I’d just been dropped into the body of some poor bastard in a novel. The moment I opened my eyes, my fiancée was sliding a stock transfer agreement across the desk toward me. My head was still spinning, but a series of semi-transparent messages began scrolling across my vision, like comments on a livestream. 【Come on, sign it! You have to give her everything and then jump off a building. It's the only way she'll wake up and see the truth!】 【Finally! This is his most devoted moment!】 【Ahhh! I can't wait to see the female lead get her revenge on that toxic pretty boy! What are you waiting for, Adrian? Sign the papers!】 Reading these insane comments, I snatched the agreement and ripped it to shreds. Then I slapped my fiancée across the face. To hell with this tragedy porn. You want to sacrifice me for your character development? I’ll destroy you both first. 1 I’d transmigrated, and now I was the male lead in a story built on his death. The original guy, Adrian Holt, was the CEO of a major corporation. He’d fallen for the female lead, Charlotte Padel, at first sight. He plucked her from a junior position and groomed her, promoting her all the way to Vice President. Everyone in the company knew he was completely whipped—a doormat of epic proportions. Charlotte basically ran the whole show. But just one month before their wedding, she started an affair with a college intern, Leo. Ignoring Adrian’s objections, she fast-tracked the kid, making him her personal assistant. She embezzled company funds to buy him and her matching Patek Philippe watches and a six-figure sports car. When Leo got sick, she spent all night at his hospital bedside. This was a woman who’d never so much as made Adrian a cup of coffee, but for Leo, she was making him homemade soup and nursing him back to health. Once he recovered, Leo came to Adrian’s office to provoke him. Just before Charlotte walked in, he slapped himself and accused Adrian of hitting him. Charlotte flew into a rage and gave Adrian an ultimatum. One: Get on his knees and apologize to Leo. Two: Sign over all his company shares to her as a sign of his innocence. If he didn't pick one, the wedding was off. The original Adrian, too proud to apologize, chose the latter. Two months later, Charlotte and Leo held a lavish wedding. But the ceremony was crashed by Leo’s childhood sweetheart, who showed up pregnant. She pointed a finger at Charlotte’s nose and called her a homewrecker. Only then did Charlotte see Leo for who he really was. Only then did she realize that Adrian, the man who had given her everything, was the one who truly loved her. She fled the hotel in a panic, desperate to find him. But it was too late. A heartbroken Adrian had thrown himself from the roof of that very hotel. He landed right in front of her. Devastated, Charlotte snapped. She tortured Leo to death and then lost her mind completely. And that was the grand finale. As I was recalling the plot, the ghostly comments started floating past my eyes again. 【Finally! This is his most devoted moment!】 【Come on, sign it! You have to give her everything and then jump off a building. It's the only way she'll wake up and see the truth!】 【Exactly! If you don't make the ultimate sacrifice, how will she ever regret what she's done?】 【Ahhh! I can't wait to see the female lead get her revenge on that toxic pretty boy! What are you waiting for, Adrian? Sign the papers!】 【I'll bet you a dollar he signs. He's such a simp he'd die for her. What are a few shares compared to that?】 2 Seeing me zone out, Charlotte’s other assistant, a woman who always seemed to be hovering, cleared her throat and spoke with a frown. "Mr. Holt, I hope you don't mind me saying this, but you're not being fair." "Charlotte—Ms. Padel—is already exhausted from managing the company for you. So what if she's a little close to Leo? It's for work." "But you had to go and pick a fight with him, causing her even more stress. You should really reflect on your own behavior and be more considerate of her." She gestured at the torn papers on my desk. "You should have just signed the agreement. As an apology." Her voice softened into a cloying, patronizing tone. "Besides, you two are getting married soon. Does it really matter whose name the shares are under?" A humorless smile touched my lips as I stared her down. She started to fidget, a flicker of unease in her eyes, but she forced a smile. "Don't you agree, Mr. Holt?" The original