The Comments know I can see them. So, to help their precious heroine escape the story's villainous male lead, they flood my vision with messages trying to mislead me: 【The First Love has no idea, does she? If she says yes to him now, he’ll never have room in his heart for the heroine again.】 【Listen, First Love, don't be fooled because he's broke right now. He's going to be a powerhouse later. You'll be getting at least a ten-thousand-dollar allowance every month.】 【And that's not all! He's actually the long-lost son of the country's richest tycoon. He gets discovered tonight! The First Love is going to regret this for the rest of her life.】 When I remain unmoved, the Comments grow frantic: 【Why isn't this woman taking the bait?!】 I look at the man kneeling before me, proposing with all his heart, and then at the stream of nonsense scrolling above his head. A smile touches my lips. Sorry, folks. Because the only person this girl has ever trusted is herself. So, as the story's designated villainess, a little bit of money and a serious need for control should be perfectly in character, right? 1 As the only girl born into the Thorne family in eighteen generations, my grandparents, my parents, and my eight older brothers and cousins have drilled one thing into my head since birth: You can't trust anyone in this world. Not even us. When I was little, someone tried to kidnap me from school by impersonating my father. It was a masterful disguise. Unfortunately for him, he hadn't accounted for the fact that my father is utterly, pathologically devoted to his daughter. Dad had already bought the school and the entire surrounding district, moving his main office onto the campus just so he could walk me to and from class every single day. The moment the imposter showed up, everyone from my teachers to the hot dog vendor on the corner swarmed and cornered him. After that, the Thorne family hid me completely, officially listing me as the daughter of our head housekeeper, Mrs. Jones. To the outside world, my name was Sarah Jones. From then on, if anyone so much as breathed in my direction, their entire life story would land on a Thorne family desk within the hour. So, as Liam Evans knelt to confess his feelings for me, I held up my phone. I wasn't taking a picture or recording a video. I was scrolling through his complete file. As far as I was concerned, he had no secrets left. 2 "Sarah, will you be my girlfriend?" Liam held out a single wildflower he’d plucked from the roadside. He was on one knee, his eyes gleaming with what looked like pure sincerity. I’ll give him this: Liam was gorgeous, more handsome than anyone I'd ever met. And on the principle of never turning away a beautiful man who offers himself up on a silver platter, I was actually considering it. That’s when the Comments flared to life above me. 【Here we go, the classic scene where the male lead confesses to his First Love.】 【She's about to reject him. Then he'll find the heroine, who looks just like her, and they'll end up in bed together tonight. The start of their whirlwind romance.】 【Honestly, the First Love is going to kick herself when she sees how successful he becomes. I kind of shipped them, though. It would be nice if they got together.】 I almost rolled my eyes. So, the second I say no, he’s off to sleep with someone else? What exactly is there to regret about dodging that bullet? I quickly scanned his file for the girl the Comments were talking about. There she was. Chloe Miller, nineteen, a freshman in college. According to the file, they’d met a month ago at a bar where Chloe was working to pay for her mother’s steep medical bills. Liam had stepped in when she was being harassed. Since then, they'd been meeting up for meals. Chloe had even started an anonymous blog detailing their encounters, filled with lovelorn posts. And Liam had "liked" it. He knew it was her. Hmm? Weren't they supposed to meet after I rejected him? Or am I just a stepping stone in their twisted little game of foreplay? My initial attraction to Liam plummeted into the negatives. As if sensing my change of heart, the Comments doubled down: 【Even though he knows the heroine, his heart belongs completely to the First Love right now! He only sees the heroine as a little sister. He's so devoted!】 Give me a break. He’s known Chloe for a month. He’s known me for two. What "little sister"? What "devotion"? It’s nothing but a man’s self-serving fantasy. Liam, oblivious, continued his heartfelt performance. "Sarah, I know your mom works as a housekeeper for a wealthy family, and she makes good money. But I promise, one day I'll make even more. I'll give you everything you could ever want." The Comments chimed in to help him: 【Listen, First Love, don't be fooled because he's broke right now. He's going to be a powerhouse later. You'll be getting at least a ten-thousand-dollar allowance every month.】 I absently picked at the thousand-dollar manicure I’d gotten yesterday. Somehow, I doubted a deeply disturbed individual was destined for greatness. The file was… illuminating. Liam once had a cat. One evening, a guest came over, and the cat innocently rubbed against their leg. That night, Liam tortured and caged the animal. The man had a possessive streak that bordered on psychopathic. 【And he's actually the long-lost son of a billionaire tycoon! Grab onto this golden ticket, First Love!】 【Imagine having a billionaire for a husband! You'd be set for life!】 No, thanks. You can have him. Finally, one of the Comments lost its patience: 【Why isn't this woman taking the bait?!】 And there it was. Confirmation. They knew I could see them. From the very beginning, their words had been too targeted, too manipulative, all painting Liam as the perfect man. As a connoisseur of stories, I know that every narrative has its critics and its fans. If this guy was such a catch, why were they so desperate for me to have him instead of their precious heroine? Combined with what I knew from his file, the answer was obvious. This was a dark romance, a story of abuse and obsession. Liam was an arrogant, controlling monster. And they wanted me, the "wicked villainess," to tie him down so he wouldn't destroy their heroine. Nice try. Did you really think I’d fall for a bunch of ghostly text messages that appeared out of nowhere? 