I tried to win over the male lead ten times. Ten times I failed, all because of his best friend, Carter. On my eleventh attempt, the male lead and I were finally married. All I had to do was get pregnant, have a child, and my mission would be complete. Then Carter showed up again. He told the male lead that my entire relationship was a calculated scheme. The male lead immediately moved out and hired a lawyer to draft divorce papers. That very night, I hired someone to kidnap the culprit. Carter knelt before me, his hands bound tightly behind his back. Even though he was covered in bruises, his eyes were still arrogant and condescending. I sneered, using the toe of my shoe to tilt his chin up, and then pressed my foot flat against his cheek. I’ve been terrified of you for ten lifetimes. This time, it’s your turn to be afraid of me. Even while kneeling on the floor, Carter kept his back ramrod straight. His custom shirt had been whipped into shreds, hanging off his shoulders in ragged strips. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. When I tilted his chin up with my shoe, his chest heaved violently, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. "What's with that look?" I sneered, stepping on his shoulder and shoving him backward. The old wooden floorboards creaked loudly. He hit the ground hard, completely defenseless. The next second, I stepped forward and pinned his abdomen with my foot. "Who gave you permission to look at me?" He stared straight into my eyes, his face completely expressionless, but the blatant mockery in his gaze was impossible to hide. I slid my foot down an inch, stopping just in time, and watched him with cruel amusement. "Stop!" That perpetually emotionless face finally cracked. His voice was tight, carrying a hint of barely concealed panic. "Stop~" I dragged out the syllable, acting innocent, and stepped down hard. "But you didn't tell my foot to stop." Carter's face went rigid. His voice trembled, and his breathing grew heavy. "Let me go. I won't press charges." "Let you go?" I moved my foot and watched him instinctively curl in on himself. "Can you even walk out of here like this?" "How about I help you wash up before sending you out?" His eyes were bloodshot. His bound hands struggled fiercely behind his back. Before he could move his legs, I straddled his waist, pinning him down. "You have to take your clothes off to take a bath." I tapped his designer belt buckle with my finger. "Tell me, should we take your pants off first," I moved my hand up to the ruined buttons on his chest, "or your shirt?" His ragged panting slowed. His eyes grew hazy, as if his brain was short-circuiting. I let my guard down. I didn't expect him to suddenly jerk his knees upward. I lost my balance and crashed hard onto the floor. Carter used the opportunity to shuffle toward the door, trying to lean against the wall to stand up. But I was faster. I grabbed the bucket of saltwater I had prepared and splashed it all over his open wounds. He didn't even cry out in pain. He was a tough bastard. But so what? Watching Carter crawl on the ground like a drowned rat, I grabbed him by the hair and delivered a sharp chop to the back of his neck. He lost consciousness instantly. Dealing with a guy this massive was a nightmare. Tying him to the heavy iron bed frame took half my life. After making sure all the doors and windows of the abandoned warehouse were locked, I finally felt secure enough to drive away. Now, it was time to go win back my male lead. Carter and I were two parallel lines that should never have crossed. But for ten lifetimes, every time I was on the verge of finally winning over the male lead, my momentum would plummet—all because of Carter. The first time, Carter invited the male lead out to dinner. The male lead met his "destined" female lead and dumped me. The second time, I drove the male lead to Carter's place. On the way back, I got into a horrific car crash and died on the spot. The third time, before I even managed to establish a relationship with the male lead, I accidentally offended Carter. He had me shipped overseas to do grueling manual labor. The following attempts all failed because of him too. And no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't avoid him. Carter was the exact type of person I feared most. Old money, gorgeous looks, and incredibly ruthless. The scariest part was that he had zero weaknesses and couldn't be threatened. Whenever the male lead was around him, he turned into a loyal lapdog. If Carter said walk a straight line, he would never dare to turn around. During my fifth attempt, the male lead took me to meet Carter. Carter looked at me like I was radioactive trash. He explicitly warned the male lead not to bring random strays into their circle. I knew he looked down on me, so I avoided him like the plague. I never went anywhere near him. I never expected that this time, after Hudson and I were already legally married, Carter would demand