The System told me to use my special talents to save the villain. The problem? I’m the heroine of a spicy novel. So, this is how it went: When the villain, Ryker, was about to go pick a fight with the story’s golden-boy hero, I wrapped my arms around his neck and whispered, “Baby, I need you.” When his crew called him to join a brawl, I wrapped my legs around his waist. “Baby,” I panted, “I need you… again.” After three days and three nights of this, he tried to leave again. I dragged my exhausted body up, ready for another round, and he just burst out laughing, a raw, incredulous sound. “Do you really think I’m some kind of machine? Can’t a guy even take a piss?” 1 Me, a soft, pliable heroine built for tangled sheets and happily-ever-afters, was suddenly dropped into a thriller to redeem the story’s villain before he crashed and burned. I snuck a glance at the steel-corded muscle of his chest and the ferocious tiger tattooed down his arm, its fangs bared in a permanent snarl. A shiver of pure terror went down my spine. “This is really not my comfort zone…” I mumbled to the air. The System’s voice pinged in my head, dripping with disappointment. “You’ve handled three main male leads at once. You can’t handle one little villain? Use your talents!” But my talents were being soft-bodied and crying prettily. How was that supposed to save anyone from a dark, tragic fate? “Host, stop him! The villain is about to go provoke the hero!” The System’s alarm blared in my mind just as Ryker shrugged on a leather jacket, heading for the door of his penthouse. I didn’t have time to think. I scrambled forward and threw my arms around him from behind, clinging to his broad back. It wasn't just that I'd die if the mission failed. In this world, I was Sienna, Ryker’s fiancée, a deal brokered by our families when we were kids. If he ended up dead for pissing off the story's designated hero, my fate would be even uglier. His body went rigid. He looked back over his shoulder, his expression one of pure disbelief. “Now, Host! This is it! Use your special skills! Kiss him! Kiss him until he can’t walk, let alone leave!” Following the order, I stood on my toes, slowly leaning in. But as my eyes focused, I saw the glint of metal on his tongue—a piercing. I froze. Terrifying. Utterly terrifying. My type was the well-mannered, gentlemanly hero, the kind who reads poetry, not the kind who looks like he gargles with gravel. A second later, a large, warm hand landed on my head, ruffling my hair gently. “Be good. I’ll be back soon.” “Host! This is the day he makes an enemy of the hero for life! You cannot let him leave!” His hand was on the doorknob. In a panic, I launched myself at him, jumping onto his back and locking my arms around his neck like a terrified koala. “Baby… I need you…” “Host, you… you…” The System sounded like it was blushing. My own face was on fire, tears of humiliation welling in my eyes. I had no other ideas. This was the only tool in my toolbox. Ryker stared at my reddened eyes, a look of amused exasperation on his face. “You want it that badly? Bad enough to cry?” I nodded, and the tears started to fall in earnest. This was so mortifying. Before I could wallow any further, his mouth came crashing down on mine. “Save the tears,” he growled against my lips. “You’ll need them later.” I should have known when I saw his physique. I just hadn’t realized how… creative Ryker could be. I cried until my voice was gone. Finally, a notification popped up from the System. “Congratulations, Host! Side mission complete!” 2 The next morning, I woke up to the handsome sight of Ryker’s lean, muscular frame. I had to admit, aside from this whole "redemption" quest, it wasn’t so different from my usual spicy-novel world. And the tongue piercing? A surprisingly… unique experience. I was just about to take advantage of the morning light for another round of "bonding" when he slid out of bed, pacing the room in his sleep pants with a restless energy. Then he disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a chef’s knife. Both the System and I gasped in unison. “What is the villain doing now!?” Thinking fast, I tugged the strap of my silk nightgown down my shoulder. As his eyes locked onto me, momentarily stunned, I lunged, snatching the knife and tossing it under the bed. His gaze darkened, a rare flicker of confusion in their depths. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I just feel… hot. Restless. Like I need to break something.” Oh. I understood completely. Now this was my comfort zone. I took his large hand, pressing it firmly against my chest. My voice was a soft, suggestive purr. “How about now? Feeling even hotter? More restless?” The fire in his eyes blazed. It was like a lightbulb went off over his head. The next second, he swept me into his arms and tossed me back onto the bed. Once again, the problem was swiftly solved. The System gave me a mental thumbs-up. “Impressive!” Unfortunately, we hadn’t even gotten all our clothes off when his phone rang. “Ryke, it’s Ethan. He’s making a scene on our turf! The guy has zero respect for you!” Every alarm bell in my body went off. Ethan. That was the hero of this story. I could not let them meet. Ryker hung up, his expression apologetic as he looked at me. “Sienna, I have to go to the office. Tonight, we can…” Go? Not a chance. I didn’t even hear the rest of his sentence. I