Falling Into Love's Trap

I was just a gullible little fool.

Today, I received a scam text message.

The sender asked me to seduce the heir of the Mallory family, Jorvin Mallory, and then dump him, promising me 100 million dollars once it was done.

I might be a fool, but I was not that naive.

I replied carelessly, "I've experienced it. His stamina isn't that great."

The next second, I received a bank transfer of 50 million dollars, marked as a deposit.

I changed my mind.

Later, after the sex that lasted until late, Jorvin Mallory gently wiped away the tears from the corner of my eye.

"Selena, am I great enough now?"

1

"When you see Jorvin tomorrow, pull him into a corner and kiss him hard."

I swiped open the text message.

When I saw these words, my eyebrows furrowed in utter shock.

This was so absurd.

Huh?

What exactly did Jorvin want?

He wanted me to kiss him?

I thought about it for a moment and then typed. "Alright, I'll think about how to lure him into a corner tomorrow."

In my mind, I couldn't help but imagine Jorvin's reaction upon receiving my affirmative reply.

Would he curl his lips into a sly, sinister smile?

Or would he be so excited that he couldn't help but burst into laughter?

Would he be laughing at me, the gullible little fool, who once again played into his schemes?

Too bad for him, I was not falling for it.

I had already figured out that the person who had been giving me tips on how to manipulate Jorvin over the past half month was none other than himself.

Jorvin just hadn't realized it yet.

Whatever game he was playing, until he slipped up, I wouldn't foolishly expose him.

After all, he wired 50 million dollars to my account and asked me to seduce him.

I should at least satisfy my generous "patron."

2

The next morning, I woke up late. The digital clock on the bedside table displayed 9:16.

Normally, Jorvin would leave home for work in a helicopter before 9.

My plan to catch him and kiss him before he left for work was ruthlessly declared a failure.

So, should I kiss him at the office?

That didn't seem right. What if someone saw...

3

I was filled with anxiety.

It took forever to drive to the office, and the whole way, my head was filled with the housekeeper's concerned words:

"Did you have a fight with Mr. Mallory? Mr. Mallory didn't look too good this morning. He kept glancing at the stairs during breakfast, as if he was waiting for someone."

Who else could it be?

I was the only one living on the second floor with Jorvin, and we ate breakfast together every day.

Of course, I wasn't delusional enough to think that Jorvin was upset because we didn't have breakfast together.

I had an excellent memory, and I was very observant. I still remembered Jorvin's cold gaze as he said, "I have no feelings for you, so don't expect me to fall in love with you."

Who did he think he was?

Like I'd ever have feelings for him.

I was an invincible beauty. Why would I fall for some arrogant guy?

4

Once I got to the office, I put down my things and started a new day of work.

Jorvin was the CEO, and I was just a regular employee at his family's company.

Normally, I didn't even see him at work.

Today was no exception.

The only unusual thing was that my supervisor dragged the entire office team into the hallway for a verbal lashing.

According to some well-informed colleagues, Jorvin was in an especially foul mood today. It was like he had some unmet desire, and he vented his anger on the senior managers.

We, unfortunately, became the victims of this "kick-the-cat" effect.

At home, Jorvin was always cold, as if he just stepped out of a freezer.

I wonder what kind of desires he could possibly have?

Could it really be that he was upset about not seeing me, or not getting that kiss from me?

If that was the case, then I just wouldn't kiss him.

5

The supervisor, still fuming after scolding us, demanded that the entire market research department work overtime.

My colleagues either sighed in frustration or whispered complaints, cursing the supervisor and Jorvin.

Theoretically, I should also be cursing Jorvin, but considering the 50 million dollars he gave me, this issue seemed too trivial.

At 6:30, a text message notification sounded.

The message contained two lines of bold and suggestive words.

"Jorvin is in a very bad mood today. You should seize the opportunity, suddenly kiss him hard, and kiss him until he's stunned."

