《Ruining Happily Ever After》 Meet and Greet Cough. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Untitled (47) ewLOLfinal ewer.docx The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°You¡¯re wrong,¡± the man looked down at her, ¡°You did everything for yourself.¡± The once arrogant Raine Hastings had fallen. Her family was to follow soon. ¡°No,¡± she shook her head vehemently. ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s wrong. Please, please remember. And then we can put this behind us and be a happy family.¡± He laughed. ¡°I will never be happy with you.¡± And that broke her more than the physical torture she endured from his hands. - From the Darkest Depths of Laia¡¯s Laptop A Rude Awakening << Complete your assigned tasks. Failure to comply will result in the host¡¯s termination. >> Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. << Main Quest: To Have a Loving Husband >> (1) The Problem With Names "Raine," The sound of china meeting china punctuated her name. "What are you going to do?" The dining room wasn''t as huge as Laia expected, but it was still unreasonable for a household of five. The table, although nothing like those extravagantly long ones that featured on television, could seat twenty people. Every piece of silverware, every plate, and every glass felt like the definition of luxury. Laia lifted her gaze to the beautiful woman thumbing the walls of an elaborately decorated teacup. Every action carried grace; an elegance that looked was otherworldly. Her hair was like a nightless sky and her eyes a nearly translucent, piercing gray. Being scrutinized by such an attractive person was unnerving. Almost like you were looking at a timeless painting on the wall, and it was looking at right back at you. The woman was Gemma Hastings. Her mother. After seeing her own reflection in the mirror, she could tell that she was a carbon copy. "I''m still uncertain," Laia said. That was a lie. She had many things she was going to do: choke the life out of some devil child, finish the quests in this world, and then return to hers. Saffron had already assured her that she would be let successful let go once she satisfied all the requirements in this world. Recalling the robotic words from earlier, she refrained from letting out a snort. ''Main Quest: To Have a Loving Husband.'' As if she''d go through the trouble of fighting for the heart of some douche. That was how every other green tea bitch got the short end of the stick. She already knew how she wanted to go about accomplishing her first quest and there would be no sacrifice of her dignity. Since she was already here, why not run amok for a little bit? She''d just be even more pissed if she didn''t have the opportunity to do that. Taking a sip of her tea, she eyed the four people seated next to and across her. She was trying to get a feel of the playing field. If she could get their support, then it would be easier for her to manipulate this generic, drama-filled nightmare. For all intents and purposes, Laia has and will always be monetarily driven. She likes nice things, so there was nothing she could do except be successful. If she hadn''t been able to profit off writing, she would have gone into any course that could promise her big bucks in the long run. As someone making a living in the literary world, a commercial manuscript is the main way to ensure a pocket lined of cash. She understood this at an early age. Tropes, cliches, stereotypes; she studied them and then had capitalized off them. Many of the novels with her name on them had been deliberately crafted to satisfy a large and paying audience. Only a few of her projects¨C unpublished ones, at that¨C were penned without compromise to what she really wanted to write about. [Untitled (47) ewLOLfinal ewer.docx] was definitely not one of those. How the fuck did kidnapper kid have access to her drafts and other miscellaneous files? She didn''t know or have the will to particularly care. Magic or something. What mattered was that she was here now. Had Saffron not been able to access the system''s database to help her, she likely wouldn''t have even remembered the protagonists'' names. It was all slowly coming back to her now that she had the basic story beats down.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The main plot of the novel could be easily summarized with a few phrases. Loveless arranged marriage between rich people, rich guy falls for poor girl, scheming bitchy wife, happily ever after. Recalling the storyline made her want to gag. Drama may sell, but her already limited supply of brain cells would drop by the word count. It wasn''t rocket science to figure out why she abandoned it. Given that, she had no fucking clue about what would happen to her in the future. She was the wife of the male lead. One of the ultimate obstacles to his and the female lead''s happiness and yet the thing that would push them closer together. Highlight: she was a problem. Given the track record of CEOs in romance novels, there was a high chance that in some way somehow he was a mafia boss that lorded over 99.9% of the black market. If she tried to touch even a strand on the female lead''s head, she''d go straight into some underground torture room without the hope for a quick end. Thinking about that all now, Laia faintly remembered outlining the antagonist''s death. The antagonist. Her. She wasn''t particularly afraid of death, but she sure as hell didn''t want to go out for some shitty reason in some sad excuse of a romance novel. "I''m certain that I''m sick of this situation." The slamming of silverware against the table silenced the entire room; bringing her out of her internal aggravation. A pair of eyes glared at Laia. "Didn''t I spoil you enough growing up? Didn''t I teach you to know your value? How can you still stay with the Norton boy after everything he''s done to you?" A man sharply dressed in a navy suit asked angrily. "If you hadn''t begged for me to stop last