Chapter 6 Study your target

~Clarissa's POV~

I've been told I've got an innocent face, but my mind works like that of a criminal. And I say......Touché to that, because they weren't wrong, especially with what I was about to get myself into.

There's a saying, if you want to know a man or even get his attention.......learn about the things he likes, and that's what I've been meticulously doing for the past few days.

My new favorite hobby?........ gathering every single piece of information I can, on Victor Gonzales, Business man and CEO of Magnesium Mechanics, a revolutionary tech firm in the country presently. Eric's father, the same man who was supposed to be my father in law, but apparently that ship sank before it even sailed. And God help me, the man is terrifyingly stunning, like my jaw is literally dropped to the floor, in complete awe of how handsome he is, as my eyes stare unwavered into the laptop screen before me.

You know how most people feel about Hollywood A-list actors like Dwayne Johnson, Michael Ealy, or even kpop boy band groups like BTS and Stray Kids, how they leave striking impressions on people just because of how beautifully handsome they look. Well this was exactly that moment for me, because honey saying I'm starstruck is an understatement.

Yes I know most people would call me crazy or disgusting for even thinking about him in such a way, after all he did raise the asshole I was supposed to marry, but have you seen this man?

No. Exactly my point.

Not to brag, but I have this ability were there's literally nothing I can't find on the internet, whether it's a song you just came across while scrolling through TikTok that you don't know the name to, or a movie that aired even before you were born or an old article that dates back centuries ago.......I'm your go to guy. Back in college I was nicknamed the Da Vinci of the internet or Internet Da Vinci, which ever works. But for some reason when it came to this man my skills felt a bit rusty, because there wasn't much information or pictures published about him on the internet, and the few I've seen have left me smitten.

That I can't help but relish in my memories of that sinful night between us. His piercing grey eyes behind the mask, that perfectly chiseled jawline and those sexy tattoos that snaked down his arm that make it impossible not to drawn to him.

Gosh! Those tattoos......I thought to myself, as I bit hard on my lower lip.

Who would have thought I would be into that kind of thing. He obviously doesn't know this.....but I'm having a whole lot of "First's" moments because of him, and in a sick twisted way, I liked it.

"Who's this man you keep stalking online?" I hear Diane ask from behind me, catching me off guard while engrossed in my usual ritual, as I jerked in fright, instinctively slamming the laptop shut.

"Jesus Christ, Diane!" I yelped, pressing a hand to my chest like it could stop my heart from beating out of it. "Are you trying to give me a stroke?"

Diane was doubled over, laughing like she'd just won the lottery. "Still jumpy as hell, I see," she managed between cackles. "Some things never change."

I scowled, breathing hard. "You can't just sneak up on someone like that! What are you even doing in here?"

"Uh duh....I live here, remember?" She sauntered in with a mug of coffee, plopping onto the couch like she hadn't just shaved a decade off my life. "I heard your keyboard having a meltdown from across the hall. Thought maybe you finally found out where Elon Musk hides his second family."

I gave her a flat look, then turned my attention to the now closed laptop like it was a crime scene. "You're not funny."

"Whatever you say, Nancy Drew." She sipped her coffee, then raised a brow. "So?....spill. Who is this Greek god that has you Googling like your life depends on it?"

I hesitated.

Do I tell her? Could I even say it out loud without combusting from sheer humiliation or maybe twisted desire?

"Clarissa," Diane sing songed, dragging out my name like a warning. "You've been acting weird for days. Like... distracted weird. That 'lost in the void of thirst' kind of weird. If you don't start talking, I swear I'm going to throw your laptop out the window."

I sighed, covering my face with my hands for a beat before slowly peeling them away.

"You have to promise not to scream."

Diane blinked. "Why would I scream?"

"Because... the man I've been obsessing over, and I mean really obsessing over, is....um"

"Don't say it's someone from church," she deadpanned. "Or that weird history professor you used to have a thing for."

"No," I muttered. "It's worse."

"Worse than your thing for Kim Namjoon?"

I ignored that. "It's Victor Gonzales."

She blinked. Once. Twice. Her brain visibly buffering like a slow loading YouTube video. "I'm sorry. Come again.....Who?"

"Victor. Gonzales." I said again, slower this time, like the words might somehow land easier.

She still stared.

"My ex-fiancé's father."

Silence.

Then.

"WHAT?" she screeched, nearly choking on her coffee. "CLARISSA!"

"See!" I hissed, grabbing a throw pillow and hurling it at her. "I told you not to scream!"

"You slept with Eric's dad?!"

"I didn't know it was him okay!" I shouted back, feeling a fresh wave of panic, lust, and cringe roll through me. "At least not until after. He was masked, Diane! It was the app. You remember the adult hookup app I told you about......Ecstasy."

Her jaw dropped. "You lost your V card to your ex's dad, who you coincidentally met on a sex only app?!"

I groaned, faceplanting into the pillow. "When you say it like that, it sounds so much worse."

"Because it is worse!" She was pacing now, hands flying. "Oh my God. This is insane. This is like......this is a soap opera level of insane. You're sleeping with the father of the man you were going to marry!"

"Correction," I mumbled, "I slept with him once. But I plan on doing it again."

Diane froze. "You're kidding."

I lifted my head just enough to look her in the eye. "Nope."

"You actually want to seduce him? On purpose?"

"Think of it as poetic justice," I said, shrugging. "Eric cheated. Lied. Humiliated me. So yeah, I want to hit him where it hurts. And nothing, and I mean nothing will hurt him more than knowing the woman he threw away was taken apart by his father."

Diane blinked again. "Taken apart?"

I smiled. "Oh, honey.....thoroughly."

She made a choked noise and collapsed into the armchair. "You've lost your damn mind."

"Probably," I agreed. "But I've never felt more alive."

She stared at me, jaw slack, then pinched the bridge of her nose like she was trying to physically squeeze sense back into the situation. "Clarissa. This is dangerous. I mean, what if he finds out you're Eric's ex fiancée? What if Eric finds out? Or the press?"

"Victor's discreet. He didn't even leave a trace behind except for his wallet and no, don't give me that look. I returned it the next day anonymously through the concierge." I paused, biting my lip. "But I did take a peek at the ID before I sent it off."

"I knew you were too quiet these past few days," she muttered.

"I've been trying to find more about him online ever since. But there's barely anything. A few business articles. One interview from three years ago. No recent pictures. No scandals. It's like he's a ghost wrapped in a Gucci suit."

"And that turns you on?"

"I mean... yes." I waved at my laptop. "Look at him! That jawline? Those eyes? The way he moves, Diane. He's like if Jason Momoa had a baby with James Bond and sprinkled in a little Lucifer from that Netflix show."

"I'm going to need therapy after this conversation."

"Don't be dramatic."

She leaned forward, expression serious now. "Clarissa. Are you sure about this? You're playing with fire."

I looked away, chewing my lip. "I know. But I need this. Not just for revenge. For me. He made me feel things I didn't even know were possible. And I want more."

She studied me for a moment. Then, slowly she nodded. "Okay. Fine. If you're going down this road, you're not going alone."

I blinked. "You're... supporting this?"

"Not supporting, more like supervising. If this goes south, I need to be close enough to drag your ass out."

I smiled, warm and wide. "That's fair."

"But," she added, raising a brow, "how exactly do you plan to see him again? I mean, you don't have his number. You don't know where he lives. You can't exactly walk into his corporate building and say, 'Hi, remember me? Your mystery virgin from Ecstasy?'"

I paused. Shit. I hadn't figured that part out yet.

Diane raised her brows higher. "Well?"

I stared into space, heart suddenly racing.

"I have no idea."