Adrian really was a spineless wimp. As CEO and majority shareholder, he had one assistant. Charlotte, the VP, had two. And both of them felt entitled enough to lecture him? It was no wonder Charlotte treated him like dirt. The old Adrian might have tolerated it for her sake, but I sure as hell wouldn't. I beckoned to the assistant with one finger. She hesitated, then leaned in reluctantly, bending at the waist. I reached out and lightly patted her cheek. "Tell me," I said, my voice dangerously soft. "When did one of Charlotte's lapdogs get the right to bark at me?" The color drained from her face. "Mr. Holt, I... I overstepped. I'm sorry." She was trembling now. "Please, don't hold it against me. I'm just an assistant." Across the room, the intern, Leo, was still clutching his reddened cheek, fresh tears welling in his eyes. "Charlotte, you see? He's still like this! He denied hitting me, but look at his attitude!" Charlotte’s eyes, red-rimmed and blazing with fury, locked onto mine. "Adrian Holt, that's enough! How long are you going to keep this up?" She jabbed a finger at the shredded agreement. "Have I been too good to you? Is that it? You will sign a new agreement, or so help me, you can forget about me ever forgiving you!" I let out a short, sharp laugh. Then I took the two halves of the agreement, tore them into smaller and smaller pieces, and let them flutter to the floor like confetti. Then I slapped Charlotte across the face. "Charlotte," I snarled, my voice dripping with contempt. "You’re nothing but a toy I’ve grown tired of. Who the hell do you think you are, raising your voice at me?!" 3 Charlotte froze, completely stunned. She stared at me, her mind refusing to process what had just happened. Me? Hitting her? My office had glass walls. The blinds were wide open. Everyone in the open-plan workspace outside could see us. A sea of faces, mouths agape, turned to watch, their expressions a mixture of shock and disbelief. The spectral comments in my vision exploded. 【WTF!!!!】 【What is happening?! How could he do that?!】 【This isn't how the story goes! Where's the stock transfer?! Director, get out here and explain this!】 【What happened to my tragic romance? Is this the tragedy?!】 【If he doesn't lose everything, how will he jump off the building? How will she have her redemption arc??】 【Adrian! Get on your knees and beg for forgiveness, you idiot! You're just pushing her further away!】 【He hit her! How dare he? Isn't he afraid she'll stop loving him?】 【This is madness! The whole script is broken!】 Rage burned in Charlotte’s eyes. "Adrian Holt, are you insane?" she shrieked. "You... you actually hit me?!" She was furious, incandescent with rage. But when her eyes met my cold, indifferent gaze, a seed of panic took root. The Adrian she knew, the man who would do anything for her, was gone. This man was a stranger. An unsettling feeling, foreign and deeply uncomfortable, washed over her. She forced it down, reverting to her usual tactics. "Adrian, you will get on your knees and apologize to me right now. If you don't, I will never forgive you." "Apologize to my ass," I shot back. "I pulled you up from a nobody and made you a VP, and you repay me by keeping a pretty boy on the side?" "And now you want me to sign my company over to you? Where's your goddamn shame?!" I struck her again, this time on the other cheek. The blow was harder. She stumbled backward, landing on the floor in an undignified heap. The side of her face instantly began to swell and turn a blotchy red. Her expression darkened, her eyes filled with venom. "That's enough, Adrian! Leo and I are just friends! How dare you accuse me of something so vile!" She struggled to her feet, her voice rising to a shout. "I'm giving you one last chance. Get on your knees and apologize, or this is over. I swear it!" 4 I laughed in her face, then delivered two more sharp slaps. "You buy him matching watches, a six-figure sports car, and you're telling me you’re ‘just friends’?" "Do you think I'm a fucking idiot?!" 【The script is completely derailed! Adrian, snap out of it!】 【Holy crap! What kind of plot twist is this?!】 【My devoted, tragic hero! Did the writer have a stroke?】 【Adrian! Beg for her forgiveness! You're going to turn her love into hate!】 【This is just brute force! The female lead was deceived too, it's not her fault!】 【This feels more like a male power fantasy now...】 【Damn, those slaps were satisfying! Loud and clear! Hell yeah!】 