week, I would have chopped his balls off and fed them to him." Laia found his words interesting. When she abandoned the novel, she didn''t remember writing much, if anything, for Raine''s back story. She studied the man''s expression; trying to piece together a puzzle. Saffron had been able to access the basic information of her family members, but nothing more beyond that. "Do I have a choice on the matter?" She asked. It was a genuine question. Raine had received a contract instead of an engagement ring. The arranged marriage had been drafted, proposed, and signed by that man. Rafael Hastings. Her grandfather. He leaned back and sighed; dragging a hand down his face. "If you have to ask that, then that means that we failed at raising you." With knowledge of the marriage contract, it wasn''t difficult to picture him as any who would use their kin as a political pawn; selfish, greedy, and apathetic. But hearing his words today¡­ Laia understood the situation clearly. "Raine," her mother cut in, "I know you''re an idiot, but I didn''t think you were this much of an idiot." The words were so calmly spoken that even Laia felt offended. She was starting to get glipses of her mother¨C her real mother¨C from this surrogate one; despite the appearances of the two being night and day. Both seemed to have an affinity to calling her an idiot. "Gem," her father spoke up. Erick Hastings. Current CEO of Hastings Incorporated. He handsome and charismatic in a dignified way, with strong features and a pleasant voice. "She''s just¡­ blinded by love or something like that. We''ve sheltered her too much. She doesn''t know these kinds of things yet, okay? That useless one over there was the same way too," he pointed at Darren. "¡­sure. That''s right, mom," her older brother assented reluctantly; throwing a short glare at their father. Darren Hastings. Vice-president of Hastings Corp. Playboy¨C the system had him labeled as one. She could definitely see why. He wouldn''t look out of place in a boy band or a telenovela. "She''s an honor student, isn''t she? Her IQ''s working fine. The EQ needs work¨Clots of it, but she''s not a lost cause yet. Rain-rain will learn to realize and appreciate these things eventually. She''s just at a point in her life where she has shitty judgement. She''ll learn to invest her efforts into a better person someday," he said. She could sense a helplessness in his tone. As if even he didn''t believe what he was currently saying. The room had gone from a deathly silent zone to an active shooting range. A single question triggered all of this. Laia had only been Raine for about an hour, but she was already having her character assassinated. The system was the useless one here, okay? It was just dumping her into a world with zero context and zero assistance! How could she know everything that was going on? "Ah!" She jumped from her chair; a piercing shock coursing through her head. The others turned to look at her with worry and confusion on their faces. "Raine?" << Side Quest: Preserve the legacy of the Hastings'' main family. >> << Increase your dowry establishment''s market share by 20%. >> It was hard for her to stop from cussing out loud. Hate the Player and the Game Rich people like contracts. A lot. ¡°Damn,¡± Laia muttered. She sat cross-legged on her gigantic fluffy bed. Saffron tucked close to her side. In her hands was a thick stack of paper that could very well cause a concussion given the right use case. ¡°You sure this is right?¡± She asked. Saffron nodded, ¡°I made sure to double-check after retrieving the file and double-checked again on the way back here. There is what you asked for.¡± Even though this system was a stingy one and an overall disappointment, the presence of Saffron kind of made up for it. He was a cheat in his own right; being able to access every aspect of the system and keep objects in a spacial realm. Once she had found out, she had sent him on a little mission and he had done his job excellently. Paired with a distinctly British accent and formal speech, she couldn¡¯t help but think the little thing resembled a feline version of a bat¡¯s best friend. Her lazy ass was very glad to have him on her side, but she digressed. She was still fucking pissed that she had to endure a side quest. Weren¡¯t side quests supposed to be an optional thing? Why the fuck was she getting more work to do? ¡°Alright. Thanks for your help,¡± she sighed; scanning the mountain of dead trees again. Crisp bold text glared up at her from the page. ¡®The following will confirm the terms of the agreement between Raine Athanasia Hastings and Alexander Jason Norton. In the event of separation, the initiating party will concede ownership of the previously agreed-upon settlement to the other.¡¯ Damn rich people. Eventually finding herself on page 37 with the end still far from sight and gaining nothing but a headache, Laia knew it would be best to concede least she be traumatized. Each party obviously had access to very beefed-up lawyers. Threats dressed up in legal jargon littered the entirety of every single piece of paper. She didn¡¯t even know why she thought that she would be able to find a loophole or anything. They were playing with big guns, of course. It had taken 11 pages in size 9 font to disclose the properties and estates that were under her name. Her dowry had taken up 18 pages. Reading the extent of her new wealth had shocked her numb. She was now brushing through mentions of private islands and five-star hotels without batting an eye. She just wanted to ask her new family members why the fuck they thought giving a 21-year-old a huge fortune was a good idea. 21 was an age when bad decisions would be made on the regular. Case in point: Raine had forcefully married a man who didn¡¯t love her. The male lead had been written to be like every other male lead. He was a man who just oozes masculinity and charisma wherever he goes. Tall, dark, and handsome. Who, despite the many parasites trying to leech off of him, only had eyes for only one woman¨Cthe heroine of the story.