Venom

《 One 》

Stars shined in the navy blue sky along with the lonely moon to keep it company. The night was cold and windy in the city of London. The breeze blew along with people who rushed along in the streets, some going home, some off to work. In a private room of a restaurant, sat a mysterious woman sipping on a glass of red wine. She was dressed in a dark blue suit. The woman was tall and her body was full of muscles, skin void of any wrinkles, long brown hair tied in a neat bun. Piercing black eyes checked a Rolex and as she watched the time tick by. The sound of sports cars roared outside the window as she sat in the silence. Her name was Rosanna Gonzalez. A forty-year-old woman who ran a large line of cafes in the nearby cities of London. Money was no problem for her. In the past, the connections she held were powerful but now, all those connections were gone. Rosanna was once the CEO of an international business that was stolen from her by a wicked man. He had stripped her off the title made by all her hard work and snatched it as if it was nothing. A snake who gained her trust and played with it. Now, it was time for revenge. However, this plan couldn't be executed by herself. She needed two people. Two people that had been hurt by the same man that had snatched her company from her. There were only two people that could help her right now.

A soft piano melody began to play outside the room as the woman took a bite of the steak in front of her. She set her fork down and heard two knocks on the door. The woman watched the door open and a tall man walked in. She stood up and raised her hand out. He greeted Rosanna with a firm handshake and the woman gestured him to take a seat. They both sat down facing each other and no one said a single word as the clock ticked by. A minute later, the door was knocked on again. This time, the loud sound of boots clicking filled the air. Another man walked in and smiled at Rosanna who nodded and gestured him to sit down. The shorter man took a seat next to the silent one while Rosanna sat in front of them.

"Lorenzo Manzana and Zan Yifan, it's a pleasure to meet you both."

The woman said with a sweet smile as two pairs of eyes wandered on each other. Lorenzo stared at the taller man who had not even an ounce of emotion on his face. Blank. He was blank. Yifan was dressed in a tight black shirt and blue jeans. He also wore a black denim jacket that hugged his massive biceps and the pants were tight around his thick thighs. Yifan had a masculine oval face that had no ounce of fat on it. His sharp eyes were the darkest shade of black, half-hidden by the same colored hair sitting on his head. The taller man's thin pink lips, button nose, sharp jawline, the silver stud on his left ear. Black ink scattered on the pale skin of his right hand and arm. His body frame was two times bigger than Lorenzo's small one. It all screamed danger. Yifan's eyes were what caught Lorenzo's attention. His eyes were sharp and striking. In them, Lorenzo saw a hint of curiosity but it was guarded by something dark. Yifan's noir eyes were trained on him like a wild animal. A tiger. Lorenzo felt like he was sitting next to a tiger. The man talked more with his eyes, rather than his mouth.

The taller man's eyes roamed on him with boredom. His smaller yet buff figure was covered in a mahogany suit that hugged it tightly, showing off his muscles and curves. His tan skin glowed under the dim lights. Lorenzo's round face was sculpted softly. Small strands of slightly curly brown hair sat on his head and his mesmerizing eyes reminded the taller man of the sun. They were full of so much light and hope. A dark shade of brown with hues of gold. They were so different from Yifan's. The stranger's deer-like eyes glanced at the taller man through long eyelashes that were filled with kohl. His button nose scrunched up cutely as he seemed lost in his thoughts. The feature that had Yifan's attention was Lorenzo's pink lips. For some reason, they were dangerous to look at, way too dangerous. Yifan looked away.

Rosanna cleared her throat and the two looked at the woman. "My name is Rosanna Gonzalez. You must be confused why a stranger like me invited you here. I have an offer for you both."

"What kind of offer, Ms. Rosanna?" Lorenzo asked. His voice was soft and filled with curiosity.

"Jacob Brown, thirty-one, a business tycoon who took over the industry a few years ago. He took over a large company and claimed it was his from the start. That business was mine but he stole it from me." The older woman replied. "I want revenge on him and I need you both for it."

"Why do you need us?" The shorter man asked.

"Jacob is your ex, isn't he?" The woman smirked as she watched Lorenzo's hand fist a napkin tightly.

"He cheated on you with your best friend a few weeks ago and discarded you like you were trash. You stayed loyal to him and he cheated behind your back for three months straight." Rosanna spoke. "Don't you want to take revenge on him? Make him feel like he made the biggest mistake of losing you. Don't you wanna make him regret the pain he made you feel?"

Lorenzo stayed quiet and looked down. The wounds on his heart were still fresh and ached badly, reminding him of the bastard who had betrayed him. He hated how his ex best friend and his ex-boyfriend had played with him. An opportunity like this was like a treasure to him. He was willing to do anything just to see Jacob suffer.

"What is your plan?" He asked and Rosanna smiled like a cat.

"You will marry Yifan." She said and Lorenzo looked up.

"W-What?" His heart skipped a beat.

"Fake marriage. You both will act like you've married recently. Yifan will be your husband and Jacob will come to you both himself. His ego will be hurt, knowing that it was him who had been played. He'll try to take you back but Yifan won't let that happen." The woman took a bite of her steak as the tall man raised a brow.

"What makes you think I'll agree to this?" The tall man spoke and Lorenzo almost shivered at his deep voice. The old woman looked at the tall man with a serious glint in her eyes.

"Five years ago in Shanghai, there was a really bad fire at a mansion. There was a woman who passed away in that fire but her kids survived." Yifan's hands turned into fists and Rosanna looked at him without fear. "Jacob Brown was the reason behind that fire. It was a plan devised by him and the woman's husband to take all her property."

"Proof?" He asked and the woman smirked.

"What if I get Jacob to confess that crime?" She challenged and Yifan leaned back in his chair. Lorenzo glanced at the tall man who stared at the woman. "You have to be a part of my plan to see it."

"I'll do it." Without missing a beat, the tiger accepted the plan. Deep down in his heart, was a fire burning badly and only one thing could satisfy it. That was seeing the downfall of Jacob Brown and the other man who had planned that house fire.

"Are you willing to do this?"

"I agree." Lorenzo replied. "But why us? Why can't you take revenge by yourself?"

"He knows about me so he will get suspicious. In your case, it's different. He knows you but he doesn't know Yifan. Plus, Yifan is the best person to choose as your partner. He's straight so there should be no problem or fear of getting attached." Ms. Rosanna pulled out a black box from her coat's pocket and set it on the table.

"I will give you everything you need for this plan. In that box are wedding rings for you both. In the end, I will pay you both eighty grand." Lorenzo picked up the box and opened it. He saw a matching set of Cartier wedding rings. Yifan didn't even glance at the box.

Ms. Rosanna smirked and looked at the tall man. "You have two siblings, don't you? If you take part in this plan, I'll make sure they're admitted to any university they want once they graduate from high school."

The tiger looked at the woman who was dead serious. "If I do this, I want my family protected."

"Yifan, I know you won't even let a scratch on them. Still, I'll make bodyguards guard them in disguise." She said.

"I'm in."

"Good, I will provide more details for your mission tomorrow. " Rosanna smiled. "You are not allowed to tell your family or friends about the truth. Convince them you're married. You will have to do this until I get the company back and put him in jail. After that, you can reveal the truth to your families. Make sure Jacob doesn't find out that this is all a lie."