I Was Their Clown, Now I Wear the Crown

Chapter two

"Kian, this is our company's Sales Director, Ms. Barlow."

The HR specialist, oblivious to my turmoil, politely made the introduction.

The woman, so beautiful it hurt to look at her, yet so infuriating I wanted to scream, seemed to notice the change in my expression. She was frowning slightly, as if trying to place me.

"Hello, my name is Ava Barlow. Have we met somewhere before?" she asked suddenly.

"Heh." A cold laugh escaped my lips. "Of course we've met. I've even seen you tied up in the trunk of a car, Ms. Barlow, with tape over your mouth, begging me with your teary eyes to—"

"Be quiet!"

Ava's face flushed a deep red, her chest heaving.

"So, you remember who I am now?"

Ava seemed to be struggling to control her emotions. After taking a moment to compose herself, she turned to the bewildered HR specialist. "You can leave us now."

The specialist opened his mouth, but thought better of it and scurried out of the office.

Once the door was closed, Ava fixed her gaze on me. "Three years ago, at the Celestial Hotel in Katha. You were the one who opened the trunk?"

"That's right."

"It really was you." Ava's expression was complicated. A strange, bitter smile touched her lips. "I was terrified. I didn't get a clear look at your face. And because of… certain circumstances, I had to return to Astoria immediately. I wasn't able to thank you in person. So… did you come here looking for me?"

"Looking for you?" I scoffed. "You think too highly of yourself. I'm just here for a job. I guess fate has a sense of humor, letting me run into you like this."

Ava seemed to relax a little. "Since it's a coincidence, then… I should properly thank you for saving me back then."

"Heh, you think a simple 'thank you' is enough?"

Ava stood up from her chair and pulled a bank card from her expensive designer bag, holding it out to me.

"There's one million dollars on this card. Consider it compensation."

"Compensation?" A hot rush of anger surged to my head.

She must have thought I wanted more. Her expression turned chilly as she produced another card. "This one has four million. Five million in total. A token of my gratitude for that day."

I couldn't hold back my fury any longer. "Don't talk to me about money! You think money solves everything? I spent three years in a cage! How the hell are you going to compensate me for that?"

"Don't you dare make false accusations! When did I ever get you locked up?" Ava shot back, both angered and startled by my outburst.

"Heh, of course, a person like you wouldn't remember," I sneered.

"After I wounded that lowlife to protect you, you disappeared and never came forward as my witness. I rotted in a cell for three years because of you!"

Ava froze, stammering, "That's impossible. I had my family look for you. They told me you were fine, that you took the money and left…"

Her words were the final spark that ignited my rage. "Money, money, money! Is that all you people ever think about?"

I violently ripped open my shirt, revealing the hard-earned muscles from my time in prison.

"What are you doing?" Ava gasped, instinctively backing away.

I advanced on her slowly, pointing to the several prominent scars on my chest. I spoke each word with cold precision.

"See these? These are from my first week inside. The leader of the cell block put them there with a lit cigarette!"

Ava stared at my chest, at the dozens of menacing scars that covered my upper body. A flicker of emotion crossed her face.

She turned away, took out her phone, and made a call. She was confirming my story with her family. A moment later, she was arguing with them, her words sharp and furious.

After hanging up, Ava hesitated, then finally looked at me, biting her lip.

"I'm sorry. My family lied to me. They said you were fine. I had no idea you went to prison because of what happened…"

Then, she did something I never expected. She bowed her slender waist, her voice sincere.

"For all the losses you've suffered these past three years, and for the physical… and emotional damage, I am willing to compensate you!"

"Compensate? How?" I laughed humorlessly.

She glanced at my resume on her desk. "You want to work at Intelli-Ware Solutions? Fine. You're officially hired, effective immediately. No trial period. A full-time position. How about that?"

I sneered. "Sorry, I already passed the interview. I don't need you to 'compensate' me with a job I already earned. And the price for my mental suffering is a lot higher than that."

Ava caught the sarcasm in my tone. "Besides the job you deserve, I will also offer you financial compensation."

"How much?"

"How… how much money do you want?"

A faint smile played on my lips. "Not much. Let's say, one billion dollars. After all, if I hadn't saved you that night, Ms. Barlow, you might have been taking a dive off a building the next day!"

"One billion? Do you really think you're worth that much?" Ava's expression turned icy, her voice dripping with scorn.

"Of course a nobody like me isn't worth that. But are you saying you aren't worth one billion, Ms. Barlow?" I shot back, my eyes raking over her perfect, curvaceous figure.

"I bet if you were willing to spread your legs and sell yourself, someone would be happy to pay that price."

