Lethal Strike: Ruining My Ungrateful Ex

Adrian and I were together for ten years. He wanted my money. I wanted his pretty face. We both got what we needed. A match made in heaven. Then, his face was ruined.

But my bank account was still intact. Chapter 1 When Adrian's call came in, I had just walked out of a grueling fivehour board meeting. But it wasn't Adrian on the other end.

It was his little brother, Tyler. "My brother got into a car crash! Hurry up and wire thirty thousand to my card for the medical bills!

I'll text you the routing number." I stared at the screen for a second. Then I hung up. Tyler was a textbook deadbeat, addicted to everything toxic under the sun.

I didn't believe a single word that came out of his mouth. Two minutes later, Adrian's mother, Linda, called. "Beatrice, Adrian was in a wreck.

He's at Mercy Hospital, and they need the money right now to save his life. It's not like you're hurting for cash.

Just wire the thirty grand to Tyler first so we can pay the front desk!" She ended the call before I could get a word in.

I tapped my manicured nails against my phone case, then buzzed my secretary. "Harper, call Mercy Hospital." Harper stepped into my office a few minutes later. "Adrian is indeed at Mercy.

He just got out of the ER. He's stable and out of the woods." I took a slow sip of my black coffee. "Wire thirty thousand directly to the hospital's billing department.

Put him in a VIP suite for recovery and hire two fulltime private nurses.

And tell Marketing we're meeting in five minutes." The marketing meeting dragged on until nine o'clock that night.

When I finally walked out, Harper handed me my phone. "It's been ringing off the hook, boss. It looks like Adrian's mother and brother." Right on cue, the screen lit up again.

I swiped accept. It was Linda again, her voice frantic. "Beatrice, why won't you answer your phone? Adrian is lying here waiting for surgery!

You know how greedy these hospitals are—they won't lift a scalpel until they see the cash!

Hurry up and send it to us!" "I wired it directly to the hospital." Dead silence on the other end for a full second.

Then, her tone shifted. "Well… Tyler skipped his shift to stay by his brother's side. His boss is going to dock his pay, and his whole family relies on his income.

Why don't you… why don't you send him a little something for lost wages?" "Nothing crazy. Fifteen grand should cover it.

That's not even the price of one of your purses." "Tyler doesn't need to look after him. I hired professional nurses." I ended the call.

I spent half an hour decompressing in my office before deciding to swing by the hospital. We were dating, after all. I wasn't completely heartless.

Besides, Adrian's face was exactly my type. Looking at him was a genuine treat. Adrian was set up in a luxury recovery suite.

Before I even touched the doorknob, I heard Linda's voice bleeding into the hallway. "You useless disappointment! You and Beatrice are already living together.

Who else is going to want damaged goods like her?

All you have to do is snap your fingers, and she'd march straight to the courthouse with you!" "Don't think I don't know you're still pining after Hazel!

Her whole family is a bunch of broke public school teachers! What can she do for you? What can she do for Tyler?" "Listen to me! You are marrying Beatrice this year!

And then you're buying your brother a house in a good school district. My grandson is not going to some trashy public school!" Adrian didn't say a single word in return.

I pushed the door open. Linda spotted me. She slapped on a sickeningly sweet smile. "Beatrice! You're here. Come, come look at Adrian…" She stepped forward, trying to usher me in.

I let my gaze slide right over her like she didn't exist and walked straight to the hospital bed.

Linda trailed right behind me, her mouth still running. "Adrian hasn't stopped talking about you…" I took the seat next to his bed. A thick gauze pad was taped across his face.

Somehow, the medical dressing only amplified his brooding aesthetic. "Does it still hurt?" I kept my voice soft.

He gave a slight shake of his head and wrapped his fingers around my hand. "Not anymore. Sorry for making you come all the way out here." "I'm your girlfriend.

Coming to see you is the bare minimum." Chapter 2 Linda leaned in, flashing a bright, expectant smile. "Beatrice, when are you two tying the knot?