The other assistant stood frozen by the wall, her eyes wide with terror. Charlotte's own gaze was flickering with panic now, her bravado crumbling. "I... I was just rewarding him for his hard work," she stammered. "Are you really going to throw a fit over something so small? What kind of man are you?!" Christ, even now, the bitch was still making excuses. My patience, already nonexistent, snapped. Leo, finally shaking off his shock, saw that I was about to move on Charlotte again. He scrambled to his feet and threw himself in front of her. "M-Mr. Holt, don't blame her! It's all my fault..." He put on his most pitiful face. "We just have a professional relationship, that's all. If you're angry, take it out on me." I looked down at him, my expression one of pure contempt. "Leo, you've got ambition. I'll give you that. And you're a little clever." A flash of disdain crossed Leo's face. So, the spineless wimp has turned into a brute? He didn't respect either version of me. "Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Holt. But my cleverness is nothing compared to yours." "Too bad for you," I said, a cruel smile spreading across my face, "you managed to piss off the one person you never should have. There's nothing I hate more than a two-faced, manipulative snake like you..." I punctuated the sentence with a brutal kick to his stomach. The force of it sent him doubling over, gasping, before he collapsed to his knees. My gaze was cold, dismissive. "But you're also an idiot. You were so desperate to climb the ladder, you never stopped to think about the price. Let's see if you can afford it." Pain contorted Leo's features, but what stung more was the utter contempt in my eyes. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand, his expression shifting back to one of tearful martyrdom. "Mr. Holt, I know you despise me. If you're not satisfied, you can hit me again. Just please... please don't be angry with Charlotte anymore." He was actually feeling smug. A beating today would earn him a deeper place in Charlotte's heart. It was a worthy trade. 5 "Is that so? Well, since you're asking so nicely, I won't hold back." A savage grin twisted my lips. I grabbed a fistful of his hair, yanking his head back, and slapped his pretty, porcelain-doll face three times. Smack. Smack. Smack. His cheeks puffed up instantly, but a crazed glint appeared in his eyes. He forced the words out through swollen lips. "Are you... satisfied now, Mr. Holt?" "We're just getting started." I kicked his legs out from under him. As he lay on the floor, I landed several more vicious kicks to his ribs and stomach. The entire office was watching, paralyzed. The old Adrian had been completely under Charlotte's thumb. Even though he was the boss, everyone looked down on the pathetic pushover. But this new, violent Adrian terrified them. Charlotte finally panicked. "Stop it!" she screamed. Hearing her cry out for him, Leo felt a surge of triumph, even as tears of pain streamed down his face. The beating was working. It was all worth it. But his triumph vanished as my foot connected with his side again. And again. I wasn't stopping. A tremor of real fear shot through him. "Charlotte, help me!" he wailed. Charlotte looked at the battered Leo, the concern on her face impossible to hide. She rushed forward and grabbed my arm. "Adrian, that's enough! Leo is a good person. How can you do this to him?" She glared at me. "You've gone too far!" "A good person?" I sneered. "Charlotte, are you blind? This little snake has been trying to usurp my position from day one. He knew we were getting married, but he still clung to you every second of the day. Is that your definition of 'good'?" I jabbed a finger toward the crumpled agreement. "And this little plan to get my shares... that was his idea, wasn't it?" Cornered, Charlotte threw all pretense to the wind. "So what if it was?" she yelled. "Instead of giving me what I deserve, you resort to violence! Leo was right all along! You just don't love me enough!" 