Ivan Kidnapped

My eyes lit up with joy.

But before I could thank the system, it finished its notification.

'Your original body is suffering from multiple organ failures due to the car crash, though. You can only live for three days at most.'

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I ignored them. "That's fine. Thank you, System. At least, I can see my parents one last time."

All I could think about was my original parents. Ignoring the agony surging through my body, I stood up to jump into the lake one more time.

Before I could even get near it, Serena, my ex-wife, lost her patience. She swiftly kicked the back of my knees.

Caught off guard, I dropped to my knees with a loud thud.

"Just why are you causing a fuss, Leon? Even if you die, what about it? I will still not love you."

I was sprawled on the ground, a complete mess, but a mocking sneer still tugged at my lips.

"It's none of my business who you marry, so stay out of mine!"

Serena frowned in displeasure, as if she could not believe I would speak to her so harshly when I had always been gentle before.

Just then, Yuna Sawyer dashed over to me and clamped a hand around my throat.

"Ivan is missing! Leon, where did your men take him to?"

Yuna's gaze was terrifying.

"I won't have a repeat of what happened ten years ago!"

Her fingers clenched around my neck. The lack of air was agonizing, and I closed my eyes as the sensation of suffocation swallowed me.

Even so, I didn't struggle.

That was right. If she strangled me, I could go home.

I could already smell the fragrance of my mother's cooking.

Suddenly, she let go.

I crashed to the ground, coughing violently.

The moment I could move, I struck and kicked at Yuna in fury. "Why did you let go? Why didn't you just kill me? I was finally going home!"

An icy aura radiated from her as she glared at me. "Just what are you up to now? Well? Spit it out. Where did your men take Ivan?"

I coldly gazed back at her and told her exactly what I thought. I had nothing left to lose, anyway. "You're just one of Ivan's pets. You don't know where your owner is, so why should I?"

Yuns was my older sister and the second target in this world. She was the eldest daughter of the family, but to be closer to Ivan, and to prevent me from hurting him at all, she actually demeaned herself to be his personal assistant.

"I was atoning for your sins!"

In the past decade, Yuna always had her guard up around me.

But I still remembered how much she had loved me when we were children. Whenever she had a treat or a new toy, I was always the first person she shared it with.

That was until Ivan showed up.

He was the son of Laura's first love. After the man died, Laura took him in.

At first, Yuna hated him as much as I did. However, during one argument between our parents, our father left the house with Yuna in tow.

They got into a car accident. Our father died, and Yuna's legs were injured so badly they nearly had to be amputated.

I used up my points to heal her until she could walk and run like a normal person.

With her arms wrapped tight around me, she swore to forever protect me.

Later on, she started to hear Ivan's thoughts too.

Her Relationship Value instantly dropped to zero.

She chose to believe Ivan's thoughts, adamantly thinking that I had ruined her and Laura's lives. She also believed that Ivan was the reason her legs were healed.

In her fury, she forced me into a rehabilitation center that practiced electroshock therapy, even though I was still a minor.

During that time, I was repeatedly locked in isolation, starved, humiliated, and shocked for entertainment.

By the time I was released, I could no longer draw. For a very long time, I could not even use the toilet like a regular person.

Laura and Yuna only looked at me with disgust and coldly told me I had brought it on myself. After that, they abandoned me in the old house, completely ignoring me.

If I did not have the system and unfinished missions, I might have died long ago.

Now, Yuna had the nerve to accuse me and tell me it was all my fault.

Since I was going to die anyway, I decided to stop holding back.

Holding myself up by my arms, I spat in her direction and sneered. "This is just one of Ivan's acts. Only fools like you would believe him. Believe me or not, I have never gone after Ivan all these years."

Her face twisted in fury. "Even now, you're lying to me! You're evil by nature. You never admit your mistakes!"

With bloodshot eyes, she kicked me viciously in the chest. Just as she was about to kick me again, Ivan's voice rang out.

"Why are all of you in the garden?"

Ivan's Thoughts

'While Leon had someone lock me up, I can't let them worry. Forget it. He must have only done that because he's under a lot of pressure. I should be nice to him.'

I looked up in disbelief. After failing my mission, I could actually hear Ivan's thoughts too.

