All Chapters of I Was Their Clown, Now I Wear the Crown: Chapter 61
- Chapter 70
78 chapters
Chapter 61: Choosing to Sacrifice You
Ava and I had a quiet tour of the presidential suite, listening to the hotel guide recount stories of Seraphina Lin's life. Afterwards, we enjoyed the afternoon tea prepared for visitors.Just like the fresh vibe of Ayara itself, their black tea was a beautiful color and had a smooth taste. The pastries were especially exquisite.I made a point of telling Ava not to drink too much of the tea, and she obediently nodded.Then, we took a lazy, leisurely stroll through this slow-paced but refreshingly pleasant city.I found myself falling for this place. If I had the money and the right person, I’d bring her here to live a peaceful life.Over the weekend, I took Ava on what felt like a random tour of Ayara. We explored the old city, visited the White Temple, and when we got hungry, we’d head to Nimman Street, popping into trendy shops and trying all sorts of popular food. We critiqued every dish like a real couple.I stopped teasing her. My mood was calm, and I only made a few simple joke
Chapter 62: Apology
“I’m sorry. I apologize to you again,” Hector Cain said with sincerity. “Actually, after you went in, I tried to pull some strings to get your sentence reduced. But you were causing quite a stir in there. Not only were you fighting with the other inmates all the time, you even got into it with a guard. I also heard you got on the wrong side of someone you shouldn't have, which made a sentence reduction very difficult. In the end, all I could do was smooth over the incident with the guard, which at least saved you from having more time added to your sentence.”I thought back. He was right about that. When I first got in, there was this one guard who had it out for me, always giving me extra duties. One time in the mess hall, he took my food, and I just snapped and went at him.At the time, they were all talking about adding years to my sentence, letting me rot in there. But then, for some reason, the whole thing was dropped. So, it was Hector Cain who helped out behind the scenes.But
Chapter 63: True Friends
Hector Cain snorted. “Kian, don’t think you’re so tough just because you know a few street thugs.”I met his cold gaze without flinching. “Three years ago, you sent me to prison. I haven't even settled that score with you, and now you’re here threatening me. You think you’re so great just because you have money? As the saying goes, a man with nothing to lose has nothing to fear. If you don’t believe me, try me.”Hector Cain didn’t reply, just stared at me with a frown.After a moment, he suddenly nodded and said expressionlessly, “You’ve got guts,” then turned and got back into the car.Watching the Mercedes speed away, I didn’t go home right away. I sat down on the edge of a planter by the sidewalk, lit a smoke, and started thinking about what might happen next.The city's been cracking down on organized crime for years, especially in a major city like Starlight City. The Barlows are legitimate business people. They probably wouldn’t have me taken out, at least not for real. They mig
Chapter 64: Moving Out
The argument inside the apartment came to an abrupt halt. I walked in, casually holding up the bag of groceries. “I’m back,” I said with a smile. “Picked up some stuff on the way. I’ll whip up a few of my specialty dishes for you guys later.”Zack stared at me, stunned. Gina looked embarrassed and mumbled a greeting before lowering her head and retreating into her room.“I brought back some Kathan specialties too. Got them on a whim. These are fish cakes and coconut tarts, and some yellow curry paste. This stuff is seriously good. I also got you a bottle of oil-control face wash, and a few cosmetics for Gina. Nothing fancy, just L'Oréal. It's so much cheaper in Katha, almost half the price of here.”I put the groceries on the table, pulling things out of my bag as I talked.My luggage was just a few clothes. Summer clothes are thin, so my backpack wasn't even full. That’s why I bought a lot of souvenirs—tasty, cheap, and useful things, mostly for Zack and Gina.Zack stood by the table
Chapter 65: Another Ten Thousand in Advance
I brought my luggage into the living room, placed my key on the coffee table along with five thousand dollars I had secretly counted out earlier. “Zack,” I said, “this is for the rent I owe you, and for the money you sent to my commissary account…”“Don’t. Kian, if you do this, you’re not treating me like a brother.” Zack rushed over, grabbed the money, and tried to stuff it back into my hand.I pushed it back to him with a smile. “Even brothers keep clear accounts. You took care of me when I was broke. Now that I’m doing better, I have to pay this back. Otherwise, I’ll be too embarrassed to ask you out for a drink in the future. Take it. If I fall on hard times again, I won’t hesitate to come to you for help.”“Alright, I’m off. I’ll call you for a drink once I’m settled.”With that, I gave him and Gina a wave and started dragging my luggage towards the door.“Kian…”“Don’t see me out. I can handle this much stuff myself. I hate long goodbyes. It’s too dramatic.”I waved again and wa