Hudson divorce me. And Hudson, stupid as a rock, actually believed the so-called "dossier of evidence" Carter provided. He accused me of having ulterior motives and brought in a lawyer to negotiate my exit. I admit, winning him over was my system-assigned mission, but my love for him wasn't fake. In every single attempt, I only had eyes for him. For him, I racked my brains to orchestrate the perfect "accidental" first meeting. I worked tirelessly to mold myself into his exact ideal type. I never wore the same date outfit twice. I even did his group projects for him in college. After all that suffering, now that we were finally together, he wanted a divorce? No way. My informant told me Hudson was currently at our penthouse packing his bags. I didn't waste a single second and drove straight home. "Hudson, what do I have to do to make you believe my feelings are real?" Opening the door and seeing Hudson walking out with his suitcase, I threw my arms around his waist, not caring about my pride. "Hazel, stop being immature." He didn't stroke my hair like he used to. His words were sharp, carrying a hint of warning. "You're sentencing me to death just because of a few pieces of paper from Carter?" I buried my face in his chest. "I love you. Even if I schemed to meet you, it was only because I wanted to be with you." "Hazel, when a relationship is built on calculation, it's poisoned." He mercilessly pried my fingers apart. "Also, I don't like it when you talk about Carter that way." Then he strode out the door. When he loved me, he was so afraid I'd be lonely that he'd stay on FaceTime with me while we slept. When he stopped loving me, he left me all alone in an empty, echoing house. It was all Carter's fault! If it weren't for Carter, I would have succeeded a long time ago. I checked the time on my phone. It had been three hours. Carter should be waking up right about now. Good thing I drove fast. Carter had already managed to free one of his legs. I sneered and slapped him hard across the face. "You broke my bed." Carter really did have delicate, expensive skin. Half of his face swelled up immediately. I grabbed his leg, tied it back to the iron post, and viciously slapped the other side of his face. "Now it's symmetrical." He was like a brick wall, refusing to utter a single syllable. "Speak," I demanded, squatting by the bed. "Doesn't it hurt?" I poked his bleeding lip. He still didn't make a sound. "That's fine." I didn't care. I leaned in closer, letting my dark hair brush against his ear, cheek, and neck. "Carter, you're going to beg me." He squeezed his eyes shut and refused to look at me. I shrugged, pulled up a chair, and sat next to him to play games on my phone. I also placed a decorative water-drip hourglass on the nightstand. I watched a movie on my phone for two hours. My back ached, so I stood up to stretch. I glanced at the man on the bed, who was resting with his eyes closed. I smiled. Let's see how long you can last. Another movie, another two hours. The person on the bed was getting restless. Without the movie playing out loud, the rhythmic drip, drip, drip of the hourglass became agonizingly clear in the silent warehouse. Carter's brow furrowed, and his breathing became erratic. I glanced at him again, the corners of my lips curling up into a smirk. Half an hour later, the expected voice sounded: "Hazel, let me go." "What did you say?" I stood by the bed. "I couldn't hear you." "Let me go." His body was already contorting against the ropes, but he couldn't see how pathetic he looked. "Let you go to do what?" I asked again. "You know what." The veins on his forehead bulged, and the sound of his hands struggling against the restraints grew violent. "I don't know what you mean." I continued playing dumb. "Hazel!" His voice grew more intense. "Let me go, and we'll pretend none of this ever happened." "Beg me." I felt a sick thrill of excitement. "Hazel!" His arrogant calmness was entirely gone. He looked like a mindless, cornered beast. I watched his frantic state with cold eyes. He looked exactly like the way he had looked at me during my third attempt—like I was nothing but a disgusting insect. "Please." He finally surrendered. "What did you say?" I asked. "Please." He closed his eyes in ultimate defeat. I knew I shouldn't push him too far over the edge. I smiled brightly. "Alright, I promise." Then I turned around and started walking toward the door. "Hazel!" He panicked. "Why aren't you untying me?" "Untying what?" I looked innocent. "You promised me." "Yeah, I promised you." I said nonchalantly. "What exactly did I promise you?" He froze, completely unsure of what to say. I laughed. "Since I promised... "I promise I won't look. "Help yourself." I originally only wanted to scare Carter. I didn't expect his mental defenses to shatter so easily. He lay on the bed like a corpse, his breathing barely perceptible. When I changed his torn clothes earlier, he didn't even put up a fight. "Carter?" I