-Chapter 6-
W-What was happening?
Why did the male lead suddenly look like he wanted to kill him?
"Uh, I suddenly feel like using the restroom. Why don't you two talk first?"
[Damn it! Yelena, you lunatic. You called me to the restaurant just to help me rack up aggro, didn't you? Afraid the male lead wouldn't act fast enough, worried I wouldn't die soon enough?]
[I'm done for. I haven't even entered the main plot yet. This was just the appetizer, and the male lead already hates me to the core. How am I supposed to survive the rest?]
[Damn Rose and Yelena, you've completely set me up.]
Hearing his inner voice, Yelena glanced at David and noticed the killing intent rising from him.
She calmly stepped in front of Lucas and said, "I have nothing to say to him. Young Master Grey, let's go."
With that, she pushed him forward, then deliberately slowed down to fall behind, placing herself behind Lucas.
She was guarding against David trying to attack from behind.
But even though David's storyline had skewed a little, he was still the male lead. He wouldn't stoop to ambushing someone.
So he simply stood where he was, eyes locked on Lucas's back, unmoving, until the two of them entered the private room next door.
Once seated, Lucas broke into a cold sweat.
This wouldn't do. No way this would end well.
David was incredibly strong. He could kill him with a flick of his finger.
[Even if I want to die and escape this world, I can't go without completing the storyline. I can't leave empty-handed.]
[I have to make it to the end of the main plot and get my rewards. Only then can I go.]
[To last that long, I'll need to find some way to protect myself.]
While Yelena was ordering dishes, she listened silently to his thoughts.
When she heard him mention wanting to return to his original world, her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
So, he didn't belong to this novel's world.
Still, now that he had come and shattered her understanding of reality, revealing such an earth-shaking secret, how could he just leave?
Not unless he took her with him.
Thinking this, she passed the menu to Lucas. "Please, Young Master Grey, go ahead and order."
Lucas had no appetite. He casually picked a few dishes and absentmindedly nibbled at them, then asked, "You said you could help my dad land a deal with Starlight Group. Was that true?"
"Of course. Zavier is the son of the Starlight Group chairman. He saw you talk back to David earlier, so he probably finds you interesting. With me stepping in, locking in the deal won't be hard."
Damn.
So Zavier came from that kind of background?
Lucas marveled quietly, though it was a shame. No matter how powerful his family was, in the end, he still wound up bankrupt and dead.
"Young Master Grey, I have a question."
"Go ahead."
"What do you like about Rose?"
Lucas's face twitched. "Uh… isn't it obvious? She's beautiful, sexy, smart, comes from a good family, and she can manage a business. She's the perfect woman. What man wouldn't like her?"
Yelena rested her chin on her hands and smiled softly. "But all those qualities you listed—I have them too. Why don't you like me?"
Huh?
Lucas froze.
[What is she talking about? Is she joking? She must be. Even if her attitude toward the male lead has been strange lately, she couldn't possibly be interested in me.]
After giving himself that reassurance, Lucas laughed awkwardly. "Miss Miller is outstanding in every way. Someone like me isn't worthy."
"If Rose is worthy of you but I'm not, are you saying she's not as good as me?"
Yelena gave him a troubled expression.
"I thought Rose was the best woman in your heart."
"She is!"
Worried his character would collapse, Lucas got flustered and went all in.
"I'll be honest with you. I'm a simp for Rose. I've chosen her and only her. I'm not interested in anyone else. Even if the seven fairies from heaven descended, I wouldn't spare them a glance!"
[Screw this. I thought being a villain would be easy, just follow the script and deliver my lines. Who knew the plot would shift and even the female lead's character would go off the rails?]
[I'm done caring. After this meal, I'm going straight home to wait for the big engagement banquet scene.]
[Please, no more surprises.]
Hearing both his words and his thoughts, Yelena's delicate brows arched slightly.
Even if he didn't genuinely like Rose, she still felt a bit jealous. After all, Rose had such a loyal devotee.
But him saying he wouldn't even look at the seven fairies?
That, she didn't believe.
And more importantly, she refused to believe it.
With someone like him who knew the plot and everyone's future, how could she just let him slip away?
Even if it meant fighting for him, she would.