"What is it you really want?" Ava was finally losing her composure, her breathing becoming heavy.

"Spend one night with me, and we'll call it even."

"In your dreams!" Ava's eyes were sharp enough to be daggers, her chest rising and falling rapidly. A cold smirk appeared on her lips, full of the disdain I despised.

"You don't need to make outrageous demands. I will give you one million dollars. That is more than enough to cover your losses. I'll also help you find a better job than this one. Now you can go."

I just smiled. "How about this instead? Since your body is only worth one million, I'll pass on the money. You can just bend over and let me have my way with you. I'll even save you a million!"

Ava's face alternated between pale and flushed. "You are nothing but a degenerate. I'm starting to suspect you were working with that man all along!"

Her reaction was exactly what I expected. Even after learning I was framed, deep down, she still didn't think she was in the wrong. That infuriated me.

"Oh, really?" I countered with a cold smile. "In that case, maybe I should have 'taken care' of you properly that night. Left you unable to get out of bed for a month!"

"You…" Ava could no longer maintain her calm. Her eyes burned with fury. Just as she was about to tell me to get out, there was a knock on the office door.

A male employee in a suit appeared at the door, looking dejected.

"Ms. Barlow, so you're here. I'm back."

Seeing the employee seemed to help Ava regain some of her composure. "How did it go?" she asked.

The man's face fell even further. He glanced at me, hesitated, and then said, "He still refuses to sign the contract…"

Ava flinched, though it seemed she had been expecting this result. "I see," she said calmly. "If it's not going to work, then we'll just have to drop the project."

"But if we don't sign this contract, the company will…" the employee started to say, his voice trailing off.

Ava just rubbed her temples, saying nothing.

In that moment, she looked nothing like the high-and-mighty director from a minute ago. She just looked exhausted, body and soul.

It was a look that could almost make you feel sorry for her.

Even I felt a slight twinge of something, but I pushed it down.

"I thought that even if you were a person of low character who repays kindness with cruelty, you'd at least be persistent in your work," I said. "Turns out you're just a quitter. No wonder your employees can't even close a simple deal."

The mockery in my voice was unmistakable.

Though their exchange was brief, I had a good idea of what was going on. It seemed Ava had sent this man to negotiate a contract with a difficult client who was refusing to sign, and now she was ready to give up.

Ava frowned at me. "This is company business. You don't know what you're talking about, so stay out of it!"

I shrugged. "Did you forget, Ms. Barlow? I just passed my interview. I'm part of this company now. Besides, sales is my specialty. I probably know a lot more about it than you do."

Ava's gaze sharpened, her cold stare feeling like it could pierce right through me.

She relaxed her brow, and her stunning, lake-like eyes focused on me. "Alright then. As a salesman, how do you get a client to sign on the dotted line?"

This was my turf. I answered without a second thought. "People aren't fools. You have to show the client the value of your product and create a win-win situation. That's how you get a contract signed."

"But this situation of yours is different, Ms. Barlow. You don't have to work that hard…" I trailed off deliberately.

"Why is that?" Ava frowned.

"Because you've got a great body, Ms. Barlow. You can handle your drinks, too. All you have to do is lie down, spread your legs, and what deal couldn't you close!"

"You!" Ava's face went white with fury.

"I almost thought you had some real talent," she spat, her voice cold with contempt. "But it turns out you're just a vulgar degenerate. A leopard can't change its spots, and a lowlife will always be a lowlife!"

I just laughed it off. "In your mind, I'm already a violent attacker. What's one more title?"

This time, before Ava could respond, the other employee couldn't take it anymore. He pointed at me, fuming.

"Hey, pal! If you're so tough, why don't you go close this deal yourself instead of just running your mouth!"

I ignored him and looked at Ava. "Is that what you want, too?"

Ava thought for a moment, then said flatly, "This is a major contract for our company, worth millions. If you can actually close this deal, you'll get a one percent commission."

"But if you can't, you'll have to admit that you're nothing but an incompetent loudmouth. And on top of that, this business between us will be over!"

"Ms. Barlow, am I to understand that you're making a wager with me?" I smiled. So this is what she was planning.

"You could say that," Ava replied coldly.

"But Ms. Barlow, that's not exactly fair. Whether I close this deal or not has nothing to do with what happened between us. And that commission is something I would have earned anyway."

"And if we're really going to make a wager," I said, "we need to add some real stakes."

"What kind of stakes?"

"Simple."

My eyes roamed freely over her body, a playful, wicked smile spreading across my face.

"You said you wanted to compensate me, right? Well, if I land this contract… you'll have to spend a night with me!"

"You can see for yourself just how 'violent' this attacker can be. How about it?"