Nicole brushed past the owner without so much as a glance and made her way to the locker room. She changed into her gear, tied up her hair, and stepped out to find him loitering right by the door like he'd been waiting all along.

It was clear that he had an urgent matter to tell her.

Lifting a brow, Nicole crossed her arms, signaling him to say whatever was on his mind.

The owner cleared his throat, rubbing his palms together. "Nicole, you know I've always been good to you, right?"

Nicole's eyes narrowed. What was he trying to say exactly?

"Just get to the point. What is it that you want to say?" she said.

Nicole had no patience for games. She didn't have time to waste on guessing.

Hearing that, the owner straightened his jacket. "Head upstairs. A VIP client wants a sparring partner."

Nicole caught on quick to what he meant.

This client must be a tough one, the type hoping to take their frustrations out on a human punching bag.

Nobody else wanted to step up, so the owner set his sights on her.

Did she come across as that naive to him?

Without a second thought, Nicole declined.

"I'm passing on this one," she said.

She slipped past him and made her way to the training mats.

He followed her. "Just name your price."

Nicole did not spare him a glance.

He suddenly stopped her with a firm stance. "A hundred thousand. Are you in?"

Nicole halted in her tracks.

Who would pay that kind of money just to throw punches at someone?

The offer hung in Nicole's mind. That payout could straighten out her bank account for a while, and she could finally ditch the garbage roles her agent kept tossing at her.

The club owner knew Nicole needed money.

He figured she would bite at such an offer.

When Nicole did not refuse, he seized her arm and led her toward the staircase leading up to the private suites.

"Listen, the client is Mr. Hayes, the CEO of the Hayes Group. Rein in that temper of yours, work hard, and whatever you do, don't offend him. Understand?"

"He is from the Hayes family?" Nicole tugged her mask into place. "If he hurts me, will he compensate me heavily?"

The club owner nodded. "If he puts you in the hospital, you could retire on the payout."

Nicole went quiet for a moment at that.

That response sent a chill through her. Maybe accepting this task was a mistake.

Sure, she was stronger than most, but she was still human; she wasn't invincible. What if she ended up seriously injured or even dead?

But she barely had time to think when the club owner pushed her into the room. "Move it. Go earn your paycheck."

Inside, a man sat on the mat, his expression dark. He was wiping sweat from his face and neck.

He was strikingly handsome, every angle carved and every muscle defined.

Nicole blinked. Why did he seem so... familiar?

Before Nicole could walk over, a handful of trainers stepped closer to the man and said, "Mr. Hayes, maybe it's time for a breather? We can resume later."

Something must have gotten under his skin. Though his hits were measured, they were still very painful.

While the paycheck tempted all of them, nobody wanted to risk their well-being for it.

They didn't know what had happened that had caused Ayden to book the VIP ring just to throw punches at people?

Anxiety thrummed through the trainers' nerves.

Ayden was indeed angry. Earlier, he had gotten into the police station because of an absurd accusation—abducting his own nephew.

The charge made no sense, but the embarrassment was real.

Humiliation clung to him. After locking Simon away at his place, he had come here, seeking to vent his frustration.

Upon arrival, he claimed the VIP ring, rotated through sparring partners, and managed to take the edge off his anger slightly. But he still felt that this wasn't enough.

Ayden turned his gaze to the door and saw Nicole standing there.

Nicole's mask concealed most of her features; only her eyes were visible. Ayden didn't recognize her.

Meanwhile, Nicole felt a bit nervous.

Wasn't this man the kidnapper from earlier?

He was actually the CEO of the Hayes Group?

So, she had falsely accused him before.

Thinking of that, Nicole felt a bit uneasy. Maybe she should just leave.

But before she could do that, a low, cold laugh spilled from Ayden, sending a shiver through the room.

"Is this really the best you can do? You sent me these useless people earlier, and now, you throw a woman at me? Is the Oasis Club just begging to go out of business?"

Ayden's voice wasn't loud, but every word had the club owner outside the room trembling.

He instantly regretted his decision. If he had known that Ayden disliked female sparring partners, he wouldn't have dragged Nicole into this.

But before he could do anything, Nicole marched up to Ayden and said, "I mean no disrespect."

Without waiting for an answer, she came at him fast. Ayden had just stood up when her kick slammed right into his chest.

He choked out a rough gasp.

Nicole had held back, using only a fraction of her strength, but that was more than enough to drop Ayden onto the carpet. His chest burned, and it felt like his heart was being torn apart.

He stared up at Nicole in disbelief, shocked that a woman could knock him down so easily.

Nicole did not give him time to gather himself. She reached down, grabbed his collar, and pulled him up as if he weighed nothing.

He could not wrap his head around her strength.

It made no sense.

Before Ayden could get his guard up, Nicole hit him with sharp, controlled strikes. Each blow hurt, but none did much damage.

Everyone else watched with wide eyes, thinking Nicole had lost her mind.

Did she even realize who she was hitting?

Ayden refused to be a punching bag. He took two more hits, then spun away, steadied himself, and looked at Nicole. "Leave. I don't hit women."

Even with all her power, she was still a woman, and he refused to hit her.

Nicole folded her arms, flashed a faint smile, and said, "Mr. Hayes, that kind of politeness after getting hit is admirable. Still, you really shouldn't underestimate a woman."

