"Just you wait!" Ethan hissed through gritted teeth, his face contorted in pain as he clutched his bleeding lip.
In his past life, no one would have dared to lay a finger on him like this! He was going to make sure that thug paid for every single blow.
Ethan’s eyes flicked over to the brass numbers on the door—6. His heart suddenly slammed against his ribs. He turned his gaze slowly back toward Room 805, a wave of intense fear and bitter resentment surging in his chest.
In his previous life, his first meeting with Victoria Sterling had happened right inside Room no 5. From that cursed night onward, Victoria had used her immense power to force him away from the woman he truly loved, keeping him locked away in a golden cage like her personal pet. He had lost his freedom, living under her suffocating, possessive gaze every second of the day—until it all ended in that fatal highway crash.
Ethan clenched his fists until his knuckles turned ghostly white.
Not again. He was never going to make the same mistake twice. In this life, he would stay as far away from Victoria Sterling as humanly possible. He would never let her set her trap for him again.
He was going to have his freedom.
As for wealth? He already possessed incredible talent and business acumen. With his memories of the future, he could easily rise to the top of the financial world without ever needing a cent of the Sterling family’s money. He was reborn—and a reborn man was the true protagonist of this world! He would reach the absolute pinnacle of society and make everyone bow before him.
"Hahaha! The heavens are on my side after all!" Ethan threw his head back and laughed maniacally into the empty hallway.
A few hotel guests stepping off the elevator stared at Ethan, their brows furled in disgust. They quickly picked up their pace to get away from him, clearly assuming he had lost his mind.
Ethan cast one last contemptuous glance at Room 805 before turning around and walking away without a single hint of hesitation.
Meanwhile, inside Room 805...
The air was heavy, warm, and thick with tension.
Julian was pinned flat against the plush mattress, a soft, burning figure pressing down heavily on his chest. His mind was in absolute turmoil.
What on earth is going on?!
This wasn’t how the novel was written! In the original plot, when Ethan and Victoria met, they stayed fully clothed on opposite sides of the room and barely exchanged a word. Why was his version turning explosive from second one?
Was this the infamous butterfly effect caused by his transmigration?
Julian’s body went completely stiff. He had no idea how to handle a situation like this.
"Miss... h-hello," Julian swallowed hard, wincing slightly. "Look, I’m Julian. I... I accidentally walked into the wrong room. I’m really sorry."
He tried to shift his legs. "Just let me go, and I’ll leave right now."
The woman above him was breath-takingly gorgeous—flawless porcelain skin, sharp, elegant features, and an aura of pure authority. She looked like a masterpiece meticulously carved by the hands of God. But right now, flushed crimson from the heat of the drug coursing through her veins, her eyes were clouded with raw, undisguised longing.
"It hurts... so much," Victoria whispered, her warm breath fanning against his earlobe before her teeth gently grazed the delicate skin. "Please... help me..."
Julian’s breath hitched.
The system’s goal was clearly for him to replace Ethan and capture Victoria’s heart. But if he slept with her right now, wouldn’t she hate him for taking advantage of her when she was vulnerable? In the original story, Victoria fell for Ethan precisely because he refused to give in and fought against her dominance!
And more importantly—what about his life?! If he crossed the line with a yandere CEO, would she order her bodyguards to chop him into pieces the second she snapped back to her senses?
"Wait, not yet—"
Before Julian could push her away, Victoria leaned down and sealed his lips with her own.
It was fierce, messy, and entirely clumsy—the very first time the proud, cold Victoria Sterling had ever kissed a man. Driven wild by the aphrodisiac, she completely threw away her restraint, deepening the kiss with aggressive desperation.
How did it come to this?! Julian’s mind raced while being forcibly kissed. I thought transmigration meant I’d just sit under the covers and talk about my feelings!
He tried to yank his wrists free, but Victoria’s grip was surprisingly strong. She pinned his hands firmly against the headboard, a flicker of cold impatience flashing through her hazy eyes.
"Good boy," she rasped out, her voice low and demanding. "Don’t move."
Realizing that resistance was futile, Julian’s brain simply short-circuited. He stopped struggling and let his arms fall limp.
Fine, he thought with a sense of utter defeat. Victoria is gorgeous, hot, and insanely rich. Getting seduced by her isn’t exactly a punishment.
If I die tomorrow, I die. Who knows, maybe dying here sends me back to my old desk job. Being a romantic ghost for one night isn’t the worst way to go out.
Surrendering to the heat, Julian gave in as Victoria pulled him deeper into the storm.
Julian lay flat on his back, staring blankly up at the crystal chandelier hanging from the high ceiling, letting out a long, hollow breath.
He was seriously beginning to question his life choices. Damn it! How is a grown man’s stamina completely outmatched by a woman on drugs?!
Fighting off the overwhelming wave of exhaustion pulling at his eyelids, Julian forced himself to sit up and swing his legs over the edge of the bed. He pulled his clothes back on, his body aching in places he didn’t know existed.
He spotted a notepad and a pen sitting on the nightstand. After a moment of dark humor, he picked up the pen and scribbled a line in neat handwriting:
[ Your service in bed was very satisfactory. Here is your tip. ]
Julian dug into his trouser pockets, pulling out every single piece of cash he possessed and placing it neatly next to the note.
It was a grand total of 51.20 dollars—the absolute sum of all the money his original body had to his name.
Julian sighed heavily. Broke. Absolutely broke.
The original Julian Vance—the "true lost son" of a wealthy family—had lived a pathetic life.
Thinking back, it had only been a month since Julian was officially recognized and brought back to the prestigious Vance residence, right at the start of the summer break. Ever since he returned, the original host had bent over backward, desperately trying to please his distant parents and arrogant older sister, groveling for even a crumb of their affection.
Heh. Julian let out a cold, cynical laugh.
He wasn’t the original pushover Julian, and he certainly didn’t care about "family warmth" from a bunch of snobs. He had no interest in seeking their validation.
He had only one objective when dealing with the Vance family now: bleed them dry for every dollar he could get.
Julian cast one last glance at the crisp note and the pathetic pile of cash sitting beside the sleeping Victoria. In the web novels he used to read, lower-class protagonists used ridiculous tricks like this to get the attention of dominant CEOs.
He had no idea if the trope would actually work on a terrifying yandere like Victoria, but it was worth a shot.
Slinking out of Room no 5, Julian left the hotel and caught a ride straight to the Vance family mansion. It was time to start collecting his allowance.