I'm still waiting to hold my grandbabies! I think you should just get married the second Adrian is discharged.

We'll pick a good date." "If you keep dragging this out, it won't affect Adrian much, but think about yourself.

Having kids at your age gets dangerous, doesn't it?" I glanced at Adrian. His brows were knitted together, his lips pressed into a tight, pale line.

He looked beautifully, tragically shattered. I knew he didn't want to get married. Perfect. Neither did I. Adrian and I went to college together.

He was the fratstar heartthrob with dropdead gorgeous looks. I was the straightA nerd, invisible in a crowd. Hazel was my roommate.

She was the ultimate sweet, softspoken girlnextdoor. If I were a guy, I would have picked Hazel in a heartbeat.

But Adrian kicked Hazel to the curb without a second thought and chose me. It wasn't like I stole my roommate's boyfriend. On the contrary, Adrian came after me.

It all started one summer break. The two of them visited my city for a vacation, and I spent a few days driving them around in my family's Maserati.

Not long after they got back, Adrian slipped me a love letter. Hazel and I held our respective love letters sidebyside in our dorm.

Aside from the names at the top, they were identical, word for word. Hazel bawled her eyes out.

I wiped her tears with a tissue and gave it to her straight. "Finding out a guy is trash before you put a ring on it is always a win." I paused. "But I do really like his face.

If you're okay with it, I'm going to upcycle him." Hazel glared at me, her eyes red and puffy. "Beatrice, do you really think you can do whatever you want just because you have money?" "Not exactly," I replied. "I just think girls who lead with their hearts will get played to death by a guy like him.

To protect your fragile, romantic soul, I'll take the hit." Hazel broke into a wet laugh. "I don't want him anyway!

If you're not grossed out, go ahead and pick him out of the trash!" And just like that, I picked Adrian up and put him in my Maserati.

After graduation—and after making him pass a comprehensive, fullpanel medical and STD screen—I moved him into my mansion. Adrian was fantastic at providing emotional support.

Our sex life was in sync, too. Sometimes, I caught myself thinking it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to just keep him as a kept man for the rest of my life.

I floated the idea to Hazel once. She just scoffed. "He's a brooding pretty boy right now, but he's going to age into a creepy old man. Knock yourself out.

I'm not the one who's going to have to smell the nursing home on him." I pictured it for a second and physically shuddered.

I immediately coursecorrected. "Alright, I'll just keep him for half my life, then." Right now, that halflifetime hadn't expired yet. So, I still wanted to keep him around.

A brooding, ridiculously hot guy with zero babymama drama, who willingly submitted to medical checkups and knew exactly what to say to make me feel good?

I really, truly enjoyed having him. The synchronized, dead silence from both Adrian and me made Linda's smile crack. The corners of her mouth twitched.

She shot Adrian a resentful glare. "Fine. It's not like I can count on you anyway. Get married, don't get married, see if I care!" Linda stormed out of the room.

The second the door clicked shut, Adrian let out an exhausted sigh. I squeezed his hand, running my thumb over his knuckles. "Once you're discharged, I'll set you up with a job.

It'll keep your mother off your back." Adrian shook his head. "Give it a little more time." Since he wasn't into the idea, I dropped it.

He still looked pale and weak, killing my mood for flirting. I grabbed my purse, ready to head home.

Right then, his voice drifted over, barely above a whisper. "Beatrice, could you give me fifteen grand?" Chapter 3 I paused, then curved my lips into a polite smile. "Didn't your allowance clear for this month?

Are you running low? What did you buy? Every month, I wired fifteen thousand directly from my personal checking account to his debit card.

In all the time we'd been together, he rarely bought anything for himself. Even the designer clothes hanging in his closet were put there by me.

Over the years, that allowance had easily added up to over half a million. Yet he was always running dry. It didn't take a genius to figure out where the cash was bleeding out.

