Paranoid love.

I woke up from a vivid dream, and it was like the entire plot of a book had been laid bare to me. Turns out, I was nothing but the villainess, and my non-blood related, obsessive brother was the one and only male lead. I was madly in love with the second male lead, Julian, and in my desperation, I did everything I could to provoke and hurt my brother, Caleb. Later, Caleb would be saved by the female lead, Seraphina. Only then would I realize who my heart truly belonged to, but by then, it would be far too late. And just moments ago, I had personally forced Caleb to drink that spiked wine… I shot up, the wine glass in my hand shattering into a thousand pieces. We were in a noisy private room, and my small outburst didn’t catch anyone’s attention except for Julian, who was sitting next to me. He glanced over, his sharp and captivating eyes promising little warmth, yet his voice was deceptively gentle. “Anya, what’s wrong?” I shivered, my teeth chattering as I looked at the man before me, the same man who would one day treat me worse than a stray dog. The thought of his future cruelty – how he’d beat me until I miscarried, then force me to sleep with clients right after being discharged from the hospital – instantly wiped away any love I had for him. It was as if, after waking from that dream, I couldn’t find a single reason why I ever had to love him. “My stomach hurts, I need to use the restroom…” I stammered, a well-placed grimace of pain on my face. “Go on, I’ll wait for you.” Julian’s expression remained unchanged; he believed me. I nodded obediently, then slowly walked out of the private room. The moment the door closed, I bolted, running like a madwoman towards the hotel rooms upstairs. … I had just done something incredibly stupid. I had personally handed my brother a glass of spiked wine. I remembered Caleb’s eyes, red-rimmed, as he asked if he *really* had to drink it. I cruelly said: “Of course. If you don’t drink it, I will.” Using myself to blackmail him, he had no choice. He had always been helpless against my whims. He took the glass and emptied it in one gulp. I laughed with delight, reaching up to gently caress his earlobe. “Good boy, Caleb. Always be this good.” His eyes, already red, grew even redder. I thought he just didn’t like drinking. He’d always been a good kid, the golden boy, destined for greatness in everyone’s eyes. But after the entire plot of the book was revealed to me, I finally understood: Caleb was an obsessive lunatic. He had already figured out that Julian and I were setting him up. He had willingly walked right into our trap. The drug took effect quickly. Caleb’s face was flushed, his consciousness fading. Julian had someone take Caleb to a hotel room, ready to execute the second part of their plan. As I left, I heard Caleb calling my name, again and again. “Anya… Anya… I don’t feel well… Please take me away…” I didn’t even turn my head. I laughed sweetly, clinging to Julian’s side, eagerly awaiting his praise. Like a cheap discount item. Lost in my infatuation back then, I had no idea that I was just one of many insignificant pawns at Julian’s feet, as easily discarded as a broken toy. The only reason he gave me any special attention was because my brother, the brilliant man he couldn’t ignore, loved me too much. Back then, I was Caleb’s only weakness.

