The System bonded with me just as I finished whipping Sierra Bright. A shrill, static shriek erupted in my mind. [Host, stop! She’s the female lead! The one who’s destined to kick you out of your home and leave you for dead in the streets!] My gaze drifted down to Sierra. She was kneeling at my feet, hands bound behind her back. Expanses of pale skin were bare, crisscrossed with the angry red welts I’d just left. As if sensing my eyes on her, she lifted her head. Her expression was a blank mask, her eyes as cold and empty as a winter lake. Not a flicker of emotion. The System’s voice trembled. [Host, it’s not too late! Untie her! Put some ointment on her wounds! Ask her if she’s cold, if she needs anything…] I let out a cold laugh and slapped her across the face. A dog that bites just needs to be taught its place. 1 Sierra’s head snapped to the side from the force of the blow. Her breath came in sharp, ragged gasps. Her chest rose and fell, her legs pressed tightly together. She looked like she was at the very edge of her control. I gripped her chin, forcing her to meet my eyes. Sierra’s gaze was a black, suffocating void. It had a way of making you feel pinned, even when she was the one bound and kneeling, covered in marks. There was no sense of defeat in her, only a coiled, predatory stillness. The kind that promised she would rip your throat out the second she was free. “Do you know why I hit you?” I asked. She said nothing, just stared, her eyes burning into mine. I patted her cheek. “If you don’t know, then you can stay on your knees.” “Kneel here until I wake up from my nap. Then we can go to class together. How does that sound?” I stood up and walked past her toward the bedroom. The leg of my trousers brushed against her cheek. Her dark eyes shuttered, and after a long moment, she slowly closed them. 2 Sierra was a toy I’d acquired by chance. She had the looks, the brains… it didn’t take long for her to become a campus legend after starting university. I saw her around a few times and decided I wanted her. I pursued her, but she acted as if I didn’t exist. It was the first time I’d ever been rejected, and the blow to my ego was significant. So, I had her investigated. It turned out her family was dirt-poor and her mother was gravely ill. No matter how many part-time jobs she killed herself working, she could never scrape together enough for the medical bills. Conveniently, I had more money than I knew what to do with. Our relationship was simple. I paid her bills, and she played the part of my dog. I have a vindictive streak and a long memory. The flicker of attraction I felt for her wasn’t nearly enough to erase the humiliation of being ignored. And that face of hers… every time she looked at me with those placid, emotionless eyes, I felt an overwhelming urge to make her feel something. I wanted to rip open her prim white blouses, to leave my mark on her flesh. But Sierra rarely showed any emotion. Even when I hit her hard, she would only gasp for breath, glaring at me, stubbornly refusing to make a sound. It was as if she knew exactly what I wanted to see, what I wanted to hear. And so she denied me, her face a mask, her lips sealed. 3 But now, thanks to the System, I had some new information. Apparently, the world I lived in was a novel. Sierra was the protagonist, destined to rise from the ashes and become a titan of the business world. And I was the villain. The sadistic asshole who subjected her to endless humiliation in the early chapters. The first thing Sierra did after clawing her way to the top was to eliminate me. The System also informed me that Sierra and I had, in fact, been switched at birth. My own biological mother was the one who had swapped us in the hospital nursery. So, the life of immense wealth and privilege I enjoyed was a sham. Sierra was the true heiress. I was just the impostor. One of the novel’s major "satisfying" plot points, I was told. For me, however, it was anything but satisfying. I had no desire to live Sierra’s life of miserable poverty. I couldn’t stomach a single one of the hardships she endured as a matter of course. The System was practically weeping in my head. [Then why are you still hitting the female lead, Host?! This will only make her hate you more! When the truth comes out, your fate will be even worse than what was written in the book!] [Hurry up and untie her! Apologize! Let her go!] “No,” I said, cutting it off. “Remind me, what is it you’re supposed to do?” The System sulked. [My purpose is to help you raise the female lead’s affection score, thereby changing your tragic ending.] [It’s my fault for arriving so late… you’ve already been treating her like this for a month. Forget raising her affection score, we’ll be lucky if it’s not in the negatives!] “Why don’t you check what her affection score is for me right now?” I suggested. The System muttered as it ran the scan. [I’ll eat my own code if it isn’t negative… Affection Score: 95%?!?] [That’s impossible!] [Is this a bug?!] [Something is seriously wrong! Either I’m broken, or the female lead is broken… Who gets whipped every day and falls more in love? Is she a psychopath?!] I yawned. “She is.” You can suppress your emotions. You can control your expression. But you can’t fake a physiological reaction. Every time I laid a hand on her, Sierra’s face remained a mask of cold indifference, but her body betrayed her. A flush would creep up her neck, staining her ears crimson. A sheen of moisture would film over her eyes, making them glisten. She thought she had it all under control, but every pore of her skin was screaming for me to come closer, to touch her, to punish her. But I never truly gave her what she wanted. 