The Beauty Trap

"Your girlfriend is currently in bed with another man."

The moment I got that message, I felt as if I'd been struck by lightning. My mind went completely blank, and my heart started pounding wildly.

I was going to propose to my girlfriend, Elaine Steiner, today. She'd previously told me that she would marry me once I helped her with the down payment for a house. And today, I was finally receiving my promised commission from Finch Group, the company I worked for.

Alas, that message from a number I didn't recognize left me completely thunderstruck.

I stared at my phone, my hands trembling as I tapped to open the attached photo. It instantly filled the entire screen. My eyes were greeted with a high-definition depiction of a brightly lit room and crumpled bedsheets…

Smack dab in the center of the photo were two figures I knew like the back of my hand, nestled close to each other.

I recognized Elaine—my Elaine!

She was lying in bed with her eyes closed, her body covered with nothing but a thin blanket. The man beside her was Tristan Finch, a good friend of mine from high school and also a well-known scion in the city of Hearthsea.

I still recalled what he'd said when we went out drinking together six months ago. He'd put his arm around my shoulders and declared, "Nathan, you and Elaine should come work for my family's company. I'll take care of everything!"

He did take care of everything, alright. He took my girlfriend straight to bed with him.

Like a madman, I started spam calling Elaine, my fingers shaking as I tapped on the screen. I desperately hoped that the photo was fake somehow, but reality dealt me a crushing blow instead.

Every single call went unanswered. Her phone was turned off.

It was true after all. My girlfriend was sleeping with my best friend from high school—and on the very day I was planning to propose to her!

I felt angry and humiliated. The betrayal broke my heart.

I'd put a lot of effort into choosing an engagement ring. As I looked at it now, I thought about all the effort I'd put into the relationship and how devoted I'd been to Elaine for the last five years. I felt like the biggest sucker alive. In fact, I wanted to kill the two of them.

I staggered out to hail a cab, instructing the driver to take me home at once. The ride felt unbearably slow. Every second was arduous torment.

Even as I stood at the door, I clung to the fantasy that this might all be a lie. But once I heard the suggestive sounds coming through the door, I felt as though every shred of my dignity had been destroyed.

"Tristan, why did you leave these hickeys on my neck? Nathan will see them."

"I just wanted to trigger him a little. What's the big deal? You haven't broken up with that useless loser yet?"

"He said the company will be issuing his commission today. I tricked him into believing I wanted to buy our future marital home. I'm going to dump his ass once he gives me the money!" Elaine explained.

"I can't believe that loser has the nerve to expect a commission! I'm going to take Nathan off the eastern suburb project, so that he can't get a single thing. When the time comes, I'll give you the commission he was supposed to get instead," Tristan declared.

"You're the best, Tristan! Hurry up and marry me. I don't want to spend another day with that loser!"

I'd been working on the eastern suburb resort project this whole time. As I'd managed to secure quite a number of advertisement deals, I was set to receive 120 thousand dollars in commission. This was my hard-earned money. I couldn't believe Tristan was about to pocket it instead!

Elaine's shamelessness also made my blood boil. I couldn't take it anymore. I immediately kicked the door open.

Screaming in alarm, Elaine scrambled up in bed and stared at me in shock.

"What the hell? Who's there?" Tristan cursed.

After noticing me, he slowly sat up and snapped, "What the hell is wrong with you, Nathan? Don't you know how to knock?"

"Why do I need to knock when I'm entering my own house? You filthy pair of cheaters!" I fumed.

"Nathan!" Elaine got dressed before staring at me imperiously. "Who are you calling filthy, huh? I've been wanting to break up with you for ages now. Since you've already seen it for yourself, I won't have to waste my words."

"See that?"

Tristan threw his arm around Elaine and bragged to my face, "The only thing a useless loser can do is bark like a dog. I'll make things clear to you then. Elaine hooked up with me six months ago. A cockroach like you is only fit to get my hand-me-downs."

"I've been financially supporting you for five years, Elaine! How could you cheat on me? Do you even have a conscience?" I confronted her.

"A conscience? Don't make me laugh!" Elaine mocked, her arms crossed. "What else are you even capable of, Nathan, besides stringing me along with empty promises?

"Tristan buys me Louis Vuitton handbags. Can you do the same? Tristan takes me to five-star hotels. Can you do that? I've had enough of how poor you are!"

"You're fired, Nathan," Tristan chimed in with a sneer. "Do you think I would've let you work at my family's company if Elaine hadn't asked me? At the end of the day, you're just a lowly piece of trash who relied on a woman to get a job!

"Why are you still standing here anyway? Get the hell out. Or you'd like to see how Elaine and I do it?"

Tristan shot me a devilish grin, which pissed me off even more. This was my house! They'd gone too far!

I rushed forward and punched Tristan right in the face. Immediately, his nose started bleeding, and his fist came flying at me as well. We traded blows, punching and kicking as we got into a fight right there in the place I rented.

Just then, Elaine grabbed me from behind to stop me from moving. "Quick, Tristan! Bash his head in!"

"You despicable people!" I hollered as I struggled to break free of Elaine's grip.

Tristan's fist slammed into my forehead. My mind instantly went blank. Blood flowed from the corner of my eye, and I collapsed to the floor, my vision turning red.

"From now on, I'm going to beat you every time I see you, trash!"

"I think he blacked out, Tristan. We should hurry up and leave…" Elaine urged.

"Bloody hell. What a buzzkill!"

I watched as they left. I wanted to go after them and beat them senseless, but I had no strength left. The blood from my eye dripped down onto the emerald pendant I wore around my neck. It was a family heirloom of mine.

All along, it seemed like a completely ordinary pendant. But once my blood seeped into it, it began to heat up and vibrate against my chest. The pendant seemed to come alive, and a scorching current surged out from it, coursing through every inch of my body.