Nicole had begun her career as a stunt double, enduring hardship and toil along the way.
Thus, she was far more resourceful than many young women just stepping into the industry.
She knew how to use the resources around her to protect herself.
Claiming to be connected to Miles was a desperate measure.
Given the situation at the time, had she dared to deny any association with Miles, Anthony and his ilk would have surely torn her apart. In fact, she might have already met a far worse fate by now, at their hands.
But now, Nicole found herself in a quandary.
The man outside was clearly fearless—he showed no fear of Miles.
But why didn't he fear Miles?
Could there truly be anyone in Cloud City bold enough to challenge him?
Nicole couldn't make sense of it, and fear crept into her heart. She was terrified that the man would barge in and...
Though the man was rather handsome and, judging by his attire, likely wealthy—who else would wear such fine clothes on such a cold day, unless they were certain of their standing?
"Hey!"
"What?"
"Just go! My boyfriend is really coming back soon. He's powerful, and he has weapons. You're no match for him..."
"I'm not leaving. Today, I intend to take down your boyfriend!"
Miles paused and frowned slightly, feeling an oddness to his own words.
Nicole was now on the verge of tears, her knuckles gripping the iron rod tightly as she shouted, "My boyfriend has a sniper rifle! He can shoot through your skull!"
"I've got a mortar. I'll blow your boyfriend to bits!"
"My boyfriend dares to capture zombies. He's killed every zombie in this neighborhood!"
Miles laughed, pointing to the dark green bloodstains on his clothes. "I killed thirty super zombies this morning. When your boyfriend arrives, we can swap some battle tactics."
"I..."
Nicole was speechless. Desperately, she blurted, "My boyfriend is more handsome than you!"
Miles suddenly grinned, nodding. "Well, that's true."
"I... hmm?"
Nicole blinked in confusion, staring at Miles as if trying to process the situation. "What exactly do you want?"
"I don't want much. Just curious to know what it's like to be with a rising star like yourself. Miss Nicole, would you be interested in a more... profound exchange?"
Miles crossed his arms and let his gaze linger on Nicole, unabashed.
"You bastard!"
Nicole instinctively took a step back, her cheeks flushed with anger.
"You've already said that."
"You're shameless!"
"And you've said that too."
"My boyfriend will kill you!"
"Let him come."
Nicole was now completely out of options. The man outside was relentless, like a wild beast.
At that moment, Miles stood up, glanced at his watch, and said calmly, "Alright, half an hour's up. Miss Nicole, I'll be coming in now."
"Don't come in!"
Nicole screamed, and in a panic, hurled the iron rod at him.
But it was a futile attempt—Miles didn't even bother to dodge. The rod simply fell to the ground.
He then drew his gun and fired two shots at the door lock. With a loud crash, the lock shattered into pieces, and Miles kicked the door open, striding in without hesitation...
"Ah!"
A shrill scream came from inside, followed by a vase flying toward Miles.
He swatted the vase aside effortlessly and walked toward the pale-faced girl.
"Don't come any closer, please..."
Nicole stumbled backward in fear. She tripped on something, and before she knew it, she had collapsed onto the floor.
"What's the matter? Isn't your boyfriend the leader here? Why isn't he saving you? Seems to me he's nothing but a coward..."
Miles pressed the gun to Nicole's chest, backing her into a corner.
Once trembling with fear, Nicole suddenly raised her head, her clear eyes flashing with anger. "You will not insult my boyfriend. He's a hero!"
A hero?
Miles laughed, shaking his head. "A hero? Then why hasn't he come to save you?"
"I..."
Nicole fell silent, unable to defend herself.
Miles paid no heed to her protests and yanked the cotton scarf from around her neck.
"Ah!"
Nicole froze, her face a picture of fear, tears glistening in her eyes.
At that moment, she wished with all her heart that Miles would do what he did before—fire a bullet that would whisk her away from this nightmare.
But alas, her wish went unheard.
Nicole slumped to the corner, her hand grabbing a broken piece of a vase, pressing it to her throat.
"Don't touch me!"
Her heart was dead. Faced with this cruel man, she would rather end it all than let him defile her body.
Miles paused, an eerie smile creeping across his face. "What's this? You've been with three men before, but now you're playing the role of the chaste maiden?"
Three men?
Nicole's grip on the shard faltered, and a line of blood slowly appeared on her neck.
"How do you know about that day..."
She stared at Miles, stunned, and then gasped, "You're Miles!"
Miles didn't answer her directly, but grinned, "But I'm not your boyfriend."
The truth hit Nicole like a slap.
No wonder he was so fearless earlier... She was the fool all along.
Her head lowered in shame, and her cheeks flushed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have impersonated you."
"It wasn't exactly impersonating..."
Miles gazed at the confused Nicole, a dark smile tugging at his lips. "I'm simply here to exercise my 'boyfriend privileges'..."
"You..."
Nicole's heart skipped a beat, and her face flushed a deeper shade.
For days, she had fantasized about the man she thought was her hero, even elevating him to a pedestal.
Now she saw her supposed hero standing before her, and she couldn't help but wonder—should she give in?
But his gaze was cold, condescending, as though she were beneath him.
Nicole felt a pang of bitterness, her image of Miles beginning to crumble.
"What's wrong, Miss Nicole? You can handle three men, but now you're pretending to be the virtuous lady? Are you planning to put on some romantic act for me?"
Three men?
Nicole's mind clicked. So, he had believed she had been degraded by Anthony and the others.
So that's why he came today—to degrade her as well!
Her heart shattered at the thought. Tears welled up in her eyes as she bit her lip, saying, "If you have the guts, come and do it. I'm just afraid you don't have the skill."
Fine.
If he saw her as that kind of woman, what else was there to say?
If she gave herself to him today, it would be repayment for that bullet last time. After that... there would be no "after."
There was no greater sorrow than a heart that had died, and Nicole felt this way in that moment.
She had merely been struggling to survive in this post-apocalyptic world, hoping for a glimmer of hope, only to end up in this situation.
Her heart was long dead, and all she wanted was for it to end quickly.
"But I find you repulsive."
At that moment, as Nicole closed her eyes, resigned to her fate, her body jolted in surprise.
Opening her eyes, she saw only the man's retreating silhouette, his shadow stretching long before it quietly disappeared into the wind and snow...