Chapter 2

The beautiful young woman continued to squeal in pain, "That hurts! Take your foot off!"

Snapping out of his reverie, Elliott quickly retracted his foot, saying, "Sorry about that. I didn't notice you."

Huffing, she retorted in an aggrieved tone, "Do you think that excuse is good enough? I just bought these shoes yesterday! They're all dirty now thanks to you!"

Elliott took a closer look at the young lady before him. She was fair, willowy, and had exquisite features. Her long hair draped on top of her simple white dress, giving her a rather angelic air.

She glared at him with her large, bright eyes. Something about her miffed expression would make all who saw her feel a twang of sympathy.

Elliott recognized her. She was Selena Witt, the prettiest young woman in Mountshire University's School of Communication. She was gorgeous, alright—far prettier than Anne.

While Anne could be considered the most attractive young woman in her class, Selena's beauty was second to only that of Mountshire University's campus belle.

Right then, Elliott heard a notification from the system.

"Conquest Mission Activated!"

"Conquest Target: Selena Witt"

"Age: 21"

"Height: 5 feet 8 inches"

"Weight: 112 pounds"

"Beauty Rating: 86"

"Host Affection Level: -10"

"When the selected Conquest Target's Host Affection Level exceeds 95 points, the conquest is deemed successful, and the target will become the Host's Soulmate."

"Upon completion of the conquest, the Host will be rewarded with 50% of the amount spent on the conquest in the form of personal monetary wealth as well as the conquest's innate talents and skills."

"Acquirable Enhancement Points: 30 (Points can be used to enhance the Host's physical attributes, including physique, stamina, strength, speed, and more.)"

"Acquirable Skills: Photography Mastery, Editing Mastery, Public Speaking Mastery"

Elliott jumped for joy. It looked like he had just found his first target. Moreover, he could even receive 50% of the money he spent on her in the form of personal wealth. That meant the more money he spent on her, the richer he would be as well.

To his amazement, he would even acquire Selena's talents and skills once his conquest succeeded.

Elliott couldn't stay calm any longer. He was determined to win Selena's heart. Nevertheless, her current Host Affection Level was -10 points. This proved that she was genuinely affected by the fact that he had ruined her shoes.

He gave the situation some thought. Since she cared about her new shoes that much, he decided to take her shopping and get her a few new pairs. No woman could resist the temptation of shopping!

"I really am sorry. I didn't do it on purpose," Elliott said as he looked down at Selena's canvas shoes, which did look a little dirty.

"Humph! Do you think an apology is enough to smooth things over?" Selena questioned with an upset pout.

Scratching his head, Elliott asked, "Well, what do you want, then? Shall I wipe your shoes clean for you?"

He crouched down as if to wipe her shoes, which ended up giving him an excellent view of Selena's slender legs.

Selena took a step back before replying with a scoff, "Are you dumb? These shoes are made of canvas! What makes you think you can just wipe the dirt off?"

"In that case, why don't I make it up to you by becoming your boyfriend?" Elliott suggested somewhat jokingly.

"In your dreams!" Selena shot back sulkingly, her cheeks turning a little pink.

Yet, despite what she said, Elliott received yet another notification from the system.

"Conquest Target Selena Witt gains 10 affection points for a present total of 0 affection points."

Elliott was dumbfounded. What was going on? Why did her Host Affection Level go up after he'd joked around with her?

From the looks of it, it was necessary to be playful when interacting with women. This explained why people often said that good guys came in last. To a certain extent, women liked a little teasing devilishness in a man.

"Well, why don't I buy you a new pair of shoes, then?" Elliott suggested. "I'll throw in a new bag and a new outfit as well. What do you say?"

Taken aback, Selena studied Elliott a little more closely. His monthly income as a part-time deliveryman probably couldn't even cover the cost of the shoes she was wearing.

"Are you sure? Do you know how much my shoes cost?" Selena queried.

"No matter how much it costs, I'm perfectly capable of keeping my word. Where did you get them from? I'll head over there with you and get you a new pair."