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Raine was not the heroine of this story Laia was thanking god for that. During the time she had written this, it had probably been the era of ¡®I¡¯m not like other girls¡¯ girls and unnecessarily shitty CEOs. Hell, she doubted she had even been old enough to understand what healthy relationships even looked like. She didn¡¯t have enough patience to deal with some stuck up asshole who could get off on the image of his own face. For now though, she was stuck with him. It wasn¡¯t very subtle and all very legal, but the Hastings had strongarmed the Nortons into the marriage. The magnitude of the dowry alone reinforced the idea. Nortons were new money. Hastings had their roots planted and entwined with other large trees. Could upstarts survive in a playing field that required relationships and connections to maintain success? The answer was apparent. They had two options: surrender with benefits, or surrender bloodied. They made a rational decision. Laia really wished they hadn¡¯t. Then she wouldn¡¯t have to deal with a troublesome legal situation. But what¡¯s done is done. Now she had to deliberate whether it would be best to threaten her husband by kidnapping his lady love for ransom, or if killing him off now would be the better option instead. The latter option seemed more appealing, since there was a point in the plot when he did have her killed. He¡¯d likely gone after her family too, since he would no longer be scared of them then. Why not beat him to the punch while he still hadn¡¯t established himself? It would be a good few years before he ventured into the underworld. Decisions, decisions. The beginning of her original plan to complete the main quest had been severely compromised by the side quest. It was a pain in the ass to have to work around the two conditions. She wasn¡¯t even sure when the demands would end¨C three mandatory quests might span over a length of years. She was a writer. She understood how to milk a story line for all it¡¯s worth. Seeing as this was a world based on a romantic novel, the plot was finding all kinds of ways to get her to interact with the male lead. Main quest: he was her husband. Side quest: he was in charge of the dowry properties. There was something important everyone needed to understand. Everyone who was not the main character but associated with them is cannon fodder. Cannon fodder get cannon fodder fates. It was only a matter of when. Why become cannon fodder if she could escape said sad fate? She was already being threatened with death by a stupid dismembered robot voice. She wasn¡¯t going to let anyone or anything else try to kill her. She paused. ¡°Hey, Saffron?¡± She called out, ¡°I¡¯m not the only one who was sent into an alternate dimension thing, aren¡¯t I?¡± The feline looked up from licking its paws. She had to stop herself from touching his head. ¡°Well, yes. The young master has an unsightly habit of throwing people he doesn¡¯t agree with into worlds at will.¡± ¡°What happened to those guys?¡± She asked. He glanced at her, ¡°They all died.¡± Fun. ¡°Ah!¡± A little detail that escaped her yesterday suddenly wormed its way back into her mind. ¡°You mentioned something before about your Young Master¡¯s older brother guy being able to save me, right? What about now?¡± Saffron shook his head, ¡°He wouldn¡¯t be of any help anymore. Once you enter this world, you have to bear the rules of it. He¡¯s bound to them too. Even if he tried to return you to your world, if you haven¡¯t completed the quests yet, you¡¯ll still bear consequences.¡± Laia opened her mouth, before closing it again. A twitchy, wry smile found itself on her lips. She once again thought of kidnapper kid. Yup, there was no way she would be leaving him alive. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry too much, Lady Laia. Every one of those people were actual criminals, unlike you. Their downfall was that they received quests from the system but refused to do them. As long as you are able to fulfill the system¡¯s demands, then you should be able to return to your home world safely. I swear to you that I will even see it through,¡± he bowed. She wanted to let out a laugh. A success rate of 0%. Fabulous. Apples Dont Fall Far ¡°I want a divorce.¡± Now, hearing something like that would evoke standard protocol. Normal people say ¡®I¡¯m sorry to hear that,¡¯ or ¡®If you need anyone to talk to, I¡¯m here for you.¡¯ Maybe they¡¯d even hug the soon-to-be divorcee and wish them well for their future romances. What they don¡¯t do¨C what normal, socially adept people don¡¯t do, is mobilize a private army. From the moment the words left her lips, thundering chaos broke out into the room. Phones were brought out, calls were made, and angry shouts echoed the dining room. Although their speech was going at a rapid-fire pace, Laia could still get the gist of what they were planning to do. ¡°Wait a minute!¡± She interrupted. It wasn¡¯t that she was particularly opposed to the idea, but it would interfere with her plans. Three out of four Hastings turned to look at her, but her mother went on as if she had never said anything. ¡°Yes, fifteen minutes. Report to me immediately once you¡¯ve surrounded the residence.¡± The woman kept nodding along to whoever she was talking to. Finally, she looked up to glance at her daughter, ¡°The Norton¡¯s can stand to lose one. He¡¯s replaceable, anyway.¡± The rest of her family pipped up in assent. Laia wasn¡¯t really sure whether she should laugh or cry. The decision between the two instead left her exasperated. Breakfast had started out like any other. She went down, sat, and proceeded to devour a ridiculously good omelet. Just as everyone was savoring the remnants of their orange juice did Laia think it was alright for her to casually drop a bomb. Thus, the situation now. ¡°I need him alive, at least,¡± she said. It wasn¡¯t a lie. She double-checked her marriage contract again. It stated that if the other party died through potentially nefarious means, the widow wouldn¡¯t get the other¡¯s properties. Pity. ¡°Why do you want a divorce?