Page 2 of My Ruthless Opponent

I had sensed him before his brawny hand clutched my collar. He wrenched me away from her.

The shove from him was enough to open the doors of the darkness within me.

The hall went quiet, the veil of silence fell over the guests.

And even in the silence, I heard it. The taunts and comments from my past. It echoed in my ear like a gloomy song, mocking me.

Despite that, I provoked Alan again and it worked. He punched me in the face in front of his brother and friends. His action spoke louder than the reassurance I was giving to Rochelle.

I wanted to prove to her that he loved her, and I did.

When I wiped the blood off my lip, my fingers trembled. The need to give it back to Alan was so strong it almost overruled my sense of judgment.

This was all on me. After all, it was my idea to provoke him. So, before I could do something irrevocable, I left the venue.

Nobody stopped me. Why would they? They won’t take my actions seriously because I have made this happy-go-lucky persona so much believable. They may remember my stunt and laugh, saying “Raleigh was his usual mischievous self”.

Growing up, I have mastered this personality. It wasn’t easy, mind you.

It took years of practice and suffering to perfect this act.

This world is filled with people. Greedy people who are nothing but leeches by nature.

They’ll stick by you until you have something to offer. And the moment you’re deemed useless to them, they wouldn’t bat an eyelash before abandoning you.

Like a leech, like a blood-sucking parasite, this world latches onto you and doesn’t let up until there’s not even a single drop of blood left inside your body.

Although I am lucky enough to have genuine friends, I can never fully trust anyone. My instincts don’t allow it.

Life has been the best teacher. It taught me to never reveal my weaknesses to anyone. Because most often than not, your opponent takes advantage of your weakness and uses it against you.

This world only respects the ones with power. Power in the department of money. I may not be a millionaire yet, but one day I’ll make it up there.

Currently, I am the Creative Director in KIM Advertising—one of the biggest and most well-known advertising agencies in LA—but one day I am going to—My thoughts are interrupted when I feel the vibration of my phone. I reach into my pocket and pull it out.

Nina’s name flashes on the screen. It’s half-past ten. Is she working on a Sunday?

Nina is the one person on my team that prefers working until late if it promises a higher chance of getting our project approved.

We had submitted it on Friday. I specifically ordered everyone to take a break after the stressful month.

“Aren’t you supposed to be enjoying your day off, Nina?”

“Get ready to party, RJ!!!” she squeals.

A snort leaves me.

Mostly everyone calls me RJ in the office. Actually, even outside of the office.

They don’t use it because it is my initials—Raleigh Jackson. I am known to be a ruthless boss when it comes to working. So, RJ stands forRuthless Jackson.

I take full responsibility for being relentless when it comes to my job. People call me perfectionist as I am passionate about what I do.

I spend most of my time working. If I am not between the legs of a woman, I can be found in my office, thinking new ideas.

By doing what I love, I keep the twisted thoughts that make me anxious at bay.

“What am I missing?”

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