I Was Their Clown, Now I Wear the Crown

Chapter three

Victoria was stunned. She clearly hadn't expected me to make such a demand.

"You're asking to die, you bastard!"

The other salesman and the HR rep were equally shocked. The salesman stepped forward, pointing at me and seething, looking like he wanted to chop me up and feed me to the sharks.

I ignored him, a slight smile on my lips as I kept my eyes fixed on Victoria.

The more I looked at her, the more I realized her beauty was hard to describe with words. Combined with her powerful, ice-queen aura, it was intoxicating.

Maybe it was my words, or maybe it was my unwavering stare, but a faint blush crept up her beautiful cheeks. Against her pale skin, it was like a plum blossom blooming in the snow—utterly breathtaking.

"You really want to sleep with me that badly?"

She looked me straight in the eye, a playful, challenging smile on her lips.

I pictured her writhing beneath me, a crude but satisfying image, and shrugged. "Of course. What man wouldn't want to conquer a beauty with a body like yours, Ms. Sterling? I'm a simple man. I'm no exception."

"Heh."

She let out a cold laugh. Just when I thought she was going to storm off, she said something that shocked me.

"Fine. I accept your bet. But I have a condition of my own."

"Name it, Ms. Sterling. Anything you want."

Victoria said, "I'm giving you one week. If you lose, not only is everything between us dropped, but you have to leave this city for good."

I hesitated for a second. Her words made it crystal clear just how much she hated me.

But that didn't make me want to back down. In fact, the more she pushed, the more I wanted to conquer her.

"Deal!" I nodded firmly.

"You can go get your paperwork processed now. Someone will give you the details on the contract. The clock starts now. You have one week. If you can't close the deal, get the hell out!"

With that, Victoria turned and walked away, the click of her heels echoing in the office.

Suddenly, it was just me, the HR rep, and the fuming salesman.

"Follow me to complete your onboarding," the HR rep said, snapping me out of my fantasy about Victoria.

With the salesman glaring daggers at my back, I followed the HR rep to get my paperwork done.

A strange, almost comical feeling washed over me.

I had a job. The first step to restarting my life had begun, and of all things, I was working under Victoria Sterling. Not only that, but I'd just made a ridiculous bet with her. It was all so surreal.

As for the deal itself, I got the details.

The client was a new-money tycoon, a real rough-around-the-edges character named Vince King. He was in his forties, with a big gut and a heavy gangster vibe.

He'd made a fortune in mining years ago and, seeing the money in the gaming industry, had thrown a pile of cash into starting a game company here in Seaview City.

It wasn't a small operation either—a big company with over a thousand employees. They had initially agreed to purchase a massive, multi-million dollar suite of smart office equipment from Zenith Software.

At first, Vince King was easy to deal with. All the details were hammered out, and they were just waiting to sign the contract. But then, he met Victoria, and everything changed.

He demanded she sleep with him. Otherwise, the deal was off.

What was worse, this guy had ties to the criminal underworld. He'd actually had his thugs threaten other companies that worked with Zenith, forcing them to terminate their partnerships.

He put the word out: if Victoria wanted to do business with anyone else, she had to sign his deal first.

And the condition for signing was one night with her.

The fate of Zenith Software's branch was suddenly tied to that one contract, tied to Victoria's choice.

Learning all this gave me a headache. No wonder she agreed to the bet so easily.

She had probably already given up. Making this bet with me was just her way of getting rid of me for good.

What a calculating woman.

On my first day, I spent the entire time digging into the information we had.

Because of my bet with Victoria, I didn't have to clock in and out like the other employees. So, the next morning, I went straight to the tycoon's company.

His name was Vince King. Just as the file described, he was a middle-aged guy in his forties. His mining background gave him a heavy street aura.

Colleagues who had met him said he was covered in dragon tattoos, looked fierce, and was impossible to talk to.

Everyone who had gone to get the contract signed had been chewed out by him. He acted like he had a problem with the whole world. Over time, everyone became afraid to even see him.

Not only that, but he was always surrounded by beautiful women. After striking it rich, he'd divorced his wife for some reason and started hooking up with a constant stream of girls.

He had three or four "secretaries" in his office alone, and the implication was obvious.

I waited in his reception area for a whole morning without even catching a glimpse of the man himself.

Over lunch, I racked my brain, but I couldn't come up with a good plan to handle him.

Still, sitting around and waiting wasn't my style. The problem was right in front of me, and I had to find a way to solve it.

So, in the afternoon, I decided to try my luck at his company, Genesis Games, again. No matter what, I had to at least meet the bastard first.

As I walked through the lobby of my own company, some of the employees who knew about my bet with Victoria started whispering and pointing at me.

I just ignored them.

They could say whatever they wanted. I didn't give a damn.

When I got to Genesis Games, I was met with the same predictable result: Vince King's secretary, a woman named Jones.

Before I could even open my mouth, she shot me a condescending look and said with disgust, "You again? Didn't I tell you? No one gets to see him except your boss, Ms. Sterling."

With that, she turned her back on me, swaying her hips as she went to make herself some honey water.

I swallowed my anger, forced a smile, and delivered the line I had prepared.

"You see, Ms. Jones, Ms. Sterling would love to come see Mr. King herself, but she's incredibly busy. So she asked me to deliver a message to him personally."

"A message? With all the technology we have today, she needs someone to deliver a message in person?" The secretary was clearly suspicious.

I kept the smile plastered on my face. "Hey, I just work here. I do what I'm told. I have no idea why these bosses do what they do."

"And," I added, to seal the deal, "Ms. Sterling said I have to deliver this message to Mr. King in person, or it doesn't count."

The secretary's brow furrowed. She looked me up and down for a long moment, still skeptical, but finally relented. "Fine. I'll go tell Mr. King. You wait here."

Then she turned and sashayed towards Vince King's office.

A few minutes later, she returned, pursing her lips. "Mr. King will see you."

She led the way.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. Damn, after all that, I finally get to meet the bastard.

At the same time, I cursed him under my breath. The guy was a piece of work. Before, he was supposedly never in the office. The second he hears Victoria's name, he magically appears. Shameless.

When I walked into his office, I saw him immediately. He was sitting behind a massive desk.

Just like the rumors said: fat head, big ears, short, bald, with a gaudy, gold chain around his neck that screamed "new money."

The massive dragon tattoo visible on his forearm only added to his gangster vibe.

"Mr. King, hello."

I calmly collected myself and walked toward him.

He acted as if he'd only just noticed me, a look of fake realization on his face.

"Oh, Kian, right? Come, come, have a seat."

After the pleasantries, he couldn't hold back anymore. "So, Kian, I heard Ms. Sterling sent you with a message for me. What is it?"

His face was filled with eager anticipation.

I told him the truth. "Sorry, Mr. King. I lied. Ms. Sterling didn't send me with any message."

He stared at me, stunned.

The smile on his face slowly froze, then vanished completely, replaced by a dark scowl.

"Are you messing with me?"