"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.

Oasis Club was one of Crustin's top clubs, and it had hundreds of employees.

When Ayden strode into the server room, clusters of anxious technicians circled computers that seemed to freeze.

Without waiting, Ayden took charge at the main terminal, fingers flying as he forced the system to limp back online.

The club owner did not waste a second. "Her file says she goes by Nicky."

Nicole always used that name for her work here.

Ayden frowned, finding the name odd.

Still, he typed it in.

Right away, a file flashed onto the screen. But before he could click it open, the entry glitched, blinked, and the file began to delete itself.

Someone was fighting him for the control of the system.

Refusing to back down, Ayden quickly started to retrieve the lost data. Yet the information disappeared before his eyes despite his efforts.

This was bizarre.

Whoever was behind this kept changing tactics, erasing pieces in unpredictable bursts. Each time Ayden tried to lock in a detail, it disappeared before he could process it.

Now, the only thing he knew about that woman was the name Nicky.

But he knew even that was a fake name.

Frustration got the better of him, and he slammed his palm against the keys.

At that moment, the screen turned black.

Then, out of nowhere, a cartoon bunny popped up on the main display, shaking its little tail at Ayden and spinning in a circle.

A comic speech bubble appeared above the bunny's head.

"Try harder next time."

Ayden blinked, stunned.

Seeing that, not a single person in the room dared to make a sound.

***

On the rooftop across the street.

Nicole lounged on the stair railing, her legs swinging lazily, her eyes full of confidence.

Balanced on her knees, a "borrowed" laptop displayed that same cheeky pink bunny.

"You can't beat me in a million years," Nicole murmured, lips curled in a mocking smile as she snapped the laptop closed.

Nearby, a teenage boy hugged his backpack, his panicked eyes on Nicole.

He had been on his way home when this woman swooped in, dragged him here, and took his laptop from him.

Was he getting mugged like this?

While he tried to process it, Nicole hopped down and tossed the laptop back to him.

"Here, kid. I cleared out those inappropriate videos for you. Take my advice and focus on your studies from now on," Nicole said.

The boy gave a tiny nod, saying, "Okay..."

His voice was barely above a whisper.

Nicole found his demeanor cute and tousled his hair as if he were a small, bewildered pet.

"Good boy."

Left speechless, the boy just stared.

Nicole straightened, zipped up her suit, and started down the stairs.

Dealing with Ayden had left her tired and drenched in sweat; she was desperate for a proper shower.

Ayden proved far from ordinary. He was not only powerful; his hacking and fighting skills were also incredible.

Nicole refused to lower her guard until she completely escaped.

When she reached the eleventh-floor landing, she pushed open a window and eyed the rooftop across, perfectly positioned for a quick escape.

A smirk broke across her face.

With one smooth motion, she shoved the window open and sprang across the gap.

Behind her, the stunned boy stood frozen, trying to convince himself he had not just witnessed something out of a movie.