All the hotel rooms looked exactly the same. I didn’t know where Julian’s people had put Caleb, so I had to search room by room. Knocking, accidentally walking in, apologizing. My steps were hurried, my eyes red-rimmed, but I couldn’t stop. I was terrified of being too late. Until I inadvertently stumbled into a room that wasn’t properly closed. The sound of running water came from the bathroom. I crept closer, pushing open the slightly ajar door, and saw Caleb, disheveled, soaking in the bathtub. He was safe for now. I let out a long sigh of relief, then turned to close the door. As I did, I caught sight of a girl in the hallway, backing out of another room. She was muttering to herself, as if talking to someone invisible. “System, didn’t you say the male lead was spiked and locked up nearby? I’ve knocked on so many wrong doors, if I make another mistake, security will come kick me out!” “Did someone get to him first? No way! If I can’t win him over, how am I supposed to go home?” My gaze fixed on the girl walking towards me. Seraphina. The female lead of this story. The one I, trapped in this book, could never defeat no matter how hard I tried. The one who would save Caleb, exposing his obsessive true nature and making him love her to death. She had appeared. No one would guess that Seraphina, fragile like a delicate white flower on the outside, was far more cunning and ruthless than any villainess like me, known for my wicked ways. The biggest difference between us was that she excelled at hiding her true self from Caleb. While I just kept stirring up trouble. Initially, Seraphina approached Caleb to complete a System mission. But then she gradually tasted the benefits of having the System and the opulent life Caleb provided. She decisively gave up the chance to return to her original world, choosing to stay and spend her life with him. At that time, there was one major obstacle standing between them. Me. So Seraphina targeted me, suppressing me at every turn. We fought tooth and nail. Ultimately, I was brutally defeated. I, Anya, the adopted daughter of the Lu family, because of my endless misdeeds, was erased from existence by the System. No, I won’t be erased. And I won’t let my brother fall in love with anyone else. Since I’m destined to be the villainess in this book, then let me be a wicked person one more time. *Knock, knock, knock…* The door was knocked. I opened it, calmly meeting the gaze of the girl standing before me. Seraphina. She didn’t know me yet. “Can I help you?” “Uh… is this your room?” Seraphina’s eyes darted past me, boldly exploring the gap beside me, fixated on the bathroom. But I had already closed the door tightly. I smiled faintly. “Of course. Who are you looking for?” “Oh, my bad, I must have gotten the wrong room.” Seraphina stuck out her tongue and quickly walked away. From behind, she seemed to still be complaining to her System. My smile flattened. I quickly closed the door and called the front desk. I told them there was a suspicious girl in the hallway, knocking on doors everywhere, and that she might be a dangerous person. I hoped they would take it seriously. After hanging up, I sat by the bed in a daze for a while. Suddenly, I heard the sound of a heavy thud from the bathroom. I rushed in. “Caleb…”

Caleb was awake. He had climbed out of the tub himself, but his legs gave out and he fell awkwardly to the floor, his heavy body unable to stand. This was Julian’s goal: to use the drug to restrict Caleb’s mobility. Afterwards, he would arrange for a few men to come, take some compromising videos, and then he would lead others to “accidentally” walk in, witnessing Caleb’s humiliation and exposing it to the public. This would completely ruin the golden boy. Once the scandal broke, no company would dare to invest in Caleb’s products, no one would collaborate with his company, and Caleb would have no chance of rising again, only to be forever suppressed and forgotten. Julian was on the verge of succeeding. Unfortunately, Seraphina, with her System’s special power-ups, appeared and changed everything. She found Caleb in advance, took him out of the dangerous room, and used her body to help him detox. Julian’s plot was foiled, but Seraphina and Caleb’s entanglement began then. Only this time, I wouldn’t give anyone else a chance. I was going to change my own destiny. Even if I was just cannon fodder, I wouldn’t die a tragic death. “Caleb, I’ll take you out of here.” I grabbed Caleb’s arm, trying to pull him up from the floor, but I’d severely overestimated my own strength. After several tries, he just pulled me down with him. “Anya.” His breathing was ragged, his bloodshot eyes, strained with effort, looked at me, wet and shimmering. There was even a hint of barely suppressed hurt in his voice. “Didn’t you… not want me anymore?” “If you didn’t want me, why did you come looking for me?” His petulant words held a hidden choke in his voice. But clearly, his eyes still concealed a restrained joy. My heart twisted. Damn it, the old me. How could I have repeatedly hurt this man who loved me more than life itself, all for a bastard who didn’t treat me like a human being? “How could I not want you? You’re my most important brother!” I said seriously. When I was abandoned at the orphanage, Caleb’s parents wanted to adopt a daughter. They were actually looking at someone else, but Caleb insisted on choosing me. Later, when our adoptive parents’ jobs changed and they were often away, Caleb was the one who raised me, cooked my meals, and helped me with my homework. He even bought my first pad, blushing as he showed me how to use it with instructions. From childhood, Caleb and I had always been so close. So close that I couldn’t stand to hear anyone say anything to hurt him, or do anything to hurt him. But I don’t know when it started, I changed. I began to resent Caleb. I hated him for paying too much attention to me, hated him for meddling in my life, hated him for not approving of my feelings for Julian. The hatred came so inexplicably, just like my inexplicable love at first sight for Julian. A promiscuous playboy. He was definitely not my type. It was the book’s narrative, forcing me onto this path, pushing me to hate Caleb, turning me into someone I didn’t even recognize. Caleb’s eyes darkened upon hearing my words, devoid of joy. I suddenly remembered how I’d used the exact same sweet-talk to trick him into showing me his product design plans, only to immediately steal them and hand them over to Julian as a gift. Later, two tech products were released one after another. Caleb’s was the second, causing him to be branded a plagiarist and nearly bankrupting his fledgling company. Now, his company’s reputation was in tatters, and a large part of that was my doing. “Anya, you need to go. Leave here. I don’t want to hurt you.” Caleb’s breathing became more rapid, his entire face flushed a deep, alarming red, like he’d been boiled alive. Julian’s drug was potent; he was at his limit. I knew Caleb couldn’t wait any longer. Just as I was about to call, a frantic knocking echoed at the door. “Caleb! Caleb, are you in there?!” “Open up! If you don’t open the door, you’ll die!” It was Seraphina. She had returned, and the System must have given her Caleb’s exact location. With her System’s special power-ups, a mere security guard couldn’t stop her. I reached out and touched Caleb’s trembling face, then tore off a bath towel and wrapped it around his wet, transparent clothes, tying it securely. *Humph*, Caleb was mine, and only I could see him like this. Done, I stood up, intending to open the door. Caleb frantically reached out and grabbed my hand. His eyes were terribly red. His voice was broken. “Are you… abandoning me again?” His consciousness was already hazy. His reactions were mostly subconscious. I knew exactly how to soothe him. Better than anyone. I gently leaned down and pressed a kiss to his slightly cold lips. “Caleb, I would never abandon you. I’m just going to open the door.” A flicker of starlight seemed to pass through Caleb’s eyes. He hesitantly released my hand.