At my question, Adrian pressed his lips into a thin line. The brooding warmth vanished. His jaw tightened, shutting me out. "If you don't want to give it, fine.

But don't micromanage my life." He turned his head away, breaking eye contact. "Just leave. I want to be alone." I held his gaze for a second. I knew that look.

It meant the silent treatment was officially in session for the foreseeable future. The cold shoulder.

Before I picked Adrian up, I never thought I’d be the type of woman to put up with this kind of passiveaggressive manipulation. Then again, I honestly couldn't care less.

I was simply too busy to care. Back in college, I was drowning in core classes, obsessed with holding my spot at the top of the dean's list.

Now that I was running the family enterprise, my schedule was brutal. The market shifted by the second.

Carving out a single hour to visit a hospital room was already pushing my absolute limit. I had a flight to Europe first thing in the morning for a summit.

I didn't have the bandwidth to decode his fragile ego trips. I grabbed my bag and walked out. The heavy hospital door clicked shut behind me.

A second later, a glass shattered against the floorboards inside. My heels stopped on the linoleum. He never threw tantrums like this.

It wasn't about the fifteen grand; we had played this exact game before. The moment his allowance deposited next month, he would reset right back to his usual self.

We had an unspoken agreement from day one: keep the drama zero, and leave the baggage at the door. So who was this sudden, explosive loss of control actually for?

It sure as hell wasn't for me. I made it down to the VIP parking garage when my phone buzzed in my hand. Hazel's name flashed across the screen. I answered. "Bea!

I'm getting married! You have to be my bridesmaid!" Suddenly, the shattered glass made perfect sense. I let out a light laugh. "I fly out for a business trip tomorrow.

I won't be back for about two weeks." Hazel groaned in disappointment, but she understood. We chatted for a few minutes about the venue and the dress.

Right before we hung up, I slipped in a question. "Did you invite Adrian?" "Do I look like I have a death wish? Why would I invite him?" "He's been throwing fits lately.

I'm guessing he's still carrying a torch for you." Hazel made a loud gagging noise over the line. "Keep that toxic waste locked down in your mansion, Bea.

Do not let him back into the dating pool to ruin other women's lives!" I chuckled, pulling open my car door. "What makes you think he's hitting the market again?" "Wait, seriously?

Are you guys breaking up?" "Dumping a guy without a solid reason is just bad PR," I said smoothly. "I'll send someone to represent me at the wedding.

Congratulations, Hazel." I ended the call. Opening my messages, I held down the audio button for Harper. "Clear your schedule in three days.

You're attending a wedding for me." The next morning, I boarded my flight. Work consumed me. True to form, Adrian didn't call me a single time.

He never did before his allowance cleared. His brother, Tyler, on the other hand, did call. The kid had rounded up a bunch of his deadbeat friends for a bender at the Plaza Hotel.

They were downing imported liquor that ran seven grand a bottle. Once he was sufficiently wasted and the bill arrived, he demanded I come play ATM. "Bea!

Wire me fifteen grand right now! My brother is tapped out. And make sure you drive the RollsRoyce when you get here! Fill up the tank, too!" I blocked his number.

Chapter 4 Adrian called me back almost immediately. "Beatrice, can I get next month's allowance early?

Just this once." "Tyler asked you to settle the bill, didn't he?" His breathing hitched, turning sharp and defensive. "Yeah! And you blocked him! It’s just fifteen grand, Beatrice.

Why do you have to look down on my family like this?" I rubbed my temples, trying to summon one last shred of patience. "Adrian, you’re an educated man.

Do you honestly not see that your brother is a black hole? Has he ever earned fifteen thousand dollars in his life?

Are you planning to be his personal ATM forever?" The line went quiet for a beat before he exploded. "What is that supposed to mean? He’s my brother! My own flesh and blood!

I’d do anything for him! Who are you to judge him?" "You only act like this because you were born with a silver spoon. All your money came from your parents.