I immediately turned off the screen.

What was Jorvin up to?

The screen was filled with the word "kiss." Yesterday it was about kissing, and today it's about kissing hard.

Was his memory fallible? I'd never kissed him, nor had I ever said I liked him.

Feeling guilty, I glanced around to see that everyone was still buried in their work.

"But he's in a bad mood today. If I kiss him, won't that make him even more upset?"

Clearly, Jorvin was setting a trap for me.

If I kissed him when he was unhappy, I'd at least get verbally humiliated.

So the 50 million dollars wasn't for nothing. Today he was finally going to benefit from it.

I thought for a moment and then typed a few words, "Why is he in a bad mood today?"

After three or four minutes, the reply came, "I don't know. I'm not Jorvin."

He gave himself away.

6

I almost burst out laughing.

"Forget it. If he's in a bad mood, I'd better not provoke him. It'd be counterproductive."

Almost instantly, another text message arrived with a "ding," as if in a hurry.

"No way. When men are angry, that's when they're most vulnerable. If you suddenly kiss him, surprising him, his dopamine will surge, and he'll fall in love with you."

Staring at this pseudo-scientific nonsense, I was speechless.

I couldn't help but respond sarcastically. "Wow, you know him so well. You must really love him."

Seeing no more messages, I set my phone aside.

An hour later, at 7:30, my favorite ringtone went off. I glanced at my phone and saw the name Jorvin displayed on the screen.

"Why aren't you back yet?" Jorvin's tone was flat, but it carried a hint of displeasure.

"Working overtime," I said casually, still sitting at my desk.

With a "beep," the call was abruptly ended.

I muttered under my breath, wondering what was wrong with him.

Glancing at the 10-second call in my call log, I quietly cursed under my breath, calling Jorvin a jerk.

7

That jerk must have done something sneaky.

Because less than a minute later, the supervisor burst into the office, urgently announcing that the overtime was over and everyone was to go home immediately.

My colleagues cheered in joy.

I felt nothing special, took my bag and leisurely headed downstairs to drive home.

In reality, the place I was going back to wasn't my home. It was Jorvin's house.

After we got engaged, I moved in due to Jorvin's grandfather's wishes or maybe to prove a point to my mom. Either way, I somehow ended up living at Jorvin's place.

As I approached the house, I noticed the lights in the living room were on, which didn't surprise me at all.

The lights were always on in the evenings.

Tonight, however, Jorvin was in the living room, his broad shoulders leaning against the fabric sofa, exuding a lazy, yet elegant and refined air.

I was so startled I took half a step back.

Even though I didn't make a sound, he looked like he was witnessing a comedy show, turning his head slightly, a faint, mocking smile forming at the corner of his mouth.

"You can't even stand straight just because you saw me?"

Ignoring his question, I asked, "Why aren't you resting in your room?"

It was late at night, and instead of resting in his own room, he was sitting in the living room like a ghost, scaring me out of my wits. This was all his fault.

His gaze flickered for a moment, revealing a hint of guilt, but he quickly regained his composure and said, "What do you think?"

What did I think?

I shrugged, letting my gaze drift over Jorvin's face.

"How should I know? I'm not inside your head."

His eyes were deep, but there seemed to be a spark burning within, like a river flowing with desire.

I felt something was off.

He... Could he be waiting for me to kiss him?

8

In my mind, those messages about kissing flashed.

The details connected to weave a possibility that I couldn't quite understand or accept.

Jorvin narrowed his eyes. "You're not thinking something inappropriate, are you?"

I hurriedly retorted, "I'm not."

"Alright." Jorvin paused and said, "I just wanted to tell you that from now on, you can leave work on time. You don't have to work an extra minute."

"If I do that, the supervisor will target me. Also, why won't you let me work overtime?"

I looked at Jorvin's face, raising my gaze to meet his eyes.

Jorvin frowned, seemingly a bit impatient. "Because you need to go home early."

