I am a Pathological Recorder, assigned to observe and document the budding obsessive tendencies of my stepbrothers. I’m just waiting for the day they finally snap and "go dark" for the heroine. Watching their behavior get crazier, I confidently report to my System: [It won't be long now. The heroine is about to be imprisoned. The plot is proceeding as scheduled.] Then, one day, the heroine breaks down in tears. "You're all obsessed with me, but have you ever once considered your sister's feelings?" Several pairs of eyes, sharp as knives, land on me. "She watches you every day, so desperate for a scrap of affection from her brothers! "Instead of imprisoning me, why don't you imprison the one person who's already in love with you? I'm sure," the heroine said, "that she'd be thrilled." Everyone was silent for a long, heavy moment. Then my eldest brother, Alex, narrowed his eyes. "That... makes a lot of sense." Me: ? 1 I dutifully wrote in my notebook: Julian (Third Brother) commissioned a custom-built golden cage. Caleb (Second Brother) acquired a set of antique handcuffs and matching shackles. Alex (First Brother) is having a manor built on a remote, private island. Finished, I leaned back on the sofa, smiling. Just then, Caleb came downstairs. He gave me a weird look. "What are you smiling at? It's creepy." My three stepbrothers have never been nice to me. I'm used to it. My gaze drifted to the ornate, velvet-lined silver box in his hands. "That's a beautiful box, Caleb," I said, feigning innocence. "What's in it?" Predictably, his face darkened. He clutched the box tighter. "None of your business." He stormed out the front door, looking like I’d just uncovered his deepest secret. Tsk. As if I didn't know. Those were the handcuffs. I mentally pinged my System. [Don't worry, 101. Based on current projections, the heroine's imprisonment is imminent. The plot is stable.] The System's mechanical voice whirred with excitement. [Excellent, Nina. This high-difficulty, high-fluctuation world is finally stabilizing!] I was excited, too. Just then, Julian came out of his room. He had his usual, placid smile, his dimples showing. When he saw me practically vibrating with excitement, he paused. His smile froze. "You..." I stopped, clearing my throat. "Julian," I said, changing the subject, "I heard you spent a ton of money building something?" His smile faded. He slid a hand into his pocket. "Nina, curiosity is a bad look, 'little sister'." So innocent. So fake. I knew he was rotting with dark intentions for the heroine. I shrugged, putting on my own innocent smile. "Okay, brother. Whatever you say." He looked disgusted, his lip curling. He gave me a cold once-over and turned to leave. "Oh, by the way, Julian," I called out. "You know what they say. You can't force love. If it's not given freely, it's not really yours." He stopped. His face went cold. After a beat, he turned, his lips curving. "Sister, it doesn't have to be freely given. As long as it's... wet." Ugh. He's such a creep. My jab had landed. I just shrugged. "Well, as long as you're happy." 2 I was adopted by the Ashford family when I was three. Mrs. Ashford had been told by some mystic that having three sons back-to-back had unbalanced the "spiritual energy" of the house, and they needed a girl to "neutralize" it. That's me. The neutralizer. I was irrelevant. No one in the Ashford family cared about me. When I was old enough to realize I wasn't wanted, I started trying to please them. I did Alex's homework (he was in high school, I was in elementary school). I tried to copy his perfect handwriting. I failed, and he sneered at me for six months. Caleb was a hothead, but he was all bark and no bite. He hated eating at home, so I brought him his lunch at school every day. Eventually, he stopped tripping me in the hallways. Julian, the third brother, looked like an angel but was a total sociopath. Nothing I did worked. He just loved tormenting me. One day, I locked myself in my room and just cried. I heard a click. Julian was standing over me, dangling a set of lockpicks. His voice was melodic, and pure poison. "The only thing you do that makes me happy, Nina... is when you let me play with you." Play? I was the only one getting bullied! By the time I was in high school, I'd given up. I was dead inside. And that's when the System activated. It said: [Do you know why no one likes you, no matter how hard you try?] ...No. [Because you are an insignificant side character. Your only purpose is to make the heroine jealous, pushing the plot forward with your three stepbrothers.] It was bizarre, but it was also a massive relief. It wasn't my fault. It was just the script. [But this world is fluctuating wildly. Nina, join the Plot Restoration Team. Your job is to observe your stepbrothers' pathological behaviors, ensure the plot progresses, and report any deviations.] I hesitated. [We need you, Nina.] No one had ever called me Nina. It was always "Jiang Yuning" (my legal name), spat out like a command. I was a ghost. I said, "Okay. But can you... keep calling me Nina?" It agreed. So I became a Pathological Recorder. I spied on my "yandere" brothers and took detailed notes. The System even said that if I completed the mission, I'd get a huge payout. Enough to finally be free. Looking at my notes, it felt like that payday was getting close. 