If you were in my shoes, struggling like we do, you wouldn't be half the person you think you are!" I felt a ghost of a smile touch my lips. "Fine. I get it now.

Let's talk when I'm back." I hung up. Then I blocked him and his mother. I must have been out of my mind to try and talk logic to a man I was paying to stay pretty.

It wouldn't happen again. The next few days were a blur of highstakes negotiations.

It wasn't until I was settling into my seat on the flight back that I finally opened the updates Harper had sent. [ Adrian took out a private loan for twentyfive thousand dollars.

Fifteen grand went to Tyler’s bill. ] [ He tried to send the remaining ten grand to Hazel as a wedding gift. She sent it back.

Linda found out, snatched the cash for herself, and gave him a screaming down. ] [ I suspect he’s tapped out now.

He told the nurses to tell you he’s on a hunger strike. ] I checked my watch. Oh, look at that. My dear boyfriend had been starving himself for four days.

I hoped he was still breathing. The trip had been a massive success. We’d closed several major contracts, and I was in an exceptionally good mood.

After landing, I spent a quiet night at home to decompress. The next morning, I ordered a bouquet of yellow roses and headed to the hospital.

The nurse spotted me and hurried over, looking stressed. "Mr. Adrian refuses to eat.

We had to add glucose and amino acids to his IV… the premium imported kind…" I thanked her and pushed the door open.

Adrian was draped in soft cotton loungewear, propped up against the pillows. The white gauze was still taped to his face, making his pale skin look even more gaunt and sharp.

His eyes were closed, and the morning sun carved exquisite shadows across the bridge of his nose. In this light, he looked even better than before—more fragile, more haunting.

Suddenly, the idea of a breakup felt like something that could be postponed. I watched him for a moment, then stepped forward with a smile and set the roses on his nightstand.

His eyes snapped open. He froze when he saw me, then jerked his head away.

I reached out and took his hand, my thumb tracing his knuckles. "I’m finally home, and you’re still pouting? It’s just a few thousand dollars.

Why go on a hunger strike over it?" "If you ruin that body of yours, it’ll break my heart." He remained silent, refusing to look at me.

I let out a soft sigh and pulled out my phone, tapping the screen a few times. A moment later, Adrian’s phone chimed with a bank alert.

He paused, then slowly looked down at the screen. It was the notification for a fifteenthousanddollar deposit. He stared at the display, stunned.

I leaned in close, my breath ghosting against his ear. "There. Not angry anymore, right?" He didn't say a word.

Instead, he lunged forward, his hand snaking around my waist to haul me into his lap. He crushed his lips against mine in a desperate, bruising kiss.

Chapter 5 We tangled together for a moment before a knock came at the door. "Mr. Adrian, time for a dressing change." I reluctantly pulled away, walking over to let the nurse in.

The nurse wheeled her cart in, flashing me a bright smile. "Adrian is healing beautifully.

After we put in a prosthesis and do a few more reconstructive surgeries, it won't impact his daily life at all." I froze. Prosthesis? What prosthesis?

The nurse stepped up to the bed and began peeling back the gauze taped to Adrian's face. As the white mesh pulled away, it revealed a massive, cavedin crater on his cheek.

Dark, coagulated blood mixed with medicinal powder into a sickly brown sludge. Jagged, infected scabs clustered together like a grotesque mountain range.

The nurse swiped an alcohol pad across the mess, exposing a raw, swollen wound. It looked exactly like the rotting mouth of a dead fish. I took a physical step back.

The nurse worked quickly, slapping a fresh layer of white gauze over the crater. In an instant, he was back to being my brooding pretty boy. But the illusion was broken.

He was never going back to the way he was. And my obsession with him—the very second I saw that ruined flesh—evaporated like a receding tide.

The fresh dressing seemed to give Adrian his energy back. "The hospital food is garbage," he said. "I want the foie gras from Le Bernardin." Le Bernardin was the most expensive French restaurant in the city, and our usual date spot.

I gave a slow nod. "Your usual?