Good thing he wasn't truly in love with Rose. That meant she had time to take things slowly. "Let's eat first."
After the meal, Lucas did exactly as he said. He made up an excuse and slipped away immediately.
He wasn't afraid of Yelena. He was afraid of David.
That look David gave him in the hallway was anything but normal. If they ended up alone, he wouldn't be able to break character. He'd have to provoke the Dragon King male lead. And what would that lead to? A beating.
So he ran as far as he could.
He floored the gas pedal and rushed home.
But just as he arrived at the villa, he heard laughter coming from inside.
He recognized Susanna's voice.
His mom had guests?
Curious, he peeked into the living room and instantly froze.
She really had invited guests.
And sitting right in the middle of the couch, with big waves in her hair, sexy red lips, and a stunning presence, was someone he recognized.
It was Sylvia, the very same woman his mom had talked about matchmaking him with earlier.
What the hell. That was fast. She just mentioned it in the morning, and by afternoon, she had already brought her home.
Lucas nearly burst into tears.
He had already offended two of the male lead's love interests. David already hated him to death. Now there was another one?
Was this some kind of death sentence?
"Eh? Lukie, you're back so soon."
Susanna noticed him standing in the doorway and immediately got up to pull him inside.
"Speak of the devil. Lukie, come, let me introduce you. This is your Uncle Morgan. Go on, say hello."
Lucas forced an awkward smile. "Hello, Uncle."
[Ivan Morgan, right? I remember. He has heart problems, though it hasn't flared up yet. I think it happens mid-story and ends up being cured by the male lead by accident.]
Susanna then pulled Lucas again. "And this is your sister Sylvia."
Lucas had no choice but to look at Sylvia. "Hello, hello."
[Hello, my ass. This woman may look like the male lead's enemy, but she's actually his ultimate simp. While others give the male lead money, gifts, or even their families' companies, she gives him her life.]
[Even the martial arts she trained in for twenty years—she handed all of it over to the male lead. What a waste.]
After finishing the greetings, Lucas lifted his head and looked at Sylvia.
She was stunning.
Her looks carried a hint of that classic movie star, Marilyn Monroe. With her curled hair, red lips, and a long spaghetti-strap dress, she was simply eye-catching.
What was strange, though, was that Sylvia just stared at him without moving. Her expression looked like she had seen a ghost.
Huh?
What was going on?
Not only was Lucas stunned, but everyone else was also exchanging puzzled glances.
Especially Ivan, who was so embarrassed that he kept coughing to remind his daughter.
His daughter had always been composed and graceful. No matter what occasion she attended or which important figure she met, she handled everything with elegance and earned praise.
Why was she acting so rude today?
Seeing that his daughter still wasn't responding no matter how much he coughed, he quickly stood up to smooth things over.
"Sylvia, Young Master Grey greeted you. Why didn't you respond? Are you shy now that you're suddenly meeting your potential fiancé?"
Only then did Sylvia snap out of it. She furrowed her brows slightly and said, "Hello, Young Master Grey."
Susanna laughed. "Why are you calling him Young Master Grey? That sounds so distant. He's two years older than you. Just call him Lucas."
Ivan added, "Then Lucas, you can call her Little Sister Sylvia."
With the elders encouraging them, Lucas had no choice but to call out, "Little Sister Sylvia."
[Little Sister my ass. Am I even qualified to call her that? Forget David for a second. Just based on how ruthless this woman is, she would never let me off easy. I'm begging you all, stop playing matchmaker already.]
[Heaven and Earth, I only told my mom I didn't like Rose anymore. That shouldn't be enough to derail the plot this badly.]
"Come, Sylvia, Lukie, sit and chat."
At Susanna's invitation, Sylvia sat back down on the couch.
At the same time, things started to make sense to her.
From the moment she saw Lucas, she had been hearing him mumble to himself.
But she had been staring at him for so long and was sure he hadn't opened his mouth.
So those words must have been his inner thoughts.
Did he just say her father had heart disease?
Impossible.
Her father's physical exam three months ago came back clean. This guy had to be talking nonsense.
Still, even if she didn't believe it, she couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Once the meeting with the Grey family was over, she would take her father for a more thorough check-up, just to be safe.
