The Protagonist Refused to be a Puppet After I lost my memory, I realized something was really off. My seemingly innocent brother secretly slipped into my bed in the middle of the night. My successful businessman uncle kept sending me clothes. My cold, sophisticated Professor Thorne gave me unsettlingly intimate instructions. And Jax, the infamous bad boy from the other side of the tracks, pinned me against the wall and whispered, “Eighty bucks for the night.” I figured there had to be some huge misunderstanding, so I gathered them all together, planning to set things straight. But to my shock, they just exchanged knowing smiles, looking at me like a lamb ready for slaughter. “All four of us? Playing *that* kind of game? How thrilling,” one of them purred. I paused for a beat, then slapped each of them across the face. “Thrilling *now*?” I woke up, and my memory was completely gone. All I remembered was my name, Anya. Everything else was a blank. I looked around. It was a cozy bedroom, tastefully decorated. On the nightstand, there was a photo. Tiny script at the bottom read: *To my dearest Mom, Dad, and little brother.* So, a family of four. Just as I put the photo down, I heard footsteps outside the door. My bedroom door was suddenly pushed open. “Sis, dinner’s ready!” It was a tall, lean teenager with a fair complexion and a bright, open smile. He grabbed my wrist with an alarming familiarity, pulling me out of the room. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go!” This must be my brother. Liam. At the dinner table, the family felt so harmonious, so picture-perfect. I quietly ate my food, listening to them chat. “Liam will be a senior next year. It would be great if he could get into Anya’s college. You two could look out for each other.” Liam nodded dutifully, “I’ll definitely get in.” He then flashed me a smile. “You have to wait for me at school, sis.” He looked so innocent, just a typical teenager. But even then, something about his words felt off, and his eyes held a disturbing glint I couldn’t quite place.
Late that night, I lay in bed, drifting in and out of sleep. Suddenly, I heard faint rustling in the room, and a blurry figure moved past. I startled, sitting bolt upright, but a hand clamped firmly over my mouth. “Shhh, quiet. Don’t let Mom and Dad hear.” It was Liam. I was still wondering why he was in my room so late when he lunged at me, pressing me back onto the bed. I gasped. “What are you doing?” “Heh.” He gave a wicked smirk. “What do you think I’m doing? I’m doing *you*.” What kind of talk was that?! I pushed him away. “I’m your sister!” “Not just my sister. You’re *my* woman.” His words hit me like a shockwave. Without thinking, I kicked him squarely off the bed. “Get lost!” “Anya, what are you playing at? You’re just a slut who’d sleep with anyone—Ah!” He didn’t even finish his sentence before I delivered another kick. This one landed right in his crotch. I watched him curl up, howling in pain, then I flexed my ankle and clicked my tongue. “So small.”
Liam’s behavior last night made me realize that everything around me was definitely off. Even though I couldn’t remember anything right now, we were siblings. There was no way I was *that* kind of person. I walked out of my room, my expression heavy. Passing the bathroom, I ran into Liam brushing his teeth. I gave him a slow, wicked smile, my gaze dropping pointedly to the very spot I’d brutalized the night before. *Plink.* His toothbrush clattered to the floor. I feigned surprise. “What’s wrong, little brother? Why are you foaming at the mouth?” Liam’s face was pale. He took two steps back, seemingly intimidated, looking like he wanted to scream but didn’t dare. No fun. I turned and walked away, bored. It was the weekend, so Mom and Dad had already left for work, leaving just Liam and me at home. After breakfast, he plopped onto the couch and started playing video games. I looked at the unwashed dishes on the table, annoyed. “Liam, come wash the dishes!” But he didn’t even look up from his phone. He said, “Didn’t you always do the housework? You’ve always been the one doing the chores around here, haven’t you?” So, it turned out I used to be a free maid. I thought for a moment, then plopped down next to him. “Fine, let it all go to hell. No one’s doing anything.” He suddenly froze, staring at me with a strange expression. “Anya, you’re different. You never used to refuse me. You…” He narrowed his eyes at me. “Are you playing games? Trying to get my attention?” “Huh?” “Don’t act dumb. You want my attention, right? Don’t bother, I could never like you.” I looked at him like he was an idiot. Seriously, how could someone so utterly ordinary be so unbelievably arrogant? He went on, “But, even if I don’t like you, doing other stuff isn’t off the table. After all, you’re so desperate for a guy, aren’t you…” His hand, once again, snaked towards my collar. I grabbed his hand, twisted it, and he cried out in pain. I offered a slight smile. Some kids just need a good reality check… or another punch.