Selena laughed inwardly, thinking that men were all perverts. She figured Elliott was trying to woo her because she was pretty. She mocked him for his overconfidence. Since he offered to buy a new pair of shoes for her, she was going to drain him of all the money he earned in the last few months!

With this in mind, Selena decided to indulge in her devious idea. Smiling, she said, "Sure. That's settled, then. You'll buy me a new pair of shoes, along with a bag and an entire outfit."

"No problem! I'll even be your man if you want me to, let alone buy you some shoes, a bag, and some clothes!"

"These shoes of mine are from Burberry. They cost nearly a thousand dollars! Are you sure you won't regret this?"

"Of course," Elliott declared. "Here. Pinky promise."

He stuck his right hand out to hook his pinky finger around hers.

"Are you a child? Who even does this now?" Selena exclaimed with a laugh, but she reached out and made a pinky promise with him anyway.

However, when she tried to pull away, Elliott refused to let go.

"Hey! What are you doing? Are you trying to take advantage of me?" Selena snapped.

"It's not done yet," Elliott explained. "We need to seal the promise."

"Huh?"

As she stood there with a confused expression, he grabbed her right thumb with his left hand and pressed it against his own right thumb before releasing her.

"The promise only takes effect once we seal it!" Elliott declared.

After seeing how serious he looked, Selena was so amused that she pealed with laughter. Elliott was a rather interesting guy.

Out of the blue, the sound of the police siren could be heard closing in from a distance. Soon, three police cars came to a stop outside Iris Hotel, and over a dozen policemen rushed in. It was a rather terrifying sight.

Noticing that Elliott had just come out of the hotel, Selena hurriedly asked, "You just came out from the hotel, right? What's going on? Did someone die inside?"

"I doubt it. It's probably just a crackdown on prostitution," Elliott replied.

He deduced the police came because he reported that a case of prostitution was taking place in Room 702. True enough, a few minutes later, Ivan and Anne came trudging out of the hotel with matching gloominess on their faces.

Ivan had just taken his Viagra. He had been waiting for the drug to kick in when the police came barging in, saying they were checking for prostitution.

It took Ivan and Anne quite a while to convince the police they were a couple. Despite not leaving in handcuffs, they had been chased out of the hotel anyway. The police told them they would still be under suspicion if they stayed in the hotel room.

Meanwhile, the moment the two spotted Elliott at the hotel entrance, their scowls deepened.

"Fucking hell! I bet that bastard Elliott must've reported us to the police!" Ivan fumed.

"How could Elliott pull such a dirty trick on us? The nerve of him!" Anne screeched.

However, they soon noticed the beautiful Selena standing beside Elliott, and they recognized her as well. Why was Selena, the most beautiful young woman in the School of Communication, hanging out with Elliott? They seemed to be chatting happily, too. What was going on?

Ivan's eyes lit up when he caught sight of Selena. He was from the School of Communication as well, so it went without saying that he knew who she was. He longed to get her into bed, but knowing he wasn't good enough for her, he dared not approach her.

How could Elliott possibly manage to get involved with Selena? Thinking he was no worse off than Elliott, Ivan was determined to march on over and steal that bastard's woman once more to piss him off!

After coming to this decision, Ivan said to Anne, "Elliott's gone too far, Anne! I'm going to confront him about this."

He used that as an excuse to head toward Elliott and Selena, thinking he could use this chance to get Selena's number. Alas, Anne wanted to confront Elliott as well, so she tagged along.

That made Ivan frown. If Anne came with him, he wouldn't be able to ask Selena for her number. Nevertheless, he was still going to give Elliott a piece of his mind.

Smiling at Selena, Ivan made his approach and called out, "You're Selena, right, from the School of Communication? How nice to see you!"

"Sorry, but who are you?" Selena asked.

"My name is Ivan Grady. I'm from the School of Communication, too."

"That name doesn't ring a bell," Selena replied, leaving Ivan speechless.

His face darkened even further. What the hell? How could she not know him at all when they were from the same school? Was he that much of a nobody?

Just then, Anne wagged her finger at Elliott and screamed, "You're such a lowlife, Elliott Langley!"