The Ding Of Destiny: Cole Walker's Revenge

Chapter 4: Terms of Humiliation

Cole Walker’s phone buzzed again. He ignored it. Vanessa had been blowing up his messages since last night, calls, texts, even voicemails. Each one more desperate than the last.

“Cole, please, let’s meet. I need to explain.”

“It was a mistake. I was weak.”

“We can fix this. Don’t shut me out.”

Cole smirked, sipping his coffee on the villa’s balcony. Dallas sprawled beneath him, glittering in the morning sun.

Her begging didn’t move him. In fact, it amused him. The same woman who had sneered at him, who had humiliated him when he was at rock bottom, was now crawling back. But this was only the beginning.

Ding. The familiar blue panel appeared.

[Upcoming Opportunity: Harlan & Co. Annual Banquet]

[Attendance: 300+ Dallas elites]

[Potential Humiliation Targets: Vanessa Walker, Derek Stone, Jonathan Harlan]

[Suggested Action: Public face-slapping]

[Reward: Fleet of Luxury Cars + $2 Billion Net Worth Boost]

Cole’s eyes gleamed. “Perfect timing.”

Later that afternoon, Cole strolled through Highland Park Village, the luxury shopping district. 

Paparazzi had begun to notice him since last night’s gala, snapping photos, whispering questions. “Is that him?”

“Cole Walker, he’s the one who took Derek Stone’s company.”

“Overnight billionaire, they say.”

Cole ignored the noise. He wasn’t there for attention. He was there for preparation. At Tom Ford, he selected a sleek midnight-blue tuxedo tailored to his frame. 

At Rolex, he picked up a platinum watch worth more than Vanessa’s entire jewelry box. And when he left the dealership two blocks down, a brand-new Bentley Continental followed him back to the villa.

Everything was intentional. Every detail a weapon. If he was going to humiliate Vanessa in front of Dallas’s elite, he would do it in style.

That evening, Vanessa finally cornered him. She showed up at the villa gates, dressed in a skin-tight red dress, her makeup immaculate. 

But her eyes gave her away, red, swollen, desperate. The security guards stopped her. Cole, watching through the cameras, sighed and pressed the intercom. “Let her through.”

The gates slid open. Vanessa hurried inside, heels clicking across the driveway. When she reached him, her breath caught. “Cole… this villa… it’s yours?”

Cole leaned against his Bentley, arms folded. His expression was calm, but his eyes burned cold. “Everything you see here is mine.”

Her lips trembled. “I… I didn’t know. If I had known.”

Cole’s laugh was sharp, cutting. “If you had known, you wouldn’t have run to Derek’s bed? Don’t insult me, Vanessa.”

She flinched. “I was wrong, Cole. I thought you were finished. You lost your job, you had no money, no future. I panicked.”

“You panicked into another man’s arms.” His voice was flat, merciless.

Vanessa stepped closer, her perfume thick in the air. “But now, you’ve changed. You’re powerful. Handsome. Everything a man should be.” She touched his chest lightly. “We can be together again. Stronger than before.”

Cole caught her wrist and pushed it away. “Stronger? You disgust me.”

Her eyes widened, tears gathering. “Cole.”

“You think I’ll forget what you did? That I’ll forgive you because you’re pretty?” He stepped closer, towering over her. “You humiliated me, Vanessa. You treated me like trash. Now it’s my turn.”

Her tears spilled, streaking down her cheeks. “Please, don’t, don’t do this.”

But Cole’s smile was cold, razor-sharp. “Oh, I’m not done. In three days, you’ll attend the Harlan banquet. And there…” He leaned closer, whispering into her ear, voice low and deadly. “You’ll learn what true humiliation feels like.”

He turned away, leaving her trembling in the driveway, mascara running, her perfect red dress now nothing but a costume of desperation.

[Ding. Task Progress: 20%]

[Vanessa Humiliation Sequence Initiated]

[Reward Pending: Fleet of Luxury Cars]

Cole’s grin widened as he ascended the villa steps.

Meanwhile, across town, Derek Stone smashed a glass against his office wall. “COLE WALKER!” he roared, his face twisted in fury. “That worthless bastard humiliated me!”

His assistant trembled, standing in the corner. “Mr. Stone, the board.”

“I don’t care about the board!” Derek bellowed. “Find out how he got that money! Find out who’s backing him! No one takes my company and gets away with it!”

But deep down, Derek was shaken. Cole’s sudden rise didn’t make sense. Yesterday, he was nothing. 

Today, he was a billionaire. There had to be something more. and Derek would find out.

Back at the villa, Cole stood in his study, the city lights blazing outside. The System’s panel hovered before him, glowing brighter than ever.

[Reminder: Humiliation must be public, irreversible, unforgettable]

[Reward scales with impact]

Cole whispered to himself, eyes burning with ruthless determination. “Vanessa, Derek, Harlan, you all thought I was worthless. At the banquet, you’ll beg for mercy. And I’ll give you none.”