¡± Her mother regarded her with cold eyes, ¡°What did he do?¡± The timeline of events in her head was too foggy and the details of the present too vague. Seeing as her family hadn¡¯t mentioned the female lead yet, she could only assume that she was near the beginning of the story. Now, she couldn¡¯t say that she wanted a divorce because the male lead had cheated on her. He might not have done so yet. Seeing her family¡¯s volatile reaction to just an implication of her husband going too far, she could only imagine what they would do to him given a concrete cause. Both male and female lead were still useful to her alive. She needed to answer carefully, or else she would be putting herself at a loss. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ tired.¡± It was hard for Laia to summon feelings of heartbreak when she didn¡¯t have any. She was trying to summon the same energy as a second male lead in a k-drama. It wasn¡¯t going too well. ¡°I¡¯m tired and I¡¯m angry. I¡¯m really, really angry. At myself. At him,¡± she paused, looking to the ground for dramatic effect.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°I don¡¯t want to give him anything more.¡± Laia counted to three before continuing her spiel. ¡°About the divorce, I don¡¯t mean that I¡¯m going to have one now. I just want you guys to know that you¡¯re aware and can prepare for it when the time comes.¡± Darren was the first to speak, ¡°Rain-rain? Why drag it out longer if you¡¯re tired?¡± ¡°Your brothers right. You have our support to do whatever you want,¡± her father said. Laia looked towards her mother. The woman regarded her with thinly-veiled worry. Coughing, she spoke. ¡°I¡¯ve told the army to fall back, but they¡¯re still on standby. Just in case.¡± Her grandfather grunted in dispeasure. Well, things were going as good as they were going to get. She scratched her head; wondering how she was going to transition from this soft atmosphere into one where they could plan a person''s demise. ¡°I¡¯m not going to divorce him,¡± she began, ¡°I¡¯m going to get him to divorce me.¡± Her father scoffed, ¡°As if that twat would dare to. Our family and influence is the only reason why he can stand as his family¡¯s head.¡± Laia nodded. With the Norton¡¯s being a family of new money, they didn¡¯t have the same traditions of older business moguls. They operated under the rule of ¡®the most capable will spearhead the family,¡¯ versus a line of succession where the eldest sons and daughters would be trained to become the most capable. Because of the nature of the Norton succession, there were a number of very capable people in that family. Everybody and anybody was willing to do anything to get ahead¨Cand her husband wasn¡¯t an exception. He had only edged out of the competition because of the Hasting¡¯s support. Though this marriage was born by Raine¡¯s selfishness, Alexander got something worthwhile out of it too. Down the line, she would need to collaborate with his family members. She got down to the bones of the situation, ¡°I want to get my dowry back.¡± It was a surprise to the rest of the people in the room. ¡°Your dowry?¡± Her grandfather frowned, ¡°Eh, you don¡¯t need to worry about those things. They¡¯re not important.¡± Laia wished she could say that to the system. ¡°No,¡± she shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave him with anything.¡± ¡°Then what are you doing to do?¡± Her mother asked. The corner of her lips twitched upwards; the movement so minuscule that it would be easily missed. She couldn¡¯t write romance to save her life, but war and politics were her stronger points. It would be an understatement to say that she was interested in seeing those tactics being implemented in a CEO romance story. With the face-slapping nature of the genre, it would probably fit right in. ¡°I could of course, talk with him first. If he¡¯s willing to divorce me then problem solved,¡± Laia tapped her nails on the table to a steady rhythm. ¡°But, if he doesn¡¯t¡­¡± She trailed off. ¡°What if we found a way to make Alexander believe he didn¡¯t need us anymore? Find him a source of support that he thinks he can rely on, and then ask for a divorce while he¡¯s flying high.¡± She had written this character. Although her memory was vague at best, she understood what she had planned to do with him and what his character motivations were. Everyone had a fatal flaw, his was his ego. Ever since the Hastings came into the picture and barged into his life, he had slowly learnt to suck it up and act according to his interest. However, if she could rouse his self-conceit to the highest possible degree, a little push would be enough to see him plunge face first into the depths of hell. ¡°Once the papers are settled, we¡¯ll pull the rug from beneath his feet and bleed him dry.¡± A moment of silence passed by; the four looking at her with creases between their brows. ¡°Whew,¡± Darren chuckled slightly, ¡°Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, yeah?¡± Her mother tilted her head, ¡°But is that really enough? I think you could do a little bit more.¡± ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s a long list of things we can do to him that won¡¯t be permanent if you want him intact,¡± her grandfather said. Witnessing them divulge into graphic accounts of torture methods alongside teasing Darren for being too ¡®soft,¡¯ two things crossed Laia¡¯s mind. One, she had been transmigrated into the right family. Two, she needed a notebook to write everything they were saying down. Sinking Before Take Off ¡°Honey bunny! You¡¯re on your way to the office, right? Oh, I¡¯m so so so excited to see you!