Prologue!
Life is meaningless without money. With money, you can acquire whatever you want: cars, houses, happiness, peace of mind, and, most importantly, girls.
I always believed that. Until I discovered one thing that truly makes life worth living… love.
You might call me naive, but trust me, without love, life feels bland, boring, and uninteresting.
My name is Max Ashwell. I'm a 23-year-old virgin. I have average looks, no striking features—just curly brown hair, a slightly pointed nose, and piercing blue eyes.
As for finances, I'm also pretty average. A few thousand dollars to my name. But here's what sets me apart from my peers: I worked for every penny I own.
I fought tooth and nail, sacrificing sweat, blood, and time just to make ends meet. Things were tough until I landed a job at a company that pays me ten thousand dollars a month.
Sounds small? Well, to someone like me, it's a fortune. It felt like I had finally broken out of the cycle of surviving and stepped into the world of the living.
Anyway, back to the story.
I've always been a loner. No love, no one to care for me, and no one to care for. No girl ever accepted my advances, and honestly, I gave up on chasing them... until I met her.
Suz.
The most beautiful woman I've ever seen. The one who completes me. My heart's desire. My sweetheart. The only girl who truly understands me.
I would love to recount how we met, but there's no time for that now.
We crossed paths at Silverwing Enterprise, where I had just started working.
She was assigned to help me get acquainted with the job. We talked, worked together, and gradually built a bond that bloomed into something deeper, something magical. Love.
A year has passed since then, and today, I've decided to take our relationship to the next level. But for the past few days, I've been receiving calls from an unknown number. Every time, the caller warned me about Suz.
"She's not into you, bro. Don't waste your time. Otherwise, you'll be left heartbroken."
"That guy is a mafia heir. Don't drag Suz into this, or you'll lose your life."
"Beware and be warned. Stay careful."
These were the exact words the caller whispered into my ears every single night. I wanted to ignore them, I really did—but something about those messages kept gnawing at my mind. A growing itch I couldn't ignore. I had to find out the truth and confront Suz myself.
And it just so happens that today is the day I've chosen to do it.
"Yoo! I can't believe my little boy is growing up to become a man," a voice rang out in the small apartment, light-hearted and teasing.
The speaker was a young man, also 23, with a cheeky grin and easy energy that contrasted with the weight on Max's shoulders.
The apartment was a sleek, modern one-bedroom perched on the eighth floor of a new mid-range complex downtown.
Smooth wooden floors stretched across the open-plan living room, leading to a wide glass window that offered a dazzling view of the city lights twinkling in the distance.
The walls were freshly painted in soft gray tones, giving the space a calm, sophisticated air.
A plush, dark blue couch faced a minimalist entertainment setup, with a smart TV mounted cleanly against the wall.
Near the kitchen, a marble countertop divided the space, with two stylish barstools tucked neatly beneath it.
The kitchen gleamed with stainless steel appliances, a full-sized fridge, an electric stove, and even a fancy coffee machine he rarely used but kept because it "looked professional."
It was the kind of apartment that made you feel like you were finally doing something right with your life.
In the bedroom, a king-sized bed with crisp white sheets promised comfort, while a simple black desk sat against the far wall, where his laptop and a scattered mess of papers showed signs of late-night work.
The bathroom, complete with a glass-walled shower and polished tiles, smelled faintly of his cologne mixed with the sharp scent of cleaning agents.
It wasn't a penthouse, but it was leagues above the broken world he had crawled from. A place that finally felt like a home built by his own hands.
A young man stepped forward. His slightly disheveled black hair fluttered just below his collarbone. His striking brown eyes stared at Max, who stood in front of him dressed in a dazzling black suit and pants.
A bouquet of flowers was clutched in one hand, a box of chocolates in the other, and a small ring case peeked from the chest pocket of his blazer.
This was Joe, Max's best friend. They shared the apartment and also worked together at Silverwing Enterprise.
"What can I say?" Max asked with a chuckle. "Dating her for a year has been enough to change my life for the better. It's filled me with happiness, and I can't wait to make her mine…forever."
"Don't you think you're rushing things?" Joe asked, yawning slightly. He had just woken up, hair tousled, shirt wrinkled. "You're only twenty-three, earning ten thousand a month… Can you manage all this?"
"Sure I can. It's not a big deal. So just drop it and tell me how I look," Max said with a wide smile as he turned in place, showing off his outfit for approval.
Max hadn't told Joe about the mysterious caller or his growing suspicion that Suz might be hiding something. He knew how hot-headed Joe could be.
If he found out, he'd march straight to Suz's apartment and drag her out by the hair, demanding answers about why she would dare break the heart of his 'brother from another mother.'
The thought alone made Max chuckle inwardly.
"You look like a groom who's way too eager to get married despite barely scraping by," Joe said, laughing as he strolled toward the fridge and pulled out a can of cold beverage.
PSSST!
The can hissed as it cracked open. Joe brought it to his lips and began chugging.
"Tsk. Party pooper," Max muttered. "Anyway, I'm off."
He walked to the door, opened it, and then turned around to give Joe a stern glare.
"Don't bring too many girls home. If one of them wrecks my bed again, I'm going to kill you."