The caviar foie gras Wellington?" "Yeah." I texted Harper to place the order, then grabbed my purse. "Beatrice," Adrian called out. "Tyler…" "What about him?" "He told me today… he owes sixty grand in gambling debts." I paused, a cold smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. "And?" "Could you pay it off for him?

He swore to me it's the absolute last time." "No." The word left my mouth without a second of hesitation. "That's not my problem." The little color left in Adrian's face drained away.

The familiar, icy wall dropped right back over his eyes, as if the man who was desperately kissing me ten minutes ago had ceased to exist. He turned away. "Forget the food. Just go.

I want to be alone." I let out a soft laugh and raised my phone to my ear. "Harper. Cancel the reservation." Adrian's head snapped back around, his jaw slack.

I turned on my heel and walked out. For the next few days, I buried myself entirely in the company's Q3 reports. The next time I heard Adrian's name, five days had already passed.

Harper stood by my desk. "The hospital called. Adrian is being discharged. There's a threethousanddollar balance left on the account.

Standard protocol is to refund it to the original card, but Linda is throwing a massive tantrum in the lobby, demanding it in cash." "Tell billing to give her the cash." "Understood." "Adrian's belongings are packed up.

His facial recognition access to the estate has been wiped from security." "Got it." Harper turned and left the office.

I unlocked my phone, pulled Adrian's number out of my blocked list, and went right back to my spreadsheets. Less than thirty minutes later, the phone rang.

Chapter 6 Adrian's voice crackled through the speaker. "Beatrice, what is this?

Why won't my code work at the gate?" "Because we're breaking up," I said. "Your things are already packed.

Text me an address, and I'll have them shipped over." Dead air stretched over the line for a few seconds before a harsh, grating laugh pierced the silence. "Beatrice, stop throwing a tantrum.

Look at how bitter you're acting. It's just sixty grand. Are you really crying over that?" "Whatever. I'm crashing at The Aria for the night. Think about what you're doing.

Come find me tomorrow and apologize. And bring the sixty grand." The line went dead. I let out a light chuckle. He was used to staying in luxury hotels on my dime.

I had no doubt he had just swiped his card for The Aria's thousanddollaranight penthouse suite. I wondered how many nights his depleted bank account could handle.

Not that it mattered. It wasn't my problem anymore. I dove back into my spreadsheets. Three days flew by.

On the third night, my phone rang again. "Have you thought it through?" His tone was clipped. "Adrian, there is only one thing we need to discuss.

Where am I shipping your boxes?" "Where are you? I'm coming over." "Don't bother. We're broken up.

There's no need to see each other." The silence was heavy, followed by the sound of grinding teeth. "Do you really think you can find someone better than me?

Beatrice, you're in your thirties and painfully average! Who else is going to look twice at you? If you're too cheap to part with sixty grand, just say it!" "It's just sixty grand!

You clearly never loved me at all!" I let out a soft laugh. "Adrian, when did I ever say I loved you? Take it up with Harper from now on. I'm busy.

Don't contact me again." I hit the end call button and added the new number to my blocked list.

A few minutes later, Harper walked into my office, her face scrunched up in misery. "Boss, Adrian is blowing up my phone.

He just keeps repeating the same few lines about needing to see you." I didn't even lift my head from the quarterly reports. "Your bonus for this quarter is doubled." Harper cleared her throat, instantly straightening her posture. "As your executive assistant, I am a consummate professional.

Leave it to me." She pivoted on her heels and marched out. I thought I finally had some peace and quiet.

But the very next morning, Linda dragged Tyler straight to my corporate headquarters. Security refused to let them past the lobby, so they camped out right by the main glass doors.

She ambushed every person walking into the building. "Is Beatrice in? I'm her motherinlaw! I need to see her immediately! My son just got out of the hospital, and she dumped him!

What kind of heartless woman does that?" A few key clients got caught in their crossfire.