called his name. His eyes were vacant. He didn't seem to hear me at all. "Should I untie you?" I asked again. He still stared blankly at the ceiling, his eyes devoid of life. Oh my god, did I break his brain? I untied one of his hands. He didn't react, so I untied the other. His legs were still bound, so I wasn't afraid of him attacking me. But he just lay there on the bed, completely motionless. I started to panic. My first instinct was to run. As long as I was alive, I could try again. Worst case, I'd just restart the route and wipe my memory. I still had chances. I didn't even bother locking the doors or windows. I drove away as fast as I could. When I got home, I packed my bags, bought the earliest flight out of New York, and settled down in a remote border town in Montana. For a whole month, absolutely nothing happened, except for Hudson calling me constantly to demand we finalize the divorce papers. I contacted my informant, asking if there was any major news in the city recently. My informant sent me a question mark. Before I could hint further, the informant sent another message saying the only big news was that the Vance family was pouring billions into overseas investments, and the head of the family was personally moving to Europe to oversee it. The head of the Vance family—wasn't that Carter? It seemed he hadn't lost his mind. I breathed a massive sigh of relief, but then my heart leaped into my throat again—he was definitely going to hunt me down to settle the score. The System urged me to speed up my progress. The progress bar had been stagnant for a month. It also delivered some devastating news: if I didn't succeed on this attempt, my request to "return to the real world and resurrect my grandmother" would be permanently denied. I asked my informant how long Carter would be out of the country. The informant replied: a year at minimum, maybe three to five years. Without Carter in the way, I could finish Hudson's romance route in six months tops. Once that was done, I'd negotiate with the System. By the time Carter got back to the US, I'd already be back in my original dimension. High risk, high reward. I immediately booked a flight back to New York to continue my mission. I never expected that the moment I stepped out of baggage claim, a group of men in suits would grab me. And the man who was supposedly "in Europe" was now sitting right in front of me in a private lounge. Except this time, the person kneeling on the floor... was me. His subordinates all left the room, leaving just me and Carter in the massive, dimly lit space. He toyed with a silver Zippo lighter in his hand. The flame flickered out, then flared up, then flickered out again, perfectly mimicking my erratic heart rate. Then I thought about it—he's just a fictional character in a novel. What's there to be afraid of? My fear vanished instantly. I raised my chin and glared up at him, a faint, mocking smirk playing on my lips. "What are you smiling at?" He stopped spinning the lighter, looking at me with a mix of confusion and a hint of dark madness. "Who gave you permission to sit?" I demanded. In an instant, his chest rose and fell rapidly, and a loud, nervous gulp echoed in his throat. "Kneel," I commanded. The next second, Carter dropped to his knees on the rug like a programmed robot. His face flushed a deep crimson, and he was trembling like a leaf. I wasn't completely clueless about what was happening, but I still felt like I was crossing a very dangerous, bizarre line. "Untie me," I continued. His eyes grew icy, flashing with pain and a hint of intense reluctance. "Be good," I said, my voice dropping to a seductive whisper. With just a few words, our positions were swapped once again. I was ecstatic. Hudson was Carter's most loyal follower. If Carter was now obedient to me, completing Hudson's romance route would be a piece of cake. Stroking Carter's soft black hair as he knelt before me, I slapped him across the face twice without hesitation. "Who gave you permission to tie me up?" He suddenly acted like a wronged Golden Retriever, grabbing my hand, wanting to blow on my palm to soothe it. I immediately yanked it away. "Don't touch me." He knelt there, completely at a loss for what to do. His lips opened and closed for a long time before he finally whispered, "I didn't tell them to tie you up." "Carter." I leaned in close. He visibly brightened, a faint, eager blush spreading across his cheeks. "I don't like it when you talk back." His face paled, and he lowered his head, staying perfectly silent. "I don't like it when you're silent, either," I added. Hearing this, Carter's head snapped up. Tears were actually welling in his beautiful eyes. "Don't dislike me." "Then you need to be good." I gently touched his swollen cheek. "Does it hurt, Carter?" He took the opportunity to grab my hand again, but let it go the second my eyes narrowed in warning. "No." I knew how to play the game—a slap followed by a piece of candy. "But it