His Reluctant Temptress

The long night had melted away in a haze of ambiguous lights and sounds.

Wrapped in nothing but a bath towel, Jasmine White sat on the floor, staring at the wine glass on the table for a long time. The neon lights outside the floor-to-ceiling window spilled into her star-like, radiant eyes.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she began pinching herself-starting from her arms, moving to her chest, then down to her hips. She squeezed hard, leaving bruises all over her pale skin. Then she stood up and turned to glance at the vintage pendulum clock on the wall.

It was 4 a.m.

Her gaze slowly dropped to the bed, where a half-naked man lay under a silk blanket. He had the kind of sculpted features that looked almost unreal-handsome and refined, with an air of noble elegance etched between his brows. He seemed to be sleeping deeply, his face turned slightly to the side, his breathing slow and steady.

Judging that the timing was just right, Jasmine picked up the bottle of red wine laced with drugs from the table. She took it to the bathroom and poured it down the toilet, flushed it away, then rinsed the wine glass clean. After that, she walked out slowly, picked up the pure white dress from the floor, and began to put it on.

Once dressed, she suddenly yanked at the fabric on her shoulder, tearing it apart. Then she forcefully pulled the dress down to expose her bare chest. Her eyes remained calm and distant as she raised her hand and slapped herself-hard-twice across the face. Unsatisfied with the force, she slapped herself twice more until her delicate face turned swollen and red.

Only then did she slowly walk to the corner of the room, sit down, hug her knees, and face the wall.

Moments later, the sound of panicked footsteps echoed up the stairwell. Then came loud knocking on the door. When no one answered for a while, someone outside seemed to find a key and opened the door.

"No!" Jasmine screamed the moment the door swung open. Her whole body trembled like a leaf in the wind as she clutched her head, curling up in the corner, shaking uncontrollably. "No... please..."

"‌Jasmine..." Darlene Moore and Nicola rushed through the doorway, both clearly rattled. They had arrived a step too late.

Before their eyes, Jasmine's clothes were torn to shreds. Her swollen, terrified face looked like a completely different person. The bruises and bite marks covering her body told a story no one wanted to hear. Just one glance was enough to know something brutal had taken place.

The moment Jasmine saw Darlene, she broke down sobbing, clutching her chest as though trying to hold herself together. She shrank into the corner like a white flower that had been trampled, her vulnerability painfully heartbreaking.

"‌Jasmine, what happened? Darlene just asked you to bring the car keys to Bruce-how did it turn into this...?" Nicola rushed to Jasmine's side, sitting in front of her.

But Jasmine only trembled harder. Other than crying into her arms, she couldn't speak at all.

Nicola glanced at Bruce Wood, still asleep on the bed, then looked back at Jasmine's wrecked state. Her voice shook. "We heard you screaming for help on the phone and came as fast as we could. What happened between you and Bruce? Did he... did he violate you?"

The moment the word "violate" was spoken, Jasmine let out a perfectly timed, hysterical scream and recoiled even further into the corner. Her long, messy hair clung to her tear-streaked face, making her look both deranged and out of her mind.

The scream startled the man on the bed. Bruce sat up abruptly, clearly disoriented by the chaos in the room-clothes scattered everywhere. A trace of confusion flashed through his eyes. He instinctively looked down at his own exposed body, then over to Jasmine huddled in the corner, barely covered.

Her swollen face and the bruises all over her body told him everything he needed to know...

Nicola noticed that Bruce had woken up. She instinctively turned to look at Darlene, a hint of fear flickering across her face.

Everyone at HD University knew that the campus beauty, Darlene, had a boyfriend who came from one of the most elite, wealthy families in the country-handsome, powerful, and, most importantly, absolutely devoted to her.

Rumor had it they'd grown up together in the same military compound. Childhood sweethearts. No one knew exactly who Darlene's boyfriend really was, but one thing was certain-he had to be a top-tier billionaire.

Bruce was five years older than Darlene. He had studied abroad for four years, and during that time, their relationship never wavered. Despite the distance, they held on to a long-distance romance that lasted the full four years. Every month, Bruce would fly back to the capital just to see her. When the longing got too intense, he even made round trips several times a week-just to have a meal with her, or to take one look at her in person.

