Chapter 61: Death Will Come Sooner Than Money
Nicole's POV
Hodgson raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised by my words.
"Oh? Really? What surprise?"
I deliberately kept him in suspense: "You'll find out when the time comes. I can't tell you now, or it wouldn't be a surprise."
Hodgson chuckled and rolled over, pinning me beneath him again.
"Nicole, teasing people isn't very nice."
As he spoke, I felt his cock begin to harden again.
Hodgson fucked me all night long.
When I woke up in the morning, my whole body ached. I struggled free from Hodgson's embrace and quickly walked into the bathroom.
I took a quick hot shower.
When I walked to the mirror, I saw my neck and collarbone were covered with intimate marks.
I rubbed my temples.
Last night was too chaotic.
I had originally planned to wait until Mark successfully convinced Wendy to sell him the watch, then tell him what to do next.
But Hodgson's appearance disrupted all my plans.
After I left, I had no idea what happened between Mark and Wendy.
Fortunately, I had left myself a backup plan.
I had specifically asked Julie to come to Alexander building as well.
Although I only got two entrance passes from Ethan, one for me and one for Mark.
Julie couldn't enter the auction house without a pass, but she could wait for us outside.
When I disappeared without explanation last night, given Julie's intelligence, she would definitely contact Mark promptly.
What I needed to do now was find an opportunity to get rid of Hodgson, then go meet with Mark.
I came out of the bathroom and changed into a new dress.
Hodgson had also gotten up.
He was shirtless, putting on his pants.
The muscle lines on his back were very defined, covered with red marks I had scratched in my loss of control last night.
I was hesitating about how to get him to leave first when Eric knocked and entered.
"Sir, the relocation of Percy Group headquarters to Astoria has been finalized. Derek wants to see you today."
Hodgson nodded: "Got it."
Eric continued his report, and the two of them began discussing work matters, with no intention of avoiding me.
I pretended to be completely indifferent, but my heart suddenly tightened.
Derek Percy.
I had investigated him before. He was Molly's brother.
Percy Group headquarters was finally moving to Astoria.
This was a very important opportunity for me.
Of course, it also meant I needed to be more careful and absolutely couldn't let anyone from Percy Group know my true identity.
Only then could my revenge plan proceed smoothly.
At that moment, Hodgson noticed me spacing out.
He walked over, raised his hand to smooth my hair, and showed a satisfied smile.
"Nicole, I'll take you back first, then go meet Derek."
I waved my hand: "You don't need to worry about me. You should handle more important matters first. I still want to stay and look around."
Hodgson narrowed his eyes and gripped my chin.
"Nicole, you can stay, but I don't want to hear any more rumors about you hooking up with other men."
I held his hand and buried my face in his palm, lightly kissing the center of it.
"Hodgson, you're my only man. You know that."
He seemed very satisfied with my obedience, lowering his head to kiss my lips.
"Good. I'm very much looking forward to the surprise you mentioned."
After Hodgson and Eric left, I quickly contacted Julie.
We met at a hotel near the auction house.
Julie's expression wasn't good. She hesitated, then led me to a room door.
"Miss Nicole, last night, Mark he..."
"What happened to him?"
Without thinking much, I pushed the door open and walked in.
The room reeked of alcohol mixed with the smell of post-sex activities.
Mark and Wendy were lying naked on the bed, their clothes strewn all over the floor.
My God! How could this happen?!
Wendy actually slept with Mark?!
That bastard Mark, what on earth did he say to Wendy?
I looked at Wendy's sleeping face, which even carried a hint of satisfied smile.
It seemed she really believed Mark was a billionaire.
I was so angry I couldn't speak. It took me a while to recover.
"Julie, when Mark wakes up, have him come find me in the VIP lounge."
I turned and went to the hotel's VIP lounge, ordering a cup of coffee to calm myself down.
After waiting more than half an hour, Mark finally walked in yawning.
He had changed into yesterday's suit, his expression particularly lewd, even wiping his mouth with a reminiscent look on his face.
"Nicole, thanks to you. If you hadn't given me that advice, how would I have gotten to sleep with such a beautiful woman?"
I was so angry I slammed my hand on the table.
"Mark! I told you to buy her watch, and you slept with her instead? You've caused me big trouble!"
"Hey! This isn't my fault."
Mark raised both hands, looking innocent.
"She was the one who actively clung to me, insisting on drinking with me, and she seduced me first. You know, I had no reason to refuse a beauty who threw herself at me."
I took a deep breath, suppressing my anger.
Now wasn't the time to dwell on this.
"What's the next step of the plan?"
Mark leaned in, now more concerned about money.
I said coldly: "I'll prepare an account for you with a hundred million virtual dollars in it. You can transfer the money to Wendy's name."
"A hundred million?" Mark's eyes went wide.
"It's a virtual account. Fake." I glared at him.
Mark was stunned for a moment, then understood my meaning.
"Will she believe it? Transfers have records."
"She will."
I was absolutely certain.
"She desperately needs this money right now. She won't carefully verify it at all. After you get her watch and sell it on the black market, she'll discover the account is fake."
"Haha, perfect!" Mark said excitedly. "Give me the account quickly!"
"I can give you this account." I picked up my coffee and took a sip.
"But first, return that five million to me."
Mark's face changed instantly: "Why?! You already gave me that money! It's mine now!"
I snorted coldly: "That watch is worth far more than five million. With it, you can sell it for however much you want. Return my five million, and I can let you handle the watch completely."
Mark's expression changed several times. He was quickly weighing the pros and cons.
Finally, he cursed under his breath but still compromised: "Fuck, fine."
He reluctantly transferred the five million back to my account.
The moment I received the bank notification message, I was satisfied and gave Mark the virtual account.
"Remember, you can't make the deal with her right away. Wait a few more days, and then follow my orders." I warned.
Though Mark was impatient, he still nodded.
After Mark left, Julie came in.
She was somewhat puzzled: "Nicole, can Mark really get the watch and exchange it for money?"
I laughed coldly: "He's dreaming. Death will come sooner than money."