Gerston Croft, heir to a billion-dollar fortune, was exposed as an impostor. Now broke and disgraced, he was trying to end his life in a grimy basement. I clutched our old sugar daddy agreement, ready to tear it up and run—until a stream of text flashed before my eyes like a live chat: [Of course the side-chick’s a gold digger. Her leaving just makes way for the real heroine.] [After she leaves, she gets tortured to death by a sadistic new benefactor. If only she knew in six months the male lead will not only rebuild his empire but surpass the Crofts, becoming the youngest self-made billionaire. The irony would kill her again.] My hand shook; I tore the contract in two. I rushed into the bathroom. There he was, wrist bleeding. I grabbed his arm, sobbing without dignity. “Don’t die! Who’ll take care of me? I… I want to renew our contract!” His hollow eyes fell on the torn paper. “Really?” he whispered. 1 “You were only ever with me for the money,” he said, his voice flat. “And now you see the truth.” His eyes roamed the dank, grimy basement, a place of shadows and damp concrete. His lips, once a confident crimson, were now pale and bloodless. I pressed my hands against the cut on his wrist, but the blood still dripped, staining the floor a dark, ugly red. “I’ve been cast out by the Crofts. I’m hiding in this hellhole, a man who can’t even support himself, let alone you. So just go. I don’t blame you.” The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I had been with Gerston Croft for eight years. To the world, he was a polished, gentle heir. Only I knew the truth: he was a viper in a cashmere coat, vengeful to the core. His words were casual, forgiving, but the hand he kept hidden behind his back was clenched so tight the knuckles were white. I didn’t know if I could trust the bizarre text feed in front of my eyes, but my gut screamed at me to trust my instinct for survival. I couldn’t leave. If I did, I wouldn't have to wait for some future sadist to kill me. Gerston would do it himself, slowly and creatively. I lunged forward, pressing my lips against his. He responded instantly, kissing me back with a desperate hunger that left me breathless. When I finally pushed him away, gasping for air, I snatched the torn contract from the floor. As he watched in stunned silence, I ripped the pieces into tiny shreds. I cupped his face in my hands, my voice earnest. “Gerston, I don’t want to be your mistress anymore.” A flicker of cold, murderous intent crossed his eyes. The comments in my vision sneered. [Wow, thought for a second she’d had a change of heart. Turns out she’s just here to twist the knife. Just you wait. When her new life turns into a nightmare, she’ll come crawling back, and the male lead won’t even give her the time of day.] [As soon as she’s gone, the heroine will burst in and save him. And so begins his epic comeback story. Cue the epic music.] I ignored the filth, my voice soft but threaded with a tension I couldn’t hide. “I know this might not be the right time, but… for the first time, I feel like we’re equals. So, Gerston Croft… will you be my boyfriend?” His eyes widened slightly. Before he could answer, the world went black. The last thing I saw was a single line of text. [Too late to change your mind. Defy the script, and you’re the one who pays the price.] A surge of anger rose in me. Follow the script? The script wanted me dead. To hell with that. In the darkness, a fire seemed to lick at my consciousness, burning me from the inside out. I ran and ran until, finally, my eyes flew open. I shot upright in a hospital bed, drenched in a cold sweat. A sharp pain radiated from my core. A groan escaped my lips. A cool hand touched my forehead, and I saw Gerston leaning over me, his face etched with fear. “Luna? Are you okay?” The pain was a constant torment. In the eight years I’d been with him, he had spoiled me rotten, shielding me from any hint of harm. I’d grown soft. The pain was too much. I started to cry. “It hurts. It hurts so much.” He stood up, panicked, and ran to find a doctor. The doctor who came back shot me an annoyed look. “If you can’t pay for the tests, you need to be discharged. You’re taking up a bed. What do you want me to do? No money, no treatment.” Gerston’s voice was a low growl. “Give her the best of everything. I have…” His voice trailed off. His proud shoulders, always so straight, slumped in defeat. He couldn't meet my eyes. The doctor sneered. “You should probably go. You’ve got nothing left to pawn.” That’s when I noticed the silver ring he always wore was gone from his finger. Ignoring the pain, I scrambled out of bed, grabbed his hand, and pulled him toward the door, babbling nonsense to comfort him. “Honestly, it doesn’t hurt as much when I’m with you. You’re my painkiller, Gerston. You can’t get rid of me now.” A single, hot tear splashed onto our joined hands. Gerston’s voice was raw when he answered. “Okay.” A small smile touched my lips. I wasn’t lying. 