After being the sole survivor of my last mission, I submitted my resignation to the organization. I hadn't even been home for two weeks before I was packaged up and shipped off to be married into the illustrious Archer family of the capital. Flynn Archer, in a flashy sports car, sped past me, his eyes dripping with disdain. "A sheltered little princess like you, you're not from my world." A curvy, hot-as-hell secretary was in the passenger seat, provocatively locking lips with him right in front of me. He dangled a business contract over my head, forcing me to be his glorified assistant, subjecting me to endless humiliation. When someone gently tried to reason with him, he just sneered. "She wants to be Mrs. Archer? This is what she gets." Until the day he took me to a shooting range. He raised a pistol, aiming it right between my eyes. "If you can beat me today," he challenged, "the debt your family owes me will be wiped clean. I'll even sign over that Westside development project. How about it? You dare?" ... 1. I froze, my mind going blank. I couldn't respond. My gaze was fixed on the gun in his hand. Memories flooded back, a silver needle piercing my brain. A sharp, stabbing pain. A contemptuous laugh brought me back to the present. I turned my head. "Everyone knows the precious Miss Thorne is a debutante, fresh from her studies abroad," a woman drawled. "Her hands are for playing the piano, not for messing around with things like this." Stella Vance flicked a lighter open, lit a cigarette, and then passed it to Flynn with her lips, her eyes daring me to react. Flynn was getting impatient with my silence. "Scarlett, are you in or out? Don't say I didn't give you a chance." I looked at him, my lips pressed into a thin line. Ever since I'd been forced into this engagement, he'd made my life a living hell. If I could settle things once and for all today, it would be worth it. Under his impatient gaze, I slowly nodded. "Fine. I'll compete with you." The shooting range fell silent for a moment, then erupted in laughter. "Hahaha, did I hear that right? Scarlett Thorne is going to challenge Flynn Archer in a shooting match?" "Little sister Scarlett, don't say I didn't warn you. Our Flynn might look like a pretty boy, but he's got a firearms license. There's no one in this city who'd dare say they could beat him." Stella was practically doubled over with laughter, playfully poking Flynn's chest. "Flynn, you're so naughty. What if you hurt our dear Scarlett's delicate hands?" Flynn just shot me a look of disgust. "She's the one who insisted on following me. She's like gum on my shoe, I can't get rid of her." I didn't let their insults show on my face. The Archer family's power had grown exponentially in recent years. My father had pulled every string he had to secure this marriage, begging me to keep Flynn happy. I'd been away from home for so long, and I felt I owed my family. That's why I'd put up with it all. But now, he was serving himself up on a silver platter. I wasn't about to turn that down. Flynn gestured with the gun, his chin tilted high. "You sure about this, Scarlett? Don't come crying to me when you run home in tears." I smiled faintly and nodded. "I gave my word. I'll see it through." He crossed his arms, a playful glint in his eye. "Don't say I'm bullying you. Standard range rules: best of five, twenty rounds each. You just have to win one round. How's that?" My eyes were fixed on the black hole of the muzzle. My heart skipped a beat. My hand trembled slightly, but my voice was steady when I replied, "Deal. Draw your weapon." I went to change my clothes. Stella was still clinging to Flynn, cooing at him. I didn't look their way. From the moment the staff handed me the pistol, my breath caught in my throat. The world went silent, except for the roaring in my ears. The sounds of crying, the smell of blood, filled my mind. Someone shoved me, and I snapped back to reality. It was Leo Vance, a notorious playboy. He gave me a lecherous grin. "What's a pretty little thing like you doing all alone? I may not be as good as Flynn, but I can give you a few pointers, so you don't lose too badly." His greasy hand reached for my wrist. I stepped back, my face a mask of disgust. "Not interested." His expression soured. "Playing hard to get? Flynn won't even look at you. Challenging him to a shooting match? You've got a death wish." He stormed off. Flynn and Stella were already at the shooting line. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Round one. Let's begin." 2. Flynn wrapped his arms around Stella, carefully placing a pair of noise-canceling headphones over her ears. He guided her hands, standing behind her, his body pressed against hers. The gun fired. From that one shot, I recognized it. A Sig Sauer P320. The 9mm bullet shot straight towards the target, but it felt like it was piercing my own forehead. The sound scraped against my eardrums. The color drained from my face. Dimly, I heard someone laughing. "Look at Scarlett. She's scared stiff." "I don't get why she even came here. It's just humiliating." "Look at her. Can she even pull the trigger? She's probably going to burst into tears any second." The shots kept coming, each one a hammer blow to my frayed nerves. Seven-ring. Six-ring. Eight-ring... Finally, after twenty rounds, the torture ended. The range officer raised a red flag and ran over with the score. "One hundred and twenty-two." The onlookers whistled. "It was all Flynn," Stella said, beaming. "He was guiding my hand. I'll practice more, I won't let you down." Flynn smiled at her, then turned to me with a frown. "You should be more like Stella. If you can't do something, just admit it. This whole act is pathetic." My face was pale, but I took a deep breath and stepped up to the line with my own pistol. Behind me, I