6 I knew then that she was a lost cause. Sticking to my new philosophy—less talking, more doing—I slapped her again. "Love you? You were about to cheat on me and you still expect me to love you? Are you delusional?" Being hit repeatedly in front of the entire company finally made Charlotte snap. "ADRIAN HOLT!" she shrieked, her body trembling, her fists clenched. "You will get on your knees and apologize to me now!" "Or what? I'll call the police!" Her voice dripped with a bizarre mix of rage and condescension. "I know you're just jealous and trying to get my attention, but there's a limit! You assaulted both of us in public. If you don't beg for my forgiveness, I'll have no choice but to press charges and send you to jail!" She stared at me, her eyes boring into mine, searching for any sign of fear. She found none. I calmly walked over to my leather executive chair and sat down, regarding her with an amused expression. "Go ahead, Charlotte. Call them." My voice was casual, almost bored. "But before you do, let's settle our accounts, shall we? In the two years you've been VP, you've embezzled... what is it? Around a million dollars in company funds? If I were to sue you for that, how many years do you think you'd get?" The comments kept streaming. 【He's lost it! Adrian has completely lost his mind!】 【Not only is he violent, he's nickel-and-diming her?! This male lead is such a turn-off!】 【OMG! So what if she used a little of your money?! Men are supposed to provide for women!】 【He's just playing hard to get to grab her attention. Pfft, men.】 【He looks calm, but I bet he's panicking inside. I give it ten seconds before he's on his knees, begging.】 【Whoa, they really changed the script. Why do I find this new Adrian... kind of hot?】 I ignored them all. 7 The original Adrian had given Charlotte a black card with no limit. She'd refused it, claiming she wanted to make her own way in the world. He'd been so moved by her supposed integrity that he fell even harder for her. But once she had him wrapped around her finger, she started embezzling company funds for her lavish lifestyle. The original Adrian, blinded by love, had quietly covered all her tracks. She was the queen of having her cake and eating it too. My words hit her like a physical blow. Her face went ashen. "You're... you're lying!" she stammered, her voice trembling. "That never happened! You're slandering me!" Her eyes darted around the room, avoiding my gaze. Beads of sweat broke out on her forehead. I just smirked. "Am I? It's all in the records. Should I call the CFO down here to go over the books with you?" That did it. The last bit of color drained from her face. "Adrian, I'm your fiancée! So what if I used a little of your money? Why are you being so petty?" I looked at her as if she were an idiot. "Charlotte, I may be the majority shareholder, but I'm not the only shareholder. You embezzled from the company, harming the interests of everyone invested in it. You think that's a 'little thing'?" "It's just a million dollars! I'll... I'll pay you back, okay?" I chuckled. If she had a million dollars, she wouldn't have needed to steal it in the first place. "Fine. How would you like to make that payment, Ms. Padel?" She was stunned. She couldn't believe I wasn't giving her an out. "I'll even waive the interest," I added generously. "We'll call it a contribution toward your and Leo's medical bills." "Pay up, Charlotte. Don't tell me after all that big talk, you don't have the cash?" She couldn't understand how this had happened. She was supposed to be forcing me to give up my company. How did she end up being the one who owed money? She was completely cornered, but her pride wouldn't let her admit it. "I... I don't have it on me. Can I pay you back later?" From the open-plan office, a few snickers could be heard from employees who had long disliked her and Leo. Charlotte's face flushed with humiliation. She stalked over to Leo, snatched the watch from his wrist and the car keys from his hand. He looked reluctant, but she leaned in and whispered something in his ear. He begrudgingly complied. I could guess what she'd told him. He's just throwing a tantrum because we're close and I pushed him on the shares. Just play along. I'll smooth things over, and he'll go back to being my pathetic lapdog. He'll forget all about this. An empty promise to a naive kid fresh out of college. Sure enough, she walked back to my desk and placed the items on the polished wood. Her voice shifted into a sultry, cooing tone she reserved for manipulation. "Adrian, darling, I know you're just jealous. This watch and the car... they're worth at least three hundred thousand. I'll pay you back the rest slowly, I promise." She leaned closer. "Don't be angry anymore. I'll make it up to you tonight."
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