3 "Nina!" A girl ran up, linking her arm with mine. Sydney. The heroine. "Your brothers are so annoying," she complained. "Yesterday it was a yacht, today it's a condo. It's too much. You're so lucky, you're so normal." "You're not losing out," I said soothingly. "They're hot, and they're loaded. I've seen their hands. They're... very capable. Just think of them as well-trained, obedient pets." I was, of course, lying. They were the least obedient animals on the planet. Sydney blushed. "You... you look at that?" "I'm a recorder, remember? I observe everything. Their schedules, their habits, their preferences. Anything you want to know, just ask me." She looked stunned. "Oh. Wow. Okay." "Trust me," I said. "You're not getting a bad deal." (She was. She was going to be eaten alive.) "You're so nice, Nina. Most sisters would be jealous." That's because they aren't my brothers. And they've never, ever treated me like a sister. I gave her a bitter smile. We shopped. She tried on jewelry, complaining, "God, prices just keep going up..." "It's fine," I said. "My brothers are rich." Finally, I took her hand. "Hey, you should sleep over tonight. We can play that new co-op game." Tonight. Tonight, the plot would lock in. The poor heroine, led to the wolves' den by the one person she trusted. She agreed immediately. "Okay!" 4 All three brothers were home. The lynchpin moment. I walked in with Sydney. Caleb was on the sofa, scrolling through his phone. He never even looks up when I come home. "Wow, your house is huge," Sydney said. "Is it just you and your brothers?" "Yeah. Our parents live in Europe." Caleb's head snapped up. "Sydney?" His voice was loud. Upstairs, a door opened. Julian leaned over the railing, his dimples showing. "Sydney? Why didn't you tell me you were coming over?" And just like that, I was invisible. A little while later, Alex came out of his study. He just gave Sydney a calm nod. Caleb got her drinks. Julian showed her the game. Suddenly, a sob. Sydney was crying. "You... you all hover around me all day," she wept. "Have you ever once considered your sister's feelings?" Every head turned. Three pairs of eyes locked onto me. I felt like I'd been impaled. "She watches you every single day! So desperate and pathetic, just wanting her brothers to see her! "Instead of imprisoning me, why don't you imprison the one person who's already in love with you? I'm sure," she said, her voice full of conviction, "that she'd be happy to be your prisoner." The room was so quiet I could hear the air conditioner. I stared at her. That was... a hell of a plot twist. I was so stunned I couldn't even process how she knew about the "imprisonment" part. "What... what are you talking about? Are you... huh?" Sydney grabbed my hand, holding it up. "She watches you! She knows all your schedules, all your favorite things! I've known since middle school how much she adores you! How can you be so cruel to her?" I was melting down. I tried to cover her mouth. "Stop. Please, just stop." But my panic just made me look guilty. Caleb was horrified. "No way. Nina, you... you have that kind of crush on us?" "I DO NOT!" Sydney was resolute. "It's okay, Nina. I'll say the things you're too afraid to say." We just stared at each other. After a long silence, Alex, my eldest brother, narrowed his eyes. "That... makes a lot of sense." WHAT?! I whipped my head to look at him. He was staring at me, his gaze unreadable, but incredibly dangerous. I took a step back. My heart was hammering. This world can't collapse. I need this mission to work! Sydney was still crying. The vibe was just... toxic. "This... this is your issue," I stammered, "you guys deal with it." I turned to run upstairs. A hand clamped around my wrist. I looked back. Alex. A lazy smile on his face. "Running away is a bad habit, Nina." I was getting really confused. I was always scared of Julian, but Alex... Alex was in charge of the entire Ashford empire. He was polished, distant, and utterly unreadable. "What imprisonment?" I tried to bluff, rolling my eyes. "Have you been reading too many weird romance novels?" "Not practical? You think we're not?" Caleb, the idiot, suddenly flared up. He grabbed my other arm. "You wanna try me? See if I can't chain you up right now?" Me: ? I'm so done. These psychos. Julian was just watching from the corner, enjoying the show. Finally, he spoke. "You guys have fun. I'm taking Sydney with me." Caleb flinched, letting me go. "No!" Yes! That's the right line! I patted Alex's hand. "See, big brother? Go. All four of you. Have fun." "But I just want to play with you." Alex's voice was low, his eyes fixed on me. I was so fed up I just glared. "You—" Wait. Wait. He's trying to make Sydney jealous! Of course! He's the smart one. I got it. I could play along. I grabbed his arm. "Fine. How do we play? We going to your island?" Alex's eyes lit up. "I was just thinking that." He pulled out his phone. "Prep the chopper. I'm bringing someone over tomorrow." Before I could panic, Julian spoke, his smile gone. "Alex. Grandfather's birthday party is tomorrow." Oh, right. That's why they were all home. I nodded, "Right. We... we can't miss that." Alex slowly released my wrist. I looked down. There were perfect, red finger-marks on my pale skin. "Your skin is so delicate," he murmured. This was getting weirder and weirder. I hid my hand behind my back.
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