Chapter 1

The large TV screen was showing a news report of Amanda Dawson buying an exorbitantly priced diamond watch as a birthday gift for Leroy Blanchard.

At first, I thought that she would be staying with him tonight and wouldn't come back home. However, I received a phone call from her later.

In a commanding tone, she said, "Leroy wants to eat the cheesecake bites you made the last time. Make some and deliver them immediately to Skybar Lounge now."

I hadn't even said anything when Leroy's voice floated in clearly from the other end of the line.

"I was just kidding, Mandy. I didn't think you'd really call Caleb about it. Do you think he'll get upset over it?"

Someone next to them said, "Don't worry about it, Leroy. Everyone in Carrington knows that Caleb Valencia is Amanda's most loyal lapdog of all time. She can't even get rid of him if she wanted to! Don't you know that he hangs on to every word she says like it's his bible?

"I bet you that he would even happily deliver boxes of condoms for her without a single complaint."

Despite everyone else laughing at me and mocking me for it, I just replied quietly, "Okay. I'll send them over in a minute."

I would finally be able to leave Amanda in three days anyway and return to my own world, after all.

Actually, I had contracted a deadly terminal disease in my real life, which I had been suffering from all my life. At the brink of my death, a system suddenly appeared in my head.

It introduced itself to me and explained that there was a book universe in which the male side character had accidentally awakened his 4th-wall self-awareness. He was no longer willing to play the part of being a pitiful and lovesick second lead, causing the plot to stall.

And so, if I were willing to transmigrate into the universe and take his place so that the plot could continue, I would be rewarded with a healthy body in the real world.

Now, my mission was about to be accomplished.

I walked into the kitchen and began preparing the ingredients needed for the cheesecake bites. The housekeeper, Erica Mueller, hurried in after me.

"Mr. Valencia! Let me handle it instead. I can't possibly let you tire yourself out like this."

A short while later, Erica and I made a fresh batch of cheesecake bites and packed them up neatly in a box. I grabbed the box and drove over to Skybar Lounge as instructed.

Leroy's birthday party was a very grand affair, and everyone from the most elite circles had been invited.

Amanda wore a stunning custom-made gown as she wrapped her hands around Leroy's arm, chatting amicably with the guests. She frowned at me as soon as she caught sight of me.

"Did you purposely dress like this to embarrass me, Caleb?"

Of course, she would always have a reason to get mad at me because I wasn't the one she loved.

The last time I went looking for her at her office, I happened to be wearing the same brand of suits as Leroy was, and I was immediately yelled at for being a copycat.

Now, I had only put on a casual shirt and some jeans because I thought I was just dropping something off for her, and she accused me of trying to embarrass her.

I just raised my hand and handed the box of cheesecake bites to her.

"The cheesecake bites you wanted, Amanda."

I used to call her "Mandy" back then too, but the moment Leroy heard it, he immediately put on a hurt, aggrieved face and said, "But Mandy, I thought that I was the only special one who got to call you like that…"

Amanda forbade me from ever calling her "Mandy" again after that.

Leroy grinned widely as he took the box from me.

"You know, the cheesecake bites you delivered to the office the last time tasted really nice. I ate four pieces just by myself."

I had only packed four pieces for Amanda the last time.

Many people could tell that Leroy was deliberately and openly provoking me, so they quickly looked at me to see how I would react.