4
Joey was, after all, my mission target.
As the novel’s broody, devoted second male lead, he had a prestigious background, immense wealth, and a deeply unhappy childh- ood. Sera was the only ray of light, the only salvation in his youth. Even after he grew into a business titan who could shake marke- ts at will, his devotion to her never wavered. In the end, after paving the way for the main couple’s happy ending, he chose to end his own life by leaping into the sea alone.
sophon
My mission began in my sophomore year of high school, right after Sera transferred and I awakened as a mission–runner. By then, Joey had already fallen for her at first sight, captivated by the image of her sheltering a stray kitten from the rain.
But his love was a quiet, profound thing. He would even accept another woman he didn’t love, just to make Sera happy.
That woman was me.
At the time, Sera mistakenly believed I was involved with the main male lead, Ethan Cross, and she was heartbroken. No matter how Joey tried to comfort her, nothing worked.
So, in the end, Joey chose to pursue me. He would keep me, her rival, under his watchful eye.
The laughable thing is, I thought my persistent efforts had finally moved him. I even happily told the System that with enough sinc- erity, you could melt even an iceberg.
An iceberg can indeed be melted. Just not for me.
5
Joey returned while Leo was guarding me in the living room.
He was watching me so intently that I couldn’t do anything. Bored, I started playing a game on
my
handheld console.
Just then, the maids‘ voices echoed from the foyer, welcoming Joey home.
The next second, the console was slapped from my hands.
Joey’s sharply handsome face was suddenly right in front of mine. A suffocating pressure closed around my throat. My mind went numb, my vision blurring until all I could see were his bloodshot eyes.
“Where did you hide her?” he snarled. “Where is Sera?”
11.02
Chapter 1
So, they couldn’t find her. I couldn’t help but smirk. As expected of the heroine. She sets the stage but doesn’t make her entrance
easily. Got to keep the audience in suspense.
My smile must have provoked him, because his grip tightened.
Yes, just like that. Strangle me. Not only will I get to go home, but you, you scumbag, will get to rot in a jail cell.
I cheered him on silently.
The next moment, a roar erupted beside me. Leo charged forward, throwing a punch straight at Joey’s face.
Joey sidestepped, and the pressure on my neck released. I fell into a warm embrace. It was Leo.
He steadied me, then pushed me behind him. For the first time ever, he looked at Joey–the man he’d admired since childhood, the older brother of a family friend–with pure rage.
“Joey, you almost killed her!”
Joey, who had been staring at his own hands in a daze, looked up. When his eyes swept over me standing silently behind Leo, they turned cold again.
“Leo, Faye is my fiancée,” he said. “What happens between us is none of your business.”
He started to move past Leo, issuing a command directly to me. “Come here.”
I didn’t move. But Leo, having reached his breaking point, shielded me more fiercely. “She’s your fiancée, and this is how you treat her? Who gave you the right to treat her like this?!”
“She had Sera kidnapped! We still don’t know if Sera is alive or dead!” Joey was finally provoked, a vein throbbing on his pale neck. Leo, remember when you first came to the Sterling family? Who was it that helped you adjust, that brought you back into our circle so you wouldn’t be an outcast? Sera was so good to you: Don’t be ungrateful.”
Leo fell silent. When it came to Sera, he always yielded.
But this time, after a long pause, he spoke.
“Do you have proof?”
“What?”
“I said, do you have proof?” Leo’s voice rose with agitation. “From the very beginning, there has been no evidence that Faye did this! Why does everyone automatically blame her?”
Hearing this, I couldn’t help but glance up at him. So he did know about needing proof. Then why was he always so self–righteous when he accused me on Sera’s behalf without a shred of it?
“Hasn’t she done enough to Sera already?” Joey’s voice was hoarse with anger. “For years, she’s framed her, stolen from her–ever- yone has seen it! And every time, Sera was the one who graciously forgave her. Isn’t that enough?”
Leo was silent. Standing behind him, listening to their argument, I wanted to laugh out loud. Of course, Sera had to forgive me. Without me, who would highlight her magnanimity and kindness?
Just as my patience wore thin and I was about to yawn and say something to provoke Joey into finally killing me, Leo spoke. “I believe her.”
“What?” This time, it was my turn to be incredulous.
“I believe Faye. I believe she’s innocent,” Leo repeated, his voice ringing with conviction.
11:02
Chapter 1
Across from us, Joey’s gaze turned dark and stormy.
“Don’t you dare believe me,” I said from behind Leo, a humorless smile on my face. “You’ve been so sure I was the bad guy all this
time. What’s one more time?”
With that, I tried to step around Leo and walk away.
But he grabbed my wrist, holding me fast. He didn’t look at me, keeping his eyes fixed on Joey. “Under what circumstances would a
person choose to prove their innocence with death?”
“Leo, don’t let her fool you,” Joey warned coldly.
But Leo ignored him, continuing his own train of thought. “I’ve been thinking about it all afternoon. If someone is so wronged that they’re no longer afraid of death, that they’d use it to prove a point, it can only mean one thing…”
V
He paused, swallowing the bitterness in his voice before continuing. “It can only mean that before this, she has been misundersto od by everyone, time and time again, with no way to defend herself. This is the only way she has left. Joey, right after you abando- ned her, she jumped off the roof right in front of me. She truly doesn’t want to live anymore.”
Brilliant. I finally understood what Leo had been thinking all afternoon as he stared at me. That genuine smile on my face as I jum- ped, born from the pure joy of finally going home, must have looked to him like a–a bitter, relieved smile of someone finding release.
I saw Joey’s knuckles tremble beneath his cuff, a flash of pain in his deep eyes. I was about to interrupt their little psychoanalysis session when Leo grabbed me and started pulling me toward the front door.
“They don’t believe you, but I do this time,” he said urgently. “Faye, come with me.”
“No,” I said, yanking my arm free.
Under Leo’s astonished gaze, I gave him a cold smirk.
“Don’t play the hero, Leo. I don’t believe you for a second.”
After all, with him around, I’d never get another chance to go home. The currently enraged Joey was a much better target. With the right provocation, I might just achieve the perfect ending: I go home, he goes to jail.