2 [The male lead chose to take the side character to the hospital, so he missed his first meeting with the heroine. The plot is already off the rails.] [The plot’s punishment seems weaker, too. She shouldn’t even be able to walk right now. If she’d defied the original script this much, she’d be in a world of unimaginable pain.] [Ngl, I’m kinda starting to ship them. The fallen tycoon and his loyal canary. You don’t see that every day.] I hid the glint in my eyes, piecing together a survival plan from the fragments of information. Defying the plot brought punishment, but if Gerston chose me, consistently and without hesitation, it could derail the script. The punishment would weaken… or maybe even disappear. It all hinged on his love. I turned to look at the man who was once the prince of the city, now trailing behind me, holding my hand as if I were made of glass. I smiled. “So, you’re my boyfriend now. That means you’re going to work hard and get us back to the lifestyle we’re used to, right?” “I will,” he said, his voice firm with promise. [Is it just me, or did the male lead just go from sugar daddy to the side character’s puppy?] [Just wait until he starts working. The world will humiliate him, and that’s when the heroine will swoop in to save him. Their bond will be forged in fire. That’s the main event.] [So they missed their first meeting. Big deal. They’re fated. Side-chick should start looking for her next meal ticket now.] I didn’t stop Gerston from looking for work. The pain was a constant, gnawing presence, and sleep was my only escape. He came home exhausted every day, the knees of his once-immaculate suits covered in dust. I knew from the comments that he’d gone to an old friend from his circle, a guy named Chad. Chad despised Gerston for being an impostor but couldn’t bear to lose his genius for business. So, he took his resentment out in petty, cruel ways. The proud man I knew was now kneeling to polish another man’s shoes. He was hauling fifty-pound water coolers up twenty-six flights of stairs, replacing them in every office. He was standing for three hours in the breakroom, making coffee for the entire company. Chad even made him clean the bathrooms. I’d smelled the faint, sharp scent of bleach on him more than once. But despite it all, the first thing I saw when he came home was his smile. He’d put down the groceries he’d bought and immediately wrap me in his arms. “Feeling any better today?” I’d blink myself awake and plant a kiss on his cheek. “Much better, now that you’re holding me.” “I’m hungry.” Gerston would head to the kitchen, a natural in front of the stove now. I’d prop my head on my hand and enjoy the meltdown in the comments. [This is the same man who would take three showers if he smelled cooking oil on him. Now he’s a damn short-order cook for this girl.] [All she has to do is give him one compliment and he’s over the moon. And her whole ‘you’re my painkiller’ act is so cringe, it gives me goosebumps.] I rolled over in bed. Oh, it gets better. After dinner, he would do my laundry, clean the apartment, and then give me a full-body massage. Only after I was asleep would he start on the work he’d brought home. As long as he was here, my smallest discomfort was a national emergency. Like right now. He was kneeling by the bed, still in his apron. “Was that uncomfortable? Do you need me to help you turn over?” I put on my sweetest voice. “I need my boyfriend to kiss me.” He smiled and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. His hands, the same ones that signed billion-dollar deals, were now gently massaging my temples. The gnawing pain inside me subsided, and I closed my eyes, content. “A little lower. My shoulders.” A shrill ringtone cut through the quiet. Gerston paused before answering the phone. His brow furrowed. “There’s a problem at work, Luna,” he said, his voice full of apology. “I have to go out. Just finish dinner and leave the dishes. I’ll do them when I get back.” I watched him go. The comments exploded. [Chad’s been waiting for this. It’s not about work; it’s a setup. He’s going to break Gerston’s pride, assault him… but the heroine is on her way