With a teasing mindset, I innocently asked, "But why do I have to go home early?"

Even though I was not an observant person, I could tell that Jorvin was lying.

"What if there's a gathering at home? Do you want everyone to wait for you? You may not care about your reputation, but I still care about mine."

Jorvin lied without even blinking, sounding quite logical.

He was making a reasonable argument, but I felt he was saying all this to cover up his embarrassment for not successfully reeling me in.

I smiled and suddenly darted forward, getting close to him and feeling his warm breath against my forehead.

Grabbing the collar of his shirt, I stood on my tiptoes.

The indifference on his face vanished, revealing a hint of surprise, followed by a glimmer of expectation in his eyes.

I stood on my tiptoes for a moment, then released his collar and stepped back, keeping my distance.

"Jorvin, you weren't thinking I was going to kiss you, were you?"

I deliberately laughed out loud. "How could I dare to kiss those lips on your precious face?"

Jorvin looked like he was about to explode with anger, his face flushed with anger.

I was startled, noticing out of the corner of my eye that his right hand was slowly clenching into a fist.

His knuckles protruded sharply, each one seemingly containing the power to crush me into a pulp.

"Selena, do you think I'm an easy-going person?"

9

He was neither easy-going nor a suitable match for me.

Four or five years ago, when our families first arranged the marriage, he was extremely determined to end it.

His grandfather forced him, and he took a flight to Avaloria that same day.

Jorvin handled all the study abroad arrangements in a month.

Four or five years ago, I was still young and naive.

My dad encouraged me to write Jorvin a letter.

Foolishly, I wrote letter after letter, with tears staining the paper.

Not long ago, Jorvin returned and began taking over the Mallory Group.

My dad's company had been bankrupt for several years, yet the Mallory family brought up the marriage between me and Jorvin again.

I rejected it once, and they came to discuss it again.

By the third time, to save face in front of my long-separated mother, I agreed.

That night, I also received a scam text message.

The sender wanted me to seduce Jorvin and then dump him.

Once I succeeded, I would get one hundred million dollars.

I was a little fool, but I was not that naive.

Besides, the sender didn't even know that Jorvin had already become my fiancé. I was now Jorvin's fiancée.

10

But trying to seduce and then dump Jorvin? That was like stepping into a minefield of potential disasters.

Jorvin was a man devoid of feelings.

No, rather than saying he was devoid of feelings, it was more appropriate to say he was cold-blooded and heartless.

I had been in the same school as him for many years and had never seen him like anyone.

In his youthful years of vitality, he didn't have a relationship, explaining that relationships were a burden, and he didn't need that burden.

It would be fine if Jorvin and I could part ways peacefully.

But if I actually managed to make him fall for me, only to dump him afterward?

Just thinking about it gave me chills.

How many lives did I have to dare to be that reckless?

I replied carelessly, "I've experienced it. His stamina isn't that good."

The next second, I received a bank transfer notification.

Five followed by seven zeros.

A total of fifty million dollars, with the note labeled as a deposit.

I stroked my chin and pondered for at least two hours.

Now that Jorvin was my fiancé, seducing him into loving me wasn't exactly unreasonable.

Plus, we were only engaged, not married.

If he ended up disliking me and called off the engagement, I'd still walk away with the 50 million dollars as a safety net.

Even if Jorvin felt something for me, I could annoy him to the point that he got fed up with me.

If I dumped him at that point, he'd probably feel relieved, and I'd have successfully fulfilled the "seduce and ditch" mission.

Perfect!

It was a deal with no losses.

With 50 million dollars on the line, even Jorvin didn't seem so scary anymore.

11

But I couldn't help wondering who sent me that 50 million dollars.

Even if they were rich, why waste money like this?

How could they be so confident that I'd be able to make Jorvin fall for me?

If I failed and the money went to waste, wouldn't that make them the biggest fool?