clap Clap. A series of claps resounded and the door to the room opened from the outside, revealing Nina’s beautiful face. Her gaze was icy cold, filled with an indescribable hatred as she looked at her “family.” No matter how much they mistreated her, she never complained because she was grateful to have a roof over her head and two meals to eat. She had never forgotten her identity as extra baggage that sponged off them and always gave in to their every request. All along, she had naively thought that as long as she compromised, things would turn better. That they would finally spare a glance at her. But no matter how many sacrifices she made, in their eyes, she was just a bargaining tool. “Bastard! How dare you show up only now? Where have you been fooling around last night?” Mr. Santiago rushed over and raised his hand to hit her. However, Nina smoothly dodged him and held his wrist tightly. “Shouldn’t you know better, Father?” “You dare dodge?” Mr. Santiago tried to free himself from her grasp but failed. Nina exerted a little force and cold sweats immediately appeared on his forehead. “Why did you escape last night?” “Then, should I have stayed there and let that investor rape me? Father, am I your biological daughter?” Mr. Santiago dared not look at her and avoided guiltily. Alyson scoffed from the side. “So what if he did? You should’ve thought about it before ruining my face.” “Be quiet, you both.” Mrs. Santiago silenced the angry father and daughter. She took a deep breath and turned to Nina. “Your Dad’s company is facing a huge financial crisis. Coincidentally, Mr. Lawrence has taken a fancy to you and sent a marriage proposal. As long as you marry him, he will invest in the company solving the crisis. As a member of this family, I hope you will see the bigger picture and not disappoint us.”