hurts me to see it." "Don't be hurt." He struggled, unsure of what to call me. I touched his cheek again. "Call me Hazel." He shyly lowered his head, then quickly looked back up. Like a kid who had just stolen a taste of honey, his eyes were full of undeniable, desperate joy. "Hazel." "Good boy." I took his hand. "What do you want for a reward?" "Can Hazel kiss me?" He squeezed his eyes shut nervously, his long eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks. I gave him a quick, dismissive peck on the forehead, not missing the flicker of deep disappointment in his eyes. "Hazel, don't go." I stood up, preparing to leave. My main mission today was to find Hudson. I had already wasted way too much time here. Carter was anxious, but I didn't let him get up. He had to stay kneeling. "Count to one hundred and eighty, then you can get up." Looking at his desperate, pleading eyes, I smiled. "I like it when you listen to me, Carter." The System told me that Hudson would meet the "destined" female lead—who was working part-time as a waitress—at a charity gala tonight, playing out a classic "hero saves the beauty" trope. I had to step in and save her before he did, severing their romantic connection before it even started. Sure enough, when I arrived, the female lead was already surrounded by a group of sleazy trust-fund kids. Luckily, no one else had noticed yet. I marched over, gave the brats a harsh scolding, and then comforted the female lead. I lied and told her that her college dorm RA was doing a surprise room check, urging her to hurry back to campus. She had always been a stellar, obedient student, so she believed me completely. But she was worried about leaving her shift unattended. Right on cue, a waitress I had hired in advance appeared to take over. The female lead successfully left the gala. With that baggage handled, I scanned the room for Hudson, ready to pounce at a moment's notice. At 8:00 PM sharp, Hudson appeared. Though he wasn't as terrifyingly powerful as Carter, he was still a highly sought-after young CEO. People lined up to hand him their business cards. I seized the opportunity and stepped right in front of him. I hadn't seen him in a month. A wave of grievance washed over me, and my nose stung. After attempting this route so many times, my feelings for him couldn't be explained in just a few words. When things were good between us, I had genuinely planned to give him a child before I left his world forever. The crowd tactfully dispersed, leaving Hudson and me face-to-face. "Why didn't you come looking for me?" I pouted, throwing a tantrum like I always used to, waiting for him to coax me. "I tried calling you." His voice was distant and cold. "Now that you're back, let's finalize the paperwork. The cooling-off period for the divorce is over." "Hudson, you weren't like this before." I held my hand up in front of him. The wedding ring on my ring finger sparkled under the chandeliers. "Did you forget what you promised me?" Hudson had custom-made that wedding ring, inlaying it with a circle of crushed diamonds. Back then, I told him the crushed diamonds were too flashy, and that a single stone or a plain band would be fine. But Hudson had looked at me and said that setting every single diamond was like kissing my eyes. "Don't forget to give the ring back to my lawyers." His eyes were completely dead, as if he was discussing a mundane business transaction. "Hudson, look me in the eyes." I grabbed the lapels of his suit. "I don't believe you feel absolutely nothing for me anymore." "You know me." He gently but firmly removed my hands. "I've always hated deception." "What are you two doing?" Carter's voice suddenly rang in my ears like a death knell. Staring at the culprit who ruined my life every single time, I shook with anger. Hudson took the chance to push me away. I tried to chase after him, but Carter grabbed my arm. "Hazel, didn't you two get divorced?" I slapped him across the face. The entire banquet hall fell dead silent. "No," I said, enunciating every syllable. He didn't even get mad. He just pulled me tightly into his arms. I struggled furiously but couldn't break free. He practically carried me out of the venue. In the backseat of his Maybach, Carter held my hand, asking if it hurt. "Are you sick in the head?" I couldn't help but curse at him. "If Hazel says I'm sick, then I'm sick." He didn't care at all. He brought my palm to his lips and gently blew on it. His warm breath gathered in my palm. I instinctively curled my hand into a fist, but Carter pried my fingers open one by one, refusing to let go. When we got to his penthouse, he took his shirt off and handed me a leather riding crop. "If Hazel is unhappy, you can hit me." I lashed his back twice, but seeing the twisted mix of restraint and pleasure on his face, I was so disgusted I threw the crop across the room immediately. "Is Hazel feeling better?" he asked softly. "No," I said. "Then what will make you feel better?" Carter asked. "Bring Hudson to me." I blurted out. Carter lowered his head and fell dead silent. "Don't make promises you can't keep," I mocked him. "I'm going home." "If Hazel wants to see him, I'll bring him to you." He put his shirt back on. Before he left, he gave me a deep, lingering look, his eyes hiding emotions I couldn't decipher. What kind of look was that? It seemed mostly lonely, but overflowing with a kind of devastating, pathetic sadness. "Hazel, you rest here." He gently closed the door. "I'll go." The next morning, just as Carter promised, Hudson appeared before me. Like a happy little bird, I sat down next to him on the sofa. "Hudson! You came to see me?" "I came for your signature," he said coldly. "The divorce papers." "Hudson, do you really have to talk to me like this?" My heart, which had been so full of hope, felt like it had been dumped in a bucket of ice water. "I told you, I just want to be with you." "Do you really want to humiliate me like this?" Like a wounded animal, I slumped back into the cushions, my eyes heavy with unbearable disappointment. Right at that moment, the System's robotic voice echoed in my head: [Correction, correction. Capture target error.] I snapped my head up, only to hear the System continue: [Capture target error. Downloading patch... Updating automatically... New mission generated: Redeem Carter.] [The mission is much easier now! Carter already loves you,] the System babbled excitedly. [All you have to do is fall in love with him.] [Hurry up and complete the mission. Your grandmother is still waiting for you to resurrect her in the real world.] The sudden mission change hit me like a ton of bricks. I had tangled with Hudson for ten agonizing lifetimes, and now you tell me to change targets?! Fury burned in my chest like a raging inferno. I looked at Hudson, who looked half-dead and completely checked out. "Hudson, let me tell you something. Plenty of guys like me. If you don't care about me, I won't waste my time bothering you anymore." I jumped off the sofa. "Get out. Get as far away from me as possible." "I was actually worried you'd be lonely! I actually wanted to have your kids! "Hudson, you don't deserve me!" Tears betrayed me and spilled down my face. What did I do wrong to be treated like a plaything? The System had found me and told me that as long as I married Hudson and had a child with him, it would resurrect my grandmother. Ten times. Ten lifespans. Let alone a person, if you poured your heart and soul into a lifeless rock ten times, it would be impossible to just let go. What gave the System the right to easily say "change targets"? What gave them the right to erase all my past efforts, all my pain, with a simple software patch? "Sign it." Hudson handed me the divorce papers. "You've already moved into Carter's house. Sign it now so it doesn't get in the way of you and him." I wiped the tears from my face, took the pen, and neatly signed my name. He took the papers and walked away without looking back. "Hudson." I couldn't stop myself from calling out to him. "There's no future for us anymore." He didn't turn around. His steps only grew faster. I stared at his retreating back, my vision blurring with tears. He turned and grabbed my hand, complaining, "Hazel, if you walk any slower, we'll miss the fireworks." "But Hudson, I can't walk anymore. Will you carry me on your back?" "I can never say no to you. Hurry up and hop on. I told you those heels were bad for walking..." When my vision finally cleared, I was alone in this massive house again. There was only the heavy mahogany door. No more Hudson. Carter was incredibly happy when he walked in. His eyes sparkled, looking at me like a clear spring of water. Thinking about the new mission the System gave me, I initiated the conversation. "Carter, why are you so happy?" He pulled me onto his lap and buried his face in my chest. "Hazel, we can finally be together." "Weren't we already together?" I asked him. "Hazel, I'm going to treat you so well." Afraid I wouldn't believe him, he placed my hand over his heart. Beneath my palm, his heart was beating wildly. The man in front of me was overflowing with love. [Hurry up and tell him you love him too! Give him a little sugar, don't let the plot stall here!] the System urged. Remembering my mission, I forced myself to nod at Carter. But that night, I had nightmares. I dreamed of Carter's disdainful glares. I dreamed of him shipping me out of the country. I dreamed of everything he had done to me in my past lives. Not a single memory was associated with happiness; every single one was wrapped in terror and humiliation. I struggled awake from the dream, saw his terrified, anxious eyes staring down at me, and fainted from sheer panic. When I woke up again, it was noon. The sunlight stung my eyes. "Hazel, you're awake." Carter, who was lying next to me, pulled me into his arms. "You were having a nightmare."
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