Chapter 9

Anne could see that everyone was mocking her! Only now did she realize just how good Elliott had been to her. Throughout the past few years, he treated her like a queen. He cherished her and catered to her every whim without ever getting mad at her.

Whenever she wanted something, he would buy it for her, even though he had to work part-time as a deliveryman to do it.

Despite that, she betrayed him and chose Ivan instead. Thinking that Ivan was the best candidate out of all the guys she flirted with, she was prepared to make things official with him by allowing him to be her first.

In the end, she only ended up making a mockery of herself. Ivan was a sugar baby—he wasn't rich at all. Even the Porsche he drove belonged to his sugar mommy. And at the same time, she cast aside Elliott, the guy who was in fact rich.

She felt like such an idiot! Only the biggest fool in the world would make such a decision. As she made the comparisons between Elliott and Ivan, she was overwhelmed with regret. The thought of this made her wail.

"Get out, bitch! Take your tears somewhere else! Don't ruin Shira's mood!" Ivan hollered.

Elliott frowned. He'd been watching the whole time, and he couldn't take it anymore.

Ivan was deplorable! He was such a coward. To think he shoved all of the blame onto Anne! He deserved a good thrashing.

Elliott jumped to his feet. He picked up the plate of half-eaten steak and threw it right at Ivan's head. The plate landed with a crash before smashing into pieces on the floor, while Ivan sported a gaping wound on his head.

Clutching his bleeding head, Ivan stared at Elliott in disbelief as he roared, "How dare you attack me?"

His eyes were filled with rage and discontent.

"So what if I did, you lousy piece of trash?" Elliott retorted in an icy, steely voice.

All of the surrounding chatter dissipated as everyone fixed their eyes on the new development.

Ivan let out a guttural roar before lunging at Elliott, and the two started pummeling each other. Although Ivan was fairly tough himself, the rage and sense of righteousness Elliott had gave him a boost.

The sounds of a fistfight echoed in the restaurant, drawing even more exclamations and spectators.

"Look! A fight broke out!"

"Quick! Take a photo! No, take a video! I bet it'll go viral online!"

"Hit him! Get him! Give him a good beating!"

The crowd egged them on without a care in the world, but Selena panicked. She was worried that Elliott might be the one who suffered more. After all, Ivan was bigger and taller than he was.

"Stop! Hurry up and stop!"

"Stop fighting! Stop!"

Shira was panicked as well. She didn't expect things to take such a turn. On the other hand, Anne was sobbing hard.

It was Elliott! In the end, at her most vulnerable, when no one else believed her, Elliott was the only one who came forward. For her sake, he was even willing to fight with Ivan, who was stronger than he was.

Anne was thoroughly moved, and her affection for Elliott shot up.

"Conquest Target Anne Cohen gains 50 affection points for a present total of 80 affection points."

The notification popped up while Elliott was busy fighting with Ivan, and it left him a little speechless. He was merely doing this because he couldn't stand the sight of Ivan. Why did Anne end up gaining 50 affection points?

Meanwhile, apart from concern and heartache, there was also a trace of awe in Selena's eyes. Even though Anne was Elliott's ex, he was decent enough to stand up for her. A guy like him undoubtedly evoked a strong sense of security!

As this thought occurred to her, her Host Affection Level started increasing as well.

"Conquest Target Selena Witt gains 5 affection points for a present total of 95 affection points."

"Conquest Target, Selena Witt, has exceeded 95 points in her Host Affection Level and is now the Host's Soulmate. The Host will now receive 50% of the 2.001 million dollars spent on the target in the form of personal monetary wealth, which amounts to 1.0005 million dollars.

"The money has been automatically credited to the Host's personal Obsidian Card."

"The Host has been rewarded with the Conquest Target's talents and skills, which are photography mastery, editing mastery, and public speaking mastery."

"The Host has been rewarded with 30 Enhancement Points. Kindly select the preferred Enhancement stat. Enhancement Points can be used to enhance the Host's physical attributes, including physique, stamina, strength, speed, and more."

When Selena's Host Affection Level hit 95, a series of notifications from the system popped up in Elliott's mind that gave him much joy.

Now that the goal had been met, the system awarded him with a million dollars in personal wealth, 30 Enhancement Points, and complete mastery of three of Selena's skills—photography, editing, and public speaking. What a score it was!

In his fight with Ivan, he was able to hold his own thanks to his initial burst of adrenaline as well as having caught Ivan off guard at first. However, the longer the fight continued, the more he suffered. He was on the verge of tapping out.

Just then, Ivan raised his leg to kick Elliott in the abdomen. Elliott knew that if he got kicked by a guy who was over six feet tall, he would be in a lot of pain and might even break a bone.

Thus, without any hesitation, he said in his mind, "Use 10 Enhancement Points each on physique, strength, and speed."

"30 Enhancement Points deducted. Enhancement process initiated. Enhancement successful."

Instantly, Elliott felt a gust of warmth spreading through his body. He could sense that he had grown stronger. Just as Ivan tried to kick him, he easily dodged the attack before grabbing Ivan's leg.

Startled, Ivan tried to retract his leg, only to find that Elliott was holding it so securely that he couldn't move it at all.

Meanwhile, Elliott abruptly yanked hard on the leg, pulling it toward him. A loud crack rang out as Ivan was forced into doing a split, his groin tearing apart in the process.

"Argh! That fucking hurts!"

Immediately, Ivan howled in pain as Elliott had very nearly made him impotent. He no longer had the strength to fight, and Elliott finally got to rest for a moment.

The system interface in his mind had been updated.

"Host: Elliott Langley"

"Age: 22"

"Height: 6 feet"

"Physique: 18.5 (Adult Average 8.5)"

"Stamina: 8.9 (Adult Average 8.5)"

"Strength: 18 (Adult Average 8.5)"

"Speed: 18.2 (Adult Average 8.5)"

"Conquest Fund: 198,000,000 dollars"

"Personal Wealth: 1,000,530 dollars"

"Enhancement Points: 0"

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

Elliott was thrilled. He didn't expect a fight to be this rewarding.

Selena came over and checked on him. "Are you alright, Eli?"

"I'm fine. Dealing with trash like Ivan is a piece of cake," Elliott replied.

Ivan was a little dumbfounded. He thought he was about to win the fight. He assumed he was going to wipe the floor with Elliott. Who would've expected Elliott to suddenly get so strong that he turned the tides in his favor?

Could it be that Elliott was a trained fighter?

Ivan started to feel apprehensive. Despite glowering at Elliott, he dared not make any hasty moves. Moreover, his groin was keeping him in agony. Stumbling, he managed to get out of the split, but he was a pathetic mess.

He immediately turned to Shira, hoping to get her help and mend his relationship with her.

"Help me, Shira."

To his shock, Shira merely scoffed and said, "You're so useless. What's the point of keeping you around when you can't even win a fight?"

That was not all. Under everyone's stunned gazes, Shira approached Elliott with her phone and said coyly, "Hey there, handsome. Can I get your number?"