LILITH

Maybe it was because everything had been laid out so plainly, but I felt more comfortable with the mechanical voice in my head.

"By the way, do you have an actual name besides 'system'? Calling you that every time feels too impersonal."

"We're stuck together for the foreseeable future, so I'd prefer something... less formal."

[I don't have one.]

It replied matter-of-factly.

"Then I'll give you one," I decided.

It made a mechanical hum, as if agreeing.

I pursed my lips thoughtfully, brows furrowed. Moments later, my frown smoothed out and I clapped my hands together in delight.

"Got it! I'll call you May."

[Why May?]

"Because thanks to you, I was reborn in the month of May. Coincidentally, it also happens to be my birthday month. It feels... meaningful and significant."

[Understood. The choice is yours.]

"It's settled then."

With that, I straightened my back, letting my voice take on a sharper edge.

"Now, let's get down to business."

[What business?]

My eyes glinted with coldness.

"The business of stopping my engagement with Brandon, of course."

[But it's already scheduled for tonight. How do you plan to stop it from happening?]

May paused, then added thoughtfully,

[Just so you know, revealing my existence or disclosing future events is strictly prohibited. Both actions violate system regulations.]

I chuckled good-naturedly. "Don't worry. None of those were ever within my consideration."

[Then what's your plan? Sweet-talking your parents into annulling the engagement?]

[Actually, I think it'll be better to go along with it first and then think of countermeasures later on. That'll give you enough time to prepare.]

I couldn't help but smile faintly.

It was clear that although May had told me to make different choices, it still thought of me as the same person I used to be-passive, powerless, and prone to compromise.

Although the second part was still very much true, I would never again allow the other two to define me.

From now on-

My eyes blazed with confidence and determination.

I wouldn't compromise. Not even an inch.

[I'm sorry.]

May said suddenly.

Confusion flashed in my eyes. "What are you sorry for?"

[You're right. I still don't understand you.]

In that instant, realization struck me, making a chill crawl up my spine. "Wait... can you read my thoughts?"

[Yes.]

May admitted, then quickly added.

[But I don't do it unless necessary. I only heard you just now because your emotions spiked.]

Even with the explanation, I felt unsettled. Uneasy.

"Then let's make the first ground rule: in the future, you're not allowed to read or pry into my thoughts without my explicit permission. Do you agree?"

[Yes.]

I exhaled in relief. The idea of someone having free access to my mind and thoughts felt absolutely horrifying and suffocating.

My voice softened. "Don't hold it against me for reacting this way. I don't think there's a single human alive who would be comfortable knowing their thoughts were laid bare."

[It's fine. I understand.]

With that, I finally relaxed.

"You said you could provide me with helpful information. Does that still stand?"

There was a brief pause.

[Yes. As long as it's within controllable limits.]

My tone turned razor-sharp.

"Then tell me-when did Brandon and Claire's affair begin?"

I had married Brandon one year after our engagement. Around the same time, I got pregnant. For the baby switch to go unnoticed, Claire's child had to be of similar age. If the baby were older, no matter how dumb I was, I would've sensed something off.

Which meant those two snakes had been together for far longer than I realized.

[They've been involved for five years now.]

My fingers curled into tight fists.

Five years? That meant the affair started during our first year of college.

My eyes widened in disbelief.

"That was just one year after Claire came to live with us."

How could I have been so blind? That for over thirty years, I hadn't suspected a thing?

Something so absurd could only be a side-effect of the corrupted system Claire possessed. I had been manipulated.

A new thought struck me.

"When did that corrupted system bind with her?"

[Around the same time she joined your household. That's why I said your family was her starting point.]

"No wonder I never noticed anything," I muttered. Then my face paled.

"So... she's been stealing my luck for close to six years now?"

[Yes.] May's voice sounded heavy.

[Fortunately, her system's absorption rate is slow, so she's only taken a quarter so far.]

[But as long as you do as I instructed, you'll gradually reclaim everything she's stolen from you.]

My gaze darkened.

A quarter might not sound like much to others, but after the life I'd lived... I knew better.

Even a single strand of luck could change everything.

This new life of mine-there's no way I'd allow anyone to ruin it again, I thought, my jaw clenched tightly.

Perhaps May felt sorry for me, because it chimed in with something unexpected.

[Today is one of the days Brandon and Claire meet in private. Do you want to catch them in the act?]

My eyes sparkled. This was exactly the kind of information I needed.