Ten whole years of a low-key but burning love. In just one more week, they were supposed to get engaged.

Darlene stared blankly at the scene in front of her. Her eyes slowly shifted from Jasmine's broken figure to the spacious, luxurious king-sized bed-where the man she had loved for the past ten years was sitting.

When Bruce saw her standing in the doorway, his pupils instantly shrank. His face drained of color.

Darlene stumbled back and ran out the door.

"Darlene!" Bruce called out, his voice low and urgent.

He made a move to chase after her but suddenly realized he was completely naked. He had no choice but to sit back down on the bed and hurriedly gather his clothes from the floor.

Nicola saw it all. She glanced at Jasmine, then back at the door, worried that something might happen to Darlene.

Nicola said quickly, "‌Jasmine, just stay here and don't go anywhere! I'm going to check on Darlene-what if she does something reckless? I'll be right back!"

With that, Nicola rushed out the door in a panic.

Bruce, without sparing so much as a glance at Jasmine, quickly threw on his clothes and left in a hurry.

Once everyone-the so-called "caught in the act" party-had rushed out of the room, Jasmine's frantic sobs and trembling slowly began to subside. Her tears dried up. That sorrowful, devastated expression faded, giving way to a blank, emotionless face.

She sat in the corner, crossing her legs and staring at the now-empty doorway.

If she thought back carefully, she had been close friends with Darlene and Nicola since their freshman year. Especially with Darlene-they were like sisters, best friends in every sense of the word.

And as for Bruce... they were friends too. After all, every time he flew back from overseas to see Darlene, Darlene would drag Jasmine along on their dates out of nervous excitement. Jasmine, the eternal third wheel, would always get sent away by Bruce in one way or another.

And now, here she was-after all that scheming, after all that patience-she had finally ended up in Bruce's bed. And she'd done it in the most natural, effortless way possible.

She slowly pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around them, and buried her face in her legs, sitting quietly in the corner.

"One, two, three, four... three thousand one, three thousand two, three thousand three, three thousand four, three thousand five, three thousand six, three thousand seven, three thousand eight, three thousand nine..."

When she silently counted to 3008 in her head, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway-exactly as she had expected. The crisp clack of leather shoes striking polished marble floors.

Jasmine didn't even look up.

She already knew who it was.

Bruce walked in slowly, his expression dark and unreadable. His sharp gaze swept over the wide bed, lingering for a moment on the bloodstained sheets that bore the telltale marks of what had happened-crimson stains like scattered plum blossoms. His brows furrowed gradually as he took it all in.

For a long time, the room was silent.

Jasmine, her face covered in tears, finally lifted her head. Her delicate features were swollen beyond recognition, her puffy cheeks squeezing her once-beautiful eyes into narrow slits.

Bruce looked at her disfigured face, and the storm churning behind his eyes was almost audible-like thunder ready to explode. His fury was beyond words. He opened his mouth, but good upbringing kept him from speaking his mind.

In the end, he said nothing. He rubbed his forehead, pressed his lips into a tight line, and forced himself to calm down.

After a long silence, he finally spoke in a flat, emotionless voice. "...I'm sorry."

Jasmine's tears fell like a broken string of pearls-endless and unstoppable. Her entire body trembled like a leaf in the wind.

When she heard his apology, she gave him a look of unbearable humiliation and rage, then suddenly wrapped her arms around herself and bolted out of his home.

When it came to crying... Jasmine felt she could qualify as a veteran stage actress.

She ran down the stairs of Bruce's apartment building in tears, and only after she got into a taxi did she wipe her face clean, her expression going blank.

She quickly called Felix Wright and told him she needed to hide out at his place for a couple of days, asking him to clear a room for her.

When she arrived at his apartment, Felix was lounging in a massage chair by the window, playing on his phone.

He glanced sideways at her bruised, disheveled, half-dressed appearance and muttered, "Don't tell me you got into some kinky stuff. Did he pay extra for BDSM? How much did you make from that session?"

