At my own engagement party, the wide-eyed heroine whispered to her System. "If I splash wine on the male lead, won't he just throw me out?" The System's voice was chipper and confident. "Relax. You're the main character. So what if he's engaged? Even if he were married, he'd fall so head-over-heels for you he wouldn't know what hit him." This was my engagement party. The man I had carefully chosen as my fiancé, Bernard Croft, was the so-called "male lead" she was talking about? That was impossible. Bernard was the heir to a dynasty, schooled for over twenty years in the art of putting profits before anything else. He would never toss aside a multi-billion dollar merger for some doe-eyed ingenue. Unless, of course, he'd completely lost his mind. It wasn't until my family's corporation teetered on the brink of bankruptcy that I finally understood. The plot they were weaving wasn't about love—it was about forcing the male lead to abandon me for the sake of his bottom line. 01 My engagement to Bernard was a strategic alliance, a merger of two corporate titans destined to send both our stock prices soaring. But here, at our engagement party, I was eavesdropping on a conversation between a waitress and her invisible System. The waitress, an innocent-looking girl, was psyching herself up to "accidentally" spill her drink on Bernard to get his attention. The System's voice echoed in my mind. "You're the heroine! You'll have him wrapped around your finger. Go on, be bold! Aim for the suit! Ruin his engagement party!" I glanced at Bernard beside me. He was breathtaking in a pristine, custom-tailored white suit with a seven-figure price tag. The thought of that masterpiece being ruined by cheap wine made my own wallet ache. Bernard noticed my stare and leaned in, his voice a low murmur. "What is it?" "Nothing," I said, trying to sound casual. "Just wondering... would you ever call off our wedding for another woman?" A smirk played on his lips as he tapped his temple. "Sophia, darling, have you been reading too many romance novels? Lost your mind? Marrying you is like acquiring a billion-dollar asset. What reason would I have to throw away a billion dollars?" His logic was so sound it made me feel foolish. I wouldn't have believed it either, if I hadn't heard the waitress and her System with my own two ears. My eyes kept drifting back to her, following her every move. Bernard squeezed my hand, a silent warning. He leaned closer, his breath warm against my ear. "We're about to be married and you're already distracted? Thinking about some other guy?" I shot back, "Not another guy. But I have a feeling your past might be about to catch up with you." He scoffed. "Hardly." The next second, it happened. The waitress stumbled, and a cascade of crimson wine arced through the air, drenching the front of Bernard's immaculate white suit. 02 "Are you insane?! What the hell was that?" Bernard's voice was ice. The polite, gentlemanly mask he wore for the public cracked, revealing the fury simmering beneath. I'd known him since we were kids; I knew this was him on the verge of exploding. The waitress, this Lily, looked like a startled rabbit. "I-I'm so, so sorry..." she stammered, tears welling in her eyes as she fumbled with a napkin, trying to dab at the stain. The hotel manager rushed over, his face pale. "Lily, what is wrong with you? You're supposed to be in the back with the catering staff! What are you doing out here?" Lily sobbed, her voice thick with manufactured innocence. "I just wanted to pour Mr. Croft a glass of wine." It was a convincing performance, a simple, tragic mistake. Normally, I would have smoothed things over, eager to keep our engagement party running without a hitch. But tonight, I was intensely curious. How was Bernard going to handle this? His eyes were cold, his jaw tight as he deliberately looked away from Lily. "My assistant will send you the bill for the suit. You will pay for it, or I'll sue. Consider yourself lucky I'm in a good mood today." With that, he grabbed my hand and turned on his heel, not giving Lily a single backward glance. His movements were clipped, almost unnaturally fast. "What a disaster," he muttered as we walked away. "Sophia, that suit was one of a kind! Ruined by some clumsy waitress... it's completely soaked. Thank God I had the foresight to bring a backup." He stalked towards the changing rooms, leaving the manager to tear into the still-sobbing Lily. Did she really think soiling a suit was enough to derail our engagement? How simplistic. I edged a little closer to Lily, my curiosity piqued. I needed to hear what her next move was. 03 While Bernard was changing, I tuned back into Lily's frantic conversation with her System. "What do I do? What do I do?" she panicked. "Where am I going to get that kind of money? Three million dollars? I won't earn that in a lifetime!" The System was unbothered. "It's only three million. Once you marry him, you'll have access to three hundred million. What's the difference? You can't pay? Fine. Go apologize again. Sooner or later, he'll see your pure heart and inner beauty." Lily's voice was small. "My inner beauty? Are you sure he's into the sweet, innocent type?" "Positive," the System insisted. "Bernard fought his way to the top of the Croft family hierarchy. Dynasties like his are starved for genuine warmth. Someone like you is exactly what he needs to let his guard down." "Look at him with his fiancée," it continued. "That smile is so fake. He doesn't love her at all." Lily seemed to absorb this, nodding to herself. When Bernard reappeared, I found myself scrutinizing his face, searching for the fakeness the System had mentioned. He caught me staring and bent down again. "What is with you tonight?" "Are you unhappy?" I asked bluntly. "Is that smile fake?" He rubbed his own cheeks, which did look a little stiff. "You think anyone can hold a smile like this all day? My God, Sophia, you must be a saint." I ignored his backhanded compliment and pulled him along to mingle. An engagement party like this was a networking goldmine; deals that would make us millions were being brokered over cocktails. There was no time to slack off. Still, a sense of unease lingered. Bernard had never been short of female attention, but this "heroine"... my gut told me she was different. 