I Was Their Clown, Now I Wear the Crown

Chapter five

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

"Vince, are you okay? I'm not a maniac, why would I send people to attack you? Besides, I was completely out of it last night myself."

Vince's anger seemed to subside a little. "I'll live. Just got a nasty gash on my head. I get what you're saying. I'm not a fool, I know you wouldn't do something like this. But this has something to do with your Intelli-Ware corporation. The guys who jumped me didn't just say you sent them; they warned me not to work with Intelli-Ware."

Hearing this, I swore again under my breath, my mind racing.

Based on what Vince said, it was clear that whoever attacked him was trying to do two things: ruin my reputation and make sure Vince wouldn't sign the contract with Intelli-Ware.

And the timing was too perfect. It happened right after Vince and I had gotten closer. Someone must have been watching me, someone who knew about my progress with Vince.

And who could orchestrate something like this?

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

She must have been afraid that I would actually land the deal with Vince, forcing her to honor our wager. So, she decided to sabotage my relationship with him.

Heh, she really knew how to play dirty.

I was filled with a mix of anger and disappointment. I had actually started to think that, apart from the initial misunderstanding, Ava wasn't such a bad person. I never imagined she could be so selfish and malicious.

To think she would rather frame me and let her own company's branch fail than lose a wager to me.

Just as I was trying to figure out how to calm Vince down, his venomous voice crackled through the phone.

"Kian, I've been around a long time, and I've never been played like this. I'm not letting this go. If your Intelli-Ware wants to play dirty, fine! We'll see who's tougher!"

With that, Vince hung up.

The line went dead. I stood there for a few seconds, stunned, then frantically redialed his number. The call connected, but before I could get a word in, Vince's impatient voice cut me off.

"Kian, stop calling me! I can't just swallow this. Forget about the Intelli-Ware deal. I'd rather give it to someone else for cheap than let you people have it!"

He hung up again.

"Heck!"

I cursed loudly.

This whole situation was a mess. The contract had been in my hands, and in the space of one night, it had all turned to dust.

How could Ava be so cruel, pulling a stunt like this on me?

The more I thought about it, the more frustrated I got. And Vince wasn't helping. He knew I was being framed, but he was still falling into their trap, not only turning on me but also unilaterally voiding the contract.

Worse yet, from the sound of it, his feelings for Ava might curdle from affection to hatred, and he could do something drastic. If things got to that point, it would be a huge problem.

Besides, I had no desire to see a pig like Vince get his hands on a delicate flower like Ava.

I'd rather be the one to do it!

With that thought, I quickly called Vince again.

This time, the moment the call connected, 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 furious 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 Intelli-Ware and Ava and it turns out you're wrong, you'll be playing right into their hands. What if the person who attacked you wants you to stay away from her?"

To avoid adding fuel to the fire, I didn't mention my suspicion that Ava was behind the attack.

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

I knew my words were getting 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 to this whole mess, including finding out who attacked you."

There was a long silence on the other end before Vince finally spoke. "Fine, Kian. You have one day. I want to know who attacked me within one day. Don't you dare try to fool me, or you'll see a side of me you won't like."

"You got it. Thanks, Vince."

I hung up and immediately started heading towards the office.

I had managed to placate Vince for now, but as long as this issue wasn't resolved, he was a ticking time bomb.

Vince might look like a legitimate businessman on the surface, but a guy like him who came up from the streets could do anything when pushed too far.

When that happened, even with the backing of a powerful family like the Barlows, Ava might not be safe from a hidden attack.

I rushed towards the office, my mind racing, trying to come up with a plan. Something about the whole situation felt off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

But when I got to the office and asked around, I found out that Ava had already left for Katha with the project team.

I went straight to the nearest public security bureau. Outside the immigration office, I found a guy and paid him 8 extra hundred dollars to expedite my passport application.

A simple criminal record for assault didn't prevent me from traveling abroad; I could still get a passport. The extra money was just to speed things up.

Three days later, I had my passport. I exchanged five thousand dollars for Kathan currency, and with the Intelli-Ware employee ID I had been issued, I boarded a flight to Ayara.

It was already night when I landed. After getting my visa, I started calling the four hotels on the list I had jotted down.

During my two days at the office, I had looked through the project team's travel itinerary for Katha. I knew their target client was a large textile corporation, and I knew there were four potential hotels the team might be staying at.

Using my fluent Kathan and my official-sounding title, I found out which hotel the project team was at. At the front desk, I showed them my passport and my work ID and managed to get Ava's room number.

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

"Who is it?" Ava's voice came from inside.

"Kian," I answered coldly.

Silence.

"What do you want?" Ava's voice was just as cold as mine.

"The contract. I got it signed."

"You have thirty seconds."

More silence from inside.

I counted down from three. On one, the door opened.

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

"What do you want to talk about?"

Ava was wearing a form-fitting white nightgown that outlined her stunning figure. She stood with her arms crossed, her expression icy. But the forced composure couldn't hide the unease in her eyes.

"Someone attacked Vince Russo to sabotage the deal. But they didn't know I had already gotten him to sign the contract!"

"Where is it?"

I knew she thought I was bluffing. The woman was convinced 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 out of my bag and handed it to her. Ava's eyes widened as she nervously flipped through the pages. When she saw Vince Russo's signature, her face went pale.

"This… this is impossible!" Ava looked up at me, her voice cold. "Kian, you actually forged a company contract just to win our wager. For that alone, I can fire you. You've lost!"

I knew she'd be stubborn. "Heh," I chuckled. "Don't be so sure, Ms. Barlow. We can find out if Vince signed it with a simple phone call."

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

"Kian, have you found the guys who jumped me?" Vince's voice filled the room.

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

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

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

"Great. I've already found the person who did it. So the contract is officially in effect!"

I hung up and turned my gaze to Ava.

She had heard every word. Her expression changed dramatically, her face a mask of panic. Her high-and-mighty demeanor was completely gone.

She bit her lip, her face hardening. "Kian, even if you did get Vince to sign, I won't do it."

"What you do is none of my concern!" I said, advancing towards her.

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

I ripped off my shirt and threw it to the ground, cornering her against the wall. She stared up at me, defiant and furious.

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

A shudder ran through her. Her mouth fell open as she stared at me in terror.

I brought my face closer, studying her exquisitely beautiful features, her wide, terrified, and angry eyes.

Her usual arrogance and coldness were gone. She was trembling, a flush spreading from her face down her neck. Her short, ragged breaths puffed rhythmically against my skin.

The scent of her was intoxicating, making my blood race.