4 During the university’s anniversary festival, I had a run-in with an old acquaintance. Mark, my roommate from freshman orientation. Back before my family’s influence was widely known, he’d spread a rumor on the campus gossip blog that I was being kept by some rich old cougar. I confronted him directly, threw a wad of cash in his face, and publicly humiliated him. Then I had my lawyers send him a cease and desist letter. He ended up posting a tearful apology video, which made us both infamous on campus. He’d avoided me like the plague ever since. Now, for some reason, he’d found his courage again. And all because I’d sent Sierra to grab me a bubble tea from off-campus? Mark was practically vibrating with self-righteous fury. “Julian Derringer, you think you can bully people just because you have money? Why should Sierra have to go get your damn bubble tea? Don’t you have legs?” “You’ve been ordering her around like this for a month! Do you think she’s your servant? If you’re such a sick bastard, go home! Why even come to school?” One of my friends scoffed. “Who are you to Sierra, Mark? You’re acting like Julian just ordered your girlfriend around.” “Yeah, man, don’t be so possessive of someone else’s girl. Julian just finished performing; he’s exhausted. What’s the big deal about getting him a tea?” “Unless… you have a crush on Sierra, and you can’t stand seeing her be so good to Julian?” Mark’s voice rose. “She’s never publicly admitted they’re a couple!” “I just think what you’re doing is disgusting! We’re all supposed to be equals here, but you, Julian Derringer, you act so special, treating a fellow student like your personal slave…” His shouting drew a crowd. Nothing attracts college students like a bit of drama. Right on cue, Sierra returned, a single bubble tea in her hand. She seemed oblivious to the argument swirling around her, walking through the parted crowd and silently presenting the drink to me. I was still in my stage costume, slouched in a chair. “Put the straw in for me,” I said, completely ignoring Mark’s pathetic yapping. Without a word, without a change in her expression, Sierra did as she was told and handed the drink to my side. I took a sip, then sighed dramatically. “Ugh, my hands are full. And my feet are killing me in these leather shoes.” I looked at Sierra. “Be a dear and change my shoes for me, would you?” 5 The crowd gasped, their expressions a mixture of shock and thrilled excitement. Mark stared for a moment, then sputtered, “Sierra, don’t listen to him! He’s…” Before he could finish, Sierra was already moving. She sank down before me, resting on one knee, her hand closing around my ankle. A shiver went through me. The air conditioning was on high, and my feet were cold, but her hand was burning hot. Her grip was firm, leaving faint prints on my skin as she slowly eased off my leather shoe. All I could see was the top of her head, her expression hidden from view. I took another sip of my tea and glanced at Mark’s pale, horrified face. A malicious grin spread across my lips. “You know what? You’re right. I do treat her like a servant. Why don’t you ask her if she wants to go with you?” I said it casually, as if bored. “If she says yes, I’ll let her go. I promise.” “Of course she’ll say yes,” Mark declared with a bizarre confidence. He looked at her with heroic determination. “Sierra, I know you’re being forced into this. You never smile when you’re with him. You must be sick of Julian constantly harassing you.” I started to lift my foot, but before I could tap her chin, she caught my foot, holding it firmly in her grasp. My breath hitched. After a moment, I spoke. “She’s talking to you. Are you sick of me harassing you?” Sierra was tying the laces on my sneakers. Her voice was low and steady. “No.” I smiled. “Do you want to go with him?” I leaned in, my voice dropping to a whisper. “This is your only chance to walk away, you know.” Sierra paused. The System’s voice was frantic in my head. [Host, are you really letting her go?! I know her affection score is high, but…] No sane person would endure this kind of treatment. If given a chance to escape, anyone would take it. I said nothing, just watched her. She shook her head, her voice slightly hoarse. “I’m not leaving.” 6 After getting into university, my family bought me a condo near campus. It made for a perfect little love nest. The moment we got home, I stripped off Sierra's shirt. My thumb pressed against a whip mark that hadn't yet faded. I traced the long, thin line, feeling the breath hitch in the body beneath me as she instinctively leaned into my touch. I shoved her away. The whip and ropes were always within arm's reach. A month was a long time. My initial fascination with her had started to wane, but the System’s arrival had rekindled my interest. Sierra closed her eyes, probably expecting another lashing. But not this time. I stepped forward, and under her surprised gaze, I cupped her face, my other hand stroking her side. “Sierra, you made me very happy today.” She stared at me, bewildered. I met her gaze, my hand sliding down to hook a finger in the waistband of her jeans, leading her toward the bedroom. It was the first time I had ever brought her into my room. Usually, she slept on the sofa or the floor. I sat on the edge of the bed and looked up at her. “Kneel.” Her eyes darkened slightly, as if she suspected this was just a new form of torture. She knelt without a word, her expression unreadable. I had a new toy. A collar. I leaned forward to fasten it around her neck. Her gaze flickered to my own throat for a second before dropping again, submitting to my touch. Once it was on, I gave it a sharp tug. Sierra tumbled forward onto me. Her bare chest heaved, her breathing ragged. Her eyes were feral. “Julian, don’t push it too far.”
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "394411", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel