Fated Villain
Copyright© 2026 by Traverse
Chapter 20: Villains Deserve Joy Too
Zavier didn’t take Lucas’s rejection to heart.
After all, in Su City, if any man managed to marry someone like Rose, there was no way he would look at another woman for at least three to five years.
“Alright then, I’ll find someone else. But if you change your mind, just call me anytime.”
“No problem.”
After hanging up, Lucas wanted to cry.
They were both villains. Both were spoiled, rich second-generation heirs. Why could Zavier chase after Yelena and still enjoy the nightlife while he had to keep himself pure?
It didn’t make sense.
He couldn’t let this rare identity as a rich young scoundrel go to waste. He needed to stir up some drama too.
If he couldn’t flirt, then what else could a spoiled young master villain do?
He thought back on Lucas’s character setup. Aside from being a simp, what other hobbies did he have?
Gambling on raw jade stones came to mind.
He had only watched others play with it before and never participated himself. The reason was simple. He didn’t have any money back then.
Now that money wasn’t a problem, he had to try it out.
Thinking of this, he immediately pulled out his phone, searched for a local stone-gambling shop, and drove straight there.
The shop was quite large, spanning three floors. Each level had different tiers of stones and different price ranges.
As soon as Lucas walked in, a staff member welcomed him with enthusiasm.
“Welcome, sir! You came at just the right time. We’re celebrating our twentieth anniversary today, and all stones are five percent off. Plus, on the first floor, we’re running a special event. Tons of hundred-Dollar stones for you to pick from. Feel free to look around.”
Lucas smiled but didn’t respond.
Sure, he had never bought raw stones before, but he had seen plenty of others do it.
Did they really think cheap sales pitches like that would work on him?
A rough jade stone, freshly unearthed from the mountain, would be examined by at least fifty seasoned experts before being released. Only if they all determined it had no chance of containing quality jade would it be sold off.
Then it passed to the first batch of vendors, who let hundreds more customers inspect it. Only after all that would it be dumped into shops like this.
If that many professionals had already ruled out a good result, what were the odds that a newbie would find imperial jade just by luck? It was less than winning the lottery a hundred times over.
Total fantasy.
Those so-called hundred-Dollar stones were pure bait for newcomers. The shop could make tens of thousands a day just by selling a few hundred of them.
So Lucas went straight to the stairs and climbed to the third floor.
The stones on the third floor were pricey, but the chances of striking it big were much better.
After all, those who could afford to buy here were either rich or powerful. If the shop dared to scam these people with junk stones, they wouldn’t last long in business.
So there was only one rule in stone gambling: the more expensive the stone, the better the odds.
Cheap stones had a zero percent success rate. No exceptions. And if someone did win big, they were probably planted by the shop.
Feeling like an expert, Lucas swaggered up to the third floor. But as he turned the corner, a voice as soft and sultry as silk reached his ears.
“Mr. Fox, aren’t you going to pick a stone? Since it’s the store’s anniversary, I’ll give you a free chance. No charge at all, how about that?”
Well now, that voice. So flirty, so enticing.
Just hearing that one sentence made Lucas itch with curiosity. He really wanted to see what kind of woman had such a tempting voice.
He quickly stepped around the screen and moved to the front.
The moment he arrived, he froze.
Oh shit. It was David again.
I fucking...
Lucas instinctively turned around, wanting to slip away, but before he could move, a familiar, cheerful voice called out behind him.
“Lucas? What are you doing here?”
It was Sylvia.
Lucas took a deep breath and turned around stiffly, forcing a grin.
“Well, I was just passing by. Don’t mind me. Carry on.”
“Passing by here? Are you joking?”
Sylvia ran up and grabbed his arm.
“Too late. Since you’re here, you’re staying with me.”
Lucas instinctively pushed back.
“Why should I?”
[We’ve only met a few times, and I’m Rose’s loyal fiancé. Why should I stick around? Let go of me. This isn’t my scene. I need to get away from David.]
Sylvia smirked.
“Because I’m the one who helped clear the debt for the Volt Company Rose acquired.”
What?
Lucas’s eyes widened.
So that was it.
He had been wondering why the face-slapping scene had flipped into one that made him look good. It turned out Sylvia had interfered behind the scenes.
Far from feeling grateful, her revelation only made Lucas furious.
“Who asked you to meddle? Why did you go and clear the debt?”
Sylvia grinned.
“What, I helped your fiancée and now you’re mad at me? Lucas, are you really Rose’s loyal dog? Because it sure doesn’t look like you care about her at all. Don’t tell me ... you’re just pretending.”
“...”
Her words made Lucas break out in cold sweat.
Oh shit.
This woman was terrifying.
She had hit his biggest weakness right on the nose.
Lucas shuddered and quickly said, “Don’t talk nonsense. I’m telling you, the universe could collapse, the world could end, but my loyal simp persona must never fall. My love for Rose is heaven and earth’s witness. In this lifetime, I will...”
Sylvia cut off his dramatic speech, laughing.
“Alright, alright, I get it. So since I helped her, shouldn’t you be thanking me?”
Lucas had no choice but to nod through clenched teeth.
“Then if I want you to keep me company, you have no objections, right?”
Lucas nodded again, still forcing a smile.
Sylvia beamed.
“That’s settled then. Come on, help me pick a stone.”
Completely helpless, Lucas was dragged by her right in front of David.
Facing David, Sylvia, and the stone gambling setup, Lucas suddenly felt weak all over.
Because he remembered the plotline for this part of the story.
[According to the original novel, after David took Rose, he started helping the White Group clear its name. To track down Ethan, he even stormed into the Morgan family’s estate and fought with Sylvia, launching a love-hate relationship.]
[Today’s scene should be David and Sylvia meeting at the jade shop, then competing in secret and joining forces to humiliate cannon-fodder Brian Dale. Finally, the male lead would win the most expensive imperial jade stone with his incredible insight and luck.]
Lucas had no role in this arc. Yet here he was, barging into the stone shop and asking to die.
Nothing good ever came from poking around where he didn’t belong.
Run into the male lead the moment he stepped outside. Was this life even worth living?
His face was blank, but in his heart, it was like ten thousand beasts were stampeding. Just then, that same soft, charming voice rang out again.
“Sylvia, who’s this handsome guy? Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
Lucas abruptly looked up. His eyes widened in awe.
Wow. What a stunningly seductive beauty.