¡± Laia was smirking the entire time; watching through the grainy CCTV cameras as a man visibly stiffened. It was nice to know she had such a great impact on people. Through her phone¡¯s speaker, she could hear her husband dearest taking in deep breaths in an effort to calm himself down. She hoped he was failing. It was entertaining to see him flustered. ¡°Where are you? Are you at the office?¡± He snapped quickly. Laia tsked internally. He was the head of a company. He would need to get a better grip on his emotions and reactions if he wanted to survive in a cut throat industry. But the confusion was expected. It seemed she and Raine shared a similar characteristic¨Cboth would refuse to wake up at a socially accepted hour. It had been hellish to wake up at six in the morning on a Saturday just to beat Alexander here. ¡°Mhmm,¡± she hummed sweetly, ¡°I heard that you would be interviewing for a personal assistant and secretary role! I just wanted to come over and help you pick out a candidate!¡± It sounded like she was any other jealous wife that felt threatened by the presence of another female in their significant other¡¯s life. In truth, she was merely preventing the classically angsty CEO x Secretary pairing. She couldn¡¯t let her potential seed drown in muck like that, right? As she was musing over the trope, her husband was swearing up a storm on the inside. ¡°Who told you that?¡± She giggled; the sound evil to Saffron¡¯s ears. ¡°That¡¯s a secret!¡± The feline had been taking a nap in her designer handbag. From the moment her sickly sweet tone had greeted her husband, he had jolted awake. He was glaring at her, but she paid him no mind. ¡°It seems like I have to inspect over at one of the studios. It slipped my mind,¡± her husband¡¯s apologetic voice was faker than fake, ¡°I can¡¯t go over to the office now, unfortunately. If you want, you can go over and pick whoever you want from the applicants there.¡± ¡°But you aren¡¯t going here?¡± She whined loudly, just to drive the nail in a little bit more. A snicker almost escaped her lips as she watched her husband hightail away from the entrance of the building towards the carpark; his little subordinates stumbling after. ¡°No,¡± The dial tone began to beep immediately after. Laia snorted. ¡°Poor kid,¡± she remarked. Although the male lead hadn¡¯t done anything to her directly yet, she had him pinned as collateral damage. Why? Well, as kidnapper kid was still MIA, someone had to bear the brunt of her pent up malice. Plus, he was still kind of her planned murderer. A threat was a threat. Was it reasonable? No, but she wasn¡¯t one who who particullarly bothered by being called a hypocrite or a sadist. This was a dog eat dog world. You were either against her or with her.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. If he cooperated with what she needed, then that would make his life easier. If he would not, well¡­ She was preparing for that outcome right now. There was no loss to having aces and pawns up her sleeve. Everything she had to do needed to be radical enough for the story to change greatly. There would be no way in hell that she¡¯d be dying. Laia placed her phone down; spinning on the leather swivel chair in her husband¡¯s office. The design of the overall room was very industrial. Everything was in differing shades of white, gray, and blue. Stainless steel bookends and accented the decor. What differentiated this office as the one for the CEO from any other managerial office was the floor to ceiling window that looked over the skyline. It was only a matter of time before she¡¯d get a place like this. Where instead of a placard with his name hanging on the door, it would be hers¨Cwithout her married name. In her opinion, Raine Hastings sounded much better than Raine Norton. She pressed a button on the intercom. ¡°Excuse me,¡± she said, ¡°Please send in all the applicant resumes.¡± Immediately after, a man in glasses came into the room. He was carrying a fairly substantial stack of folders; causing her to flashback to her marriage contract. ¡°Madam, all of the files have have already been checked by the hiring directors so you don¡¯t really have to go through them anymore. I¡¯ve already sent the list of names through to the president¡¯s computer,¡± he said. Laia smiled, ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± She didn¡¯t say anything more so he begrudgingly placed the lot of files on the table. Thanking him before he left, Laia watched his retreating back with a shake of her head. He was too obvious. Then she began to shuffle through all the folders. Saffron leapt up from his multi-thousand dollar carrier; scrubbing through the files with his bean paws. After a while of searching, Laia pulled out a crisp folder with a name and number printed onto the side. ¡°Here we are,¡± she said. Black. Bold. All capitalized. ¡®871 ALISSA JANE WALKER¡¯ The female lead. Laia had arrived at an optimal point in the story. A fairly optimal point for her, at least. Today was the day the two leads were supposed to meet for the very first time. It had all been seen before. Male lead makes a misogynistic and offensive comment, female lead lashes out at him¨Csomething no one has ever done to male lead before, and cue male lead¡¯s internal dialogue with the classic line: ¡®she¡¯s interesting.¡¯ Laia thought that they should have been glad that she was finding ways to make sure that their lives weren¡¯t portrayals of sad D-list romances. She was saving both of them the eye rolls and humiliation. Opening the file, she glanced through the information on it. An appreciative hum escaped her lips as she glazed through the data. It wasn¡¯t at all impressive. The school the female lead had gone to was mediocre at best. There were also several odd jobs listed under work experience. There was nothing indicative that she was capable of any sort of high caliber job, much less that the left hand of a business magnate. Alexander in the novel hadn¡¯t caught on, but she was the author. She was the one who planted these seeds. Laia pressed the intercom button again. ¡°Send in applicant 871,¡± she called out the female lead¡¯s application number. It wasn¡¯t a long wait. Like an office romance movie, it was the loud click of her heels that announced her impending arrival¨Ceven through the firmly shut door. Leaning forward, elbows on the desk; Laia rested her chin on her palm. Two distinct knocks on the entryway. The doorknob cranking to the left. ¡°Good morning,¡± a bright voice filled the room. With a few strides, the female lead was in her full view. She didn¡¯t miss it when the girl faltered slightly at the sight of her. Just then, Laia realized that she had missed the opportunity to greet Alissa in mobster fashion¨Chaving her back towards her before cleanly swiveling her leather chair. She made a mental note to do it next time. ¡°Good morning,¡± she nodded, ¡°Please sit down.