Earn My Trust

Chapter 2 - Time for a Different Approach

Revenge is a dish best served cold, so it was a good thing Ethan's heart had turned to ice. It just so happened that he was about to serve the coldest dish of revenge he'd done in the past seven years!
"What did I ever do to you?!" His twenty ninth victim, Tilly, shrieked.
She was trembling, hugging her arms across herself and tearfully glaring at the waiting waitress and fellow diners in the expensive restaurant that was watching with growing interest.
On the white table cloth between them sat their now empty plates, half drunk wine glasses and the bill.
You wouldn't recognise Ethan when he was completing his secret missions.
He had a blonde, surfer style wig on, hiding his usually slicked back dark brown hair, a prosthetic nose tip that was slightly rounder than his own, and fake ear cuffs, which made his ears stick out more. His own teeth were perfectly straight and well looked after, so he had gotten false teeth for the top set, making them larger with yellow staining on them. He got the idea after watching Mrs Doubtfire and loved it so much that he named his alter ego Robin.
His transformation to 'Robin' was subtle, quick, and easy, but it was perfectly effective at fooling the stupid tarts.
'Robin' struggled to hold back his sneer as he folded his arms and leaned back in his dining chair, thoroughly enjoying watching Tillys once over confident, slutty attitude crumble.
Tilly had been all too eager to fast forward their 'relationship'. Sleeping with him on the first date when she saw how much he spent on her, mentioned kids on day three, physically dragged him to Thompson Holidays to plan an extravagent, romantic getaway for the two of them in the second week. She had taken to dropping countless, less than subtle hints whenever they passed the Jaguar car dealership. He'd caught her browsing huge mansions on RightMove in week three. Let alone the shopping trips she had demanded every time they met up.
She had been relentless.
He had managed to unlock her phone and document the conversations she'd had with the girlfriends on week four. How she had called him a chump and a sucker. Oh, if only she knew the truth...
Tonight, she was wearing the perfect outfit for the special occasion. A deep V, silky red top that did nothing to hide her over spilling cleavage, with high waist, stretchy trousers that hugged her perky bum and gave her the perfect silhouette. She had her platinum blonde hair in a half up, half down style, makeup heavily applied in a seductive, smokey black style and eyelashes that could easily be mistaken for a caterpillar. Her lips matched her top, and, at the start of the 'mission', she looked perfect.
Now, she had mascara running down her cheeks, her lipstick was smeared over her chin, and the thick layer of foundation had been wiped away underneath her nose, revealing her pale, spotty, natural skin underneath. She was in a right state, and he'd only just begun.
"Tilly..." he began softly yet still loud enough for their audience to hear, pretending to sigh heavily. "This isn't working. Every time we meet up, you're almost rinsing my bank account clean!"
This was true, but also a lie. He had barely even scratched the surface of his fortune, but she didn't need to know how rich he really was. He was 'Robin' right now, and his funds weren't as large as his own.
"You insist on eating in places like this! I can't afford to pay for this! It's not like you're putting your hand in your pocket to help!"
"I don't work!" She screeched defensively.
His smirk threatened to surface again. He struggled to keep it hidden while his cold eyes saw right through her.
"Exactly! You expect me to pay for everything while you do nothing to contribute financially, and you want us to move in together?!"
The waitress sucked in a grimacing breath through her teeth, earning a glare from Tilly and an amused glance from Ethan. She cleared her throat.
"I'll come back later..." she lamely excused herself, her cheeks heating up as she turned away and made her way towards the bar.
Ethan noticed, with ever growing satisfaction, that the restaurant had gone completely silent. There was no sound of conversation, no sound of cutlery scraping plates.
They had centre stage, just like he had planned. He had waited three months for this moment and he was going to enjoy every single second of it!
Tillys eyes widened at his accusation and immediately opened her mouth to bite back, but Ethan cut across her.
"Whenever I have asked you to help, you've conveniently left your purse at home or promised to pay me back! I'm still waiting, Tilly! You owe me nearly ten grand now!"
The gasps around the room gave Ethan goosebumps, but he continued without missing a beat.
"Six of that is for the holiday to Rome! I don't have any money left now! My savings are completely gone, I'm having to pick up extra hours at work..."
He allowed himself to rant his well rehearsed lies, closely watching their audiences expressions of disgust toward Tilly and sympathy towards him from the corner of his eye as he bowed his head in fake dismay. His heart leapt for joy when he noticed a couple of people were trying to discreetly film their argument.
Tilly stayed silent for a moment. She had noticed the attention they were getting too and was contemplating her next move.
"Well... you see... the thing is..."
"You forgot my birthday too." He sniffed, pretending to wipe his nose so he could hide his smirk. He really did enjoy laying it on thick while watching them squirm. "Where were you that day? Everyone was asking for you?"
The truth here was this had been a fictitious party. He knew she wouldn't turn up when he invited her, she came up with the same excuse he'd heard time and time again. She had plans to go out with her own family on that day.
He could read her like a book because, just like his website stated, he had uncovered the truth behind womens actions. He had done it to every single one of the twenty-eight victims before her.
"I told you! I had a family get-together. I couldn't cancel!"
"So did I when you had yours, but I still made it!" He now shouted, launching to his feet and making her shrink back in her seat.
"What a bitch!" He heard a woman stage whisper behind him making him struggle to hold his smirk back even more.
"Just admit it, Tilly! You don't love me! You only love money!" He snarled, glaring at her with such venom he saw her visibly gulp. "You can pay the bill! I'm done here!"
He threw his napkin on the table and marched out of the restaurant into the dimly lit, chilly london street, leaving behind a tension so thick that you could cut through it with a knife.
He swiftly crossed the road and sat on the bench opposite the venue, making sure no one was watching when he pulled off the wig and other prosthetics before settling back to watch the show. He made sure to take his phone out and film the outcome, zooming in just enough to hide the restaurants name.
He watched Tilly remain in her seat, frozen to the spot, while the waitress came back to the table holding a card machine and an evil sneer on her face.
It always made it more satisfying when women ganged up on his victims after he'd played his part. He drank in the victory that every single person in the room was focusing on Tilly, likely expecting her credit card to bounce.
He felt no empathy for these tramps. They deserved everything that he gave them at the end. It was the start of the missions that he loathed the most.
Splashing out so much money on those who didn't deserve anything. Watching their eyes light up as they realised their plan was working. Then again, the harder they fell for the trap, the better the results, and this was fast becoming his favourite.
He grinned wickedly as he witnessed Tilly shakily lean down to get her bag, but he couldn't have expected what happened next.
Her surgically enhanced twins toppled out of her seductive top, broadcasting them to the world.
He threw his head back and laughed out loud as her embarrassment increased tenfold.
Oh, this was brilliant! What a result! And he got it on camera!!
She cried out, frantically dropping her bag to cover herself, ending up falling out of her chair. She was sprawled on the floor, sobbing her heart out while the other diners sniggered into their plates or beverages. The waitress bit back her laughter, desperately trying to remain professional in an attempt to keep her job.
He chuckled and wiped the tears from his eyes, sighing in victory and stopping the recording.
Slapping his knees, he rose to his feet and took a last look at Tilly's humiliation before leaving her to it, whistling happily as he left.
The next morning, he sat in his office and uploaded the video to his website, and sat back to wait for the comments. He didn't have to wait long.