Before leaving my office, one of them threw me a halfjoking, halfserious look. "You've got quite the drama downstairs, Beatrice." I forced a polite laugh, walked the clients to the elevator, and then shot Harper a lethal glare.

Harper turned pale and scurried out. Ten minutes later, she pranced back in with a massive grin. "Boss, handled! Go take a look. The entrance is cleared out.

Cleaner than my bank account!" I walked over to the floortoceiling window and looked down. The two of them were actually gone. What trick did this girl pull?

Harper had flagged down two security guards and told them to act like thirdparty debt collectors.

The moment they stepped outside and demanded the sixty grand Tyler owed, the mother and son bought it instantly. They sprinted off the property faster than stray dogs.

I enjoyed two full days of total silence. On the third day, Adrian showed up himself. Chapter 7 The front desk called Harper.

Harper looked at me. "Do you want to see him?" "No." "He refuses to leave." "Have security escort him out." "You got it." I walked over to the floortoceiling window.

Down below, two security guards flanked Adrian, halfguiding, halfshoving him out of the main lobby doors. A few minutes later, my phone buzzed with an unknown caller ID.

It was Adrian. He had bought a burner. "Beatrice, what gives you the right to dump me?" he demanded, the words snapping through the speaker.

I let out a soft laugh. "Adrian, it takes two people to agree to be in a relationship. It only takes one to end it." "I don't accept this." "I wasn't asking for your permission.

I was notifying you. I'm blocking this number, too.

Take care of yourself." His breathing hitched, ragged and heavy against the mic. "You're going to regret this—" I tapped the red button and cut him off.

I had survived the bloodbaths of corporate boardrooms. I had faced down real threats. A kept man throwing a tantrum didn't even register on my radar.

I learned my lesson about underestimating a cornered rat very quickly. Adrian went live.

The stream was titled: "My Romance with a Female NPD CEO." He sat on camera wearing a crisp, white loungewear shirt. The pristine medical gauze was taped perfectly to his cheek.

His hair fell in a calculated, messy swoop. With those brooding eyes, he looked like an Alist Hollywood actor playing the tragic male lead.

He spoke directly to the lens, his voice steady but dripping with practiced vulnerability: "Back in college, I had a girlfriend.

Beatrice found me, threw fifteen grand in my face, and demanded I spend the night with her in her Maserati…" "My dad died when I was young.

My mom raised my brother and me all by herself, drowning in debt. I… I couldn't resist the money.

It was the most degrading night of my life…" "Beatrice used her wealth to control every aspect of my life. She refused to let me work. She isolated me from my friends.

She belittled everything I did." "I lived in her mansion, but I was nothing more than a prisoner… I graduated from a toptier university.

But it's been ten years, and I have absolutely nothing to show for it." "I hate myself for being so weak. If I rot away, fine. I deserve it.

But then Beatrice set her sights on my little brother." "She demanded he serve her like a dog. When Tyler refused, she set him up.

She manipulated him into taking out predatory loans. The loan sharks hunting him down? They're her own corporate security guards…" He played a video clip on the stream.

Two men had Tyler pinned against a wall, smirking. "Buddy, when are you paying back that sixty grand?

You can run, but you can't hide forever!" The video hardcut to a new shot: those exact same two men, wearing my company's official security uniforms, standing post at our corporate gates.

In three hours, the livestream exploded past a million views. Adrian's follower count shattered the hundredthousand mark.

The comments section was a rabid, toxic wasteland: [ What the actual hell?

Is this chick really that desperate? ] [ Here's her face. ] [ Someone leaked my corporate headshot in the chat. ] [ Yeah, she looks desperate. ] [ Am I the only one realizing that running predatory loan shark rings is highly illegal? ] [ Lmao, eat the rich! ] The public backlash hit like a freight train.

My desk phone rang. It was the VP of Investor Relations. "Boss, the stock is plummeting.

If we don't get out in front of this right now, we're going to hit the circuit breakers and crash the floor within three trading days." Chapter 8