surged up, silencing him with my mouth. My legs hooked around his waist, my hands starting their work. It only took a few seconds for Ryker’s breathing to turn heavy and ragged. After a long, breathless session, I was still terrified the hero hadn’t left yet, so I clung to him, refusing to let go. “Baby, again… again…” Relying on the frankly supernatural stamina of a spicy-novel heroine, I managed to keep him in that bed for three straight days. On the morning of the fourth day, I woke from a daze to see him fully dressed and ready to leave. The last dregs of sleep vanished instantly. I dragged my aching body up, forcing my voice into that familiar, pleading tone. “Baby…” Ryker turned, his face shadowed with exhaustion, and just laughed. “Do you really think I’m some kind of machine? Can’t a guy even take a piss?” Oh. Right. The bathroom. My face flushed crimson. I gave him a weak, “Please, be my guest” gesture, then dove under the covers in shame. But I waited, and waited, and he never came out. Could he have… passed out on the toilet from sheer exhaustion? A wave of guilt washed over me. I crept toward the bathroom, but before my hand touched the doorknob, the System’s alarm shrieked in my head. “He’s gone! The villain is about to confront the hero! Host, you have to stop him!” Damn it. Ryker had played me. 3 By the time I arrived, Ryker and Ethan were already squared off. Ryker wore an expensive custom suit like it was a set of sweats, the shirt unbuttoned halfway down his chest, revealing the hard planes beneath. The sleeves were shoved up to his elbows, showing off that snarling tiger tattoo. His crew, dressed in similarly expensive, similarly casual attire, stood behind him, smirking at the man opposite them. A bunch of high-class gangsters. After the last few days, I thought I’d stopped being afraid of Ryker. But when he turned his head and his dark eyes locked on me, his gaze sharpened. “Sienna,” he barked, his voice low and commanding. “Get over here.” I flinched instinctively but couldn’t stop my eyes from darting to the other man. Ethan really lived up to the “hero” title. He was wearing a cheap, off-the-rack gray suit, but he made it look like couture. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs. His skin was pale, his nose perfectly straight. Even surrounded, he looked completely calm, a faint, almost challenging smile on his lips. I had to admit it. Ethan was one hundred percent my type. “Host, where are you looking? This is a one-on-one story! And watch it! The villain’s darkness rating is climbing again!” The System screamed in my head when it noticed me staring. I snapped back to reality, right into Ryker’s furious gaze. Crap. I shrank, scurrying over to his side. His expression softened slightly, but when he looked back at Ethan, his eyes were pure ice. “You like his face that much? Fine. We’ll peel it off and feed it to the sharks.” He was that brutal? “Host, originally the hero was just supposed to get beaten up today. Now, thanks to you, he’s going to be faceless!” An idea sparked. If something… permanent… happened to Ethan, wouldn’t my mission be over? Ryker wouldn’t die a tragic death, right? Before I could even voice the thought, the System shut me down. “Don’t even think about it! He has plot armor! You side characters can’t kill him! If you want to survive, you have to get on his good side!” Fine. I leaned against Ryker, my voice syrupy sweet. “Baby, the poor sharks are so cute. Why would you feed them something so disgusting?” Ryker stared down at me, his eyes narrowed. “You’re not just saying that because you feel sorry for him?” Are you kidding me? When it’s my life on the line, a handsome face means nothing. I glanced at Ethan’s slightly paling face and said, with iron-clad conviction, “He’s so ugly. It’s actually nauseating.” Ryker’s tense jaw finally relaxed. But across the way, Ethan’s hands clenched into fists, his glare now laser-focused on me. …So much for gratitude. To save my own skin, as the crowd was breaking up, I secretly pressed a small, folded note into Ethan’s hand. It read: I was forced to say that. It’s not what I believe. I figured he’d at least be grateful, maybe spare me when he inevitably rose to power. Instead, a second later, he crumpled the note and threw it right back in my face. “Hey! Who the hell do you think you are!?” “You don’t touch our boss’s girl!” Ryker’s crew instantly swarmed around me like a protective wall. He himself looked furious, cupping my face, checking to see if I was hurt. It was into this chaos that Ethan’s clear, ringing voice cut through. “Sienna, I won’t let you get away with this!” Suddenly, every eye was on me again. It had been nothing, but his words made it sound like I was some kind of villainous mastermind plotting his downfall. To make matters worse, one of Ryker’s eagle-eyed guys picked up the crumpled note and handed it directly to him. Ryker’s face grew darker and darker as he read. He looked down at me, his voice a low growl that seemed to come from deep in his chest. “Playing good cop behind my back? Trying to win over the pretty boy?” He let out a short, harsh laugh. “Sienna, you’ve got some nerve.” With that, he turned and stormed off. The jackass Ethan had already disappeared. The System’s voice was dripping with sarcasm in my head. “Wow. You’re the most impressive Host I’ve ever had. You were supposed to be saving the