Operation: Tame Her

1. THE GUCCI KING

The Imperial University was a prestigious business school built for the richest people in the world, catering to both nouveau riche and vieux riche. Its aim was to mold the next generation of modern aristocrats in the field of business.

She walked across the marble corridors of the Imperial University, not minding the heads turning towards her direction and the rather loud murmurs judging her. In her two weeks as a second-year student at the brat-filled college, she had already gotten used to the god-forsaken students who pretended to have manners.

"Get your disgusting hands off me!" a guy shrieked at the girl who was trying to wipe the coffee off his expensive black coat.

Venus Jung stopped her tracks and turned her attention to the commotion. The boy pushed the girl off, causing her to stumble on the floor before he fished a grey handkerchief from his pocket and sophisticatedly wiped the stain off. His thick eyebrows were knitted together, framing his blazing eyes.

The female student apologized in a trembling tone while blinking her tears back. "I-I'm really sorry, Azra--"

"What makes you think you can call me by my name?" He gracefully took his coat off, whimpering at the small stain of coffee near a gold Gucci pin. "It's ruined," he grunted in annoyance.

"---Z," she corrected as she struggled to stand up with shaky legs. "I-I'll just buy you a new coat, I--"

"Why would you buy me something? Are you richer than me?" he raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes at her. Azrael Kim, the declared successor to Kim's business empire. He was not just another vieux riche. He held the reputation of an old-money family that had been at the top of the pyramid for decades. In other words, at the Imperial University where rich heirs and heiresses attend, Azrael was one of the seven people at the peak of the hierarchal pyramid. He was so highly valued that there was even an unwritten rule that he was not to be called by his given name without his consent. People who were not in his inner circle should only call him Z.

Other students snorted at the girl, some even threw a few insults.

"Who does she think she is?"

"Is she too stupid to not know he's Azrael Kim, the successor of the largest business empire in the world?"

"Buying him something better than what he already has? She's so arrogant!"

Venus's eyebrow moved up at his plain stupid notion. 'I mean, why would buying something for someone indicate that they have more money? Make it sense!' she ranted in her head with a snort, noting that she was the only rational creature present.

"T-then, what can I do to apologize?" she pleaded, looking desperate.

"Well, you poured coffee on my coat," he pouted like an innocent prince, and then an evil smirk crept on his face. "So, why don't you pour the rest of your coffee on your head?" His smile became friendlier, showing his teeth with his lips forming a rectangular box. "Seems fair to me," he shrugged.

The girl gulped in fear, her hand holding a cup was evidently shaking. It was already humiliating enough that she made a mistake, but pouring coffee over herself was just too much humiliation she could handle. She'd rather transfer to the States! Still, would she even have the chance to transfer if she defied him? He'd probably ruin her enough for her not to be accepted by other schools!

People smiled darkly at her, some even went as far as laughing while encouraging her.

"I mean, an eye for an eye!"

"He's just being fair."

"He's being merciful, in my opinion."

"Maybe Z's in a good mood today. That's why he's being kind."

Venus's face darkened. Her blood boiled at the scene as she took her steps towards them. 'Kind? What kind of bs is that?' She could have let the nonsense slide, but how could she? How could she just let an innocent person be bullied and the crowd gaslight her like that? 'The entitlement of these rich bastards is honestly disgusting!' she thought.

Before the girl's wrists could even bend at a dangerous angle, Venus stopped her by her arm.

"Excuse me, but can I have this instead?" she politely spoke, making everyone turn their eyes at her in shock.

The girl just stared at her in confusion, Venus took that chance to snatch the cup from her hand. The student nervously stared at her tearfully, her hands still shaking.

"Thank you!" Venus Jung nonchalantly said with her sweetest smile before sipping the warm coffee.

Gasps echoed in every space after that, followed by noisy murmurs. At first sight, people may think she was that Oh-so-pure type of girl with her brown curly hair tied in a messy bun that made her face more angelic than it already was. The violin case hanging on her shoulders also gave off that vibe of a meek and modest lady. Well, cliched as it may sound, 'don't judge the book by its cover'.

"You... You really shouldn't," the girl mumbled in full concern. She might not know who the kind lady was, but she was both grateful that somebody actually stood up for her and scared that she would take the fall with her. Not only was she up against one of the most influential people in the Imperial University, but she was also against the successor of the biggest business empire in the world.

Of course, Venus knew what she meant, yet she smiled at her assuringly. "I got this," she winked. It meant that she was also in trouble since she just decided to oppose the Oh-so-famous Gucci King, Azrael Kim. She almost rolled her eyes at the thought of the moronic title, not to add, he was also one of the Imperial's Seven Monarchs.

Monarchs, my ass! Venus sassed in her head, almost letting her nose bridge wrinkle in response.

"Excuse me," uttered a deep voice in a rather sarcastic tone, "we're in the middle of something here and you're interrupting."

She really didn't like to be the center of attention, nor did she want to be in trouble with the vieux riche heir--- but she knew there was no backing out now. She turned to the notorious boy.

Perhaps all her plans to have a low profile until she graduated were all ruined now, thanks to her tender heart and brave mouth. She could only hope she'd be able to tame her tongue enough to not drag her family into the situation. Or at least, she hoped he wasn't that petty to take a child's play into business matters.

"Oh, sorry! I almost forgot you were there!" Venus mocked back with her brightest smile, knowing it was the most irritating thing in the universe.

'Ah, shoot!' she thought when she realized her emotions got the worst of her. 'My tongue messed up!'