Jasmine shot him a look and said nothing. She just headed to the bathroom for a shower.

Wrapped in a towel, she came out looking utterly exhausted. She flopped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling for a long time before finally speaking. "Felix, are you being kept by some rich cougar lately? Her husband-is he a media mogul or something?"

Felix replied lazily, "What kind of shady idea are you scheming now?"

Jasmine smirked faintly. "Scandal. Publicity stunt. I want the media to tear me apart-make it look like I'm the villain. Let the trolls flood me with hate, push me to the edge. The more tragic, the better."

Felix pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. "I don't know what exactly you're planning, but don't take it too far. Don't destroy yourself in the process."

He got up and stepped out onto the balcony to make a call, sliding the glass door shut behind him.

A short while later, he came back into the living room and said, "Alright, I've arranged it. I'll send you a number in a bit. Whatever you wanna do, just talk to that person. Make sure to cover your tracks. Go anonymous. Don't let this come back to you."

******

By noon the next day, gossip about Bruce spending the night with a mysterious woman had taken over every major news site in the country. The story dominated the top spot on Twitter's trending list.

After all, Bruce-the heir to Wood International Group, a wildly successful multinational corporation-was famously low-profile. He had never appeared in the public eye. Most of the rumors about him were just speculation. People said he was drop-dead handsome, on par with the nation's most popular male celebrities, but with a personality that was reserved and elusive. He always wore a cap when out in public, and no one had ever seen his full face.

Yet this time, someone had actually caught footage of him bringing an unknown woman home.

Although his face hadn't been clearly captured, his home address had been leaked-and worse, the woman's face had been fully exposed.

She had a sweet, innocent look. Petite and delicate, the two were seen walking into an upscale apartment in Blue Sea Bay, arms wrapped around each other.

This kind of explosive gossip completely flooded Twitter, cycling through nonstop and dominating the headlines.

Online, the public was ruthless toward the woman-insults poured in from every direction.

First, people dug up that she had debuted as a young model. Then came claims that she was a social media influencer who shamelessly clung to rich men. Next, someone exposed that she had worked as a high-end escort. And if that wasn't enough, another bombshell dropped: she was a senior at HD University, and her name was Jasmine White. Even her hometown and place of birth were leaked.

The whole the capital went up in flames. HD University exploded. The business world was in shock. Even the entertainment industry was rattled.

Professors and the university president all called Jasmine in a panic. Her classmates who knew the truth were worried sick and practically blew up her phone. WhatsApp, Facebook, text messages-every platform was full of messages checking in on her.

Jasmine stood in Felix's apartment wearing a white fitted top and black leggings. Her long, golden hair was tied up high, and she faced the sunshine streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The sunlight that day was soft and golden, casting a warm glow. She raised both arms above her head, standing on one leg, her slender back forming a graceful curve. Her figure was delicate and shapely, like a butterfly with wings spread high, ready to take flight. She had been holding this yoga pose for quite a while-yoga was all about patience and control.

The phone tossed on the sofa had been ringing non-stop since the scandal broke. It hadn't stopped once. The caller ID kept flashing with names-her professor, the university president, Nicola, and even Darlene.

Jasmine remained silent, eyes closed, meditating and staying calm. Only when Felix returned home did she finally lower her arms, exhaled slowly, and completed the finishing movements. Then she walked over to the sofa, picked up her phone, and saw that Darlene was calling again. Without a hint of emotion, she turned the phone off, cutting herself off from the outside world.

She had lunch with Felix-takeout-then asked him for his phone. Lying on the couch, she scrolled through Twitter's trending topics on his screen. The whole internet was coming after her, roasting her, smearing her name. Perfect. Just the effect she wanted.

Felix, dressed in a black T-shirt, loud floral shorts, and flip-flops, sat at the other end of the couch, playing games on his iPad.

"This whole thing's getting pretty loud," he said casually. "What exactly are you trying to pull?"

Jasmine stared at the nine-tile collage of paparazzi photos trending on Twitter. Her face was crystal clear in the images, while Bruce's side profile was barely visible. These were surveillance stills she had instructed the paparazzi to retrieve from the high-end apartment at Blue Sea Bay. Not bad-they made her look good.

