Chapter 2

In an instant, a massive flood of information rushed into my mind. It was a combination of fighting techniques, application of force, vulnerable points of the human body, and various lethal combat methods. My body had swiftly absorbed all of this combat knowledge.

It felt as though I'd just had a dream, where I picked up the art of fighting. When I opened my eyes, my whole body seemed to be brimming with strength. I touched my face. The corner of my eye was no longer bleeding, and the wound had already healed.

When I looked in the mirror, I felt as though I'd become an entirely different person.

The old me used to look like a defeated man who lacked confidence. But now? The reflection of me in the mirror showed me a self-assured man with a look of determination in his bright eyes.

I subconsciously touched the emerald pendant. Was it the pendant that brought about all of these changes?

"I didn't expect you to be this spunky, Nathan Cole."

A woman's voice rang out. I glanced toward the doorway and saw a stunningly beautiful woman standing there. Lifting my head, I studied her carefully.

She had exceptionally beautiful features. Her high nose bridge and full lips make her look rather captivating. As for her sharp eyes and dark, wavy hair that scattered over her shoulders, they added an air of sultriness to her.

Her head was slightly tilted as she eyed me with an unreadable smile. Her gaze was piercing enough to stab right through a person's heart.

All of a sudden, she held her hand out to me and said, "Hello, Nathan. Would you be interested in having a chat with me?"

Even though she was smiling as she spoke to me, the look of amusement in her eyes greatly displeased me. It made me feel like I was her prey.

"I'm not interested," I responded curtly without shaking her hand.

"My name is Amelia Shaw. I'm Tristan's fiancee. I'm also the one who sent you that photo you received."

That made me curse to myself. This woman was rubbing salt into my wound right from the moment she showed up, and her words struck a raw nerve. Why the hell was Tristan's fiancee looking for me?

"Get lost!" I roared at her. "Get the hell out of my house!"

To my shock, Amelia didn't back away. On the contrary, she stepped forward and eyed me with a scrutinizing gaze, like a judge surveying a criminal.

"Seems to me that Tristan and Elaine must've hurt you quite deeply," she remarked coolly.

Once again, she'd hit me where it hurt the most.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Do you like making fun of me?" I snarled. "Are you here to mock me, or are you here on Tristan's behalf to demand that I pay for his medical expenses?"

I didn't bother softening my words. After all, this was just who I was. If someone messed with me, I'd return the favor. Moreover, anyone related to Tristan was now my enemy.

"My apologies. I seem to have caused a misunderstanding." Amelia crossed her arms and smirked. "If I did come here to mock you, I wouldn't have even bothered to send that photo to you. To be fair, I did get a slight sense of satisfaction when I saw the way you punched Tristan until his head swelled up."

She even showed me two fingers held slightly apart for good measure, adding, "I got about this much satisfaction from it."

"Go to hell!" I couldn't resist swearing at her.

She was being far too cocky.

That being said, I couldn't help but wonder why Tristan was fooling around with other women when he had a fiancee as gorgeous as Amelia. She was way better than Elaine in every single possible way!

"Calm down, Nathan. You're going to give yourself a heart attack if you keep blowing your top." Amelia patted me on the shoulder before asking me a question, her expression shrewd. "Do you want to avenge yourself against Tristan—humiliate him, turn him into a complete laughingstock, and make his life a living hell?"

Her words made me lose focus for a moment—or rather, they drew me in.

"If you say yes, I can help you achieve your revenge. But first, you have to do a small favor for me." She held out her fingers again, marking a tiny distance in the air as she added, "It's this small."

Her voice was magnetic and bewitching, but I couldn't get a read on her mischievous and peculiar personality.

"You want my help?" I scoffed disdainfully. "Judging from the way you're dressed, Ms. Shaw, I can tell you're from a distinguished family. How can a nobody like me be of any help to you?"

On the surface, I seemed humble and polite, but in reality, I was being sarcastic. It was payback for her earlier provocation.

Clicking her tongue, Amelia remarked, "I didn't realize you held onto grudges so much, Nathan. That's even better, actually. I knew I'd chosen the right man!"

Not only did she not chastise me for being petty, but she even complimented me. Was there something wrong with this woman?

"Do you have a screw loose or something?" I snapped impatiently.

"Don't you want to hear my plan, Nathan?"

Amelia retrieved a document from her Hermès bag and passed it to me. "If you sign this contract and pretend to be my boyfriend, I can guarantee that you'll have nothing to lose and everything to gain."

She stared straight into my eyes and continued, "All you have to do is pretend to be my boyfriend and flaunt your relationship with me. Turn Tristan into a huge laughingstock in front of everyone. Let him see how his best friend from high school stole his fiancee. I want him to become the biggest joke in our social circle!"

Once again, her words ignited the fervent desire in my heart as well.

I stared at Amelia's beautiful face and flawless figure. A woman as gorgeous as her truly tempted me. If Tristan could sleep with Elaine, there was nothing stopping me from wooing his fiancee!

Amelia drew even nearer and continued to look me in the eye. "I looked into you already. You were the sales consultant for Finch Group's eastern suburb project. You helped them get a ton of advertisement deals, but now, the company has fired you. Are you able to accept that without a fight?"

I wasn't, of course. I was determined to make Tristan pay for what he did!

Without hesitating any longer, I asked bluntly, "What's your plan, and how do I stand to benefit from it?"

"Are you saying yes?"

Looking somewhat incredulous, she stared at me with a mix of joy and disbelief.

"As long as you're offering me enough benefits to tempt me, I'll do it."

"What do you want? If it's within my power, I'll give you anything you ask for," Amelia declared.

"I want you to sleep with me, and I'll be sending a photo of us to Tristan."

"Not happening! You can forget about that, Nathan!"

I smirked slyly, looking like I'd just won the fight. She'd mocked me earlier, so I was returning the favor now!

"How much does Tristan have in assets?" I asked.

"A conservative estimate would be at least 100 million dollars," Amelia replied before eyeing me strangely. "Don't tell me you're about to ask me for 100 million dollars, Nathan. You're not that greedy, are you? I don't have that kind of money."

Shaking my head, I said, "What if the money comes from Tristan?"

Startled at first, Amelia soon got pretty excited as she asked, "Are you saying that you want to seize the Finch family's assets?"

I nodded before responding coolly, "When I do something, it's going to be all or nothing."

Amelia blinked, her eyes filling with eagerness. "I was right about you, Nathan. You have a deal! If you do manage to seize the Finch family's assets, I might actually want to marry you!"

Holding her hand out, she said, "So it's a deal, then. Scout's honor?"

"Scout's honor," I replied as I shook her hand.

We'd come to an agreement. Now that I had a bombshell like Amelia on my side, I started looking forward to my path to vengeance.

"Give me a company. I want to take down Tristan!" I said.

Chuckling, Amelia remarked, "I can give you a company, but I'm no sucker either. You're going to have to pass a test first."

"What test?" I asked.

She took out yet another document from her Hermès bag and handed it to me. "A year ago, in an attempt to woo a female celebrity, Tristan racked up a five-million-dollar tab at a nightclub of mine. He did it all for the sake of getting her in bed with him.

"However, he hasn't paid up yet. Here's the written IOU for the money. If you can get it back from him, I'll give you a company and 10% of the amount as your commission."

That was 500 thousand dollars, which most definitely enticed me.