It was seven in the morning, and pain just wouldn’t let her sleep.

She stared up at her ceiling, wishing she could see the sheep that she was supposed to count. But instead all she saw were men.

Handsome men, rich men, accomplished men---

And they were all men that Vassi had shoved down her throat, just so he could get rid of her.

Since his friends had arrived, Vassi had made sure she spent a reasonable amount of time with each and every one of them. They all got to dance with her, they all got to talk to her – they got to do everything while Vassi stood in the sidelines, watching over them like a kind older brother.

And always, his mouth would have that savagely beautiful smile, terrifying her into silence, forcing her to swallow every protest and sob.

Throughout it, he had been alone, not talking or looking at another girl even though they both knew almost every female in the party would have died for the chance to spend even a few minutes in his company.

It was as if he wanted her to know that this was not about making one or the other jealous.

No, it was far simpler than that, and far more hurtful.

The truth was all in his savagely beautiful smile.

But even so, she couldn’t help thinking she had to try one last time.

One last try, Seri thought feverishly.

Just one last try.

She lifted her phone and before she could let herself think twice about what she intended to do, she had already finished texting her message---

Can you come to my room? I need to talk to you about Fyodor and the others.

She pressed Send.

It was a lie, but she also knew there was nothing more effective in getting him to move.

And she was right.

Barely a minute had passed when Vassi came knocking on the door. “Leech?” His voice was harsh, and she knew she had made him mad.

Good, Seri thought recklessly. Anything was better than the pleasantly detached way he had treated her in the last hours of the party, like she was someone to be humored until he could find a way to dump her on another guy’s lap and forget about her.

She opened the door, and without meeting his eyes, she said, “Come in.”

“Seri---”

She shook her head. “Inside, please.”

She turned away and as she walked towards her bed, she heard him expel his breath in seeming frustration, followed by the click of a door as he pushed it close.

His footsteps echoed the rampaging sound of her heartbeat, and she clenched her hands, now clammy with sweat.

She stopped when they stood between her study desk and bed.

“What is it?” His voice was cold, like he was trying to warn her from being emotional.

Seri swallowed back a hysterical laugh. Too late.

She whirled around and threw herself at him, using her strength to push him towards the bed.

He cursed under his breath as he fell on the mattress, but before he could say another word, she had already straddled him and covered his mouth with hers.

She kissed him with all she had, and after one tense, silent moment in which he only remained stiff and unresponsive---

She felt it.

His hands driving up, digging into the tresses of her hair.

And then he was kissing her.

Hard.

Deep.

His tongue thrust into her mouth, and she moaned. His hands moved down her body, gripping the cheeks of her bottom, and then he was thrusting up, grinding his erection against her, and she couldn’t stop moaning, couldn’t stop rocking herself against his dick, couldn’t stop hoping---

And then it was over.

Vassi had wrenched his mouth away from hers, and as Seri’s eyes flew open, she found herself staring down at his beautiful face.

She stared at him, and his eyes told her that he knew. He knew what the kiss meant, and he knew that she had succeeded in making it impossible for him to deny what her feelings were.

He knew.

And yet---

It was that smile again.

That smile that was savage in its ability to hurt her and him---

That smile that told her he would do everything to get rid of her, if he had to, if she ended up being a threat to his family---

“Had enough practice?” His tone was polite, even concerned, and she could only stare at him, his words confusing her even as they made her bleed, just like his smile.

He gently but firmly pushed her off him. “I hope that helps improve your sex voice. I’ve heard from your manager that it’s your weakness.” He stood up and looked down at her. “Take it from me, though. I’m an expert and you don’t need any more practice than this. Your moans sounded great.”

She watched him leave, and still she couldn’t make herself say a word.

All she could think about was that…

He knew.

He knew…and he was ignoring it.

The pain was too much, and she tried, like she always did, to ignore it with work. Her limbs felt too heavy, and she practically had to crawl to get to her desk. Her fingers were abnormally clumsy as she moved them over the touchpad. She should start recording the emotional scene between Aya and Shinta while she was feeling like this, Seri told herself. It would be a shame, Seri thought feverishly, to let her heartbreak go to waste when she could use it for work.

Seri clicked Play.

The girl on the screen started to cry.

She started to cry with the female character, and that was when she realized she couldn’t stop.

Because all of a sudden, she remembered the way Vassi had looked at her, and she had realized something even more painful to swallow.

Vassi had always known.

From the very start, he had always known.

From the very start, he had made his choice.

And he had not chosen---

Seri didn’t allow herself to finish the thought. It would kill her if she did, and she owed her family to be strong. Work, she thought dully, she had to work. If she worked hard enough, she would forget this pain one day. If she worked hard enough, she would learn to see him the way she was supposed to.

As she stared sightlessly at her browser, Seri belatedly noticed the red light blinking from her laptop. Had she forgotten to stop recording herself from yesterday’s exercise?

She clicked on the web camera’s icon and played back the last few minutes.

---

Someone knocked on the door, and Vassi breathed harshly, seriously contemplating throwing his glass against the door so whoever it was would get the fucking point and leave---

Another knock, and then he heard the sound that he both loved and despised with all his heart.

“Vassi. It’s me.”

Seri.

He stared at the door, incredulous, frustrated, furious, but more than anything else, he was also desperately doing his best to resist the urge to fling the door open, haul her sexy little ass inside his room, and give her – give them – what they both fucking wanted.

What the fuck did she want now?

Was she a fucking glutton for punishment?

Hadn’t what he’d done on her goddamn party been enough to make her see that nothing could ever happen between them?

Seri knocked again. “I won’t leave until you talk to me. And you have to do so now, because Papa could wake up anytime and---”

He got her fucking point, and he stalked to the door. Opening it, he yanked her inside. Although he made sure he didn’t hurt her at all, he also knew he was handling her more roughly than usual, causing hurt to flicker in her eyes.

Good, he thought grimly. She had to understand that only pain was waiting for her at the end of this path.

“What is it?” he snapped.

Seri offered him her iPhone.

He didn’t take it. “What’s that for?”

Her hand noticeably trembling, she raised her phone at eye level with him and clicked on the Play button.

Vassi whitened when he realized what he was hearing and seeing.

What the fuck?

And that was when he heard her say, “If you don’t want me to show this to Papa, you’ll a-agree to be my boyfriend in secret, and y-you’ll do everything I want you to do.”

Then she was spinning around, almost running out of his room as if she didn’t want to give him a chance to bully her into changing her mind.

Vassi closed his eyes.

I give up.

I fucking give up.