Chapter 6: A New Look

"Get lost!" Magnus's words left Ellie and her two companions burning with embarrassment.  In that instant, they felt he truly looked down on them. Ellie's status meant nothing to him. Ellie's beautiful eyes flashed with anger and frustration. "Magnus, other than your tough talk, I don't see a single merit from you." Magnus's lips curled in a teasing smile. "Have dinner with me and maybe I'll show you what I'm good at." Crimson rushed up Ellie's cheeks. Priscilla, the female adjutant, snapped at him, "Filthy! Shameless!" "Enough," Ellie said, a sliver of disdain in her eyes.  "He's a country bumpkin who's never seen the world. Don't waste your breath on a nobody." "Magnus, I came here by chance," she added coolly.  "Soon I'll be joining the soldiers of the Greyhove Military District to hunt the Bloodthirsty Maniac. Maybe we'll never meet again. We're not from the same world." She turned to go. Magnus watched her walk away and let out a cold chuckle.  "From the look on your face, you've got bad luck coming. It's a disaster." Ellie froze mid-step.  Wasn't that just because Magnus had made her furious? "Magnus, you are shameless." He didn't even bother to look at her.  "Didn't you say you'd make it up to me? Since you ended the engagement, I'll do you one small favor." "Listen. The Bloodthirsty Maniac has an old wound on the left side of his chest. If you can't take him head-on, wait for a chance and target that old wound. It'll surprise him." Ellie and her two adjutants traded glances and dismissed him outright. They slid into the car and sped off, leaving a trail of dust in their wake. Inside the car, Priscilla wouldn't let up.  "He's full of himself, even boasting he knows big shots in the military department. Disgusting!" Ellie let out a cold laugh.  "He's just consoling himself. He'll come to me sooner or later, begging for compensation for the broken engagement." Right then, Magnus's phone rang. It was Judith Hopkins. "Magnus, my grandpa told me to bring some friends to meet you tonight. Do you dare show up? I have sent the address on WhatsApp." Her tone was pure taunt. Magnus couldn't help laughing.  It was obvious the young lady of the Hopkins family meant to set a trap for him tonight. He knew it was a honey trap. He pictured Judith's scheme in a heartbeat.  "Why wouldn't I dare? I'm only worried you won't be able to keep up. See you in an hour." Judith hadn't expected him to agree so readily. "I didn't think you had any guts. Remember, if you don't come, you're nothing but a coward." After hanging up, Judith high-fived her glamorous friends. "That horndog took the bait." Her friends burst into laughter.  "Perfect. With our looks, Magnus will tumble headfirst into the trap, then get kicked out of the Hopkins family." "Judith, you'll be free again in no time." Excitement and anticipation lit Judith's flawless face.  "Magnus, let's see how you crash and burn tonight." Magnus turned to Oliver. "I need a few things." ... That evening, a hypercar with sleek, futuristic lines rolled into the lot of an elegant winery, and its high-performance engine thundered.  The flowing bodywork fused cutting-edge engineering and aesthetic grace, and the distinctive badge turned every head. Most patrons were from mid-tier families.  They owned luxury cars too, but rarely anything over a few hundred grand.  Compared to this four-million-dollar sports car, their rides weren't even in the same league.  Truth be told, this kind of car was something they only ever saw at car shows. "Which rich heir just rolled into town?" Guests poured toward the door, eager and chattering.  Even shoppers from neighboring shops craned their necks to peek outside, dying to see who was driving the sports car. As expected, Judith and her friends watched eagerly. With a distinctive hiss and click, the bespoke doors opened.  A tall man, at least six feet one, stepped out in a deep-crimson suit, composed and unhurried. "Wow! That man is hot!" "He would put the world's top models to shame." Women's eyes went bright, their breath catching, as if a bolt of lightning had struck them.  The men looked on with envy and grudging awe. But when Judith finally saw the man's face, she froze. "It's him? How is that possible?" The man in the sports car was Magnus. At noon, he had worn cheap, plain clothes.  Now, it was as if he had shed a skin. His whole presence had shifted. Confidence and keen intelligence burned behind his eyes. He seemed to own the world. "So he has this side to him, too." Judith's thoughts stuttered, and a sudden tension coiled in her chest. Magnus stepped from the car and, with languid elegance, took out a handcrafted cigar.  Click! He flicked a gold lighter and drew the tip to life. A simple light, yet on him it became the flourish of a successful man. Judith's friends sparkled with excitement, clutching her arm as their knees unconsciously pressed together.  Judith, though, felt complicated.  How was she supposed to tell them that the devastatingly handsome man they intended to toy with was her fiancé? "Please, this way, sir."  The winery manager hurried over with two lovely servers in tow, not daring to slight him.  A man who drove a four-million-dollar sports car was no ordinary customer. "Good evening, sir. I'm the manager. Do you have a reservation?" Magnus smiled. "I'm here to meet someone. She's right over there." He strode toward Judith, his smile warm as spring sunshine, and every pair of eyes in the place followed him. Her friends fidgeted, nerves taut. Judith's feelings grew more tangled. She didn't dare meet Magnus's gaze. "I'm here," Magnus said softly when he reached her. The warmth of his smile washed over her.  Judith took in his looks and effortless charm, and her heartbeat kicked into overdrive.