¡± The female lead was in every way a visual contrast to Raine. Raine was tall and skinny, while Alissa was vertically challenged and voluptuous. Raine had black hair and sharp eyes, while Alissa had strawberry blonde locks and doe-shaped eyes. Sharp line and soft ones, a wily smile and a genuine one; both struck chords in people¡¯s hearts in different ways. It was as if the universe was trying to show who was the supposed good and bad at a moment''s glance. Laia wasn¡¯t afraid to prove it right for her and wrong for Alissa. ¡°I¡¯m not giving you the job,¡± Laia said; pearly whites glimmering. The Female Lead Her smile remained on her face. The same couldn¡¯t be said for the female lead. ¡°Excuse me, I don¡¯t think I heard you correctly?¡± Alissa forced a chuckle; shifting in her seat. Laia could see that the girl¡¯s hands were wrung together tightly; her knuckles turning white from the pressure she was exerting. They¡¯d need to work on that. ¡°You heard me,¡± Laia leaned backward; putting her feet on the table. The red soles of her heels reflected the glare of the ceiling light, ¡°But let me repeat it, then. I¡¯m not giving you the job.¡± She could understand why the male lead would take interest in Alissa¨Cbeyond her authorly ministrations, of course. It was hard not to feel amused by how her face took to a somehow flattering shade of red. Even her cheeks puffed up a little in her temper, making Laia want to reach out and poke them. The girl was very, very cute. Saffron peeked out from his cozy resting place; shooting a glance of pity towards the girl being subject to scrutiny. Although he had only been with this host for a short while, he had a fair grasp of her personality¨Cespecially as he had been her only confidant and resource as she laid her chess pieces out on the board. He knew well in his heart that Laia only saw the female lead as some sort of pet to play with. ¡°How dare you!¡± Alissa exploded, stumbling out of her seat. She glared daggers into the other female leisurely watching her with a mocking expression. Her hands balled into fists. ¡°How dare you? I don¡¯t know who you are, but you have no right to treat me like this¨Cno right to treat anybody like this! You have no right to waste my time, or talk to me like I¡¯m below you.¡± Her voice got louder with every statement. Laia tilted her head, contemplating. ¡°Hmm,¡± she muttered, ¡°Needs work. The delivery is decent, I¡¯ll give you that. You do have that innate heroine aura.¡± ¡°What?¡± Alissa looked at her as if she were crazy. There had always been a few screws loose, anyway. It wasn¡¯t a new revelation. ¡°Oh,¡± Laia said, ¡°You mentioned that you have no idea who I am. Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. Raine Hastings. Alexander Norton¡¯s wife.¡± She stretched out her hand for Alissa to shake; not at all making an effort to stand up. She dropped it with a shrug when Alissa just stared at it. ¡°Be like that then,¡± Laia muttered. ¡°Look,¡± she settled her gaze on the tomato red female lead, ¡°Do you really want to get a secretarial position? Do you?¡± Her mocking words struck a chord in Alissa, but the girl refused to let it show. Her face dropped to the ground, causing Laia to frown.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Look up,¡± she commanded. And for some reason even unbeknownst to the girl herself, Alissa complied; their eyes meeting. Good. Manageable still. ¡°Do you want to hear something I found interesting?¡± Laia asked. She continued without bothering to wait for her counterpart to answer. ¡°Alissa Jane Walker. Working-class, only child, unqualified to apply for anything more than a barista,¡± she smiled, ¡°Born to an alcoholic father, raised by a dying single mother.¡± Alissa¡¯s fingers trembled, ¡°Stop,¡± ¡°Second stage liver cancer. You had to stop treatment six months in because the bank wouldn¡¯t give you a loan anymore. She still wasn¡¯t improving,¡± Laia looked at her fingernails, ¡°Then, daddy came back into the picture.¡± ¡°I told you to stop,¡± Alissa hissed. That didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Eighty thousand dollars in debt, plus a raging alcoholic into an already pretty shitty life. You turned down a prestigious scholarship to stay with your mom, and three years later you still have no stable job. You¡¯ve got no credentials to your name nor any way to pay back the bank. Your mom¡¯s getting worse, too.¡± Out of all things, she remembered what kind of tragic back story the heroine had. Afterall, she had used her own experiences as a template. The corner of her lips twitched, ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure what kind of relationship you have with glasses guy is, but he¡¯s the one that got your application into the pile of candidates.¡± Alissa flinched ever so slightly. Of course, Laia knew what kind of relationship she had with glasses guy. He was class c cannon fodder; someone stuck so deep in the territory of friend zone. ¡°Ah, well. He¡¯s dispensable. He violated company policy, lied to his superiors, and will have to lose his job because of this.