to save him! YES! My ship is about to sail!] [After tonight, the side-chick is officially out of the picture. Can’t wait to see the back of her whiny, manipulative ass.] 3 A jolt of adrenaline shot through me. I forced myself out of bed, ignoring the screaming pain, and chased after Gerston, determined to intercept his and the heroine’s fated night. Following the directions from the comments, I found the nightclub and slipped past the bouncer. The pounding music amplified my pain, but I pushed through the crowd toward the chaotic center of the dance floor. And then I saw him. Gerston, on the ground, being stomped on. Chad was grinding his heel into Gerston’s face, pinning him to the floor. The ground was littered with broken glass, the shards digging into Gerston’s skin. Blood and spilled liquor mixed into a sickeningly sweet miasma that made my stomach churn. “Still think you’re a prince?” Chad sneered. “You’re a fake. A nobody. If it wasn’t for me, you’d be begging on the streets right now.” “All I asked was for you to strip for us. You were willing to kneel and polish my shoes. Why the sudden high horse?” Chad’s face was twisted into a lecherous grin. He was known for being into both men and women, and tonight, he’d set his sights on Gerston. “You look tired. Just play nice, let me have some fun, and I can give you all the money and power you want.” Gerston’s chest heaved. He stared up at Chad with pure hatred. “Spit.” He spat a mouthful of blood onto Chad’s face, earning him a vicious volley of kicks. Chad furiously wiped his face. “Break his arms and legs!” he roared. “Strip him naked and hang him from the ceiling! Let’s see how long he lasts without food or water!” A bodyguard lifted a bar stool high and brought it crashing down. Gerston grunted, swallowing the scream that rose in his throat. My vision went red. Forgetting everything about the plot, about my own safety, I grabbed a fruit knife from a nearby table and charged into the circle, swinging it wildly. “Let us go!” I shrieked, my voice trembling. “Or none of us are walking out of here alive!” My crazed state made Chad take a step back. Then, a slow, dawning smile spread across his face. “Well, well. If it isn’t Gerston’s little canary, Luna. I’m surprised you’re still with him now that he’s broke. A loyal little whore, aren’t you?” His eyes raked over me. “I’ve had men, I’ve had women, but I’ve never had a matching set. This should be fun.” “Come be my girl. I’ll give you a lot more than he ever could.” The words were barely out of his mouth when Gerston, lying broken on the floor, exploded with a primal rage. He snatched the knife from my hand and lunged, plunging it deep into Chad’s eye socket. “You don’t touch her!” But he was outnumbered. Bodyguards swarmed him, pinning him down, their fists and feet raining blows on him. Chad writhed on the floor, screaming. “Get a doctor! Someone get me a doctor! And skin that bastard alive! I want him to beg for death!” I tried to shield Gerston with my own body but was kicked away, sent flying into a table. I coughed, a spray of blood leaving my lips. The fists continued to pound into Gerston, but it was as if he couldn’t feel it. His eyes were locked on me, on the blood on my lips. He struggled violently against his attackers. His eyes were blazing red. Run, he mouthed. [I knew this part was coming, but it’s still hard to watch. This incident leaves a permanent scar on him. Only the heroine’s love can heal him.] [This is Chad, the same guy who tortures Luna to death in the original plot. I wish I could jump through the screen and kill him myself.] That comment hit me like a physical blow. Rage and a desperate will to live flooded my senses. Why should I die at the hands of scum like this? Why should he get to destroy Gerston? I grabbed a jagged piece of broken glass from the floor and scrambled toward the now-unprotected Chad. As he roared in fury, I drove the shard deep into his neck. A hot spray of blood showered over me. Suddenly, a sharp, feminine voice cut through the chaos. “Stop! If anyone lays another hand on Gerston Croft, I will make them pay.” The world exploded in a flash of light. The comments went wild. [They’ve met! The male lead and the heroine have finally met! The plot is back on track!] An all-consuming pain washed over me, stealing the last of my strength. As my body went limp, I forced my head to turn, to look at Gerston one last time. And I saw it. A flicker of pure, unadulterated awe in his eyes as he looked at his savior.
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