villain. Now you should probably figure out how to save yourself. You’ve made an enemy of the hero, and now the villain, your only ally, hates you too. Just brilliant.” As if that wasn't bad enough, Ryker’s crew started chiming in. “Come on, Sienna, that was too much. We know Ryke isn’t as pretty as that guy, but you can’t do him dirty like that…” “Yeah, right in front of him! Our boss has way more stamina, for sure!” “I don’t know, Milo,” another one piped up. “That dude looked like he works out. He’s got abs. Might be a real contender.” Ryker, who hadn’t gone far, stopped dead in his tracks. His gaze locked on the direction Ethan had left, a vein throbbing in his neck. At the same time, the System’s alert pinged, this time with a confused tone. “That’s weird… Why is his darkness rating skyrocketing again? Did they reschedule the fight?” 4 The System forced me to go home and soothe Ryker’s wounded ego. When I walked in, I found him shirtless, doing push-ups on the living room floor. A fine sheen of sweat coated his bronze skin, highlighting the deep grooves of his back muscles. The lines were fluid and powerful, gleaming under the lights as he moved. Then I noticed something, and I stopped. “Honey, where’s your tattoo?” He grunted, not missing a beat. “Didn’t like it. Had it removed.” His breathing was deep and steady; he wasn’t even winded. Impressive. My mind involuntarily flashed back to the past few nights, and my cheeks burned. I don’t know if it was the absence of the terrifying tiger or if I’d just gotten used to his rough-around-the-edges persona, but looking at him now, I wasn’t nearly as scared. I walked over to him and bent down. As his head snapped up, his eyes wide with disbelief, I settled myself carefully onto his back. The muscle was solid as a rock, yet surprisingly comfortable. It held me steady, making me feel secure. I traced a finger up his spine, which had gone completely rigid, to the nape of his neck. The touch was light, but it made his whole body jolt. “What’s wrong? Can’t handle this?” “Get off,” he growled, his voice thick and strained, like he was holding something back. I pretended not to hear him, leaning down until my lips were almost brushing his ear. “Want to play a game? If you can do a hundred push-ups with me on your back, I’ll tell you a secret.” He paused, seemingly uninterested, and started to shift to let me down. “A secret about me,” I added quickly. “And you. And Ethan.” He froze instantly. Those dark eyes lifted and studied me for a long moment before he bit out, “Don’t fall off.” In that moment, I suddenly thought… Ryker was kind of cute. “One.” “Two.” … “Thirty.” His breathing and form were still perfectly steady. “Ninety-nine.” “One hundred.” The moment he finished the last rep, I was about to praise him when a pair of strong hands gripped my waist, and in one fluid motion, he flipped us over. Just like that, I was the one on the floor, pinned beneath him. “The secret,” he demanded, his voice raspy. I was enveloped in his scent, a heady mix of sweat and pure male energy. I collected myself and began. “The truth is, we’re living in a world where everything is pre-written. You’re the villain, I’m the side-character fiancée, and Ethan is the hero. After he endures a set amount of suffering, he’s destined to become the richest man in the country, taking everything that’s yours. And because we bullied and tormented him, you and I are destined to die horrible deaths.” Ryker clearly didn’t believe me. “Been reading too many novels?” Seeing my serious expression, he paused, then added, “If you’re that worried, I’ll just have someone… take care of him.” As if I hadn’t already thought of that. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes, which only seemed to provoke him. “You’ve really fallen for him, haven’t you?” “This is a life-or-death situation! Can we please not talk about feelings right now?” I snapped. But he was still skeptical, his expression dismissive. “Why should I care? You expect me to bend the knee to some nobody like Ethan?” I sighed and decided to lay it all out. “Because I’m one of the top-ranked Hosts on the System’s leaderboard.” I told him everything—about the different worlds, the missions the System sent me on, the whole crazy truth. The sheer volume of information left him stunned, staring at me in silence for a long time. “Baby,” I said, my voice softening, my tone turning gentle. “We have money, we’re good-looking, we have all this… and we’re so… good together.” I saw the corner of his mouth twitch almost imperceptibly at the last part. “Are we really going to throw away our amazing life for some guy who doesn’t matter?” His gaze drifted to mine, and for the first time, it was completely serious. “So what do you think we should do?” The brainwashing was working! I pressed my advantage. “The hero is still in his ‘suffering’ phase. We have to help him, become his greatest benefactors! That way, he won’t want us dead later!” It was a tactic I’d used in countless worlds. Humiliating, but incredibly effective. Ryker’s mouth twitched, clearly unconvinced. “And you don’t have any other motives?” I shook my head vigorously, my face a mask of sincerity. “None.” He considered it for a few seconds before finally relenting, though his tone was non-negotiable. “Fine. But you are not to meet with Ethan alone.” 