Without missing a beat, she shot forward and aimed another kick right at his head.

Ayden was prepared for this and ducked away in time.

He barely caught his balance before Nicole was on him again. This time, she was even faster, and he struggled to defend himself.

Spectators pressed closer, eager for every second of the fight.

They believed Nicole was too bold, daring to hit the club's VIP like this.

Worry creased the club owner's brow while he worried that Ayden might be offended and refuse to pay.

"I want every single one of you out of here!"

Ayden's voice boomed when he caught sight of the onlookers. Shadows cut across his face, clouding his features.

No one liked to be watched like a spectacle, especially Ayden.

Trainers wasted no time leaving, eager to avoid his anger.

The club owner even closed the door for Ayden and Nicole when he left.

Inside the room, Nicole drew in a breath, then launched a kick at Ayden without warning.

Ayden's guard shot up in time. Even though he blocked her kick in time, he didn't get any advantage. Nicole recognized real skill in him and ramped up her tempo with genuine interest.

Back and forth, they moved so quickly that arms and legs blurred together, every strike delivered with careful control.

Even in the chaos, Nicole began to notice something about Ayden.

He kept a respectful gap, never using this fight to take advantage of her.

Whenever their bodies tangled, he always eased up quickly, refusing to cause real harm.

But Nicole wasn't one to go easy on her opponent.

When an opening flashed at a weak spot, she never hesitated to drive her fist right in.

Holding back in combat only invited defeat.

Ayden felt each strike start to pile up, Nicole's strength turning every solid hit into an ache that spread across his body.

At last, Nicole threw a direct punch at Ayden's nose.

Ayden grunted in pain, stumbled back a couple of steps, and pressed a hand to his face.

Sticky blood met his fingertips.

Ayden stared at Nicole in disbelief, still reeling from the audacity of this woman, who dared to hit him like this.

Heat flooded his face as outrage surged inside him.

Never in his life had he felt as humiliated as he did today.

He could hardly believe it—he failed to defeat a woman twice in one day.

Drawing in a sharp breath, he leveled a glare at his opponent, his eyes cold.

It was only now that he took a real look at her.

Her face remained hidden behind a mask, but the eyes watching him sparked a strange sense of recognition.

Her remarkable strength, too—it tugged at something deep in his mind.

Ayden's instincts snapped into place, connecting the dots almost instantly.

"It's you!"

He nearly spat out the words, jaw clenched tight.

Nicole's surprise flashed in her eyes.

How had he recognized her?

A quiet curse escaped Nicole as she realized things were about to go south. Her eyes darted to a window nearby, calculating the jump to a third-floor balcony.

Ayden wasted no time, advancing quickly with every intention of catching Nicole.

Nicole hesitated for only a heartbeat, then spun on her heel and made for the window. But before she could escape, Ayden let out a cold laugh, closed the distance, and caught her by the belt, hauling her away from the window.

"You really think you can beat me twice and slip away like nothing happened?"

Ayden's icy words echoed right by Nicole's ear.

Taking a slow breath, Nicole suddenly let herself go limp, falling straight into Ayden's arms with no resistance.

Ayden faltered for a second, surprised by her sudden submission, and his grip eased instinctively. Seizing the chance, Nicole spun and drove her knee up, aiming straight for his most vulnerable spot.

Ayden's reflexes kicked in, and he jerked out of harm's way just in time.

The narrow escape left a gap, and Nicole wasted no time. She darted to the window, climbed up swiftly, and paused only to throw Ayden a playful kiss. Then, she jumped.

The mockery in her smile was unmistakable.

Ayden was furious, calling his bodyguards over.

His bodyguards burst through the door at his shout.

"Mr. Hayes?"

"Find that woman who just jumped out of the window!"

Ayden's order came out sharp and cold, every word practically trembling with barely controlled anger.

When had a woman ever made a fool of him like this?

This was outrageous!

The club owner slipped in behind the security team, saw the chaos, and quickly realized what had happened.

This was bad for him.

He cursed himself for ever assigning Nicole as Ayden's sparring partner.

"Tell me, who was that woman?" Ayden fixed the club owner with a cold glare.

The question hit like a slap, leaving the club owner scrambling for words as he dabbed at his sweaty brow. "Mr. Hayes, I keep full records on all our staff. I'll bring them to you right away."

With so many staff members, he couldn't remember all his employees' information clearly. It was better to get Ayden the files.

But before he could leave to get the records, one of his employees rushed over, eyes wide with panic.

"Boss, something's wrong! Our computers and the whole system just broke. All we see is gibberish!"

The club owner stood there, frozen in disbelief.

Was this the day everything collapsed for his club?

Ayden's attention snapped to the breathless employee. "Are you telling me the staff records disappeared?" His voice dropped to a chilling growl, promising trouble.

"Mr. Hayes... this is just an accident..." The club owner's voice was barely a whisper, blood draining from his face.

It felt like Ayden's sharp gaze alone could kill him, and the tension in the room pressed heavily on him.

Everyone in Crustin knew Ayden was ruthless.

The club owner believed he was about to face severe punishment.

A heavy silence fell. After a while, Ayden finally turned and strode from the room. "Take me to your server room."

"Right away, sir."

Not daring to do anything else, the club owner rushed after Ayden, legs shaking all the way.