Chapter 4: Azure Sky Villa
1725 Words
Chapter 4: Azure Sky Villa
Damian stood motionless inside the National Museum.
The system notification was still hovering before his eyes.
[Congratulations Host]
[Reward: Azure Sky Villa]
Even after several minutes, he still found it difficult to believe.
A luxury villa.
One of the most expensive residential properties in the city.
And it belonged to him.
The poor college student who struggled to afford meals just a few days ago now owned a villa worth millions.
It sounded ridiculous.
Yet the property documents displayed by the system proved otherwise.
Beside him, Isabella tilted her head.
"Damian?"
"Huh?"
"You've been staring into space for almost five minutes."
Damian quickly snapped out of his daze.
"Sorry."
"Something good happened?"
A small smile appeared on Isabella's face.
Damian hesitated.
Should he tell her?
No.
The system was his greatest secret.
At least for now.
"Just... work-related."
Isabella raised an eyebrow.
"A student with work-related news that makes him smile like he won the lottery?"
Damian laughed awkwardly.
Before he could answer—
His phone suddenly rang.
Unknown number.
Damian frowned.
He rarely received calls from unknown numbers.
Curious, he answered.
"Hello?"
The voice on the other end sounded respectful.
"Good afternoon. Am I speaking to Mr. Damian Carter?"
Damian froze.
"Yes."
"Excellent."
"My name is Lee Harrison."
"Who?"
"I am the property manager of Azure Sky Villa."
Damian nearly dropped his phone.
"What?!"
Beside him, Isabella looked surprised by his reaction.
Mr. Lee continued.
"Sir, our records indicate that ownership of Azure Sky Villa was transferred to you approximately fifteen minutes ago."
Damian swallowed.
The system wasn't joking.
The villa was real.
"Sir?"
"Y-Yes."
"We would like to verify your identity and complete the handover process."
Damian's heart pounded.
"It really belongs to me?"
"Of course."
Mr. Lee sounded confused.
"All legal documents have already been processed."
Silence followed.
Even now, Damian found it difficult to believe.
"May I ask where you currently are, Sir?"
"The National Museum."
"Understood."
Mr. Lee's tone became even more respectful.
"My team and I are already nearby. We will arrive shortly."
The call ended.
Damian stood there in a daze.
Isabella immediately noticed.
"What happened?"
Damian opened his mouth.
Then closed it again.
How exactly was he supposed to explain this?
Fortunately, before he needed to answer, they arrived at another exhibit hall.
The museum displayed centuries-old artifacts.
Beautiful paintings.
Rare sculptures.
Ancient relics.
For the next twenty minutes, Damian tried to calm himself while walking alongside Isabella.
The atmosphere between them felt surprisingly comfortable.
Unlike Samantha, Isabella never looked down on him.
She never mocked him.
Never treated him as inferior.
The more time Damian spent with her, the more confused he became.
Why did she care about him?
Meanwhile...
Across the city.
Inside an expensive penthouse.
Tyler Dale sat lazily on a leather sofa.
Several friends surrounded him.
Music played softly in the background.
Everything reflected luxury.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated.
One of his trusted followers had sent him a message.
Tyler glanced at it casually.
Then his expression darkened.
The message contained a photograph.
In the picture, Damian and Isabella were walking together inside the National Museum.
Side by side.
Talking.
Smiling.
Tyler's grip tightened.
His eyes became cold.
One of his friends noticed.
"What's wrong?"
Tyler showed him the image.
The friend immediately frowned.
"Isn't that the guy from the alley?"
Tyler laughed coldly.
"Looks like he survived."
Another student smirked.
"That loser is lucky."
Tyler's gaze remained fixed on the photo.
"Not lucky enough."
The room suddenly became quiet.
Everyone understood what Tyler meant.
He hated being challenged.
Especially regarding Isabella.
The fact that Damian was spending time with her again infuriated him.
Tyler immediately made a call.
A rough voice answered.
"Boss."
"Go to the National Museum."
"What for?"
Tyler smiled coldly.
"Cause some problems."
The thug laughed.
"Understood."
"And remind Damian who he is."
The call ended.
Tyler leaned back against the sofa.
His eyes filled with disdain.
"I should've finished the job properly."
...
Back at the museum.
Damian and Isabella continued observing the exhibits.
Neither noticed several men entering through the main entrance.
Five men.
All wearing dark clothing.
All carrying arrogant expressions.
Their leader was Tyler's trusted follower.
A large man named Marcus.
The moment they entered, the atmosphere changed.
Several staff members immediately recognized them.
Their expressions became uneasy.
One employee whispered.
"It's Marcus."
Another employee paled.
"The Dale family's people."
Fear spread quickly.
The Dales were one of the city's most influential families.
They controlled businesses.
Politics.
Real estate.
Many people avoided conflict with them.
Including the museum management.
Marcus smirked.
"Nice place."
Without warning, one of his companions kicked over a display stand.
CRASH!
The sound echoed throughout the hall.
Visitors screamed.
Employees rushed over.
"Sir, please stop!"
Marcus laughed.
"Or what?"
Nobody answered.
Nobody dared.
The museum manager arrived moments later.
Sweat covered his forehead.
"Mr. Marcus."
"Please."
"There are visitors here."
Marcus grabbed a nearby decorative stand.
Then threw it across the room.
Another crash echoed.
The manager's face turned pale.
Yet he still didn't call security.
Because he knew security wouldn't help.
Not against people backed by the Dales.
Marcus looked around.