5 The next morning, for the first time, Ryker and I just talked, no strings—or bodies—attached. It was a novel experience. Which was, of course, exactly when Ethan showed up at our door, arms laden with gifts. The System pinged. “Host! After yesterday’s scene, all the big players in the business world are terrified of offending the Vance family and have canceled their orders with the hero’s company! This is the perfect opportunity to bury the hatchet! Seize it!” Oh, so this was an easy one. My eyes lit up and I looked at Ryker excitedly. “Ethan’s here to beg for help! Go, go help him!” Ryker glanced down at me, then his long index finger came up and gently pinched my lips, forcing my overly bright smile to disappear. “I know.” He said it, but then he turned and headed upstairs. “Honey, the living room is on the first floor.” He didn’t stop or look back. Terrified Ethan would give up and leave, I decided to go down and stall him myself. But I had barely reached the living room when Ryker came down, having followed me. “Mr. Hayes. Fancy seeing you here,” he said, his voice laced with its usual swagger. I was used to it. What was strange was that the normally casual, rebellious Ryker was wearing an impeccably tailored black suit. The shirt was buttoned all the way to the collar, accented with a dark red tie. The pants were perfectly creased, making his legs look impossibly long, and even his hair was styled with precision. His usual swagger was gone, replaced by the cool, controlled aura of a man in charge. He must have noticed me staring, because the corner of his mouth ticked up in a barely perceptible smirk, clearly pleased with my momentary speechlessness. Ethan’s shock was just as profound as mine. While he was still processing, Ryker pulled me into his side, his voice a low whisper in my ear. “Helping him is one thing. But I’m not letting him think for one second he can seduce my fiancée or get one over on me. Not happening.” Which eye did he use to see him seducing me? The hero belongs to the heroine, okay? I have professional ethics. I never mess with the main plot! I was about to protest when Ethan finally recovered, his voice sincere. “Mr. Vance, yesterday was my mistake. I was impulsive… Please, give me another chance.” With that, he bowed a full ninety degrees. A true hero. Able to bend when necessary. “Give him a chance! Give it to him!” I whispered urgently, tugging on Ryker’s arm. He ignored me, clamping a hand over my mouth instead. “Mr. Hayes, wasn’t it just yesterday you were so sure you’d make it on your own? What happened to all that confidence?” Ryker’s tone was pure arrogance. This wasn’t helping! “Mmph! Mmph!” I stomped my foot, trying to pry his hand away, but he held it firm. We were supposed to be helping him! This was going to be a disaster. “Mr. Vance, the workers at the factory are waiting for their paychecks. If this shipment doesn’t sell…” “That sounds like a problem you need to consider,” Ryker cut him off coldly, as Ethan’s voice grew tight with desperation. I was starting to sympathize with the guy. Ryker was a ruthless capitalist. “If you’re truly sincere,” Ryker continued, his tone leaving no room for argument, “the Vance corporation can buy your products. At half price.” Ethan’s face went pale. He hesitated for a long time before finally turning and walking out. 6 The second my mouth was free, I exploded. “That was your idea of helping him?” Ryker held up his hands, the picture of innocence. “I said I’d help. He didn’t agree. What was I supposed to do?” “You couldn’t have just paid full price?” I couldn’t understand why Ryker would throw away such a golden opportunity. What good was saving a little money if you lost your life in the end? He had his priorities all wrong. Furious, I plopped down on the plush rug, turning my back to him. He just sat down right next to me, his heavy arm wrapping around my waist, his chin resting gently on my shoulder. “It’s like you said. He’s a nobody, someone who doesn’t matter. It’s not worth risking our fantastic life over,” he murmured, his voice soft and coaxing. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing.” His ‘knowing what he was doing’ had just chased the guy away. I lifted my head to argue, but my gaze met his. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing him in a soft glow, erasing any trace of his usual intimidating aura. His skin looked fair, his eyes as gentle as a spring pond, watching me quietly. As our eyes held, I felt something in my chest begin to melt. His fingertips traced my cheek, a touch as light as a feather, soft and ticklish. “Sienna,” he whispered, his voice husky and hypnotic. “Want to play another game?” I felt like I was being pulled into his gaze, and I nodded without thinking. “Last time we lasted three days. This time… let’s try for four. What do you say?” Even with my special constitution, that was pushing it. “Baby, we have our whole lives ahead of us…” I protested weakly, but he clearly wasn’t in a negotiating mood. His warm lips brushed mine, ghosting back and forth, his hot breath on my neck. “Trust me,” he whispered against my ear, his words perfectly clear. “Ethan will be back. And if you can last until the fourth day, I’ll help him. Immediately.” I clenched my jaw and closed my eyes. Fine. I’ll treat it as a survival challenge. The next second, Ryker’s kiss descended, overwhelming me.
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