¡± She watched as Alissa¡¯s hands do all the talking, again; balling themselves into fists. They were great tells to her emotion, though that would have to be fixed. ¡°Unless¡­¡± she trailed off. The implication was there. Laia wasn¡¯t one to take on charity cases for the hell of it. ¡°What do you want?¡± Alissa¡¯s voice broke the silence. She didn¡¯t bother to mask the anger in her voice but knew how to play smart enough. It wasn''t a question on how this perfect stranger had details to her life that probably surpassed a legal degree. Rich people had their ways. The only thing Alissa wanted to know, is what this person¡¯s intentions were. Laia stood, walking over to were the female lead was. Thankfully, Raine¡¯s height towered over the general population. It added a few points to her intimidation factor if her looks and status weren¡¯t already enough. Even then, pinned side by side, Alissa didn¡¯t falter. She definitely carried herself like the protagonist she was. ¡°I want to make a deal,¡± Laia beamed, ¡°You¡¯ve got the balls. You just need to grow into them more. You can¡¯t flare up one moment and lose that spark in the next.¡± Her hand extended towards the female lead once more. ¡°My behavior earlier was me trying to feel you out. I want to offer you another job opportunity. You¡¯d be a great fit.¡± That wasn¡¯t a lie. In fact, it was an understatement. Protagonists automatically came armed with god-level skill sets, and Alissa was no exception. The girl had the midas touch¨Cevery project that fell into her hands would be made into a complete success. Alexander had been the one to discover her potential. But this time, Laia¡¯d be taking full credit for it. In her eyes, Alissa was the insurance for one of her quests and the solution to the other. ¡°If you take it, I can guarantee that you¡¯ll be able to treat your mother, make a better life for yourself, and take out whatever trash you need to take out,¡± Laia shrugged. ¡°Everyone will turn a blind eye. You just need to help me out.¡± Alissa eyed the hand being offered to her. The setting and atmosphere of the place made her feel as if she were about to sell her soul to the devil. The woman in front of her wasn¡¯t someone who seemed very stable. ¡°I¡¯m not some charity project,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m not treating you as a charity project. I¡¯m treating you as an investment.¡± Alissa fumbled. Laia got her there. ¡°What¡­ what¡¯s the job?¡± she asked with caution in mind. Laia chuckled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s¡­ Let¡¯s call it a management position.¡± As is, a Montage Pushing open the door leading her outside of the office, the clacking of her heels punctuating her exit. Laia was glad to see glasses guy greeting her. The emotion wasn¡¯t directed towards the person himself, rather the expression on his face. She was sure he was trying his best to school his expression into one of calm. Unfortunately, one eye was twitching. She didn¡¯t even think that could happen outside of cartoons. ¡°Madam, how did it go?¡± He asked her as Alissa appeared. His eyes flickered between the two. Laia sighed. ¡°Look,¡± she said, ¡°Kid¨C what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Uh, it¡¯s Aidan.¡± ¡°Okay, Aidan. If you want to keep something under wraps, stop drawing attention onto it. Just breeze through, don¡¯t ask for any questions or follow-ups,¡± she patted his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll let today pass, alright?¡± He understood that she knew immediately. ¡°Thank you, madam.¡± Laia wasn¡¯t at all trying to be a good person. The fact that he was even allowed clearance on this floor at all meant that he could be useful. She needed someone on the inside to be indebted to her somehow. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking this with me,¡± she waved a folder with the numbers 871 printed on it; making a beeline towards the elevator. Alissa followed after. ¡°Find someone else to be your boss¡¯ secretary. She¡¯s not applying here anymore,¡± Laia said. Aidan opened his mouth, but at a raised eyebrow from her, he quickly closed it. Good enough. She subtly turned her head towards Alissa¡¯s direction as she pressed the button for the ground floor. ¡°You¡¯re not going to say goodbye?¡± She asked. There was a pause. ¡°I¡­,¡± Alissa couldn¡¯t answer, choosing to look away. Guilt lowered her brows. Laia noted this as the beginning of romantic discourse between the female lead and her miscellaneous suitors. Ah, the typical aversion to confrontation and eventual cultivation of misunderstandings. The bread and butter of romance novels and extending their word counts. Being able to see it with her own two eyes? It was free entertainment. A ding, a descent, and a Dodge Challenger later, the two of them were on the road. Saffron was safely tucked into a cat car seat. There were at least two SUV¡¯s flanking each side of the automobile; eight in total. Inside, Laia knew there were men and women towering at least six foot five; each armed to the teeth. To live the life of the rich meant some sacrifices needed to be made. In this case, it was privacy. Unless she was at home, she never had a moment alone even if it seemed that way. She was surprised she was even allowed to drive a car on her own. ¡°Miss Raine?¡± Alissa¡¯s voice broke the silence on a red light. Laia quirked a brow, ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Why me? Why¡¯d you get me? There are so many people more qualified¨CI don¡¯t even have a degree. I wouldn¡¯t even be able to get to the final round of interviews if Aidan didn¡¯t¡­ intervene,¡± she rushed her words in a single breath. It wasn¡¯t easy to answer, because she had a point. Obviously, Laia couldn¡¯t say that the reason she¡¯d been hired was because she had the protagonist halo, now could she? She settled with an answer that suited her. ¡°Why not?¡± It was a classic response that would make the asker want to skewer the askee with a stick. Silence settled in the car after that. It was a rather awkward one, causing Laia to sigh.