Chapter 3 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.