Before college started, I went to the hospital alone. The results came back normal. The doctor said I likely had temporary amnesia caused by an unknown reason. Just as I stepped out of the hospital, I heard a shout. “Anya!” I turned and saw a mature man in a sharp suit. I didn’t know who he was, so I stood there, unmoving. He walked closer to me and asked, “Why are you at the hospital alone? Are you feeling unwell?” I shook my head. “I’m fine.” He grabbed my wrist. “Then Uncle Marcus will take you home.” So, this was my Uncle Marcus, the CEO of Sterling Enterprises, the successful and promising man my parents always talked about. But the way he looked at me, with an uncomfortable invasiveness, made me frown and pull my hand away. “No thanks, I called a ride.” He froze. “Anya, are you still mad? What happened that day was my fault, and I apologize. But you have to believe me, you’re the only one for me. I’ll take care of you for the rest of my life.” As he spoke, he put an arm around my shoulder. I shoved him away and stomped hard on his foot. “Uncle, aren’t you a bit old to be playing the innocent card?” He bent over, groaning in pain. I took the chance to put some distance between us. “I know you’re busy with work, but maybe take some time for skincare and hit the gym? Your crow’s feet are practically racing each other across your face!” Honestly, my uncle wasn’t a bad-looking guy. I just couldn’t understand why all these men seemed to have some secret, twisted connection with me. He winced, then managed a pained smile. “Anya, if it makes you feel better, you can hit me a few more times.” “You’re a glutton for punishment.” “I am.” His eyes were filled with a disturbing adoration. “You never used to hit me before. I never knew you could be so beautiful when you’re angry.” I scoffed. Seriously, who asks for that? I gave him another kick, then turned and walked away without looking back. Back home, I found a package. It was from Uncle Marcus, paid for three days ago. I unwrapped the high-end gift box, only to find a piece of intricate lingerie inside. At the same time, I got a message from him. He’d sent me three PayPal transfers: $5000, $2000, and $1000, saying it was my spending money. Attached was a lengthy, gushy confession. I didn’t even read it. I tapped my phone a few times. I accepted all three transfers, then immediately donated every single cent to a charity organization. I screenshotted the donation receipts and sent them to him. *Uncle Marcus, send more! Charity work needs your support.* As for the lingerie, I sent it right back to him with a note: *I think you’d look much sexier in it, Uncle Marcus.*
Before I knew it, it was the first day of classes. I packed my bags and headed back to college. When I pushed open my dorm room door, my three roommates, who were busy gossiping, suddenly stopped and all stared at me. Their eyes were filled with wariness. Clearly, we weren’t on good terms. I shrugged, gesturing for them to continue. I found the only empty bed and slowly started unpacking. The room was silent for a moment, then one of the girls spoke up. Chloe. “Let’s just talk. Why bother with *her*?” “Yeah, she’s so shameless anyway, she wouldn’t care what people say.” Maya chimed in. The other two looked awkward. “Come on, Brianna, don’t say that.” They must have been talking about me. Suddenly, I was curious. “Are you guys talking about me? Spill the tea.” “What are you playing at?” They looked surprised. “Everyone knows you confessed to Jax from the other school, got rejected, and then wouldn’t give up, practically begging him to sleep with you! Today, his school is playing our school in basketball, and everyone’s going to be laughing at you!” “Yeah, how could *we* be roommates with someone as shameless as you?” Brianna added. Their words dripped with contempt. I silently pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts. Sure enough, I found Jax. But strangely, the chat history was empty. “We’re going to the basketball game now. Anya, I’m warning you, you better not go. No one’s going to care if you get booed to tears.” The three of them walked out of the dorm. I thought for a moment, then pulled my laptop out of my bag. I logged into SnapChat on my computer and clicked on my chat history with Jax again. Sure enough, there were some synced messages. They were few, but enough for me to realize that things weren’t at all as they described. Jax had been sending me flirtatious messages. From what I could see, *I* was the one being pressured. So, Jax must have deleted the chat history from my phone and then slandered me, claiming I’d seduced him. What a manipulative jerk! I put my laptop in my bag. I decided it was time to confront that scumbag at the basketball court.
