Your Score –13

"I'm still a vir–" I declared. But before I could finish, my words were swallowed as the bodyguard's grip silenced me. I was dragged away from the mansion before I could say another word.

Julian's face flashed with shock at my revelation—or perhaps at the interruption itself. I had smiled knowing that this truth would change his mind about me. With my virginity intact, he would understand I wasn't the corrupted woman he believed me to be, despite Oscar legally being my husband.

But it was too late.

I now found myself kneeling in front of the grand mansion like discarded trash. The rain began to fall, heavy and relentless, as though the heavens themselves mourned my expulsion. I winced as my body ached from the rough landing.

Nadira emerged from the mansion, her face twisted in a smirk of victory. She approached me slowly, tilting my chin up with her finger, her voice dripping with false sweetness tinged with malice. "Dear sister, you've always been the one obtaining everything from our parents—their love, their wealth, and our cousin's affection. Your jealousy has always trapped me! But now that you've turned against the entire Turi family for that cripple and blind fool Oscar, allow me to finally take what you have. Or should I say... everything!"

I understood then. Nadira had orchestrated this entire downfall, and somehow she had claimed Julian for herself. How she had managed to turn his decision so quickly remained a mystery to me. The realization struck like lightning: I had been blind to the serpent coiling right before my eyes.

'Helena, you're such a fool!' I cursed myself internally. 'How could you not see the venom in her scales?'

But I wasn't defeated yet. I lifted my head, my lips curving into a dangerous smile—the smile of a villain awakening. I grabbed a handful of mud and rose to my feet, then delivered a sharp slap across her cheek. "How fortunate you are not to know, dear sister, that I too am a venomous serpent. Let me play this story more beautifully than you ever could."

Nadira's eyes widened in shock. She stumbled backward, then turned and fled into the mansion, her cries echoing: "Julian! Julian!"

What a crybaby.

But here I stood, drenched and desperate, with no clear path forward to escape Helena's tragic fate. The rain soaked through my clothes, and despair began to creep into my heart.

"Ety! How was my performance?" I called out to the system, my voice bitter.

A loud applause echoed in my mind. "Congratulations!" the system announced.

A holographic screen materialized before me, displaying my rewards. But my excitement died the moment I saw the amount: "Two digits?! That's it?"

The sum was meager, yet it was more than I had earned through honest work in ages. I dared to ask, "Can I withdraw it? I want to buy some hot chocolate"—imaging myself wrapped in blankets on a sofa, sipping the warm American beverage, dreaming of peace.

"No!" Ety rejected me outright.

"But I'm freezing!" I protested desperately. "At least give me a warm blanket and new clothes!"

My plea was ignored.

Suddenly, a holographic figure materialized before me—a tiny pixie-like entity shimmering in the rain. "Kayla... you have a level score of -13," Ety announced nervously.

I blinked in confusion. "What does that mean?"

"Didn't I explain it to you?"

"No, you didn't," I muttered. "But first, find me some shelter."

I stood and ran toward a nearby bus stop, my clothes clinging to my soaked skin. Once under the roof, I began wringing out the hem of my dress when the holographic fairy materialized again.

"Is this really you, Ety? Wow, you're so tiny!" I exclaimed, torn between amazement and frustration. Part of me wanted to pinch and throw this annoying system to the ground in anger, but I couldn't—Ety existed only as light and data. "I can't even touch you," I said sadly.

"I was in a rush when I pulled you into this book. I forgot to properly introduce myself," Ety admitted.

'Finally, you realize your mistake,' I thought bitterly.

"I am a system designed to help you overcome every challenge in this narrative. You've read the entire story, and because you volunteered to change the protagonist's fate—"

"I never volunteered for this!" I snapped furiously.

Memories flashed before me of my past self, cursing at the story's plot in frustration. True, I had been emotionally overwhelmed, but I never agreed to be pulled into this nightmare. The worst part? I remembered the electroshock collar around my neck, a cruel reminder that speaking against the system's rules would cause unbearable pain.

"Explain the -13 level score," I demanded tersely.

"Your objective is to bring Helena happiness, correct?"

I exhaled slowly. "It depends."

"On what?"

"On whether I can survive this story without dying. For me, that alone would be tremendous luck."

Ety's holographic form drooped, displaying a sad emoji as it embraced my arm. Though it was no larger than my fist, my hatred for it felt infinitely larger.

"Enough pleasantries," I commanded.

Ety's form vanished, replaced by a holographic whiteboard filled with information. "Is this like a university exam material? I don't see any other students here besides me," I joked darkly.

"You have a classmate from your world who was transported here as well," Ety revealed.

"Really?!" Genuine surprise flickered through me. "Can I meet them? Maybe they can help me."

Suddenly, Ety pinched my lip sharply. "Ow! I didn't expect this hologram could touch me!" I yelped, realizing Ety operated under different rules than I had assumed.

"Focus on the material!" Ety commanded sternly.

I surrendered my questions for now, but I had learned something crucial: someone else from my world existed in this story. That knowledge alone planted a seed of hope.

Ety continued the explanation: "Levels 1 to 100 represent your luck system within this book. However, because you acted inelegantly and begged Julian for affection like a desperate fool, your level dropped dramatically to -13. From this point forward, your luck will be extremely limited."

"Why didn't you warn me beforehand?!"

"You didn't consult with me first," Ety replied matter-of-factly.

"But you're always disappearing!"

"My network has been experiencing issues," Ety explained.

This system was impossibly frustrating and utterly blameless simultaneously.

"So how do I restore my level to normal?" I asked desperately.

Before Ety could answer, the hologram vanished entirely, taking the whiteboard with it.

I groaned in exasperation. "You just started explaining and already you're gone!"

I ran my fingers through my rain-soaked hair. "I'm completely ruined!" I cried out in despair. Unlike the protagonists in the stories I'd consumed, I possessed no superpowers, no magical abilities to turn the tide.

"This is so unfair!"

My brooding was interrupted by a luxury car gliding past the bus stop. Through its open window, I witnessed Nadira and Julian engaged in a heated kiss—their lips locked together passionately, her hand around his neck as his hand pulled her closer. She turned slightly, and her triumphant gaze found mine, rubbing salt into my wounds with her expression of victory.

The moment passed in seconds, but the image burned itself into my memory permanently.

"He just kissed me, now he's kissing her," I whispered, my hand flying to my chest as my heart fractured. I couldn't contain myself—I pounded the metal seat and growled in frustration. "Men truly cannot be trusted!"

Plan One had failed. I needed a Plan Two, and I needed it urgently.

I had arrived in this narrative earlier than the current timeline should allow. Yet so much had already shifted. The possibility crystallized in my mind: what if Nadira was also from my world?

She had mentioned how fortunate she felt that Julian finally chose her after years of waiting. Such specific knowledge suggested she understood this story's trajectory far better than I did.

'Damn it, I should have read the original story more carefully instead of skipping ahead,' I cursed myself. 'If I had paid attention to every detail, I could have prevented this catastrophe.'

Before I could spiral further into self-recrimination, a familiar figure suddenly appeared at the bus stop…