Once she confirmed that the entire internet was calling her every name in the book, she said calmly, "I slept with Bruce. I'm not letting this man go."

Felix didn't even raise an eyebrow-he was used to this by now. "That's the filthy rich guy you've been telling me about? Isn't he your bestie's man? You sure about this?"

Jasmine zoomed in on Bruce's photo, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Yeah. He's the one."

Felix shot her a sideways glance. "Oh, you mean that Bruce? The one who dated Darlene for ten years and still never got in bed with her? The once-in-a-century, impossibly handsome, rich, and still-a-virgin golden boy?"

"Exactly. Darlene trained him too well. He's responsible, dependable, and-most importantly-filthy rich. Darlene said they'd been together since they were kids, and she always planned to save her virginity for their wedding night. Bruce stayed pure for her too. A man like that, with both morals and self-control-he's the ultimate target."

"Oh? You think you can squeeze money out of him?" Felix's long, slender index finger danced swiftly across his iPad screen as he spoke to Jasmine, all while directing his in-game team to hold the crystal base.

Jasmine exited Twitter and used Felix's phone to scan through public opinion on other websites.

"Pretty much," she said. "A man with that much responsibility? As long as I claim I'm pregnant, there's no way he can just walk away. He'll either marry me or pay to get rid of the baby. And he'll definitely choose the latter. There's no chance he gets out of this clean without shelling out at least a few million dollars. If he wants to shut me up, it's gonna cost him. That's why this is a one-and-done deal-we'll score big in one shot."

Felix's fingers froze mid-tap. He looked at her instinctively. "You're pregnant?"

"Nope. Faking it. Later, I'll need you to use your connections to forge a prenatal report for me. He'll take the bait."

Felix stared at her face for a long moment before asking, "How the hell did you pull this off?"

Jasmine had been holding this story in since last night, and it seemed like she'd been dying to let it out. Now that he asked, she suddenly let out a high-pitched giggle. That usually calm and poised face of hers lit up with excitement.

She said, "Yesterday, when Bruce flew back from Country A to visit Darlene, he accidentally left his car keys at her place. Darlene was mad at him about something and didn't want to see him, so she asked me to deliver the keys. He happened to have a social event that night, and I waited for him downstairs at that fancy club. When he came out, he looked drunk as hell. Wow, those two-so much drama. I figured I'd just hand over the keys and leave, but he mistook me for Darlene."

She smirked. "So I played along, hopped in a cab with him, and followed him home. I had planned to drug him and seal the deal, but he was so wasted that he passed out the second we got there. I didn't even get a chance to seduce him. Ha! So instead, I staged a scene to make it look like he violated me. I spilled a little blood on the bed, ripped my clothes, and these bruises?"

She gestured at her body. "Not hickeys-I pinched myself. Looks convincing, doesn't it? They actually bought it! Even Bruce believed it!"

Felix gave her a long, heavy look. "Damn. You're getting downright ruthless. All this just for money? Aren't you worried your bestie might get suspicious?"

Jasmine rolled over and lay on her back on the sofa, one leg crossed over the other, swinging it lazily in the air.

She looked utterly pleased with herself. "She won't suspect a thing. I called her in advance. Told her Bruce was drunk, and I didn't know where to take him, so I brought him home and asked her to hurry over and take care of him."

She laughed again, clearly enjoying her own cunning. "Once I got to Bruce's place, I called Darlene again. Told her I'd arrived, and right before I could finish my sentence, I screamed like I was being assaulted, then hung up. Made it sound like something awful was happening. Darlene can't blame me for anything. Even if she suspects something, she's got no proof. Bruce did it-not me. Besides, I've run errands for the two of them plenty of times before. Nothing new."

Felix gave her a long, meaningful look and said in a low, thoughtful voice, "‌Jasmine, you're really breaking up a couple here. Feels like you're doing all this just to get that man for yourself-messing with their relationship, climbing into his bed... Don't you feel even a little guilty toward your friend?"