3 "Liam, you're handsome and you're brilliant. I know you have plenty of women around you, and that makes me feel insecure." My voice was soft, laced with vulnerability. "I'm a one-man woman. I can't tolerate anyone else in my partner's life, or even in his heart." I let my eyes bore into his. "If there's even a tiny space in your heart for someone else right now, you can tell me. I’ll step aside and wish you both well." My words weren't just for Liam. They were for Chloe, who was hiding behind a pillar just out of sight. My family's bodyguards had spotted her the moment Liam started his little speech. Since I'd already determined Liam was bad news, I figured I’d give Chloe a chance. A chance to step out and expose him. I refused to believe, after all those blog posts, that she didn't know he had feelings for her. If she came forward now, I’d make sure she could live a normal life, free from all this drama. But she didn't move. Liam just shook his head vehemently, his eyes full of unwavering devotion. And Chloe remained hidden in the shadows. Fine. If you two are so determined to star in your own twisted tragedy, I'll be happy to direct. "Okay," I said, my voice bright and clear. "I'll be your girlfriend." He's clean, for now. Might as well enjoy the view while it lasts. 【YES! I always thought he had better chemistry with the First Love! My OTP is finally sailing!】 【I feel a little bad for the heroine, but oh well. The real deal is the real deal.】 As the Comments cheered and Liam’s face lit up with joy, a sharp clatter cut through the air. Clack! The sound of Chloe's phone hitting the pavement startled us both. We turned to see her running away, her shoulders shaking with grief. I feigned a look of curiosity at Liam. A flicker of shock crossed his face before he quickly pulled me into an embrace. "Probably just a bystander," he murmured into my hair. "Don't worry. From now on, you're the only woman in my life. If I ever look at another, may I live out the rest of my days in misery." He pressed his phone into my hand, his gaze earnest. "You can check my phone whenever you want." I looked at the deeply emotional man before me, and at the stream of lies still scrolling above his head. I smiled. Then, in a single, fluid motion, I discreetly attached a micro-sized listening device to the inside of his phone case. Who said Liam was the only one with control issues? You two had better hide well. This is going to be fun. 4 I have to admit, as the male lead, Liam's looks were top-tier. And his performance in other areas… was also top-tier. The novels didn't lie! Waking up to a face like that every morning certainly put me in a good mood. I knew these heroine-obsessed fans would never tolerate an "unclean" male lead. So, the thought of the hero and heroine eventually getting together, only for her to be haunted by the memory of his first time with me… Well, that was enough to equally traumatize the hero, the heroine, and the Comments. A win-win-win. I began to subtly keep Liam confined to the house. We were in the honeymoon phase, so he was too infatuated to notice anything was wrong. For a while, he was the perfect 24/7 boyfriend, and the Comments were busy shipping us. Their praise was fake, but who doesn't like a little flattery? Eventually, someone couldn't stand it anymore. It was midnight. Liam was in the shower when his phone screen lit up. A message from Chloe. "Mr. Evans, I think we need to talk." The Comments exploded. 【This heroine is so shameless! He has a girlfriend and she's still harassing him!】 【Exactly! His heart is completely with the First Love now. The heroine should just give up.】 【Nobody is allowed to interfere with my ship! Not even the main character!】 And yet, not a single one of them told me to delete the message. They all knew what this was about. Chloe was messaging him to borrow money. Her mother was in critical condition and needed emergency surgery. In the original story, Liam sees the message and immediately transfers the funds. The surgery fails, but Chloe uses the leftover money to start a business, beginning her "strong female lead" comeback arc. These Comments wanted her to get that money and start her new life. I toyed with Liam's phone, a smirk playing on my lips, before popping out his SIM card. Ten minutes later, the bathroom door opened. Without a word, I hurled his phone at his chest. "You've got some nerve, Liam Evans," I spat, my voice dripping with manufactured rage. Before he could react, I stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind me. Standing outside, I barked orders at the household staff. "Lock him in there until he's had time to reflect on what he's done. Don't let him out until he understands his mistake." "And cut the internet. No one is to go near him without my permission." No wonder villains in novels love staging these "misunderstandings." This was exhilarating. The Comments, realizing Liam couldn't get any messages out, began to panic. 【It was a one-sided message! Why is the First Love getting mad at him?】 【You can't keep him locked up like this! You're just a housekeeper's daughter, you have no authority over the staff in this mansion!】 【She's pushing her luck. According to the plot, he's supposed to be discovered by the tycoon in the next few days. What if this makes him hate her and he falls for the heroine instead?】 Oh. But I don't like him. Three days later, both Liam and the Comments finally made a startling discovery: I really had imprisoned him. 5 "Miss, Mr. Evans escaped through a window. Should we send a team to retrieve him?" "No need." I wasn't surprised. After all, I was the one who had the window unlocked. I even cleared out the guards from that section of the estate so he wouldn't accidentally run into them. And it still took him three days. So much for the capable male lead. I frowned at the video feed on my tablet. It showed Liam finding a distraught Chloe. After a few minutes of arguing, they were clinging to each other in a tight embrace. Tsk. In my eyes, he was now tainted. The Comments were practically dripping with schadenfreude. 【See? You overplayed your hand. Now you've lost him.】 【Good thing it was just a hug. Go and apologize to him. He's a romantic; a few sweet words and he'll come running back.】 【Right! He only feels guilt for the heroine right now, no other emotions.】 I scoffed. Guilt? Was he feeling guilty for taking a shower that night? As if I didn't know they’d been secretly texting "goodnight" to each other every evening while I was asleep. 【Text him now! Act worried! Otherwise, he's going to get angry and send you a breakup message!】 As if on cue, a message from an unknown number popped up: "Sarah, let's take some time apart. We both need to cool off." I ignored it, leaning back on the sofa. "Bring them both back," I said calmly to the empty room. Time apart? We'll be done when I say we're done.
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