Part 3From Bride-To-Be to His Kept Woman

Zara's POV

I rose to my feet in a daze, feeling as if there was a heavy weight crushing my heart. "What if I refuse, James?" I asked.

The faint scent of blood permeated the air.

James didn't even bother lifting his head as he lit a cigarette.

"You're becoming more and more disobedient, Zara," he said as he flicked the ash from his cigarette, a hint of impatience and anger flickering across his darkening expression. "Perhaps it's because I've been too lenient with you. Maybe you've forgotten the difference between our statuses?"

Two bodyguards entered the room the moment the words left his lips. They didn't say a word as they ruthlessly kicked the back of my knees.

Pain lanced through my legs, causing me to sink to my knees on the floor. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

James was right. He was the CEO of Fuller Group and was notorious for being ruthless and efficient. He was an existence that even the other elites in the circle respected.

As for me, I was just a poor university student. He could ruin all my hard work with a single sentence.

When we first went public with our relationship, my friends had told me that James was cruel and ruthless, and that he wouldn't actually take our relationship seriously. I didn't believe them back then because he treated me so well. He never even raised his voice, afraid of startling me.

I finally understood what James wanted when a bodyguard slapped me across my face. He just wanted a canary in a cage that could entertain him and Melanie.

"You just have to apologize, Zara," he said with a frown, not noticing that the cigarette between his fingers had burned out.

I gritted my teeth and glared at him, refusing to make a sound. It was silent for about three seconds before I was slapped again.

I was knocked off balance. Blood spurted from the corner of my mouth when I hit the floor.

I was then slapped a third and fourth time. Black spots exploded in my vision as I slowly grew numb to the pain.

In the end, Melanie was the one who spoke up to stop the bodyguards. "That's enough, James. I know I'm the only one in your heart. You were too harsh. Zara's so young. It makes sense for her to still be immature."

She let out a teasing laugh as she poked my swollen cheek. "You don't look cute anymore after being slapped so many times. I don't want to trouble you, but you should help her alleviate the swelling, James."

James crouched down after she left. His movements were careful and gentle when he wiped the flecks of blood from the corner of my mouth with a damp towel.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

The overwhelming pain in my chest made it nearly impossible for me to breathe. I didn't say a word as tears spilled down my cheeks.

James let out a long sigh and said, "You should have just apologized. Mel would've been appeased once she knew that you knew your place. None of this would have happened."

After he was done cleaning the blood, he slowly traced his finger along my cheek and down to my neck. His finger traveled lower until it reached my chest. He then undid the first button of my shirt.

My body jolted reflexively. I whipped my head down and bit the back of his hand. Blood dripped from between my teeth.

James let out a low grunt, but he didn't withdraw his hand. He fell silent for a long time as his expression darkened. A few seconds later, he pressed my head against his chest. His voice was as cold as ice when he said, "Lick it clean, Zara."

A wave of humiliation washed over me. I tried to retreat, but he tightened his hold on me. He ripped my shirt open during the scuffle. The window was open. The cold wind that billowed in caused me to freeze in place.

"You know what I'm going to do to you if you continue misbehaving, Zara," James said.

He pulled out his phone. My advisor's number was displayed on the screen.

I didn't struggle that night. Tears blurred my vision until I finally lost consciousness. After it was over, I curled up in a corner of the bathroom and washed myself for a long time.

James lit a cigarette as he leaned against the bathroom's doorframe. It was hard to discern the emotion in his eyes.

"James," I called out in a voice that was thick with tears. "I want to go back to the university. I'm begging you."

I couldn't make out his expression with the smoke curling around him. He was silent for a long time before he finally said, "Sure. I just hope that you won't regret your decision."