Chapter 66: Your Heart’s Been Eaten by a Dog
The next day, I spent the better part of the morning checking out three apartments. In the end, I chose a three-bedroom in an older but quiet apartment complex. It was a shared living situation. I took the smallest room for eighteen hundred a month.Two recent college graduates shared one of the larger rooms, and a couple about my age lived in the master bedroom. They were the ones who had rented the whole apartment and were subletting the rooms. The two girls called them the landlord and landlady.The landlord, Will Carter, was tall and a bit on the heavy side. He seemed friendly and talkative. The landlady, Mia Jones, was decent-looking and quite petite. Standing next to Will, they made a striking pair—a classic case of a small bird leaning on a big man.When I said I wanted to move in, Mia started asking all sorts of questions, not just about my job and my past, but even about my love life.I even showed her my Intelli-Ware Solutions work ID. When I was starting to get annoyed, Wil
Chapter 67: He Slept With Me
Luna’s lower lip quivered. She wiped at her red, tear-filled eyes and looked down, not saying a word.“Ahem.” I cleared my throat and spoke as gently as I could. “Luna, can I ask you a question?”“Go ahead, Kian.”“Uh, why do you like Rocco?”“He slept with me,” the girl answered without thinking.“More than once,” she added.Rocco got agitated again. “Wait a minute, let’s be clear here. Except for the first time, you initiated it every other time. You can’t blame me for that.”“You, shut up,” I said, glaring at him.Rocco obediently closed his mouth and sat down on a stool, looking miserable.I chose my words carefully. “Luna, you… you have a very fine quality. You’re a respectable young woman. You’re pretty, cute, and you have personality. But this Rocco guy, he’s a lowlife, a brute, a hothead. To be honest, I don’t really understand why you’d fall for a man like him.”“Maybe… is it possible you’re mistaken about your feelings? Of course, I think it’s admirable for a girl to give he
Chapter 68: Jealousy
The address was a quiet lounge diagonally across from Rocco’s bar. I often came here to sit for a while too.I sent Ava the location on my messenger app. About half an hour later, she arrived, wearing a loose, blue-and-white striped collared dress. She looked bright and fresh, with an artistic flair.As usual, my eyes followed her appreciatively. And as usual, I complimented her. “You look beautiful.”Ava, also as usual, ignored my words and my gaze. She didn't even greet me. She just sat down across from me and started looking around at the lounge’s elegant decor and listening to the soft music.I could tell she liked this kind of environment.Without any prompting from me, a server walked over briskly and politely asked Ava what she would like.Ava ordered a coffee and a few small pastries, then asked me in a cool voice, “You wanted to see me. What did you want to talk about? Go on.”I smiled. “Nothing, really. I just missed you. I wanted to see you and talk for a bit.”“Such a smoo
Chapter 69: A Fool's Dream
“Me? What happened?”“Yesterday afternoon, on the way to my place, he told me to stop pursuing you. He said we would never work out, that even if you liked me, your family would never approve. He even offered me money to leave you. I refused, and then he said I would get into trouble for it, just like how Gavin Price threatened me.”Hearing my words, Ava first frowned in thought, then a strange smile appeared in her eyes as she looked at me.“What are you looking at? Is something on my head?” I felt a bit uneasy under her gaze.Ava shook her head. “So my family already knows you’re trying to win me over. I was just wondering what they’d say about you. Probably labels like thug, punk, lowlife, degenerate. If I accepted you and brought you home, I wonder what their reaction would be. The whole house would probably erupt.”I froze for a second, then a grin spread across my face. “So, you’re saying you’re planning to accept me?”Ava gave a faint smile. “You’re dreaming.”I looked at her,
Chapter 70: Wait and See
“I’m afraid one day you’ll be the death of me.”“Mark my words, it won’t be long before you start to love and enjoy this feeling.”“Impossible.”“If you don’t believe me, you can just wait and see.”“Heh, is this reverse psychology?”“No, it’s the honest truth. Be honest with yourself. Weren’t you a little thrilled and excited just now?”“No.”“Ms. Barlow, you have to be honest.”“Hmph! I said no!”She turned her head to the window and ignored me.I tried asking a few more times but got no response. In the end, I just focused on driving.When we got back to Ava’s apartment complex, she guided me to her parking garage. I got out, handed her the keys, and she walked away without so much as a goodbye.“Have a good dream tonight, Ms. Barlow!”I waved at her retreating back.Ava swiped her key card and pushed the door open.“Preferably about me!”I added just as the door was closing.She still didn't look back and quickly disappeared down the hallway.I couldn’t help but laugh for a while.