I Was Their Clown, Now I Wear the Crown

Chapter five

"What the fuck!" The words exploded out of me.

"Vince, are you okay? And why the hell would I send people to attack you? I was drunk as a skunk last night too, for Christ's sake!"

Vince's anger seemed to subside a little. "I'm not dead, just got a gash on my head. I get what you're saying. I'm not an idiot, I know you wouldn't do this. But this has Zenith Software written all over it. The guys who jumped me didn't just say you sent them, they also warned me not to work with Zenith."

Hearing that, I let out another curse. My mind was racing.

Based on what Vince said, it was obvious. Whoever framed me wanted to do more than just ruin my reputation; they wanted to kill the deal between Vince and Zenith.

And the timing was too perfect. It happened right after Vince and I got close. Someone had to be watching me, someone who knew what was going on between us.

Who would do something like this?

Besides Victoria, I couldn't think of a single person.

She must have been afraid I would actually win the bet and make her honor it. So, she decided to sabotage my relationship with Vince.

Heh. She was good at playing dirty, wasn't she?

I was furious, but I also felt a sense of despair. I had actually started to think that besides the whole "mistaking me for a rapist" thing, she wasn't that bad. But her mind was this selfish, this vicious.

She would rather frame me and let this branch of her company go under than lose a bet to me.

As I was trying to figure out how to calm Vince down, his venomous voice came through the phone.

"Kian, I've been around a long time, and I've never been screwed over like this. I'm not letting this go. Since Zenith Software wants to play dirty, fine! Let's see who's tougher!"

With that, he hung up.

I stared at my phone for a few seconds, then immediately called him back. As soon as he picked up, before I could even say a word, his impatient voice cut through.

"Kian, stop fucking calling me! I can't swallow this. And forget about the Zenith deal. I'd rather give it to someone else for free than let you bastards have it!"

He hung up again.

"Shit!"

I slammed my fist on the table.

This was a complete mess. The deal was in my hands, and before it could even warm up, it turned into this overnight.

How could Victoria be so malicious, pulling a stunt like this?

The more I thought about it, the more frustrated I got. And Vince, too. He knew I was being framed, but he still fell into their trap. He not only cut ties with me but also unilaterally voided the contract.

Worse, from the sound of it, his admiration for Victoria was about to turn into a hateful obsession. He might do something drastic. If it got to that point, things would get really ugly.

And besides, I didn't want a pig like Vince getting his hands on a fresh flower like Victoria.

I'd rather be the one to pick that flower myself.

With that thought, I quickly called Vince again.

The moment he answered, I didn't give him a chance to speak. I rushed out, "Vince, don't hang up. Just listen to me. I know you're pissed off right now, but being angry isn't going to solve anything. We don't even know who attacked you. If you take it out on Zenith and Victoria, and it turns out you're wrong, you'll be playing right into their hands. What if the person who attacked you just wants to drive you away from her?"

To avoid adding fuel to the fire, I didn't mention my suspicion that it was Victoria who had arranged the attack.

Vince's voice was grim. "So what do you suggest?"

I knew my words had gotten through to him. I pressed on. "Vince, if you still trust me, give me one day. In one day, I promise I'll get you a satisfactory answer. That includes finding out who jumped you."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Finally, he spoke.

"Fine, Kian. One day. I want to know who attacked me within one day. Don't bullshit me, or you'll see a side of Vince King you don't want to see."

"You got it. Thanks, Vince."

I hung up and immediately started rushing toward the office.

Even though I had temporarily calmed Vince down, he was still a ticking time bomb.

On the surface, he might look like a legitimate businessman, but guys like him who came up from the streets... when pushed, they were capable of anything.

At that point, even with her powerful family background, Victoria might not be safe from a hidden attack.

As I rushed to the office, I kept turning things over in my mind. Something felt off, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

But when I got to the company and asked around, I found out Victoria had already taken the project team to Thailand.

I went straight to the nearest police station, found a guy outside the passport office, and slipped him two thousand bucks to expedite my passport.

A simple assault charge on my record wasn't enough to prevent me from traveling abroad. The money was just to speed things up.

Three days later, I had my passport. I exchanged seven thousand dollars for Thai Baht, and with the Zenith employee ID I had been issued, I was on a flight to Chiang Mai.

It was night when I landed. After getting my visa, I started calling the four hotels I had noted down.

During my two days at the office, I had gone through the project team's travel itinerary. I knew their target client was a large textile corporation, and I knew the four possible hotels they might be staying at.

With my fluent Thai and my "official" status, I found out which hotel the team was checked into. At the front desk, I showed them my passport and my employee ID and even got Victoria's room number.

It was past ten at night when I knocked on her door.

"Who is it?" Victoria asked from inside.

"Kian," I answered coldly.

Silence.

"What do you want?" Her tone was just as cold.

"The contract. I got it signed."

More silence.

"You have thirty seconds."

I counted down from three. The door opened.

I pushed it open, stepped inside, and slammed it shut behind me, sliding the security chain into place.

"What do you want to talk about?"

Victoria was wearing a form-fitting white nightgown that outlined her incredible curves. She stood with her arms crossed, her expression icy. But the cold demeanor couldn't hide the anxiety in her eyes.

"Someone beat up Vince King to sabotage my deal. But they were too late. I had already gotten him to sign the contract!"

"Where's the contract?"

I knew she thought I was bluffing. The woman was certain Vince had turned on me and would never have signed.

Fine, you want to play games?

A mocking smile spread across my face. I pulled the contract from my bag and handed it to her. Her eyes widened as she nervously flipped through it. When she saw Vince King's signature, her face went pale.

"This... this is impossible!" Victoria looked up, meeting my gaze. "Kian, you actually forged a company contract just to win our bet? For that alone, I can fire you. And you've lost the bet!"

I knew she'd be stubborn. I chuckled.

"Not so fast, Ms. Sterling. It's easy enough to find out if Vince signed it. I'll just give him a call."

With that, I took out my phone, dialed Vince's number, and put it on speaker.

"Kian, did you find out who attacked me?" Vince's voice filled the room.

I ignored his question. "Vince, let's not talk about that right now. I just need one thing from you. If I handle this situation for you, will you still honor the contract you signed?"

Vince was silent for a moment, then he gave his answer.

"Yes! If you tell me who attacked me, I'll not only honor the contract, I'll call you my brother!"

"Good. I've already found the person who did it. So the contract stands."

I hung up and looked at Victoria.

She had heard every word. Her face changed dramatically, her previous cold arrogance replaced by pure panic.

She bit her red lip, her face hardening. "Kian, even if you signed the deal with Vince, I won't do it."

"What you do is none of my damn business!" I said, walking towards her.

"What... what do you think you're doing?" she stammered, backing away in panic.

I ripped off my shirt and threw it on the floor, cornering her against the wall. She glared at me, defiant and furious.

I pinned her hands together above her head and slid my knee between her thighs, leaving her no room to struggle.

She shuddered, her mouth falling open in terror.

I brought my face close to hers, studying her exquisite features, her wide, terrified, and angry eyes.

Her usual arrogance and coldness were gone, replaced by a trembling fear. Her face and neck were flushed red, and her ragged breaths puffed rhythmically against my face.

The scent of her was intoxicating, making me more and more excited.

"Don't fight it, Ms. Sterling. Spread your legs and let me have my payment!"