Jasmine casually grabbed a parenting book and rested her chin on her hand, lying on the sofa as she flipped through the pages with lazy interest.

"Why would I want the guy?" she said nonchalantly. "There are tons of men out there. And someone like him-he's upper-class, no way he'd ever marry me. Of course, it's about the money. If I can squeeze some cash out of him, we won't have to hustle like this anymore. And I'm not exactly breaking them up. I'm just milking him for money. Once he settles things with me, he'll naturally go back to chasing after Darlene. They'll end up together in the end. Doesn't count as sabotage. I just want his money, not him."

Felix sat there in silence, listening. Eventually, he couldn't help asking, "So how many times have you sold your so-called first night? The girls at the nightclub must know who you are by now, huh? Do your johns recognize you? You're putting yourself right in the spotlight-if Bruce finds out you played him, he'll destroy you."

Jasmine didn't seem concerned at all. "Two times, maybe. Both were high-profile guys-top of the food chain. Super discreet. I still don't know who they really were. And come on, like they'd ever admit to hiring a prostitute? They wouldn't out themselves just to point fingers at me. As for the club, I'm still considered new over there. I always go to Rainbow Nightclub in full glam-heavy makeup and all. They wouldn't recognize me. People at my university don't know a thing either. Don't worry. We pull this off, grab the money, and bounce. It's senior year anyway."

She slowly turned a few pages in the pregnancy guide. "You don't land a big payday without taking a risk. I've backed myself into a corner on purpose. First, to make my performance more convincing. Second, to raise my own value. Even if we run with the money after this, the scandal with Bruce will boost my price. I just checked-we're already at a million followers on my Twitter. I can start taking ad deals, become an influencer. Life's gonna be a whole lot easier."

"You're a piece of work," Felix said with a crooked smile. "You planned even that far ahead. No wonder you posted your face all over the internet and stirred up this much hype. You're banking on it boosting your price? Hahaha... Jasmine, oh Jasmine-your heart's getting colder and crueler by the day."

He gave a vague, almost amused laugh and warned, "Just don't let the fire burn out of control. One day, you won't even know what hit you."

"I know what I'm doing," Jasmine replied coolly.

That night, all the gossip and scandal posts were wiped from the trending lists. The rumors about her and Bruce vanished from the front pages of every major site, like they'd never existed. No one could post anything new about them either.

When Jasmine checked Felix's phone and saw what had happened, she gave a soft chuckle.

So Bruce had made his move-and he was ruthless about it. But it was too late. The timing of the media storm had been just right.

It was her turn to strike.

She lazed around Felix's apartment for two more days, playing dead and doing absolutely nothing.

On the third day, she powered her phone back on-over a hundred missed calls. The moment she logged into Facebook and WhatsApp, her inboxes exploded with messages.

Jasmine figured the time was ripe. She changed into a pure white dress, then turned to Felix-who was just waking up after sleeping all day-and said, "Felix, I'm heading to the beach. You know, the one we used to go to all the time."

Last night, Felix had probably gone out again to serve one of his sugar mamas. When he came back at dawn, he collapsed onto the bed and passed out completely.

When he heard Jasmine's voice, he mumbled groggily, "What are you going there for?"

Jasmine replied,

"I'm going to throw myself into the sea. I'll post it on Twitter in a bit. Darlene and Nicola know that place-we used to go there together. They'll come looking. Bruce will definitely show up too. After all, we were friends once. After what he did to me, he must feel guilty. And now that I'm driven to suicide because of the public pressure he brought down on me, everything should play out just right. Once this act is over, I'll be pregnant."

Felix didn't respond.

Jasmine pulled on a black baseball cap, lowering the brim to hide her face. She lifted her sharp, pale chin slightly and glanced into the bedroom through the narrow gap under the cap.

"If you don't hear anything from me tonight," she added, "go check the beach. If I really end up dead there, remember to collect my body-and use it to blackmail Bruce for another payout. However much you can get, take it. This is the only way left."

Felix seemed completely passed out and still didn't say a word. Jasmine knocked on the door to get his attention. When he mumbled a barely audible reply, she finally opened the door and walked out.