When I opened the door for Seraphina, I was on the phone with a doctor from the downtown hospital. The lock was about to be violently forced open, but I unhurriedly stepped forward and opened the door. Outside, Seraphina was holding a fire extinguisher, poised to smash it down. I made a ‘wait a moment’ gesture, and she froze. “Yes, at the Grand Hotel. It was an accidental poisoning from something he consumed. Can an ambulance be here in ten minutes? Good, I’ll bring the patient down.” I hung up, then looked at Seraphina with a sincere expression. “Are you my brother’s friend? He accidentally got food poisoning. Could you help me get him down to the hotel lobby? The ambulance will be here any minute.” “…” Seraphina’s expression shifted unpredictably. The situation was completely different from what she had expected. But she couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong. In the hotel lobby, Caleb leaned against me, his thin lips pressed tight, long lashes trembling, and a slight crease in his brows gave him a fragile, almost broken look. The book described him as a rare beauty, saying even the hottest celebrities couldn’t compare. Before, I was so used to Caleb that I thought he just *was* that way. After my awakening, watching him quietly in my arms, my usually calm heart started pounding like a drum. I couldn’t stop it. He was so freaking handsome… Anyone who didn’t find him attractive must be truly blind. Caleb’s consciousness was hazy, and his head unconsciously leaned towards Seraphina. I quickly pulled him back, giving her a look that said, “My bad, looks like my man is quite the sight, isn’t he?” It was provocative, but subtle. Seraphina’s scrutinizing gaze grew colder. Ah, fighting the female lead for the male lead, it really was exhilarating. When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics carried Caleb onto the gurney. I followed him in, then turned to see Seraphina about to step in. I politely but firmly refused, “Thank you so much for your help, but there’s clearly not enough space in here. This is as far as you need to go.” Seraphina’s mouth opened. She was probably wondering why I was deviating from my character. Julian’s lapdog, caring about Caleb’s life? But I didn’t want to give her time to react, nor did I care about her souring expression. I slammed the door shut. At the hospital, I explained Caleb’s situation to the doctor. I told them he had consumed an unknown liquid. The doctor diagnosed it as poisoning and rushed him to the emergency room for stomach pumping. Half an hour later, Caleb was moved to a private room. He was still sleeping. I went to the convenience store to buy clean towels and water; I wanted to wipe his face later. When I returned to the room, I saw Seraphina standing by the bed, slowly leaning down, as if she intended to kiss Caleb. “CALEB!” I screamed. Seraphina instantly recoiled, a flush of embarrassment on her face.

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