The champagne glass in his hand clinked as he raised it to the night sky. “To humiliation.”

[Ding. Countdown to Banquet: 72 Hours]

Cole’s smile was sharp as steel. The game had only just begun.

…

The city of Dallas was alive that night, neon signs flickering, traffic roaring, skyscrapers glittering like jewels, but inside the Highland villa, silence reigned.

Cole Walker sat in the study, the glow of the System’s interface illuminating his sharp features. 

He had shut the world out: no calls, no distractions, just him and the machine that had rewritten his destiny.

[Ding. Banquet Preparation Sequence Initiated]

[Estimated Attendance: 320]

[Primary Targets: Vanessa Walker, Derek Stone, Jonathan Harlan]

[Suggested Humiliation Strategy: Layered Face-Slaps]

[Reward: Fleet of Luxury Cars + $2 Billion Boost + “Corporate Predator” Title]

Cole leaned back in his leather chair, fingers steepled. “Layered face-slaps, huh? I like the sound of that.”

The System pulsed again.

[New Function Unlocked: Black Card Mall]

[Description: Purchase anything, anytime. No delivery delays. Items tailored for Host’s needs]

A black card shimmered in the holographic screen, sleek and infinite. Cole tapped it, and a catalog unfolded before him.

Private jets. Armored vehicles. Entire skyscrapers. Even sports teams, but Cole wasn’t browsing for toys. He needed weapons. He searched, and the System responded:

[Category: Social Domination Tools]

[Scandal Projector: Exposes secrets live in any setting]

[Prestige Aura: Temporarily boosts charisma, forcing respect from crowds]

[Debt Chains: Instantly reveals hidden debts of any target]

Cole’s smile was predatory. “Perfect for the banquet.”

Morning light spilled across the villa’s marble floors. Cole was already up, dressed sharply, reviewing dossiers the System had pulled on his enemies.

[Jonathan Harlan: corrupt deals hidden offshore]

[Derek Stone: debts to Las Vegas loan sharks]

[Vanessa Walker: luxury purchases funded by Derek’s stolen company card]

Cole chuckled. “Oh, Vanessa. You’re going to regret every insult, every laugh, every sneer.”

[Ding. Sub-Quest Activated: Destroy Vanessa’s Social Standing]

[Condition: Make her untouchable by Dallas society]

[Reward: Private Jet + Global Access]

Cole’s eyes gleamed. “Now that’s a reward worth savoring.”

That afternoon, Vanessa tried again. She stood outside the villa gates in a cream dress, her makeup softer this time, her eyes swollen from crying. 

She looked less like a queen and more like a widow begging at the temple doors. Cole came out, perfectly calm, sipping his espresso. “Cole,” she said, her voice fragile. “Please. Don’t do this. We can still fix it.”

Cole tilted his head, amused. “Fix it? Vanessa, do you know where you’ll be in three days?”

Her brows furrowed. “Where?”

“In front of everyone who matters in Dallas. Derek. Harlan. Politicians. CEOs. And when I’m done…” He sipped slowly, eyes locked on hers. “You’ll be nothing but a joke. A footnote. A stain.”

Vanessa’s lips trembled. “You wouldn’t.”

“I would,” Cole said smoothly. “And I will. Because humiliation,” he leaned in close, his voice a knife’s edge, “is the only currency you ever understood.”

Her breath caught. “Cole… I loved you once.”

He straightened, a cold unchanging smile. “And I hated myself for believing it.”

Without another word, he turned and walked back into the villa, leaving her outside, sobbing against the iron gates.

Meanwhile, Derek Stone sat in a penthouse office, fists clenched. His investigators had brought nothing.

“No records,” his man reported nervously. “No loans, no investors. It’s like Cole Walker’s wealth appeared out of thin air.”

“Bullshit!” Derek slammed his fist against the desk. “No one gets that rich overnight. He has a backer, and I’ll find him. When I do…” His eyes glinted with venom. “Cole will wish he’d stayed worthless.”

That night, Cole sat alone in the villa’s theater room. He wasn’t watching a film. The massive screen projected a simulation created by the System.

The banquet, the crowd, the unfolding humiliation of his enemies.

[Scene one: Derek boasting, only for his debts to be revealed live]

[Scene two: Harlan’s corruption exposed before his shareholders]

[Scene three: Vanessa’s betrayal broadcast for all to see]

Cole watched it unfold, his chest tightening not with fear, but with anticipation. For the first time in his life, he wasn’t powerless. He was the storm.

[Ding. Countdown to Banquet: 48 Hours]

[Host Readiness: 60%]

[Tip: Ensure appearance is flawless. Humiliation begins at first impression]

Cole smirked. “Then let’s make my entrance unforgettable.”

He stood, the glow of the screen reflecting in his cold, ruthless eyes. “Dallas,” he murmured, “you’re about to meet the real Cole Walker.”