My moral compass is so straight, it’s bent back on itself. So, of course, I got bound to a “Be a Mom to the Villain” System. First time I was dropped into a story, the System made me a stepmom. My mission: use love to redeem the world-destroying villain and heal his childhood trauma. Faced with the weak, eight-year-old villain, I didn't hesitate. I sent him to meet his maker. Before I could even wipe the blood off my hands, the kind-hearted, eight-year-old heroine ran up to accuse me. Knowing she’d one day sacrifice her entire village to save some man, I sent her on her way to the afterlife, too. Just as I was about to go after the so-called hero—the one who spouted righteousness while plaguing the common folk—the System shrieked and threw me into a romance novel. [This time, you’re the villain’s birth mother. Let’s see you lay a hand on him now.] [You cannot kill the villain, or you will be erased!] The moment the System finished speaking, I kicked the villain’s father straight into the ocean. If I can’t kill the villain, I’ll just kill his dad. As long as it saves people, I’m fine with dying. 1 Arthur Vance was screaming for help in the ocean. The System was screaming in my head. [Jocelyn, are you insane?! Your mission is to redeem the villain, so what the hell are you doing throwing his father into the sea?] I crossed my arms, my logic sound. “I’ve done my research. The reason Ethan turns evil is because of a traumatic childhood, and his father is the source of all his misery. Once his dad is gone, all the problems solve themselves.” [Solves my ass!] the System swore, losing its composure. [If Arthur is gone, his mistress is still around, and she’s pregnant! With her schemes, she’ll get her hands on Arthur’s entire estate, kick you and Ethan out, and then hire people to torture you both. It would be child’s play for her!] Oh? The mistress was that capable? Seeing the murderous glint in my eyes, the System let out a high-pitched screech. [Jocelyn, don’t you dare! This world has laws! If you kill someone, you’ll go to prison. Ethan will be bullied even more severely, and he’ll turn out even worse!] My eyes widened. “This world has laws? Why didn’t you say so sooner? You’re slowing me down.” With that, I dove into the water. Before the System could even praise my sudden enlightenment, it saw me pull a knife from my pocket and slash it across Arthur’s arm twice. Blood instantly bloomed in the water, staining the surface crimson. It didn’t take long for the scent to attract sharks. By the time the System rebooted, the sharks had picked Arthur clean, leaving only his head. The System went berserk. [How could you kill again—] “Watch your mouth. I didn’t kill anyone,” I interrupted. “Arthur asked me here to discuss our divorce. I refused, so he tried to push me into the ocean. He lost his footing and fell in himself. I tried to save him, but he accidentally bumped into the knife he was carrying in his pocket, and then the sharks came.” I wasn’t just telling this to the System. I told it to the police, too. Except when I told the police, I was crying my eyes out. “Officer, does this make me a murderer? Am I going to jail?” Arthur was a classic social climber. He clawed his way out of poverty, married the original Jocelyn—a wealthy heiress—and then took over her family’s company. He devoured their fortune, drove her parents to an early grave, and found himself a mistress. For this mistress, Arthur kicked his own wife and child out of their home. This drove the original Jocelyn into a deep depression, and she would take her frustrations out on Ethan. Arthur, egged on by his mistress, ignored Ethan’s plight completely. The mistress then hired people to bully Ethan both in and out of school. Under this triple threat of pressure, Ethan’s transformation into a villain was guaranteed. The System’s goal for me was to be a good mother to him. To shower him with endless maternal love while he suffered. But in my opinion, nothing heals the soul quite like cold, hard cash. Arthur was a well-known entrepreneur, and his sordid affairs were common knowledge. The police were already sympathetic to my situation. After reviewing the security footage, they confirmed that Arthur had indeed fallen into the water during our argument. His death was officially ruled an accident. And so, with a freshly printed death certificate in hand, I went home. The moment I pushed open the door, I heard the sharp sound of a slap. “You little bastard, how dare you talk back to me!” I looked up. Arthur’s mistress, Serena Lynn, was standing there, heavily pregnant, hitting Ethan. “Get on your knees,” she snarled. Just as Ethan, his eyes red with familiar tears, was about to kneel, I stepped forward and blocked his arm. Then, I swung my hand and delivered a hard slap across Serena’s face. Both Ethan and Serena stared at me, their eyes wide with disbelief. “Jocelyn, how dare you hit me!” Serena shrieked, recovering and lunging for my face. “Mom.” Ethan instinctively tried to step in front of me. I quickly pulled him behind me. Serena’s slap met only air. I raised my hand and slapped her again, back and forth, several times. Her voice grew louder. “Jocelyn, you must have a death wish! I’m calling Arthur right now. He won’t let you get away with this!” Seeing her like this, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t bother. Arthur’s dead.” 2 Serena froze for a few seconds. “What nonsense are you talking about? Arthur was fine this morning. If he knew you were cursing him like this, he’d be furious. You two would be in for it!” She frantically dialed Arthur’s number several times. When none of the calls went through, a flicker of panic crossed her face. “Really, don’t bother,” I repeated, offering my sincere advice. “He’s really dead.” Serena refused to believe it. “Impossible. Jocelyn, you and Arthur aren’t even divorced yet. What good does it do you to curse him?” I rolled my eyes, pulled Arthur’s death certificate from my bag, and tossed it at her. “If you don’t believe me, take a look at this.” Serena’s face turned ashen in an instant. “He… he’s really dead? What