04 By the end of the night, Bernard and I were exhausted. As I sank into the plush leather of the back seat of my car, he was just about to get in beside me. "Mr. Croft!" A panicked voice called out. It was Lily, rushing out of the hotel. Bernard paused, his annoyance clear. "Are you here with the money?" Lily's face flushed a deeper red. From my angle, she looked even more like a cornered animal. "No... I was just thinking... I could take the suit home and wash it. I promise I can make it look brand new... I really don't have the money... please." So fragile. It looked like a strong gust of wind could knock her over. Was this what Bernard secretly wanted? A woman he needed to protect? The thought sent a chill down my spine. It reminded me of my own father, who had left my mother for a woman who was just as fragile, just as seemingly helpless. Suddenly, my interest in the game waned. I said nothing, just watched Bernard, trying to read the thoughts behind his guarded expression. He let out a short, sharp laugh. "This is a bespoke designer suit. And you want to 'take it home and wash it'?" He shook his head. "Unbelievably naive." As the car door clicked shut, I heard Lily's desperate whisper to her System. "He's angry! What do I do now?" "Don't worry," the System soothed. "You've already piqued his interest. All the data I gave you was tailored to his exact preferences. Tomorrow, you'll start as his new secretary. I'll create an opportunity for you." "As for Sophia," it added dismissively, "you don’t need to worry about her at all. Her family is about to go bankrupt. When that happens, her engagement to Bernard will naturally be dissolved." "Their relationship is built on pure business. How could that ever compete with true love?" Lily was convinced. My heart stopped. My family... bankrupt? I was completely and utterly stunned by the revelation. 05 My family, one of the city's upper-echelon elites... bankrupt? It seemed impossible. But the System had gotten one thing right. My relationship with Bernard was a contract, a fusion of assets. If my family's fortune vanished, he would have every reason to walk away. But would he walk away... for her? I decided to test the waters. "She seems quite pitiful," I murmured. "There's no way she can afford three million dollars." Bernard leaned over, resting his head on my shoulder, his voice laced with amusement. "Darling, the stray cats and dogs on the street are pitiful too. If you feed them once, they'll just keep coming back for more. Sometimes, it's better not to feed them at all." "Doesn't a girl like that awaken your protective instincts?" I pressed, remembering the System's certainty that Lily was his "type." He mumbled, his voice drowsy. "I have no interest in a clinging vine that needs protecting. I told you that a long time ago. You chose me, Sophia. I have no intention of letting you down." He sounded like a model reciting a script. I reached up and touched his face. "I hope you never forget what our partnership is built on." Business. That was the only thing that lasted. Until this moment, I had believed that with every fiber of my being. So what if Lily had a System? If Bernard could be won over that easily, then I didn't want him anyway. 06 Bernard was nothing if not perceptive. He cracked open an eye, his gaze sharp. "Sophia, have you been wanting to run off with some other guy for a while now? You're acting very strange tonight." Always turning it back on me. I massaged my temples. Tonight had been surreal. The System's chatter had clearly gotten under my skin, making me doubt not only my family's stability but Bernard himself. He was my carefully selected partner. Perfect in every way, except for that brutally sharp tongue. "It's not me that's strange," I retorted. "It's her. Aren't you curious? The security at our engagement party was iron-clad. How did she manage to get close enough to drench you in wine?" The fact that I could hear her cosmic cheerleader was too bizarre to explain. Bernard's gaze shifted from his phone to my face, intense and focused. He didn't answer my question directly. "So you are jealous. That A-list actress was all over me last month and you didn't bat an eye. Why are you getting worked up over a waitress? You must have a very low opinion of my taste." I pushed his head away. "You wish." 07 I spent the next few days poring over my family's financials, searching for any hidden vulnerability, any sign of the impending doom Lily's System had predicted. And then, as if her words were a curse, it began. A series of small, nagging problems started cropping up at Vanderbilt Corp. My phone buzzed constantly with calls from assistants and department heads. None of the issues were catastrophic on their own, but they were persistent, and we couldn't trace the source. It was like death by a thousand paper cuts. The System's words haunted me: "Her family is about to go bankrupt." I had to see Bernard. I had to know if the System's other prediction—that Lily would become his secretary—was true. Could this System really be powerful enough to fabricate a resume and bypass the extensive background checks of a company like Croft Industries? I drove to his office building. The receptionist knew me, of course, and waved me right through. I was escorted straight to the executive floor, to the doors of Bernard's office. When the door opened, I froze. There she was. Lily. Standing so close to Bernard that from my angle, it looked like they were in an embrace. So the System really was that powerful. He was already taking the sweet, innocent girl into his arms. I stood there, stunned into silence. My escort, one of his senior secretaries, quickly recovered. "Mr. Croft, Ms. Vanderbilt is here." Bernard immediately pushed Lily away. She stumbled backward, nearly falling. "I asked you to get coffee, not throw yourself at me! Get out!" he snapped. Lily looked wounded. Her eyes darted from Bernard's furious face to mine. "But... I was just pouring the coffee." "Pouring coffee? It looked like you were about to pour it all over me again! You already owe me millions, Ms. Evans!" As Lily was hustled out by a flustered assistant, I heard her frantic whisper. "System, are you sure your intel is right? I really don't think he's into me at all!" The mechanical voice replied, tinny and certain. "Impossible. The data is clear: Bernard Croft likes innocent, sweet girls with no ulterior motives. This is only your second meeting. I will create another opportunity for you soon." "The data never lies," it continued. "He despises people who are obsessed with money and power. The only way to win his heart is to show him that you care nothing for material things." Lily sighed. "Alright, maybe it's just..." I wanted to hear more, but the assistant had already shown her out and discreetly closed the heavy office door. The vast office was silent, leaving just me and Bernard. He was already rushing to explain. "I swear, Sophia, it's like she has some kind of dark magic. I'm calling HR right now to have her fired. This day has been an absolute nightmare." This world, I thought, was becoming a nightmare.
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