3
Hans caught up with me after I finished watching a movie.
He practically threw me into his car, his face a grim mask. “What have you been doing all day?”
I flashed the new diamond ring and bracelet on my hand. “Didn’t you get the text alerts? I’ve been shopping.”
“Right. Diana Vance, you’ve got some nerve!” he seethed, his face darkening even further.
I nodded in agreement. I certainly did. It takes nerve to burn through a million dollars in a single afternoon. And damn, did it feel better than completing some stupid mission.
I held the black card out to him. “Here.”
He didn’t take it.
I waved it again. “Just so you know, I plan on doing this every day for the foreseeable future.” The unspoken threat was clear: take it back, or prepare for an avalanche of transaction alerts.
But Hans remained motionless. “I’ll have the alerts turned off.”
That wasn’t really the point, was it?
Well, if he wasn’t taking it back, I was more than happy to keep using it. Spending someone else’s money is a uniquely thrilling experience.
Hans just kept staring at me, his dark eyes cold and intense. I straightened my spine, ready for a fight.
Putting aside his personality, Hans Thorne was undeniably gorgeous, easily on par with the novel’s hero. But to me, he was just an impossible test paper. And who falls in love with a test you can never, ever pass?
He was silent for so long my eyes started to burn from the staring contest.
“What are you looking at? Did you suddenly realize how devastatingly beautiful I am and fall head over heels?”
A muscle in Hans’s jaw twitched. “Are you possessed?”
“Possessed my ass!” I shot back, then spotted a lively street food market nearby. “Stop the car!”
2/5
09:08
Chapter 1
09.08
Hans got out with me. I picked a bustling barbecue joint and was about to sit when I noticed Hans’s gaze lock onto something, his eyes turning
to ice.
4
The world really isn’t fair.
A short distance away, the hero, Leo, had his arm wrapped around the heroine, Erica. They looked like a picture–perfect couple, basking in the glow of their love.
Then I looked at the villain beside me. His face was a thunderous mask of rage, looking like he was about to burn the whole world down.
I shrugged, casually twisting the knife in his heart. “Tsk, tsk. They look so perfect together, don’t they? A match made in heaven.”
Hans shot me a look that screamed, Shut your mouth.
I pressed on, relentless. “You know, Mr. Thorne, at this point, if you try to interfere, you’re not the other man. You’re the other woman.”
“Diana, would it kill you to be quiet?” Hans’s voice was laced with venom.
I smiled sweetly. “Hans, would it kill you to not be in love with Erica Meadows?”
A complex emotion flickered across his face. He stared at me but said nothing more.
I ignored him, happily devouring a massive amount of barbecue before we got back in the car. Just as I was about to close the door, a soft voice called out from behind us.
“Hans? Can we talk?”
5
It was the heroine, Erica.
She looked as gentle and lovely as ever, her eyes holding a heartbreaking vulnerability.
I waved a hand dismissively and stepped aside, making myself scarce. I bought a boba tea and squatted under a streetlight, waiting.
The System piped up, disgusted by my lack of ambition. “Host, you can’t just give up! We have to get back in the game!”
“Oh, System, just let it go,” I sighed. “The sky is gonna rain, my mom’s gonna get married, and the villain is hopelessly in love with the heroine. What can I do?”
A shadow fell over me. I looked up.
Hans was standing there, his tall frame silhouetted against the light, his handsome features cast in sharp, unforgiving lines.
“You two done?” I asked, slowly getting to my feet. My legs had gone numb.
Hans grunted a soft, “Yeah.”
Seeing him like that, I knew. Another rejection. For the Nth time.
A rare wave of pity washed over me. I patted his shoulder. “You know, sometimes in life, you just have to learn to let go. It makes sense she didn’t choose you. I mean, who would choose a guy who’s blind?”
Hans’s mouth twitched. He roughly pulled me into the car. “Who are you calling blind?”
I rolled my eyes. “You, obviously. You have a woman this beautiful, this graceful, this perfect, and you don’t even see her. If that’s not blind,
what is?”
Systern: “Ping! Villain’s affection level has increased by 5.”
Me: “…”
Son of a bitch. He really is a masochist.
6
Hans really must have gone blind.
3/5
09:08
Chapter 1
09.08
He was scrutinizing me, his gaze intense, as if trying to see straight through to my soul.
I paid him no mind. As soon as we got back to the mansion, I started packing.
The System was practically vibrating with excitement. “Host, I get it now! This is reverse psychology! You’re pulling back to draw him in!”
Reverse psychology my ass. I was genuinely done.
To solidify my new, checked–out lifestyle, I moved out of Hans’s mansion. A million dollars doesn’t last forever, but it’s more than enough to buy a nice condo.
Once I was settled in my fabulous new home, I sent a text to my best partner–in–crime in this world.
“Got any cute boy toys? Send a few my way.”
Her reply came instantly: “Diana, are you possessed?”
“Possessed my ass. I’ve turned over a new leaf. Can’t a girl start fresh?”
She was ecstatic. “Yes! Yes, you can! Welcome to the bad girls‘ club!”
She was fast. Within minutes, she’d sent me profiles for three different guys. I added them all. With my lightning–fast texting skills, juggling three conversations at once was a piece of cake.
That evening, Hans finally noticed I was gone. His call came through.
“Where are you?” His voice on the other end was as clipped and cold as ever.
I was in the middle of a DIY manicure, one hand elegantly poised. “I moved out,” I replied cheerfully.
There was a two–second pause. “Diana, what the hell are you playing at?”
I smiled. “I already told you. We go our separate ways.”
“Fine. Do whatever you want.”
He hung up.
I admired my freshly painted nails and blew on them gently. To be honest, even though Hans eventually became the ultimate villain who destr- oyed the hero and took over half the corporate world, he had never treated me, his fiancée, poorly. Maybe it was guilt, maybe something else.
The next day, Hans showed up at Erica’s place, a pink gift box in hand.
And how did I know this with such certainty?
Because the condo I’d just bought was right next door to the heroine’s.
7
I found the perfect vantage point.
