Daily Life of a Transmigrating Villain

Damien entered the café, scanning the room as the faint smell of fresh coffee and pastries filled the air.

Spotting Natasha seated by the window, he noticed the cold, piercing glare she shot his way as she sat stiffly in her chair, her arms crossed in front of her.

She looked ready to lash out the moment he got close enough.

He approached her table, the bouquet in his hand seeming out of place in the tense atmosphere.

Without hesitation, he sat down, meeting her gaze without flinching.

Natasha didn't waste time with pleasantries.

"Why did you call me here, Damien?" she asked, her voice sharp, barely contained fury simmering beneath her calm exterior.

Damien leaned back in his chair, his expression almost nonchalant. "I thought you'd want to hear more about the deal we discussed last night."

Natasha's eyes narrowed. "The deal? You said it was a fake one, didn't you?" Her tone was accusatory, but there was a flicker of curiosity behind her guarded anger.

"That's right," Damien said calmly. "I fed Ye Fan the wrong information about the government project, making him think the land was a prime investment. He's already moving to secure it, unaware that he's walking into a trap."

She stared at him, suspicion clouding her thoughts. "And what do you gain from telling me this? What's your angle, Damien?"

Damien's lips curled into a small smile. "I want your trust."

Natasha scoffed, folding her arms even tighter. "Trust? From you? I have a hard time believing that's all you want."

He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. "I need the help of the Ye Fan family," he said, his gaze locking with hers.

Her expression shifted slightly, confusion flickering across her face. "Why? What could possibly make you—"

"Because," Damien interrupted, his eyes darkening as he spoke, "my name is Damien Raphael."

The moment the words left his lips, Natasha froze, her eyes widening. The Raphael family? She had heard the name before—specifically, the infamous black sheep of the family. Damien Raphael was considered worthless, a man cast aside for his lack of accomplishments in a family renowned for their power and influence.

But looking at him now, the air of casual confidence, the calculating mind he had just displayed... He didn't seem like the weak heir she had heard about.

She quickly composed herself, masking her surprise. "Raphael?" she repeated cautiously, her mind racing to process this new revelation. "You're that Damien? The one everyone in your family wrote off as useless?"

Damien's expression didn't change, though his eyes gleamed slightly. "Appearances can be deceiving, Natasha. I've spent a long time playing the role I needed to play." Enjoy more content from mvl

Natasha leaned back in her chair, studying him carefully. Her anger hadn't faded, but now it was mixed with caution, curiosity, and a healthy dose of doubt.

"What exactly do you want from me, Damien?" she asked slowly. "If you're so connected, why would you need someone like me?"

Damien's smile widened slightly. "You're stuck, aren't you? At your current level. No matter how hard you've tried, you haven't been able to surpass Ye Fan. His talent, his strength... it overshadows you."

Her breath hitched, and she tensed visibly. He was right, but she hated admitting it. Her cousin Ye Fan had always outclassed her, not just in family matters but in cultivation as well.

No matter how much effort she put in, she was stuck at the Core Formation stage. She could never make the leap to Golden Core like him.

"How do you know that?" she demanded, her tone biting but laced with uncertainty.

Damien leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a near-whisper. "Because I can help you," he said. "I know exactly why you haven't been able to advance."

Natasha's heartbeat quickened, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Help me how? What do you know?"

"I know what's blocking you from forming your Golden Core," Damien said, his voice smooth, calculated. "And I have a way to remove that block."

She stared at him, torn between disbelief and a flicker of hope that she tried desperately to suppress.

She had heard countless promises of help before, all of them worthless.

But there was something about the way Damien spoke—calm, confident, as if he knew exactly what he was talking about.

"And what's in it for you?" she asked, her tone still guarded.

Damien's smirk didn't fade. "I told you, Natasha. I need your trust. Help me take down Ye Fan, and I'll help you surpass him in ways you never thought possible."

Natasha clenched her fists under the table, her mind spinning.

Could she really trust him?

"I am listening," Natasha inquired, prepared to hear him.

Damien leaned in closer, his voice barely above a whisper as he uttered the words that sent Natasha's heart racing with anger. "Dual cultivation."

Her eyes widened, and her fists clenched beneath the table.

She felt the surge of her internal energy building, instinctively preparing to lash out at him, but the crowded café restrained her.

She couldn't cause a scene here, not with so many eyes watching.

Her breath was shallow, controlled, as she narrowed her gaze at Damien, who sat so calmly as if he hadn't just suggested the most ridiculous thing.

"You're out of your mind," Natasha hissed, her voice low but seething with barely restrained fury. "You think I'd lower myself to something like that with you?"

Damien, unfazed by her response, kept his eyes locked on hers. "You want to surpass Ye Fan, don't you? You want to break free of the limitations holding you back. This is the way."

Natasha's mind spun.

It wasn't as though she hadn't heard of dual cultivation before—it was a well-known technique practiced in most of the cultivation families, a method for combining energy between two partners to accelerate their cultivation.

But the issue was that there wasn't anyone who knew exactly how to practice this technique.

It was a lost art, given that the present world had already cut off the path to ascension.

There weren't many techniques or even legacies left behind for them to get their hands on, other than what was passed down from ancestors.

She wasn't going to do this at all.

But yet… his words lingered.

She thought of Ye Fan, her arrogant cousin, and how no matter how hard she tried, she could never match his talent.

The way her father's gaze would always flicker to him, comparing them.

Natasha had spent years trying to prove herself, but she was stuck.

If Damien was telling the truth…

"What makes you think I'd trust you?" Natasha said coldly, though she wasn't quite able to hide the faint flicker of doubt creeping in.

"You could be lying, trying to manipulate me for your own gain."

Damien shrugged, still calm, still composed.

"If I wanted to manipulate you, I wouldn't need to suggest this.

I'd simply let Ye Fan keep rising, and you would be stuck where you are.

This is an opportunity, Natasha, one you can't afford to ignore."

She stared at him, her anger bubbling beneath the surface, but there was something else—something she hated to admit.

His offer, as insane as it sounded, was the first real option she'd had in years to break free of her limitations.

She could feel her internal energy swirling, her body torn between the deep resentment she felt toward him and the gnawing frustration of her own inadequacies.

"What if you're lying?" she muttered, her voice low as she stood abruptly, pushing her chair back. "What if this is just another one of your tricks?"

Damien rose from his seat as well, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp. "If I'm lying, you can kill me yourself. Wouldn't you enjoy that?"

Natasha's heart pounded as she considered his words.

Kill him?

She wasn't sure if that would solve anything, but she needed a solution, and this was her only chance.

She gritted her teeth, her decision already made as much as she hated to admit it.

"Fine," she snapped. "Let's see if you're telling the truth."