about the body?” “Eaten by sharks.” I shrugged helplessly. “Serena, I don’t know why you insisted he discuss the divorce with me at the beach. The man can’t swim. He fell in, wouldn’t wait for rescue, and, well, the sharks picked him clean.” Serena stood as if turned to stone, forgetting to breathe. A few minutes later, she made a break for the door. “You’re lying. This can’t be real. I’m going to find Arthur.” She didn’t get far before her eyes rolled back and she collapsed. “Ms. Lynn fainted from the shock,” the doctor explained. “The baby is fine. She just needs a couple of days of rest.” I let out a long sigh. Everyone assumed it was a sigh of relief that the baby was safe. Only the System knew the truth. [You’re disappointed, aren’t you? That neither of them was harmed.] I ignored it. I was busy. Arthur was dead, and he hadn’t left a will. This massive estate was waiting for me and Ethan to inherit. So I called in Arthur’s lawyer and financial advisor and had them compile a summary of his assets. I had no idea until then just how rich he was. Hundreds of properties in his name, a dozen safe deposit boxes. I was still counting the zeroes when I noticed something odd. “What’s the deal with these properties?” The lawyer glanced at the file. “Mr. Vance was in the process of transferring those properties to Ms. Lynn. The paperwork is still being processed.” “What?” I shrieked. “On what grounds does Arthur give my property to someone else?” The lawyer offered an awkward smile. I suddenly remembered the System mentioning that this world had laws. “Halt the transfer immediately.” I slammed the papers on the table. “And everything else Arthur gave to Serena Lynn, you have records of that, right? That’s all community property. As the legal wife, I’m suing her!” True to their elite status, the two of them had a complete list of Arthur’s expenditures on Serena within two hours. In just two years, Arthur had given Serena over a dozen properties. He gave her fifty thousand dollars a month in pocket money, and after she became pregnant, he moved her into the old family estate that the original Jocelyn’s parents had left her. He even made Serena the household manager. While Serena lived in luxury, she stipulated that the original Jocelyn and Ethan’s combined monthly expenses could not exceed five hundred dollars. Ethan lived in a mansion and rode in luxury cars, yet he couldn’t afford to eat. He would go hungry at school all day long. The thought made my blood boil. That bitch deserved to die. Since I couldn’t kill her, I would make her suffer everything Ethan had endured. 3 The lawyer informed me that suing Serena to reclaim the assets would be a lengthy process and suggested I try negotiating with her first. Armed with the list, I stormed into Serena’s hospital room and demanded she return the money and property. Serena, who had been weeping dramatically over Arthur’s death, instantly stopped crying. “What are you talking about? Arthur gave me these things willingly.” I stared at her coldly. “He may have been willing, but I wasn’t. Ms. Lynn, what he gave you was our community property. I have the legal right to reclaim it. If you don’t return it, I will sue you.” “Jocelyn, you’re a bully!” Serena started crying again. “I’m carrying Arthur’s child! If he were still alive, he would never let you treat us this way!” “Yes, it’s a shame…” I drew out the words. “He’s dead! He can’t protect you now. You deserve to be bullied by me.” At this point, I was done wasting my breath on her. I turned to leave, but paused at the door to issue a final warning. “You have three days. Give it all back. Otherwise, I’ll leak your entire sordid history online.” Serena had started out as an escort, climbing her way up after seducing Arthur at a party. After becoming his mistress, she wasn’t content to be a kept woman. She used his resources to start a social media company and became an influencer. Her online persona was that of a single, wealthy, independent mother, building a legion of loyal fans with her “empowered single mom by choice” brand. People had tried to expose her past before, but Arthur had always paid to have the stories buried. The original Jocelyn, being a proper lady, was too proud to let the world know about her failed marriage. So Serena had thrived. Perhaps my threat worked. The next day, Serena returned all the properties and money. Looking at it all, I couldn’t stop grinning. I knocked on Ethan’s door. “Come on, son. Mom’s treating. Let’s go get a feast.” Not only did I treat Ethan to a lavish meal, but I also bought him a whole new wardrobe. Throughout it all, though, he was quiet and withdrawn. When I asked, he admitted he was sad that his father was dead. I couldn’t help but marvel. He may be a future villain, but before his corruption, he was a genuinely kind boy. I felt compelled to comfort him by explaining that his father was the kind of man whose death was— A blessing. He should have died long ago. His death now was long overdue. The System started screaming in my head. [Stop, stop, stop! What kind of parenting is this? He’s already prone to turning evil. If you keep provoking him, you’ll just make it worse!] “Wrong,” I replied calmly in my mind. “Ethan’s twisted psyche is a direct result of having too much of a moral compass. He internalizes all his pain while his resentment builds. Teaching him to be a little more selfish, to lower his moral standards, that is true redemption.” Just then, Ethan asked softly, “What will happen to Aunt Serena and the baby in her belly?” I immediately turned to the System. “See? He’s still worrying about others. A classic sign of an overactive conscience.” Then I looked at Ethan. “That is not your brother. You don’t need to worry about strangers.” Ethan hesitated, then finally said, “Mom, Aunt Serena is going to make trouble for you.” “I’m counting on it,” I smiled, preparing him. “Ethan, for a mistress like Serena, whatever happens to her from now on, she deserves it.” Two days later, Ethan’s words came true. A court summons arrived in the mail.
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