ALL HAIL THE GOLDMASTER

Clap!

A fiery sting lit up Seth’s cheek. He cracked his eyes open, annoyed, and saw a half-naked woman standing over him—curves on full display.

Guess he was paying for last night’s sins.

"You asshole! What did you do to me?" The woman in front snapped, fury blazing in her eyes.

“Well, calm down, lady. Wasn’t last night… unforgettable?” Seth’s eyes gleamed as they lingered on the curve of her body.

“You took advantage of me while I was drunk, didn’t you?!"

"You fucking rapist! How dare you do this to me?!” Rose’s furious glare held a trace of disbelief.

She was the sole heir to the Tyrel family — a queen in the business world, commanding storms with a word.

Men lined up for a chance to speak to her. No one had ever dared to defy her like this… let alone humiliate her.

"Well, sweetheart, let's not jump to conclusions." Seth shrugged.

“Just a quick question: Where exactly were you last night?" he asked.

"Where I am is none of your damn business! You shameless jerk—"

She froze mid-rant as flashes of last night hit her. The nightclub. Whiskey. The haze before everything went dark. She’d knocked on his door herself.

She was the one who made the first move. A flicker of embarrassment rose to her surface.

"So?" he prompted.

"What do you want?" she hissed, averting her gaze with an awkward expression.

"You don't remember, do you?" Seth sighed.

"You were drugged." He paused. "How? Why? I don't care."

"You came to me. Begging. Pleading for me to rescue you." 

"And you promised a reward: a night with the city's most beautiful woman." 

"I didn't think it was you... until you took off your top... Amazing."

Seth winked, eyes straying to her clothed chest one last time.

“Stop it!” Rose muttered, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.

“Even if—even if I came to you for help, that doesn’t mean you had the right to take advantage of me!”

Rose looked away, refusing to meet his eyes—clearly bluffing, guilt written all over her face.

Seth shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Hey, lady, even if it happened again", Seth eyed her body once more "I would have done the same thing, darling! Opportunity knocks but once." 

"Just take the money and go," Rose said, not wanting to get further entangled. This was already far too embarrassing.

She shoved a stack of bills toward Seth.

Seth looked at the money with disdain. "What's this for?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Your silence! Not a word about this must ever leave your lips, much less this room! Do you understand?" She stared at Seth, her eyes narrowed to slits.

As the heir to the Tyrel family, she couldn't let a single word of this scandal leak out—not one.

“I think you’ve misunderstood me,” Seth sighed. 

"I’m not the kind of man who squeezes women for cash over personal shit."

He didn’t know what gave Rose the wrong impression, but he owed her an explanation.

“The truth is—I’m rich. Probably richer than anyone you’ve ever met.”

“You? Rich?” Rose raised a brow, her gaze flickering to the plain, almost embarrassingly humble items beside his bed. For a second, she was convinced he was lying.

Then her instincts kicked in—no man would bluff this hard unless his pride was on the line.

Ah, male ego.

“I get it,” she exhaled. “We can be honest with each other.”

Rose pressed her fingers to her temple, choosing her words carefully so as not to bruise his ego.

“Look, I don’t judge people based on money. I just...” she hesitated, “I need to make sure you don’t tell anyone what happened between us. As the heir to the Tyrel family, I can’t afford even a whisper of scandal.”

Seth covered his face with a hand. She really thought he was some gold-digging pretty boy. After everything he’d accomplished, after holding power for so many years, he was now being bought off by a woman who looked ten years younger.

God, this was humiliating.

“Hey,” he said, dragging a hand down his face. “I don’t want your money. Honestly. If I had to choose between cash and...” He paused, then smirked.

“If you're really that worried, how about you spend another night with me instead?”

His eyes locked onto hers, bold and unflinching, as he watched the disbelief flash across her face, followed by anger and a deepening flush. She was about to explode.

“Okay, okay, relax!” Seth laughed, stepping back quickly. “I was joking—just a joke!”

But the slap, the screaming, the storm he expected… never came.

Behind him was only silence—and the sound of strained, trembling breaths, like brittle branches shivering in the wind.

Seth spun around.

The woman who just moments ago was all charm and allure now lay collapsed on the bed, pale as a ghost. Her eyes were bloodshot, her neck veins bulging. She was gasping for air, each breath more desperate than the last.

Seth froze. "Ventricular Tachycardia…" he whispered, his eyes widening in alarm.

He quickly rushed to her side and, without a second thought, pulled down her top, revealing her chest.

It was indeed Ventricular Tachycardia, unmistakable in its gruesome display.

Before he could make a move, Rose slapped him across the face with such force that it echoed through the room, leaving a red welt blooming on his cheek.