I Was Their Clown, Now I Wear the Crown

Chapter four

I know how to deal with guys like Vince King, guys with that street mentality. Even if you're terrified on the inside, you can't show it. The moment you flinch, the moment you lose your nerve, you're done for.

So, even as he glared at me, I kept my expression relaxed. I took a slow drag from my cigarette and said, "Mr. King, it's true Ms. Sterling didn't send a message. But I have something I want to say to you."

"What is it?" he grumbled, his face still dark.

"I'll be direct," I said. "Mr. King, it's natural to appreciate beauty. Our Ms. Sterling is a stunning woman, and as a man, it's normal for you to be attracted to her. But, if you'll forgive my bluntness, you and she are not a good match."

I ignored the fact that his face was getting uglier by the second and continued.

"Frankly, you're a successful man, Mr. King. You have money, and that can attract a lot of women. But you're mistaken about Ms. Sterling. She's not one of those gold diggers. Using this contract to pressure her, trying to force her hand by threatening her company's survival... that won't make her submit. It will only make her hate you more."

"What the hell are you trying to say, kid?" Vince’s jaw twitched, and he fought to keep his anger in check.

I met his gaze without flinching and said calmly, "I'm saying, Mr. King, that you may have been with many women, but you don't understand them at all."

I paused deliberately, picked up the teacup on the table, and took a calm sip.

Vince was clearly thrown by my words. He stared at me coldly. "Kian, I think you came here today just to insult me."

"Not at all, Mr. King," I continued with my rehearsed speech. "To be honest with you, while you were smugly trying to blackmail Ms. Sterling, she had already decided to drop this deal. The only reason I'm still pursuing it is because I'm making one last attempt on my own."

"After today, you will have completely burned your bridge with her. At that point, you won't just have zero chance of pursuing her; you won't even be an acquaintance."

Vince blew a smoke ring and sneered. "You're bluffing, kid. I don't believe Victoria would just abandon her company's future. She's a businesswoman, not some naive girl."

"Naive?" I smiled faintly. "I think you're aware that this is just a very small branch of Zenith Software's parent company. Do you really think she'd risk the big picture for a small loss?"

Vince was taken aback. I had hit on his own doubts. He had already investigated and knew that Victoria's branch was insignificant to Zenith headquarters. He also knew that she wasn't favored by her family and had been sent here as a sort of exile.

He had all this information beforehand; otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to target her. But he never imagined she would be willing to sacrifice the entire branch. That would ruin his plan completely.

He frowned at me. "So what do you suggest I do?"

Seeing him take the bait, I smiled coolly.

"Mr. King, if you truly want to pursue Ms. Sterling, I suggest you sign the contract first. At the same time, help restore the partnerships with the other companies. That will at least prove you're a magnanimous gentleman. Once Ms. Sterling's impression of you changes, you might actually have a chance."

"And," I added, "I can help you out. After all, I'm close to her. I know her much better than you do. I might be able to help you win her over."

"Oh?" Vince's eyes suddenly lit up, and he roared with laughter. "Interesting! Haha, really interesting! To think that I, Vince King, who's had countless women, would need you to teach me how to woo one."

"Go on, tell me what you've got. If you can convince me, I'll give you this contract, whether your ideas work or not."

With that, Vince picked up a pack of expensive cigarettes from the table, offered one to me, lit one for himself, then leaned back on the sofa, crossing his legs, watching me with keen interest.

"Alright, Mr. King, I'll speak freely then," I said, accepting the cigarette and lighting it. "Once Ms. Sterling's opinion of you improves, you'll need to show her you're a devoted, faithful man. Women care a lot about that. So, all those female secretaries of yours..."

For the rest of the conversation, I lectured Vince about women from every possible angle.

From hobbies and family to career, from BMWs and Audis to Dior lipstick. No matter what I talked about, the ultimate goal was to pull him into my rhythm.

I couldn't deny that a guy like Vince was extremely successful in business, but his cultural refinement and personal taste were still at the level of a nouveau riche thug.

He desperately wanted to become one of those sophisticated, cultured, successful men, not someone people secretly called a rich hick. So I told him all about how truly successful men are cultured and keep a low profile.

He wanted something different in his life. He said the women he'd been with only cared about money, that they were too tacky. He wanted to pursue a purer soul with more class. So I explained the difference between cheap flings and true elegance.

I spoke with such authority that Vince became more and more engrossed, constantly offering me cigarettes and pouring tea, treating me like a long-lost confidant.

The truth was, I didn't know anything about this high-class stuff. It was all just things I'd picked up from TV and the internet.

I had simply figured out what Vince wanted to hear and fed it to him.

I had never experienced a high-class life, nor did I understand women. In fact, I didn't know Victoria at all.

Vince asked me what her hobbies were.

I told him she had a cold personality, like a lotus flower rising unstained from the mud—elegant, dignified, with a love for art, music, opera, and fashion.

In reality, as I was answering, I was asking myself the same question: What does Victoria like?

The answer, of course, was that I had no idea.

If you asked me what she didn't like, well, that I knew for sure.

First, the fat, pig-eared man sitting in front of me. Second, a bastard like me.

She was probably dreaming of me losing this bet so I'd get the hell out of her city and disappear from her life forever.

But the more she wanted that, the more I wanted to win.

At this point, the bet between me and Victoria was no longer just a simple wager. For me, it had become a validation of my entire life.

And of course, I had no intention of letting a pig like Vince get his hands on a fresh flower like Victoria.

The longer Vince and I talked, the more I got caught up in my own performance. As we got more animated, we started calling each other "bro," and the conversation topic naturally revolved around women, and more women.

It wasn't until his secretary, Ms. Jones, swayed her round hips into the office that we snapped back to reality. We had been talking all afternoon, and it was already past closing time.

