Chapter 3: The More He Tries to Avoid Trouble, The Worse It Gets
Cleo woke up with a strong sense of danger.
No—impending doom.
He didn't even need to open his eyes to feel it.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
"…This feeling again," he muttered, pulling the blanket over his head.
Yesterday, Aria had declared she would visit again.
Today.
Tomorrow.
And the day after.
Cleo pressed his face into the pillow.
"…I should run away."
But then reality hit him.
He had no money of his own.
No connections.
No survival skills outside of being a "rich young master."
"…I'm trapped."
Morning Chaos Begins
"Big brother!"
The door burst open.
Cleo jolted upright.
Lina rushed in, full of energy as always.
"You're still sleeping? Hurry up! Something big is happening!"
Cleo blinked.
"…Did someone die?"
Lina froze.
"…Why would you say that so casually?!"
Cleo rubbed his face.
Because in this novel, that's always a possibility.
"What is it then?" he asked.
Lina leaned closer, whispering dramatically—
"Father is taking Adrian to the company today."
Cleo paused.
"…Oh."
Then he froze.
"…Wait."
Important Plot Event Detected
Cleo's brain instantly switched into "novel survival mode."
This is important.
Very important.
If he remembered correctly…
This was one of the early steps where Adrian started gaining recognition.
A small step.
But a crucial one.
And in the original story…
Cleo (the original villain) would secretly interfere.
Cause problems.
Make Adrian look bad.
And slowly push him down.
Cleo grabbed his head.
"…I'm getting a headache already."
Meanwhile… Adrian
Adrian stood in front of the mirror.
Wearing a formal suit provided by the Vale family.
It fit perfectly.
But he still felt out of place.
He adjusted his collar slightly.
His expression was calm.
But inside—
His thoughts were sharp.
Today is the first step.
He didn't trust this family.
Not anymore.
Not after yesterday.
But that didn't matter.
What mattered was—
Taking back what belongs to me.
Back to Cleo
Cleo paced around his room.
"Think, think, think…"
He pointed at himself.
"I am NOT the villain."
He pointed at the door.
"I will NOT sabotage anything."
He pointed at the ceiling.
"I will NOT die."
He stopped.
"…Good plan."
Then he sat down.
"…Now what?"
Unexpected Development
At breakfast, the atmosphere was… strange.
Victor looked serious.
Elena looked worried.
Serena looked uninterested.
Lina looked curious.
Adrian looked calm.
And Cleo—
Looked like someone attending his own funeral.
"Cleo."
Victor's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Yes, Father."
"You're coming with us today."
Cleo: "..."
"…Why?"
Victor frowned slightly. "You should start learning the business more seriously."
Cleo smiled weakly.
I don't want to learn business.
I want to learn how to survive.
The Car Ride of Doom
The car was silent.
Victor sat in front.
Adrian and Cleo sat in the back.
Together.
Alone.
Cleo stared straight ahead.
Don't talk.
If I talk, something bad will happen.
Next to him, Adrian sat quietly.
But his thoughts were very different.
Why is he here?
To watch me?
Or to interfere?
Adrian glanced at Cleo.
Cleo immediately turned his head toward the window.
Don't make eye contact.
Eye contact leads to plot.
At the Company
The Vale Corporation building stood tall and imposing.
Employees moved quickly.
Everyone greeted Victor respectfully.
When they saw Cleo—
They smiled warmly.
"Young Master Cleo."
"Good morning, Young Master."
But when they looked at Adrian—
Their expressions changed.
Curiosity.
Doubt.
Distance.
Cleo noticed.
And for some reason…
He felt uncomfortable.
…This is exactly how it starts.
The Meeting
Victor brought them into a meeting room.
Several managers were already waiting.
"Today," Victor said, "I will introduce my son, Adrian Vale."
A pause.
"This is his first day observing the company."
Polite applause followed.
But it felt… forced.
Cleo shifted slightly.
Awkward.
The Problem Appears
During the meeting, a discussion started about a small project issue.
Nothing major.
But slightly complicated.
Victor suddenly turned to Adrian.
"What do you think?"
Everyone looked at him.
Adrian paused for a moment.
Then answered calmly.
His logic was clear.
His solution was simple.
And effective.
The room fell silent.
One of the managers nodded slowly.
"…That could work."
Victor's eyes showed a hint of approval.
Cleo blinked.
…Wait.
He's actually good.
Misunderstanding Level: Rising
Just as things were going well—
Someone spoke.
"But Young Master Cleo had a different opinion before."
Silence.
Cleo: "..."
When?!
Everyone turned to him.
Adrian also looked at him.
Cleo's brain froze.
This is it.
This is the sabotage scene.
But I didn't do anything!
Victor frowned. "Cleo?"
Cleo panicked.
"I—uh—"
Think.
Think fast.
"…I agree with Adrian."
Silence.
Everyone blinked.
Adrian blinked.
Victor blinked.
Cleo continued, trying to look confident—
"His idea is better."
Dead silence.
Unexpected Result
The managers exchanged looks.
Then one of them nodded.
"…Then we'll proceed with that."
Victor looked at Cleo for a moment.
Then gave a small nod.
"…Good."
Adrian stared at Cleo.
Confused.
He… didn't oppose me?
Why?
Cleo's Inner Collapse
I SURVIVED.
I DIDN'T DIE.
THIS IS A SUCCESS.
Cleo almost cried.
But…
As they left the meeting room—
Adrian suddenly spoke.
"…Why did you agree with me?"
Cleo froze.
Danger.
He turned slowly.
"…Because you were right?"
Adrian's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…That's all?"
Cleo nodded quickly.
"Yes. That's all."
Adrian didn't respond.
But in his mind—
The suspicion deepened.
He's hiding something.
Meanwhile… Aria
Back at the mansion—
Aria had already arrived.
Again.
She sat calmly in the living room.
Waiting.
Serena looked annoyed.
"You're here again?"
Aria smiled slightly.
"Yes."
"For Cleo?"
"Yes."
Serena clicked her tongue.
"…Annoying."
Aria didn't care.
Her gaze remained fixed on the door.
Back to Cleo (Still Unaware)
Cleo stepped out of the company building.
Feeling victorious.
"I survived today."
Next to him, Adrian remained silent.
Victor walked ahead.
Cleo stretched slightly.
"Maybe this won't be so ba—"
His phone buzzed.
A message from Lina:
"Big brother, come back quickly. She's here again."
Cleo froze.
"…She?"
Another message:
"Aria."
Cleo looked at the sky.
"…I spoke too soon."
Adrian watched him quietly.
Cleo Vale…
What are you planning?
Cleo, meanwhile, only had one thought:
This story is trying to kill me.