As expected, the women's expressions twisted instantly. They glared at me with such disgust that they looked ready to tear me apart.

Yuna tugged at her blouse collar and gave a cold smirk. "It seems we have to teach you a lesson for being a lying liar, Leon."

Serena's voice rose, sharper and louder than before. "You jumped into the lake to draw our attention so that your men could grab Ivan."

Unable to hold back any longer, Serena grabbed a fistful of my hair and dragged me away from Yuna. Then, she shoved my head into the lake.

Just as I was about to drown, she tugged my head back up, then back down over and over again. I barely had time to exhale, let alone breathe.

"How dare you jump and pretend to drown! This time, I'll make sure you learn your lesson!"

The words stabbed deep into me, causing a pang of pain in my heart.

After repeated failed missions, I chose Serena.

She was an heiress, the only daughter of the Gale family. However, she loved action comics, something her family strictly forbade. She even wanted to become a comic artist.

We met and fell in love during a convention. She said she would forever believe in me and support me.

Then, Ivan appeared. To Serena's surprise, he was the young boy who saved her when she was kidnapped as a child.

Because of that, she chose to believe the thoughts she heard. She became convinced that I had plagiarized Ivan's work and, to erase the evidence, had framed him through a young girl.

The past and the present melded together in my mind. Through gritted teeth, Serena spat out, "I won't forgive you for this, Leon."

A helpless smile spread across my lips.

In the past, Serena did not really choose to forgive me. Instead, she realized her family had encountered some problems with money just as she was about to punish me.

To get her hands on my inheritance from my father, she chose to put on an act and marry me.

Three years had passed since then. She now had complete control over the Gale family and had drained every cent out of my inheritance.

Naturally, she no longer felt the need to be nice to me.

I pushed her away with all the strength I had.

My voice came out hoarse. "There are cameras in the garden. One look, and you'll know who took Ivan, won't you?

When Ivan heard that, guilt flashed in his eyes.

"It's fine, Leon. There's no need to check the cameras. I'm fine. I don't blame you for it."

That distressed, reluctant expression of his instantly won over the women around him.

Serena threw a document at me. "Here's the divorce agreement. From now on, you and I have nothing to do with each other."

Yuna stared at me coldly. "Leon, if you were even half as kind as Ivan, I wouldn't hate you this much."

Laura's voice was full of disgust. "Get lost. From now on, you're no longer my son!"

I watched as the women I wholeheartedly loved and cherished stood by Ivan's side, glaring at me with vengeful eyes.

Suddenly, it all felt so funny.

Since they did not love me, I no longer needed to be nice to them.

I called out to the system in my mind, 'Can I get a refund on the points I spent?'

I once swapped ten years of life in my original world to grant Laura the chance to get back on her feet.

Then, I used half of my points to grant Yuna the ability to stand once more.

There was also my inheritance. Serena thought she had stolen it through her own clever schemes, but if I had not deliberately revealed the password in front of her, she would never have accessed that much money in her entire life.

When the system confirmed that a refund was possible, I slowly spoke, my voice laced with mockery. "You're scared, aren't you? Scared to find out your precious and pure love is just a pile of stinking filth."

The women scowled at me in anger.

Ivan's eyes reddened as he cried out, "How can you say that about me, Leon? I know you hate me, but I never thought of stealing anything from you.

"As I told you ten years ago, I don't want to break up the family. I only want to be part of it…"

The women immediately rushed to comfort him, shooting even harsher glares at me.

I scoffed. "You're scared."

Just then, I heard Ivan's thoughts.

'They already hate Leon. I can't let them find out about how he tried to hurt me again.'

"Leon, the cameras are down. Nothing would be found. Please stop causing a scene. Let's go home."

The moment he said that, the women looked at him with even more heartbreak.

I shrugged off his hand and pulled out my phone.

"Really? My phone just so happens to be connected to the cameras here. Why don't we all have a look?"

Then, I swiftly pulled up the recording and held my phone out for the women to watch.

In the video, Ivan watched the women get distracted by me. His face twisted into a sinister expression.

After glancing around, he dashed away while no one was looking.

No matter how one looked at it, there was no way he had been abducted.

With a scornful smirk, I looked up at the women.

Their eyes widened, and they all turned to stare at Ivan in disbelief.