Vince insisted that he felt like we were old friends who had met too late, and that we had to continue our conversation over drinks that night.

So, he had Ms. Jones book a restaurant.

Although she was his work secretary, she was also his life assistant, responsible for... all of his various needs.

When Vince told her to book a table, she whined that he had promised to go shopping for a new purse with her today.

But Vince completely ignored her, walking out with me. All Ms. Jones could do was shoot me a venomous glare before obediently following behind us.

At the dinner table, Vince and I once again talked about everything under the sun, eating and drinking heavily.

He thought I was his kind of guy, and the more we talked, the more I felt the same. He was from the streets, and though he was crude, you could talk to him about anything without holding back. It was relaxing.

He downed his drinks and told stories of his struggles back in the day, acting like a king surveying his empire. I listened happily, chiming in here and there.

They say it's easy for women to form friendships. Well, it's the same for men. Sometimes all it takes is a bottle of liquor and a plate of peanuts.

And after a few rounds of drinks, Vince did something that completely stunned both me and Ms. Jones.

He asked me to take out the contract, glanced at it briefly, and then signed his name.

Watching the ink hit the paper, I couldn't believe my eyes.

Vince's move was completely unexpected.

"Kian, my man, I know you've been after this signature for days. We hit it off this afternoon, and you seem like a solid guy. Since I'm calling you my brother, I'll just go ahead and sign it for you."

"Vince, are you drunk? Are you sure you want to sign it just like that? It seems a little too casual. Maybe you should think about it?"

It felt unreal. A deal that no one else could land, I got it after one afternoon of bullshitting. Of course, I wasn't just bullshitting; I was genuinely giving him advice.

But my professional instincts, and my understanding of Vince's own ruthless and cunning nature, made me think it wouldn't be this easy.

When Vince heard my hesitation, he chuckled.

"Not bad. I thought you'd be ecstatic when I signed this. I didn't expect you to say something like that. You're a good man. Not bad at all."

He said "not bad" twice, showing his appreciation for me.

But I still felt uneasy. "Why don't you think about it some more?" I asked.

Vince just cursed at me. "You idiot! Anyone else would be begging for this signature, and here you are, trying to push it away!"

Seeing I was still dazed, he finally explained.

"Kian, do you think I signed this just because of you? That's part of it, but the main reason is because you've got Zenith Software and Ms. Sterling behind you."

"I know what kind of company Zenith is. To be honest, a lot of companies want this deal, but none of them are as good as Zenith. The rest of them are just a bunch of vultures trying to rip me off."

"So, in my mind, I had already decided to give the deal to Zenith. It's just... heh heh, I had my eyes on your boss, so I was stringing you guys along."

At this point, Vince himself looked a little embarrassed. He let out a drunken burp and continued, "But it's all good now. Since you promised to help me pursue Ms. Sterling, and you're a guy I get along with, I'll do you a favor and sign this contract. I'll even help you connect with other companies for future business."

After hearing his explanation, I finally relaxed.

"Vince, this deal means a lot to me. Thank you, really."

I was being sincere.

Even though I knew he was signing mostly for Victoria, I was still grateful to him.

Without another word, I drained the rest of the white liquor in my glass in one gulp.

That night, Vince and I partied late.

Maybe it was because the contract I had been chasing for days was finally signed, or maybe it was because I had taken so much crap recently, but I felt a sense of relief I hadn't felt in years. I let loose and had a great time.

Being with a tycoon like Vince didn't make me feel pressured.

His straightforwardness, his frankness—it might seem vulgar to others, but it suited me just fine.

Because I was a vulgar person too.

In the early hours of the morning, I walked alone on the cold, empty streets. The alcohol made me feel light-headed, but the cold wind on my face was refreshing, and my mind was surprisingly clear.

I thought about Lynn, about all the little moments we had shared over the years.

And as I thought about her, I suddenly remembered my bet with Victoria. I couldn't wait to see the look on her face tomorrow when I showed up with the signed contract.

Shock?

Panic?

And then, as per our agreement, would she obediently take off her clothes and let me ravage her, letting out those seductive moans?

To be honest, I wanted to run to Victoria right now and tell her I'd won the bet. But I was too drunk. I wouldn't last long even if she was willing.

After walking for a long time, I finally hailed a cab home. That night, I slept better than I had in years, and my dreams were wild.

I dreamt of the early days with Lynn, when we were deeply in love. I also dreamt of the day she coldly broke up with me. But most of the dreams were about Victoria.

In my dream, Victoria lost the bet and had to bow her proud head to me, doing whatever I said.

But that wasn't all. In the dream, Victoria and I actually started dating.

What the hell kind of dream was that!

When I woke up the next morning, thinking about all those crazy dreams just made my head spin even more.

With Victoria, all I wanted was to win the bet, to win back my dignity as a man. I just wanted her to admit she was wrong, and then I'd screw her brains out. A relationship? Hell no.

But just as I was about to leave, my phone rang. It was Vince.

Before I'd actually met him, I really disliked the guy. But now, I thought he was a pretty decent person.

At least he was generous, didn't look down on me, bought me drinks, opened up to me, and trusted me like a real brother.

More importantly, he signed the contract, which allowed me to regain my dignity and my confidence for the future.

Seeing Vince's name on my screen, my mood lifted. I answered the phone with a cheerful, "Hey Vince, how's it going?"

"Going like hell!"

Vince's mood was the complete opposite of mine. His voice was laced with fury. "Kian, is this how you do business, you son of a bitch?"

I was stunned, realizing something bad had happened. "Vince, what's wrong? Calm down, man."

"Calm down? How the hell can I calm down when someone's busted my head open? Let me tell you, I got jumped on my way home last night. And the guys who did it? They said you sent them. Kian, are you fucking playing me?!"