Besides her father, this guy even said she was some kind of simp for the male lead, David that she had gone so far as to give up her cultivation and even her life to him.
Ridiculous.
Looking out for your own interests above all else was her lifelong creed.
There was no way she would ever do something so stupid.
But still, why would this guy say such things? And why could she hear his thoughts?
She had to figure it out.
Just then, Lucas spoke. "Mom, we young people believe in dating freely. You arranging introductions like this is a bit awkward. How about this, why don't we go out and talk for a bit?"
Susanna chuckled. "I never said you two had to get married right now. If you think we're in the way, go on out. Your Uncle Morgan and I aren't stopping you."
"Great!"
Lucas quickly got to his feet.
"Then, Little Sister Sylvia, how about we go grab a coffee?"
Ivan looked toward his daughter, a bit concerned.
She had always been proud and headstrong. What if she didn't like Lucas and ended up being rude?
But to his surprise, Sylvia stood up promptly and even showed a bright, charming smile.
"Sure, Lucas. Let's go."
Lucas drove Sylvia away from the villa. Only after they were on the main road did he clear his throat, ready to start his act.
"So, Miss Morgan, first of all, I'm really sorry for wasting your time."
[I need to apologize sincerely. I can't let this ruthless woman hold a grudge against me. Offending her would be worse than offending David.]
Sylvia bit her lip and quietly clenched her fist.
The people she targeted were always those who threatened her interests. Even if her actions were harsh, it was only to prevent enemies from returning to cause trouble.
So how was she evil?
This guy's mouth really needed a filter.
"And I need to explain something clearly. I already have someone I like."
"What?"
Sylvia was momentarily stunned. Her eyes narrowed. "You have someone you like? Who is it?"
What was going on with Aunt Wade? Her son already had someone he liked, yet she still introduced him to her?
Was she just a backup?
"It's Rose, the number one beauty in Su City. I'm deeply devoted to her. I won't marry anyone else. So there's no chance between us. My mom didn't know I was still into Rose. That's why she introduced you to me. Don't blame her."
[I can't let the simp persona collapse. I only have two roles in this novel: simp and villain. I have to hold the line.]
[Mom's outside the main plot, so I could tell her I didn't like Rose anymore. But Sylvia is part of the protagonist circle. In front of her, I must stay in full simp mode.]
Villain? Protagonist circle?
Back in the villa, he had been saying something about male and female leads. Now he was talking about this being a novel and something about the main storyline…
Sylvia was extremely sharp. Her IQ test abroad had once scored 138.
With a bit of thought, she pieced together the logic behind those thoughts.
This guy believed they were inside a novel.
And she was David's love interest, or at least one of them?
And Lucas himself was Rose's simp and a villain?
Interesting.
She curved her lips. "This Rose you mentioned—do you think she's prettier than me?"
Lucas nodded without hesitation. "Of course. She's Su City's number one beauty. Compared to you, she's definitely more beautiful. Especially in my eyes, she's a goddess unlike any other."
[Pfft. Rose is indeed very beautiful—like an ice goddess, flawless and pure. But if it were up to me, I actually prefer Yelena's gentle and quiet type. Being around her feels like a warm breeze. The more you look at her, the more likable she is.]
[As for Sylvia, she's too striking, too intense. There's always this feeling that I can't handle her. Though if we're only talking about looks, she's definitely the most stunning. Her features are so eye-catching, it's almost overwhelming.]
Sylvia lowered her gaze, a smug smile playing on her lips.
So this guy didn't really like Rose. Compared to her, he actually liked other women more. And he even thought she was the best-looking of them all.
She touched her lips playfully. "Lucas, you're really something. Praising another woman like that right in front of me—makes me a little sad, you know."
"Is that necessary?" Lucas frowned. "We've only just met. What's there to be sad about?"
"Can't you tell?"
Sylvia looked sincerely at him.
"The moment I saw you back at the villa, I fell for you at first sight."
Screech!
Lucas slammed the brakes and stopped the car by the side of the road.
He turned his head, eyes wide, heart practically stopping. "What did you say? Say it again!"
Sylvia's lips curled upward, her gaze sly and glittering. "You swore you'd only marry Rose? Then I swear—I'll only marry you."
-End of Chapter 6-
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