"I'm not promising that," Joe replied with a smug grin, wiping a smudge of drink from his face. "Unlike you, I'm not a weakling when it comes to banging. So go get your wife and leave me with my harem."
"You'll never change," Max sighed, shaking his head as he stepped out of the apartment and closed the door behind him.
Outside, the evening breeze greeted him. He walked toward the gate, opened it, and raised his hand to hail a taxi. One pulled up almost instantly. He got in, shut the door behind him, and gave the driver Suz's address.
As the cab took off into the streets lit with the golden hue of twilight, Max's thoughts swirled. His fingers brushed against his pants, feeling the slight bulge in his pocket. He gulped and looked down at the bouquet and box of chocolates sitting on his lap.
'Suz, please don't let me regret this. Don't let my suspicions be true. Don't let the words of that unknown caller be true,' Max thought as he stared out the window, the city lights blurring into streaks of gold and red.
*Screech!*
The tires of the taxi came to a screeching halt in front of a medium-sized bungalow after a few minutes of driving.
"We're here," the driver announced.
Looking out the window, Max forced a smile. He stepped out of the taxi, paid the driver, and in his excitement, even gave him a generous tip before anxiously walking toward the bungalow's gate.
Opening it, the old metal gate groaned loudly, protesting from years of rust and disuse.
He approached the front door, bouquet in one hand and chocolates in the other, but just as he raised his hand to knock, the door creaked open slightly.
"Huh? That's strange. She never leaves her door open. What could be wrong today?" Max muttered as he slowly pushed the door open and stepped into the house.
The living room was a picture of shallow luxury, the kind that looked expensive but lacked any real warmth.
A massive cream-colored sectional couch dominated the center of the room, draped with velvet throw pillows that seemed barely touched.
A glass coffee table sat in front of it, polished to a mirror shine but holding nothing personal just a few glossy fashion magazines stacked with mechanical perfection.
The walls were decorated with oversized paintings, abstract swirls of color that screamed price tags instead of personality.
A chandelier, too extravagant for the modest space, hung from the ceiling and scattered sharp, glittering light across the glossy marble floors.
A massive flat-screen TV was mounted on the far wall, surrounded by sleek, cold shelving units filled with store-bought trinkets, some of which still had tags hidden beneath or behind them.
The entire room smelled faintly of vanilla-scented air freshener, doing its best to mask the underlying scent of disuse and artificiality.
It was clear: this wasn't a home. It was a showroom, crafted and curated for appearance only and just like the woman who lived here.
"Huh? She's not here… I wonder where she could be," Max mumbled, stroking his chin as his eyes scanned the sterile room. Then his expression brightened. "Right! Maybe in her bedroom!"
With that, he took a sharp turn from the living room and walked down the hallway. In less than a minute, he stood in front of a door. His heart pounded, this time with excitement. Slowly, he reached out and pushed it open.
The door hadn't opened more than a few inches when Max froze.
His eyes dilated.
His hand trembled above the doorknob.
His heartbeat no longer raced with joy but it pounded with dread.
And then he heard it.
"Mhmmm…" came a soft, feminine moan from inside the room.
The unmistakable sound of flesh slapping against flesh filled the air, in steady rhythm like a haunting metronome. The moans grew louder, mixed with heavy breathing and the unmistakable sounds of passion.
"Mhmmm… yes, Jack… kee… oh my God! Yes, Jack! Ahhh… mhmmm… ahhh…"
"Suz?" Max whispered, barely able to speak. His heart sank as he slowly pushed the door open wider.
The bouquet of flowers and the box of chocolates slipped from his hands and fell to the floor.
His mouth went dry.
His body went cold.
Inside, he saw a bulky young man pounding into Suz with such force that her medium-sized bed creaked and groaned beneath them.
The room reeked of sweat and sex. Suz's voice grew louder with every thrust, while Jack's powerful body moved with animalistic intensity. Max couldn't look away, but every second shattered something inside him.
"Yes… scream my name more… scream!" Jack's voice boomed like a war cry, filled with dominance.
Suz's legs kicked in the air as her body trembled beneath him.
"Ohh… mhmmm… yes, yes, yes! That's the spot, Jack!" she cried out in ecstasy.
"Is this how you scream your so-called boyfriend's name when he bangs you? Call me names, keep moaning!" Jack growled like a teacher scolding an unruly student.
"Mhmmm… boyfriend? I don't have a boyfriend, yo… oh my God! This is the best feeling ever… ohh… I'm… I'm cumming, I'm… I'm cumming!" Suz screamed, her voice cracking from pleasure.
"I'm… I'm cumming too," Jack groaned. His movements became more frantic, more desperate. Then, with a long sigh, he collapsed onto her. "Ahh… that feels good."
The sound of fluids and labored breathing echoed in the air. Suz's legs shivered from the aftermath. Her skin was slick with sweat. Jack's chest rose and fell heavily as they lay entangled in the aftermath of their climax.
"I love you, Jack," Suz whispered, voice trembling.
And then…
Creeeaaak.
The bedroom door slowly opened wider.
They both turned their heads.
Max stood there, frozen like a statue. His eyes were glassy, his lips trembling. A hollow smile sat on his face, unnatural and heartbroken.
At his feet lay a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates.
"Max?!"