For a second, I was tempted to go personally. To catch them red-handed.

But I quickly shook off the thought.

In my previous life, I'd learned the hard way: getting directly involved with those two always ended badly-especially when it came to Claire.

Better to send someone else. Someone skilled. Someone professional.

A private investigator, for example.

But...

I frowned. I had no idea how to find one.

Whether in my past life or this one, I'd never been exposed to that sort of profession. And asking my family?

No way.

Though I'd told myself I didn't blame them for being deceived, pretending I held no resentment would be a lie.

I... couldn't fully trust them anymore. Or anyone else, really.

I closed my eyes, heart heavy. When I opened them again, they were calm. Cold.

"May, I have a question. Would giving me the contact info of a reliable private investigator fall under 'controllable limits'?"

[...I think so. Probably?]

A small smile tugged at my lips. It probably never expected to be used as a phone book.

Not that I gave it time to reconsider.

A moment later, a message appeared on my phone from an unknown number, containing the contact information for a Langston Consulting Services.

"Thanks, May. You just saved me a lot of trouble." I flattered it sweetly.

[You're welcome. It's what I should do.]

The sly smile at the corner of my lips deepened.

I didn't waste time. After saving the number, I opened my messaging app and reached out.

I forwarded Brandon and Claire's names, along with other relevant details and the meeting place May had revealed.

Shortly after, I received a response requesting a million deposit, with the balance due upon delivery of the results.

I wired the money without blinking.

{I need the information before 6 PM today. The more detailed, the better. Can you deliver?}

{Don't worry, ma'am. Our agency's reputation is built on discretion and speed. With the details you've provided, this case will be easy.}

{Then I look forward to your good news.}

{Happy to be of service.}

With the chat coming to an end, I leaned back and smiled, satisfaction gleaming in my eyes.

"Brandon. Claire," I whispered.

"I'm coming for you. Are you ready?"

DEAN - RAVEN ENTERTAINMENT

Callum looked like he was one step away from losing it.

Seated behind a sleek black desk, he flipped through the growing mountain of paperwork that hadn't stopped multiplying since morning. Every now and then, he'd pause to adjust those gold-rimmed glasses of his and rub at his temples.

Meanwhile, I lay stretched out across the recliner directly in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, letting out a lazy yawn.

As I did so, I could feel Callum's death glare on me.

It was honestly entertaining how obviously his irritation grew the more relaxed I looked.

In the next moment, I heard the rustle of fabric and knew he finally decided to take a break.

Following the sound of footsteps, he dropped onto the sofa across from me with the force of someone fed up with the world, or at least with me.

"It seems you've turned my office into your personal spa," he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Have those rumors about you being nothing more than an idle, useless playboy finally gotten to your head, so you decided to make them a reality?"

I didn't respond immediately, quietly watching him groan and rub his forehead in circles before continuing.

"I've been behind that desk since morning, drowning in paperwork and you've been here just as long. Yet, not once did it occur to you to help. If I didn't know better, I'd think this company had changed hands, and you're no longer the largest shareholder."

His voice sounded exasperated, together with a fair dose of resentment.

Ignoring him, I shut my eyes and folded one arm behind my head.

"I'm just an honorary director," I drawled. "What real work do you expect from me?"

Even without opening my eyes, I could feel his piercing stare on me. No doubt he was also clenching his jaw so hard it could almost break while fighting the urge to strangle me where I lay.

A soft chuckle escaped my lips thinking of that scene. An action which did nothing but add to his annoyance. But eventually, all his exasperation and frustration turned into one, long sigh.

"Fine. Forget helping me. But what about your other business? Don't you think it's time you went back?"

He shot me a look. "You've been here on 'vacation' for nearly a months. That's long enough, don't you think?"

He paused, then added, "Do you have any idea how many times Blake's called, asking when you'll return? It's obvious the work is becoming too much for him to handle."

Blake. My assistant.

Highly competent and sharp.

I didn't feel an ounce of guilt for dumping everything on him and leaving him in charge. If he couldn't even handle things in my absence, what was the point of paying him a six-figure paycheck?

"I'm not going back," I said calmly, finally opening my eyes.

Callum frowned. "What do you mean you're not going back?"

Then came the realization. "Wait. Are you saying you're planning to settle down here?"

I sat up slightly. "More or less. I plan to open a branch here, after all."

He looked genuinely stunned for a moment, then narrowed his eyes. "Is this a long-term plan or just one of your spur-of-the-moment whims?"

I smirked. "Guess."

"Be serious, Dean. I know you can be spontaneous at times, but this is no joking matter. "

He leaned forward, hands clasped as he spoke.

I let out a soft laugh, completely unbothered.

"Relax. This has been in the works for a while. I just never got around to telling you."

That was actually a white lie. But as long as the outcome remained the same, I guess it wouldn't matter that much, right?

"The market in Agate Country had become stagnant and over-saturated with similar products," I explained, my aura shifting into seriousness "Downloads are dropping, user feedback is lukewarm, and investing in new ideas has become risky."

"With slower growth, more risk, and tighter competition, something had to change."

Callum frowned. "So you're basically trying your luck here?"

I shook my head. "No. I don't put my faith in fickle things like 'luck.' I only believe in myself."

I dropped my legs from the recliner and faced him directly.

"I've done my homework. Compared to Agate Country, the market here still has untapped potential. The mobile game scene is expanding fast, especially in narrative and female-oriented genres-and no one's capitalizing on it. Yet."

"But soon, they will," Callum replied, his expression softening. "There are plenty of smart people in the world. If you've figured it out, someone else will too. In fact, they might already have."

"Exactly. That's why I plan to strike early and secure a dominant position in the market. That way, no matter who enters the game later, they'll be playing catch-up."

He nodded, clearly impressed and aware of the potential behind my plan.

If things went as planned, Raven Entertainment and Astral Studios could create a complete entertainment chain: comics, animations, live-action adaptations, game-themed merchandise... the possibilities were endless.

"So the nickname "Treasure Hound" our friend circle gave you wasn't just for show, after all. You really never miss a money-making opportunity," Callum commented.

"What about the game?" he asked. "Is it already in development, or are you starting from scratch?"

"It's already underway at HQ," I told him. "But the launch and localization will be handled here by the new branch."

Callum snorted. "So you already had everything planned and were just informing me of the result?"

"Isn't that better?" I winked playfully. "I do the work, and you get to rake in a fortune."

He rolled his eyes but didn't argue.

The office went quiet for a while, comfortable silence settling between us.

Then he looked at me again. "By the way, will you be attending the Caldwells' banquet tonight?"

I shifted back into my previous position and asked lazily. "What banquet?"

"The Caldwells are throwing a party to celebrate their youngest daughter's college graduation. But from what I heard, the true reason behind the banquet is to officially announce her engagement to... Brandon."

He looked at me carefully as he said the last name, but I pretended not to notice.

Instead, I nonchalantly raised a brow. "Oh?"

"So?" he asked. "Will you go?"

Of course not.

That's what I meant to say.

But for some reason, an image surfaced in my mind. The Caldwell's youngest daughter.

Her name, if I remembered right, sounded like a flower.

Lily, maybe?

It had been ten years since I last saw her, but somehow, I remembered her. A quiet little thing in frilly pink dresses. She was like a delicately carved but lifeless doll.

All of a sudden, I felt a flicker of curiosity.

Sudden. Unexplainable.

I didn't question it too deeply at the time. But later, I would look back on this moment, quietly grateful for that impulse. For the fact that I decided to go.

Has her style changed? Was she still the same doll-ish girl?

I wondered.

"I suppose trying out the desserts wouldn't be a bad idea," I said after a moment of consideration.

Callum blinked, clearly surprised at my decision. He knew how much I despised events like this, especially if I had to rub shoulders with people from 'that' family.

But he didn't press. He simply shrugged his shoulders and stood up.

"I'll finish up the rest of my work."

I hummed in response, gaze drifting toward the window.

Looking forward to meeting you, Lily.

LILITH - Evening, 5: 30 PM.

Up at the presidential suite on the top floor of Aurora Palace-the most luxurious hotel in the country and a family-owned business-I had just finished enduring two full hours of grooming and makeup. And now, it was time to pick an evening gown.

However, the moment my eyes landed on the rows of pink dresses lined neatly before me, my expression darkened.

I had almost forgotten that the period I returned to was a chapter of my life I'd disliked deeply-a time when everything I wore, ate, and did was tightly controlled and dictated by my parents.

The reason for this should be traced to my older siblings.

When my fraternal twin siblings-Julian and Marissa-were born, our parents had been too preoccupied with their respective careers to raise them personally, so the twins were sent to live with our grandparents.