heard Stella's venomous whisper. "Flynn, keep an eye on her. We wouldn't want her to actually get hurt." He scoffed. "It would serve her right." I raised the gun. It felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. The crowd was getting restless. "Hurry up! If you're not going to shoot, get off the line!" I gritted my teeth, closed my eyes, and pulled the trigger. Bang. Miss. A wave of laughter rolled through the crowd. I didn't hear it. My blood had turned to ice. All that was left was the ringing in my ears. Bang, bang, bang... When I took off the headphones, my forehead was drenched in a cold sweat. The range officer hesitated. "Uh, Miss Thorne... your total is... four..." Flynn laughed out loud. "Scarlett, why don't you just give me that piece of land your family owns in the south district? I'll let you save some face." With what little was left of my composure, I shook my head. That was the last asset my family had. I couldn't. His face hardened. "You lost the first round. You dare to go for a second?" My face was ashen, but I lifted my chin and met his gaze. "Continue." Before the second round began, Flynn leaned casually against the shooting table, a smirk playing on his lips. "Scarlett, you can still back out. I'll even let you keep a little bit of your dignity." I didn't say anything, just silently inspected the gun in my hand. Stella fanned the flames. "Flynn, look at her, she's really putting on a show." He sneered. "A show? She's not even qualified to be an actress." Then, a slow, cruel smile spread across his face. "Stationary targets are so boring. Scarlett, let's play something a little more exciting." He clapped his hands, and a staff member came running. "Go get some apples." My stomach dropped. Stella's eyes lit up. "Flynn, are you going to do that thing? That's so cool! The last time I saw you do it, my heart almost leaped out of my chest!" Flynn's eyes were locked on me. "We'll put the apples on our heads. I'll shoot yours, you'll shoot mine. If you're too scared, you can surrender now. Get on your knees and apologize to me and Stella, and I might consider cutting the original bet in half." 3. The range erupted. "Holy shit! He's not messing around!" "That's our Flynn! That's a real man's game!" "Scarlett is done for. She's probably too scared to even stand up." "If her hand slips..." The whispers were like needles in my ears. An apple on my head. It meant I would once again be staring down the barrel of a gun. Not at a piece of paper, but at a living, breathing person. And worse, I would have to stand there and be his target. The bullet would whistle past my scalp, shattering the apple. Fragments of memory, accompanied by a splitting headache, assaulted me again. The metallic tang of blood filled my senses. My fingers curled into a fist, ice-cold. "What? Scared?" Flynn's voice was laced with undisguised mockery. "You were so tough a minute ago." Stella chimed in. "Scarlett, honey, this isn't a game. What if Flynn's hand slips... or what if you can't stand still... Tsk, tsk. Just give up. It's not embarrassing." All eyes were on me, waiting for the show. They wanted to see me break, to see me humiliate myself, to see me beg. This was his way of crushing what little was left of my pride. I took a deep breath. "Fine." Flynn raised an eyebrow. "Alright. You've got guts." A nervous staff member handed us each an apple. It felt cold and heavy in my hand. Flynn walked to the designated spot, his posture relaxed, almost lazy. "Let's see what you've got, Miss Thorne." My hand, the one holding the gun, began to tremble uncontrollably. Not out of fear of him, but from a deep, instinctual revulsion to aiming a weapon at another human being. I walked to my position and raised the gun. In my sights was Flynn's handsome, malicious face. The wind, my own breathing, the frantic drumming of my heart. Everything else faded away. But my hand was shaking too much. "Shoot!" "See, she's scared!" "Look at her hand, it's shaking like a leaf!" "I told you it was all an act!" The taunts rained down on me. I closed my eyes, trying to block them out. When I opened them again, I pulled the trigger. Bang! The shot went wide. The apple on Flynn's head remained untouched. He hadn't even blinked. He just stared at me. "Useless." "Your turn." He took the apple off his head and walked towards me, pointing to where he'd been standing. "Go on. Stand still." Like a puppet on a string, I walked over and placed the apple on my head. A playful smile touched Flynn's lips. He raised the gun with a smooth, practiced elegance. Time seemed to stretch. I could see his finger slowly tightening on the trigger. Bang— The bullet screamed past. I felt a slight jolt as the apple exploded, showering me with pulp and juice. I stood frozen, my heart stopped, a deafening ringing in my ears. A wave of applause and whistles broke the silence. "That was incredible!" "Perfect shot!" "Look at Scarlett, she's in shock!" I slowly opened my eyes. He was standing in front of me, looking down, and he reached out to wipe a piece of apple from my cheek. "Looks like I win again." "Scarlett, I suggest you just—" Before he could finish, I lifted my pale face and cut him off. "Best of five. There's one more round." Flynn froze. The whole range froze. His eyes darkened. "Scarlett, are you determined to see this through to the bitter end?" I wiped the sticky juice from my eyelashes, my voice surprisingly clear. "You're the one who set the rules. Best of five." He stared at me for a long moment, then let out a cold laugh. "Fine. Let's see how long you can last. Round three, moving targets." I looked him straight in the eye. "Flynn, if we're going to play, let's raise the stakes."
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "386743", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel