: Outdated Trick

Before long, dinner was served, the dishes brought out one after another. And the final main course was, surprisingly, carried out by Thea Hale.

She stumbled along, the platter in her hands wobbling precariously. As she reached the table, she deliberately edged closer to me.

Then, with a loud CLATTER.

She spilled the entire platter right at me.

I had a feeling this would happen and quickly dodged to the side.

But even though I moved quickly, some of the sauce inevitably splattered onto my clothes.

Before I could say a word, Thea Hale burst into tears. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks one by one.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Rhodes. I didn't mean to."

"I... I'm just so clumsy. Please don't be angry."

With that, she tilted her head and squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself as if preparing for a blow.

'So, what do you think? Is this a good angle? I specially picked this stunning pose, guaranteed to make the Male Leads' hearts skip a beat.'

'Why hasn't she slapped me yet? System, can you block the pain? I really don't want it to hurt too much.'

'So she was counting on me being a hot-tempered Vicious Heiress? Planning to use my supposed cruelty to highlight her innocence?'

I scoffed internally. 'Even novels don't use these plots anymore. This cliché is way too outdated.'

Breaking the silence, I calmly called for the Butler.

"Is she the housekeeper's daughter? Are there no other servants in the house? Why is she the one serving food?"

"Since everyone is so fond of slacking off, pay them double this month's wages. Tell them not to bother coming in tomorrow."

The Rhodes Family was generous and never mistreated its staff, which was why a position here was so highly coveted.

'There's no need to get tangled up with someone harboring ill intentions. I can just replace them all with a more obedient batch of servants.'

Thea Hale froze, completely stunned. After a moment, she began to speak, her words stumbling out.

"N-No! Please, Miss Rhodes! If my mom loses her job, my... my family won't survive!"

"My dad is abusive, that's why my mom had to bring me with her to work. I just wanted to help... I know I was wrong. Please don't send us away."

Her face was a tragic, tear-streaked mask of beauty, but I wondered how much of her story was true.

I heard Leo Fletcher's breath hitch and realized this performance was for his benefit.

Before the Rhodes Family adopted him, Leo Fletcher was an orphan. His father had killed his mother in a drunken fit of rage, and then, fearing conviction, had thrown himself from a building to his death.

Thea Hale's story had struck a nerve.

"Qinian... let it go. If her mother gets fired, she'll be..."

*[Beep. Male Lead #3's Affinity Level for Host +20. Congratulations, Host.]*

I ignored Leo Fletcher and continued to study Thea Hale. She looked young enough to be in college, already tricked by her System into seducing men. She was still naive, unaware that there's no such thing as a free lunch.

"The university semester has started, hasn't it? Why aren't you in school?"

"The Rhodes Family is willing to fund your university education. I will also have our lawyers handle your parents' divorce. He won't be able to hurt you or your mother again."

Thea Hale snapped her head up to look at me, her eyes filled with poorly concealed venom. And I heard her thoughts.

'Damn it, this bitch. She's just trying to get rid of me, terrified I'll steal her men.'

'Once I've succeeded, I'll make her pay. I'll make her kneel at my feet and beg for forgiveness!'

Hearing that, my expression hardened. I immediately retracted my rare offer of kindness.

'If she's so determined to wallow in filth, I won't be the one to stop her.'

Just as I was about to have the Butler deal with it, Shane Sloane suddenly grabbed my hand.

"Qinian, she's pitiful enough. Why not just let it go?"

"It's not a big deal, anyway. The Rhodes Family can certainly afford to support one more idle person."

My gaze turned cold.

Shane Sloane, who had been so cold and dismissive toward Thea Hale at lunch, was now actually defending her.

'Are a mere five points of Affinity Level really that effective?'

At the urging of Shane Sloane and Leo Fletcher, I 'reluctantly' agreed to let Thea Hale stay.

Thea Hale looked up, her eyes filled with such gratitude for them that she seemed ready to pledge herself to them completely.

'How strange. I was the one who ultimately decided to let Thea Hale stay, yet they're the ones reaping all the gratitude.'

After dinner, I put on a tired expression and said I was heading back to my room to rest.

Leo Fletcher couldn't wait to leave. Judging by the direction he went, he was heading for the servant's quarters.

'He's fallen for her after just one meeting?'

Shane Sloane and Zion Sinclair followed me as well. Shane deliberately stepped forward to wrap an arm around me, leaving Zion Sinclair trailing behind us.

Shane Sloane chattered away, everything he said hinting that he had his eye on a new sports car.

This was his usual little ploy. I knew it and usually enjoyed it, but today, I was growing impatient.

He seemed to sense my displeasure and asked me,

"Elara, why aren't you happy?"

I sized him up, wondering if he was genuinely stupid or just playing dumb. 'Thea Hale's little tricks were so clumsy, could he really not see them?'

"Ah, I get it. Elara, are you jealous? Jealous of that girl?"

"Don't worry. I just think her little act is amusing, so I'm just playing along. You're the only one in my heart."

"Once I've had my fun, I'll get rid of her so she won't be an eyesore."

As Shane Sloane spoke that last sentence, he raised a hand to touch his nose—his little tell for when he was lying.

Listening to him try to placate me, I almost laughed out loud.

'Amusing? Just playing along?'

When he proposed, Shane Sloane clearly promised that from that day forward, his eyes would only be for me and that he would never betray me.

'Does he think that just because he's "playing along" with Thea Hale, it doesn't count as betrayal?'

I was sick of it. I pushed him away and, under his incredulous gaze, beckoned to Zion Sinclair.

Back in my room, I leaned into Zion Sinclair's arms and sighed. He silently massaged my temples.

"I wouldn't find her amusing."

Hearing his voice, the corners of my lips curved upward.

'Zion Sinclair was originally my preferred choice for a husband. It's just that the man who marries me needs to be by my side every day, meaning he can no longer go to the office to handle business matters.'

'I cherished his talent and didn't want to see him trapped by my side, so I chose Shane Sloane instead.'

'I still remember how his eyes were rimmed with red back then.'

"Elara, even if I can't be by your side in name, I will always be the one who loves you most."

Lately, Shane Sloane and Leo Fletcher have been acting no different than before on the surface, still spending every day with me, trying to keep me happy.

What they didn't expect, however, was that I'd hired a private investigator to follow them.

The investigator sent me several photos, all showing them kissing Thea Hale at different times and in different places.

'After all this time, they somehow still haven't realized they share the same secret lover.'

Thea Hale hadn't given up on Zion Sinclair, either. She kept trying to engineer "chance" encounters to get close to him, but he coldly rejected her every single time.

"Miss Hale, it would be best if you had a sense of boundaries."

"I am completely devoted to Elara. Don't flatter yourself."

Thinking of Thea Hale, I felt it was almost a shame. 'With her time management and counter-surveillance skills, she could succeed at anything she put her mind to.'

'It's just a shame she has to rely on that whatchamacallit—the Conquest System.'

'Still, I was very satisfied that Zion Sinclair didn't appear in any of those intimate photos. As I thought, Thea Hale couldn't conquer him so easily.'

But as for Shane Sloane and Leo Fletcher, I was well and truly sick of them.

'Perhaps my good temper made them forget they are merely Ward-Husbands of the Rhodes Family.'

I instructed the Butler to freeze Shane Sloane's and Leo Fletcher's cards. I also told him to keep a close watch on the company and to notify me immediately of any stirrings.

'I'll give it one month. If Zion Sinclair can truly ignore her conquest, then I will, of course, give him his reward.'