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°How about this,¡± she wanted to gag at what she was about to say, ¡°There¡¯s no rationale or logic behind my decision. Let¡¯s just say that I had a gut feeling that you would be the right person.¡± Cheesy line out of the way; she turned the wheel as a robotic GPS voice chimed into the conversation. Laia finally pulled up to their destination; a street with stores sitting shoulder to shoulder. In large, metallic letters that caught the glare of the sun were rows and rows of designer brand names. Leaving the car to the valet; bodyguards began to flank them left and right. Saffron was once again placed in her handbag¨C not that he minded it very much. He seemed to be enjoying cat life just fine; simply eating, sleeping, crawling into small spaces, and sleeping again. It was an existence worthy of envy. ¡°Is this where I¡¯ll be working?¡± Alissa asked as they walked into a building three stories high¨C all dedicated to a single brand. The ambiance was one of sophistication; with everyone inside, customers and staff alike were dressed to the nines. Laia wasn¡¯t particularly familiar with things related to fashion and the like. She only went into this boutique because its name was scrawled onto the tag on the fitted maroon suit she was currently wearing. ¡°Mrs. Norton!¡± A bubbly red-headed girl jumped at the sight of her. She was a very beautiful girl; dressed in a dark green blouse, with tan dress pants to accentuate her long legs. A little name tag was pinned onto her chest. ¡®Finn,¡¯ it read. Laia blinked for a little while before responding to her married name. ¡°Oh, yeah?¡± she could only assume that this person had been Raine¡¯s shopping assistant. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in a while! I hope all is well with you. Would you like to check out our latest releases?¡± Finn asked, already gesturing towards the upper levels of the store. ¡°No,¡± Laia shook her head, ¡°Finn, could you take care of Alissa over here? I need a week¡¯s worth of suits, skirts, blouses, and a formal dress for functions. Get some accessories in there too, please.¡± Finn nodded, but Alissa looked at her confused. ¡°Go. This is your mandatory makeover montage. You¡¯re one of my people now. I can¡¯t have you embarrassing me, now can I?¡± Laia waved her away; her phone clutched in her hands. The other girl still looked shocked, but obediently followed Finn into the fitting rooms. Tapping on her phone screen, she dialed a number that she had become familiar with in the past few days. A click came from her speaker. ¡°Is he at their apartment?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes, Young Miss. We¡¯ve surrounded the house. We¡¯re all on standby waiting for your arrival,¡± a feminine voice replied. Laia nodded, ¡°Good. How about records of Alissa from the office?¡± ¡°Tapes and documents wiped. The replacements have been made and we ensured no witnesses besides Aiden Weaver.¡± ¡°Excellent. Expect us in an hour or two. Thank you for your work, diana.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Young Miss.¡± Another click signaled the end of the call. Finn was very efficient in her job. In about an hour, Alissa had the clothes, shoes, and miscellaneous items she needed. ¡°Good to go?¡± Laia asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Alissa bobbed her head, ¡°Thank you, again.¡± She eyed all the bags the bodyguards held. ¡°Isn¡¯t this too much, though?¡± Laia waved her hand, ¡°I¡¯ve already paid for it. Consider it company expenses.¡± A week with the Hastings had been the biggest bout of socio-economic shock that anyone could have. She was pretty sure that with every second she was breathing, her net worth was increasing. It made her less stingy with money. ¡°Thank you again,¡± Alissa looked to the floor. Seeing her do so made Laia want to sigh. With the position she¡¯d be holding, they¡¯d need to knock those conservative mannerisms out of her. She had already shown that she was capable of holding her own earlier, so why had that attribute disappear now? Back on the road, Alissa couldn¡¯t help but find the surroundings familiar. She turned to Laia, not knowing why this heiress was driving towards the worst parts of town. They arrived in front of a decrepit apartment building. The walls were stained with dirt and duck tape was stuck haphazardly all over random windows. Unlike a usual weekend, there were no smokers or roughhousing men sitting outside. ¡°Miss?¡± This was her place. ¡°No lingering attachments?¡± Laia asked. Alissa furrowed her brows, ¡°What?¡± ¡°To your father. Are there any more lingering attachments between you and your father?¡± she clarified. It wasn¡¯t hard for Alissa to answer. ¡°None.¡± Laia nodded; shutting off the Dodge¡¯s motor. She handed the female lead the keys. ¡°There are about eight bodyguards at your disposal here. Whatever you choose to do will be kept under wraps. If you want a soundproof room, tools, or anything just ask. When you¡¯re done, they¡¯ll escort you to a safer residence,¡± she opened the door. Alissa was dumbfounded; the keys in her palm suddenly bearing an unprecedented weight. ¡°Miss?¡± she forced out. ¡°Oh,¡± Laia hit the side of the vehicle, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this thing. It¡¯s a peasant car. Ew, right?¡± A wicked smile appeared on her face, ¡°Report at the Amity Tower on Monday, 10am. 78th floor.¡± Without waiting for her to reply, Laia left the girl with an addled look on her face. Saffron peered up from her hand bag; watching as she approached a muscular woman, diana, and entered a car that had been prepared for her. ¡°You know, Lady Laia,¡± he said when they were alone, ¡°On occasion, you are quite nice.¡± Laia pulled a face. It was worrisome how low his standards must be to think that what she had done was nice. ¡°Nah,¡± she snorted. She just thought that it would be interesting to see if the heroine would be able to turn the other cheek, or if she would choose a different approach