I wasn’t very familiar with the college campus, so I twisted and turned until I reached the gym. Suddenly, an arm shot out from around a corner. He wrapped it around my waist, smoothly pinning me against the wall. A cocky, arrogant face was inches from mine. He grinned. “Anya, you actually dare to show up at the basketball game? “You’re that desperate to see me, huh?” I guessed he was Jax. So I said, “I’m here to watch how badly you lose.” “Then you’ll be disappointed. With your school’s basketball skills, there’s no way you’re beating me.” He was confident and arrogant. “Once I win the game, you’ll have to celebrate with me. “Don’t go back to your dorm tonight. Spend the night with me. Don’t worry, I won’t stiff you.” He held up a hand, showing eighty with his fingers. “Eighty bucks for the night, how about it? “That’s the kind of price you’d pay for a hooker, and a cheap one at that.” He smiled as he uttered those stinging words, his eyes looking at me like I was the lowest form of entertainment. I raised my hand and slapped him. “You hit me?” He looked utterly incredulous. “Anya, aren’t you scared I’ll make those photos public?” Oh, so he had something on me, huh? I smirked, then slapped him again. “That’s what you get.”
This university’s facilities were top-notch. The indoor basketball court was huge, and the bleachers were already full, even the aisles were packed. The game between the two schools had the students hyped, but the name I heard most often was Jax. Rumor had it his family had serious ties to the local underworld, and he was known as the infamous bad boy of the other school. “Excuse me, could you let me through?” I called out to a student blocking the way. He turned around and exclaimed in surprise: “Anya’s here!” At that shout, I instantly became the center of attention. “Anya actually showed up?! Hasn’t she humiliated herself enough? She’s utterly shameless.” “You don’t understand, that’s true love. Even after a thousand rejections, she still loves Jax like her first crush!” “First crush? The kind where she throws herself at him for sex?” There were plenty of whispers, but they also instinctively cleared a path for me. I walked down the steps as if deaf to their words, easily reaching the front row. Jax saw me too. He deliberately blew me a whistle, then silently mouthed two words. I could read his lips: “Eighty bucks.” He was still trying to humiliate me, utterly full of himself. So I mouthed four words back to him. “Your face is swollen.” That’s right, I’d slapped him twice, left and right, and now his face was slowly turning red and puffy. He clenched his jaw and glared at me. I raised an eyebrow. What are you looking at? You can’t even beat me. Jax was right, our school’s basketball team was pretty weak. I watched the score widen, surrounded by shouts of “Jax is so hot!” It wasn’t long before he secured the victory. Basking in the cheers of the students, he walked up to me. “Anya, why are you still bothering me?” The guys around him started booing and jeering, and everyone’s gaze was hostile. Rumors spread like wildfire, but trying to extinguish them is a losing battle. In their eyes, I was just a desperate, promiscuous girl. No one would listen to my explanation, at least not right now. So I stood up and challenged him: “Jax, do you dare to play me one-on-one? “Most baskets in a set time wins.” He froze for a second, then burst out laughing. “Are you serious? You, Anya, challenging *me*?” I nodded. He suddenly roared with laughter, and the crowd around him joined in. A delicate girl challenging a highly skilled male basketball player? Utterly delusional. I even heard someone say, “Is she trying to get Jax’s attention? Or maybe create some ‘accidental’ physical contact?” Ignoring their malice, I calmly repeated myself. “Do you dare to play me?” He looked at me with disdain. “Fine, but there has to be a stake, right? Otherwise, what’s the fun?” “What do you want to bet?” “If you lose, you have to dance for everyone. And it’ll be… a strip dance.” It was blatant humiliation, but under everyone’s watchful eyes, I calmly nodded. “Okay. What if *you* lose?” “Me lose?” He laughed. “What do you want me to do?” I pointed to the court. “If you lose, you’ll get on your hands and knees, bark like a dog, and crawl three laps around the court.” “Anya, are you out of your mind?!” He clearly hadn’t expected me to be so bold. But if he wanted to humiliate me, he needed to be prepared to be humiliated himself. I asked him one last time, “So, do you want to play?”
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