Eventually his eyes landed on Damian.
A cruel smile appeared.
"There he is."
Damian immediately recognized him.
One of Tyler's men.
The same group that attacked him.
Isabella frowned.
"What does Tyler want now?"
Marcus approached confidently.
Several visitors moved aside.
Nobody wanted trouble.
"Boss says hello."
Damian's expression became cold.
Marcus smirked.
"Didn't expect to see you alive."
Neither did Damian.
But thanks to the system, he wasn't the same person anymore.
Marcus stepped closer.
"You should've stayed hidden."
Isabella immediately moved forward.
"Leave."
Marcus laughed.
"And who are you to tell me what to do?"
The moment those words left his mouth—
Damian stepped forward.
The movement surprised everyone.
Including himself.
Marcus grinned.
"What?"
"You think you're brave now?"
Without warning, Marcus reached toward Damian.
The next moment—
Damian reacted instinctively.
His body moved.
Faster than expected.
He sidestepped.
Grabbed Marcus's wrist.
Twisted.
Marcus stumbled.
His eyes widened.
"So fast?"
Even Damian looked shocked.
The Body Vitality enhancement wasn't just improving his health.
It had enhanced his physical capabilities.
Marcus recovered quickly.
Anger appeared on his face.
"Get him!"
The other thugs rushed forward.
Visitors screamed.
Museum employees retreated.
Even Isabella looked worried.
Yet something strange happened.
For the first time in his life...
Damian wasn't afraid.
The world seemed slower.
Clearer.
His enhanced mind processed every movement.
Every step.
Every opening.
A thug lunged.
Damian avoided him.
Another charged.
Damian sidestepped.
The attacker collided with his teammate.
Chaos erupted.
Marcus roared angrily.
But no matter what they tried, Damian continued avoiding them.
Eventually, one thug slipped.
Another crashed into a display barrier.
A third lost his balance.
Within minutes, the group looked ridiculous.
Damian stood there breathing heavily.
Even he couldn't believe what had happened.
A week ago, these people could have beaten him easily.
Now?
They couldn't even touch him.
Marcus's face turned red.
The humiliation was unbearable.
Just then—
A convoy of luxury vehicles arrived outside the museum.
Several black sedans stopped near the entrance.
Visitors turned toward the commotion.
The doors opened.
More than ten professionally dressed individuals stepped out.
At their center stood a middle-aged man in an expensive suit.
Mr. Lee.
The property manager.
The moment he entered, his eyes quickly scanned the room.
Then he spotted Damian.
His expression immediately became respectful.
"Mr. Carter."
The entire museum froze.
Mr. Lee walked directly toward Damian.
Ignoring everyone else.
Including Marcus.
Including the museum manager.
"Sir."
"We apologize for the delay."
Damian nodded.
Still confused by the level of respect.
Mr. Lee noticed the damaged exhibits.
The frightened visitors.
The aggressive thugs.
His expression darkened.
"What happened?"
The museum manager immediately explained everything.
Including the disruption.
Including the threats.
Including the Dale connection.
Mr. Lee listened quietly.
Then he looked at Damian.
"Sir, would you like this handled?"
Damian glanced at Marcus.
The thug still looked arrogant.
As if nothing could happen to him.
After all, he had the Dales backing him.
Damian smiled slightly.
"Yes."
"I'd like it handled."
Mr. Lee nodded.
Then he turned toward his team.
His voice became cold.
"Contact the authorities."
"And notify our legal department."
Marcus laughed.
"You think we're afraid?"
Mr. Lee ignored him.
A few phone calls later, everything changed.
Apparently, Azure Sky Villa wasn't owned by an ordinary organization.
Its parent company was connected to some of the most powerful business groups in the region.
Far more influential than the Dales.
The realization hit Marcus immediately.
His confidence vanished.
"What?"
His expression turned pale.
"No."
"Wait."
But it was too late.
The authorities arrived.
Witness statements were collected.
Security footage was reviewed.
Property damage was documented.
The evidence was overwhelming.
Marcus and his group were taken away despite their protests.
As they were escorted out, Marcus stared at Damian in disbelief.
"You..."
His voice trembled.
"Who are you?"
Damian simply smiled.
He didn't answer.
Because honestly...
He didn't know either.
The old Damian Carter certainly couldn't have done this.
The poor student.
The victim.
The weakling.
That version of him was disappearing.
Slowly.
But surely.
After the authorities left, the museum manager approached Damian respectfully.
His attitude had completely changed.
"Thank you."
Damian shook his head.
"It wasn't me."
The manager smiled awkwardly.
Everyone knew otherwise.
Nearby, Isabella remained silent.
Her beautiful eyes remained fixed on Damian.
The entire day had felt unreal.
His appearance had improved.
His confidence had changed.
Powerful people treated him with respect.
And now he had somehow resolved a problem even the museum feared.
None of it made sense.
Yet it had happened.
As the crowd dispersed, Mr. Lee stepped forward again.
"Mr. Carter."
"Yes?"
"The villa is ready."
A respectful smile appeared on his face.
"Would you like to see your new home?"
Damian's heartbeat accelerated.
Azure Sky Villa.
His villa.
His first step toward a completely different life.
And judging by the system's silence...
This was only the beginning.
Far away, inside his penthouse, Tyler Dale would soon receive shocking news.
His men had failed.
And one of them was heading to jail.
For the first time in years—
Someone had challenged the Dales.
And that someone was the very person Tyler considered beneath him.
Damian Carter.
- Writer
