All Chapters of TAKE ME, RUIN ME (When Love Becomes Sin): Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

TAKE ME, RUIN ME CHAPTER 2CHAPTER 2: THE EDGE OF DEFIANCEARIA'S POV Riiiinnnggg! Rinnnggg!The sharp, persistent scream of the office phone jerks me back to reality from my daydream reflection of last night. I jolt in my seat, my eyes blinking rapidly as I try to clear the fog from my brain. I look around, confused for a second, searching for the source of the noise before I realize where I am. I haven't slept a wink. The entire night was spent reliving the incident with Daniel—the way he smelled of scotch, the coldness in his eyes, and that terrifying question he whispered in the dark.I let out a long, heavy sigh and try to relax in my office chair. The room is filled with the usual, boring sounds of a workday. There is a constant hum of chatter from other workers, the clicking of keyboards, and the endless ringing of phones from every corner of the large floor. I glance down at my desk and see a stack of papers and a half-finished report staring back at me. I’ve barely made a de

TAKE ME, RUIN ME CHAPTER 4CHAPTER 4: GHOSTS OF THE PASTMy brain is buzzing like a hive of disturbed bees. I sit there, frozen in front of his massive desk, gazing at him with a sudden rush of blood to my skull that makes me feel lightheaded and dizzy. I reach out a hand to steady myself against the leather back of the guest chair, my mind racing through every face I’ve ever known."I am sorry, sir. I don't understand," I manage to whisper. "What do you mean? Have we met before?"He lets out a dry scoff and shakes his head, a slight, cynical chuckle escaping his lips. He looks away for a moment, as if the irony of the situation is almost too much for him to handle. "Of course," he says, his voice dripping with a bitter kind of amusement. "How are you supposed to remember me? You wouldn't. You definitely wouldn't."He turns his gaze back to me, and for a second, I see a flash of old pain behind that icy blue stare. "Because you were all too perfect in those days, Aria. And I? I was yo

TAKE ME, RUIN ME: CHAPTER 6 CHAPTER 6: BETWEEN TWO FIRESARIA'S POV The word "no" hits me with the force of a physical blow. It sounds like a sharp, jagged stab to my chest, and I find myself blinking at Adrian in total disbelief. My ears must be deceiving me; there is no way he just said that. I feel a cold, hollow pit open up in my stomach because I know exactly what this means. I am doomed. Daniel is not a man who waits, and he is certainly not a man who accepts excuses. He will kill me—or make me wish I were dead—if I don't return home within the timeframe he set. I can feel the heat of a hundred eyes on us. We are standing right in the middle of the office floor, and most of the employees are staring at the scene, their work forgotten. The air is thick with their curiosity and the quiet hum of the office machines. I completely lose my composure. In a moment of pure, desperate instinct, I reach out and grab Adrian’s arm, dragging him unexpectedly toward a hidden section of th

TAKE ME, RUIN ME: CHAPTER 8CHAPTER 8: CRACKS IN THE ARMORADRIAN'S POV My mind is a buzzing mess of static as I sit at my desk. I rest my hand against the polished wood, trying to focus, but the documents in front of me might as well be written in a foreign language. Her image is torturing me. It’s an endless loop in my head: those beautiful, sparkling eyes that shine like icy gray crystals. She is still as stunning as she was back then, but now there is a maturity to her beauty that infuriates me.Why am I so angry? I’m angry because she still carries that dangerous aura, the one that captured me years ago and drove me crazy. I hate that she still has this power over me. Even now, when I have all the authority and she is just an employee, I feel like I’m losing. I came back for revenge. I wanted to make her pay for how she ruined my life and destroyed my mental health in high school. And yet, she had the audacity to talk back to me today.A sharp knock on the door jolts me out of m

TAKE ME, RUIN ME: CHAPTER 10CHAPTER 10: PRICE OF SOLACEI let out a long, shaky breath and relax back against my table. I’ve just finished typing the last of the contract documents, and my eyes feel heavy from staring at the glowing screen. But the moment my back makes contact with the padded chair, a sharp, stinging pain flares up in my spine. It registers in my brain like a bolt of lightning, making me wince and flinch. I groan into the empty air, my teeth gritted and my fists clenched so tightly my knuckles turn white.The movement reminds me of the agony that has been my constant companion since yesterday. I close my eyes, trying to find a rhythm to my breathing that doesn't hurt. Fuck, I think, my mind racing through the hazy memories of the previous night at the mansion.The pain doesn't fade quickly; instead, it settles in, spreading across my back in a wave of heat. It feels like thousands of gigantic needles are piercing my skin all at once, forcing me to breathe in shallow,