Ficorpio
Chapter 1
Adrian Sterling and I had always been bitter rivals.
Seven years ago, I had driven him away with the cruelest words I could find.
“You fucking queer. Stay the hell away from me.”
Seven years later, Adrian had one hand around my throat, pinning me against the edge of a bed.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “You don’t find me disgusting anymore?”
I wanted to snap back at him with the same defiance I’d had seven years ago.
Go fuck yourself.
But I needed something from him. In the end, every angry word died behind my clenched teeth.
My silence clearly wasn’t the response Adrian wanted. His grip abruptly loosened, and his palm slid up to caress the sensitive skin behind my ear. The intimate touch sent a shudder through my entire body.
His voice dripped with mockery. “I asked you a question. Do I disgust you?”
I raised my eyes to his. “Adrian, what exactly do you want?”
“Haven’t I made it obvious enough?” His gaze held mine. “I want to fuck you.”
“So are you going to let me, Nathan Bennett?”
I pressed my lips together. Several seconds passed before I managed to ask, “If I agree, will you save my daughter?”
My daughter, Annie, had been diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure three years ago.
The doctor had warned me that her condition was deteriorating. Without a kidney transplant soon, she had six months left at most.
I had waited three years before the good news finally came: they had found a compatible donor kidney.
The hospital told me the donor wanted to speak with me privately, and I had rushed over without hesitation.
I just hadn’t expected the donor to be Adrian.
His eyes darkened, concealing whatever he was thinking.
After a long silence, he gave a quiet laugh. “You think one night with you is worth one of my kidneys? You have a pretty high opinion of yourself, Nathan.”
I frowned. “Then what do you want?”
“Stay with me for two weeks. Do everything I ask, and if I’m satisfied, I’ll agree to save your daughter.”
Two weeks.
It would pass quickly.
And Annie couldn’t afford to wait any longer.
I closed my eyes in resignation. “All right. I agree.”
Somehow, those words enraged him. Adrian’s fingers tightened viciously around my throat.
“You really are a devoted father, Nathan.”
I could hear the deliberate contempt in his voice.
It didn’t matter.
Nothing mattered as long as Annie survived.
When he saw me lying rigid beneath him, Adrian sneered. “What is this? Are you waiting for me to take care of everything?”
“If you’re begging someone for a favor, you should act like it.”
He leaned back and spread his legs, making his demand unmistakably clear.
My hand trembled as I reached for his belt.
I struggled with the buckle for what felt like forever, but I still couldn’t get it open.
“Could you…”
I was about to ask him to give me a moment, but when I looked up, he suddenly kissed me.
The kiss was fierce and scorching, driving every coherent thought from my mind.
Chapter 2
When the heat between us had nearly swept me away, Adrian pressed his lips close to my ear and murmured, “Tell me, Nathan. Who makes you feel better? Me, or your dead wife?”
My mind cleared in an instant.
I drove my foot toward his stomach, but he reacted fast and caught my ankle before the kick could land.
“Adrian, what the fuck is wrong with you?”
He slowly licked his lips, his expression shamelessly suggestive.
“Looks like I haven’t been trying hard enough. You’ve still got enough strength left to fight me.”
Adrian Sterling was a fucking madman.
By the time I climbed out of bed, it felt as though every bone in my body had been pulled apart and put back together wrong.
He whistled at me. “Want me to give you a ride?”
I swallowed the urge to curse him out. “No.”
Still sitting on the bed, he lit a cigarette. After two drags, he stubbed it out and held out his hand.
“Give me your phone.”
“What for?”
I eyed him warily.
“I need your number. That way, you can come whenever I call.”
Bastard.
I cursed him silently but handed over my phone anyway.
The moment I did, he caught my wrist and yanked me into his arms.
“I didn’t get enough last night. How about another round?”
I struggled, but he wouldn’t let go. In the end, I had no choice but to give in.
“My daughter is alone at the hospital, and I’m worried about her. Adrian, find it in your heart to let me go see her, okay?”
He gave a bitter, self-mocking laugh. “That daughter of yours matters a hell of a lot more to you than I do.”
I stared at him, baffled.
What was wrong with him now? I was the one he had humiliated and used for revenge, yet I hadn’t complained. Why was he acting like the wounded party?
But I had no energy to waste trying to decipher Adrian’s moods.
Annie must have been terrified when she couldn’t find me last night.
I pulled on my coat, hailed a cab as soon as I stepped outside, and went straight to the hospital.
When I entered Annie’s room, the nurse had just finished administering her nutritional infusion.
The moment she saw me, her face lit up.
“Daddy!”
I went over and stroked her hair.
Whenever we were together, she never seemed to run out of things to tell me.
“The nurse gave me a shot just now, and I didn’t cry at all.”
“She said I was very brave.”
I nodded solemnly. “You were. Annie’s amazing.”
Looking at her innocent smile, I suddenly felt that any sacrifice would be worth it.
I told her there was finally a way to treat her illness.
Annie was so happy that she bounced in her bed, waving her arms.
“Daddy, does that mean I can go home soon and play with my friends again?”
“Yes! This is the best!”
Chapter 3
Her excitement lasted the entire day. It wasn’t until nightfall that exhaustion finally caught up with her and she fell into a deep sleep.
I was about to get up and fetch some water when someone suddenly wrapped both arms around me from behind.
Scorching breath brushed my cheek. Adrian turned my head and crushed his mouth against mine.
One of his hands was already undoing my belt.
His body pressed tightly against mine, leaving me in no doubt about what he wanted.
Unable to break free, I bit down hard on his lip.
Adrian recoiled in pain, his eyes turning vicious.
I kicked him away and lowered my voice to a furious whisper. “Adrian, we’re in a hospital!”
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. “Of course I know. That’s what makes it interesting, doesn’t it?”
I grabbed him by the collar.
“I already agreed to spend two weeks with you. Why did you have to come here and disturb my daughter?”
“You’re sacrificing so much for her. It hardly seems fair to keep her in the dark, does it?”
“Adrian, if you dare tell her about our arrangement, I swear I’ll kill you.”
His smile was full of malice. “Go ahead. Kill me, and your daughter dies too.”
“You’re insane.”
Adrian took hold of my hand and chuckled. “Relax. I wasn’t planning to tell her.”
He reached up and gently brushed the reddened corner of my eye.
“You just care about her too much. It makes me jealous.”
“You promised me two weeks, but instead you spent the whole day here with this girl. Do you know how long I waited for you? All day. And you didn’t even call.”
“I wanted to come see for myself what kind of person could make you care this much.”
To my disbelief, Adrian actually looked hurt.
What the hell?
We stared at each other for several seconds. In the end, I was the one who gave in. I reached out and pulled him to his feet.
“I lost my temper just now. I’m sorry.”
“That’s it? Just an apology?”
“What else do you want?”
Adrian leaned close and dropped his voice. “You can make it up to me in bed.”
My entire body stiffened.
“Is sex seriously the only thing you ever think about?”
Adrian shrugged, then turned his gaze toward Annie.
“So that’s your daughter? She doesn’t look anything like you.”
I went rigid. “Annie takes after her mother.”
Adrian’s eyes snapped back to mine.
“Her mother’s been dead for years, and you still remember exactly what she looked like.” His gaze sharpened. “What about me?”
Under his searching stare, I had no idea how to answer.
Adrian and I had always been bitter rivals.
We both attended Northbridge High School. The difference was that I ranked first in our year, while he ranked dead last.
Back then, Adrian smoked, drank, and got into fights. He was the most notorious troublemaker in school.