By the time our parents' careers finally stabilized and they had the time to care, the twins had sadly grown up and moved past the age of craving parental affection.

They remained respectful and polite, every bit the image of perfect children, but the emotional closeness to our parents was never quite there.

As a result, this matter became a regret that weighed heavily on their hearts.

So, when they had me, they were determined to do things differently.

And they did.

I was raised at their side, surrounded by love, luxury, and the best of everything from birth. I lacked nothing, except the one thing that mattered most: freedom.

I had grown up like a doll in a glass case.

Precious. Pampered. Sheltered.

I was never allowed to make even the smallest decisions on my own. My whole life was perfectly arranged-the color of my room, the clothes I wore, the school I attended, the major I studied, and even the man I ended up marrying.

My irreconcilable dislike for the color pink stemmed from the fact that it had been the dominant theme of my entire life.

The color of my bedroom decor, my clothes, my accessories, and even the first car they ever gifted me. A car I never got to drive myself, of course, because they were too concerned for my 'safety.'

In my past life, I had lived more than a decade away from them after getting married, but even then, I never asked or understood what the color meant to them, or why they insisted on using it so obsessively in every aspect of my life.

But to me, it represented suffocation.

It made me feel like a living doll, because pink was the only color that seemed to exist in my universe. I woke up to pink every morning and fell asleep to it every night.

And now, staring at those dresses again-each one a reminder of the unhappy memories I'd kept locked away-I felt a familiar, silent scream crawling up my throat.

I turned away sharply, my brows furrowed tightly. "Take these away. I won't wear any of it."

The sudden command made the stylist team exchange glances.

The lead stylist, Rosa, stepped forward with a faintly worried expression. "But your mother specifically instructed-"

I side-eyed her with a frosty look and cut her off.

"She might be the one paying the bills, but in this room, I'm your employer. You listen to me, understood?"

A brief silence followed, each team member looked visibly surprised.

And I knew exactly why.

To be fair, this wasn't the first time they'd worked on me. But over the years, they'd probably grown accustomed to my quiet and well-behaved demeanor. Like a pliant doll, I wore and did what I was told, never expressing an opinion of my own.

In both lives, this was my first time speaking out, and also going against my mom's instructions.

Rosa recovered first. She blinked, quickly masking her surprise, then lowered her head. "My apologies, Miss Caldwell."

I didn't respond. I didn't have the strength to.

As I turned to go back to my seat, my eyes suddenly caught sight of something. Swiveling, I walked past Rosa and stopped at the far end of the rack.

There, nestled between two pastel pink gowns, was what had drawn my attention-a midnight black evening dress.

"I'll wear this one," I said firmly, my fingers running over the smooth fabric.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Rosa shot a look at the wardrobe assistant, realizing this was likely her mistake-accidentally slipping in a different color. But she soon recovered, likely realizing that this little mix-up had saved them a great deal of trouble.

As for the aftermath I might face from wearing black instead of pink? That was between us mother and daughter. Not something she should be concerned with.

So, she nodded and smiled, appropriately. "It'll look perfect on you."

The rest of the team followed suit, showering me with compliments. How elegant it was, how well it matched my skin tone, how sophisticated it made me look...

Of course, how sincere any of them were was up for debate.

But I didn't care. As long as I liked the dress, that was all that mattered.

Without another word, I took the gown and disappeared into the changing room.

When I walked out moments later, the eyes of everyone in the room visibly lit up and I read the same word from their faces.

Wow.

I was pleased with the reaction, but I didn't show it. Instead, I walked up to the full-length mirror and studied my reflection closely.

The black dress fit me like a glove, hugging my slender frame in all the right places. I looked elegant, poised, and untouchable.

Like a queen in the making.

The woman staring back at me made the first real smile since I arrived at the hotel slowly appear on my lips.

Much better.

Just then, the familiar ding of a notification sounded from my phone.

I had a feeling I knew who it was from.

Picking it up, my intuition proved correct. It was indeed a message from the private investigator I'd hired.

Clicking on the first image, the smile at the corner of my lips deepened.

With another swipe, I browsed through the remaining pictures and a file, then quickly sent the final payment.

{It's a pleasure working with you.}

The reply came just as quickly.

{I'm glad you're satisfied with our services. Let's work together again sometime.}

{Sure.}

With that, I went offline.

My eyes twinkled with excitement as I began thinking about how best to put my plans into motion.

I would make sure tonight was etched into everyone's memory for a long time to come.