One Point Short of Changing Fate

The night breeze brushed gently against his face, and Benedict Foster's thoughts drifted back to the past.

He didn't belong in this world.

A system had brought him here and told him that if he could make anyone in this world reach 100 Affection Points for him, he could return to his original world and have one wish granted.

Benedict had a very important wish to fulfill, so he threw himself into the mission.

At first, he'd planned to win over the parents of the person whose body he'd taken over. Unfortunately, not all parents loved their children. His parents not only failed to love him but treated him cruelly.

They wanted him to find a wealthy sponsor and enter the entertainment industry to make money. To that end, they even arranged for him to meet a rich businessman known for his unusual sexual interests.

The businessman and his bodyguards surrounded him, leaving him with nowhere to run. Just as despair began to consume him, someone with a slender, fair hand reached out and pulled him back to stand behind them.

Benedict turned his head and saw a tall woman in a white skirt suit firmly planting herself in front of him.

He later learned that her name was Mikaela Jepsen, and she was the most renowned female entertainment mogul in Haleton.

She instructed her assistant to deal with the businessman in an icy tone before taking Benedict away with her.

Mikaela made sure he got home safely. Before leaving, she handed him a business card.

She said, "I own an entertainment company, Mr. Foster. You might want to consider signing with us."

Her features were cool and composed, but there was a faint smile on her lips. It softened her expression and gave her an unexpected warmth.

Their fingertips brushed accidentally, and Benedict's heart seemed to skip a beat.

When he eventually signed the contract, he discovered that he was the only artist under Jepsen Entertainment. Mikaela poured every available resource into promoting him and hired the most qualified professionals to train him.

Benedict had once asked her why she went out of her way to treat him so well.

She lifted her hand and gently caressed his cheek. "Sometimes, all it takes is just one look to never let someone go."

After the premiere of the first film in which he was the male lead, Mikaela proposed to him.

"You're still building your career, so let's keep our marriage private for now," she said.

Although they got married in secret, Mikaela spared no expense in showing her sincerity.

The room was filled with extravagant roses flown in from overseas. Wearing a pristine white wedding gown, Mikaela slipped a wedding ring worth 200 million dollars onto his finger before asking him to marry her. Fireworks filled the sky throughout the night, all for him.

Right by the floor-to-ceiling windows, the two of them kissed beneath the dazzling display, their passion burning until dawn. The usually aloof Mikaela kissed him with unrestrained fervor, calling him "honey" again and again.

Her voice was so tender, and her affection so deep. Looking into Mikaela's loving eyes and feeling his heart flutter, Benedict was certain that they were in love.

So, he decided to make her his target for the mission.

Before long, Mikaela's affection level for him reached 99%. But that final point remained stubbornly out of reach.

Benedict figured that since Mikaela had already taken 99 steps toward him, it was only fair that he took the final step himself.

He gave her all his love and treated her better than ever. He even began to hesitate at the thought of leaving her once he completed the mission.

But five whole years passed, and Mikaela's affection level never changed. Benedict couldn't understand why. Then, one day, a last-minute cancellation left him free to return home earlier than expected.

The moment he reached the foyer, he heard his parents' voices coming from inside.

"Benedict was only a substitute. We went along with your little act of saving him back then because we thought he'd help you pass the time. But you insisted on marrying him. Now that Benjamin is back, what are we supposed to do?"

"They're both our sons, of course, but Benjamin is the one we're proud of. He must not suffer any grievance. As for everyone else, they don't matter."

Stunned, Benedict stopped in his tracks.

When he'd first arrived in this world, the body he'd taken over had suffered some kind of trauma and lost part of its memories. He vaguely remembered having an older brother named Benjamin Foster who had been living abroad for years.

Apparently, his parents, Daniel Foster and Heidi Zahn, weren't incapable of loving their children. They'd simply given Benjamin all their love.

Inside the room, Mikaela fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "Benjamin left without saying a single word back then. I didn't want to experience that kind of loss again, so even if Benedict was just a substitute, I wanted to give him a proper place by my side."

"I was too arrogant, Mikaela. I thought I needed to leave you and see the world for myself. But I'm tired now. I want to stop wandering and settle down."

Upon hearing a clear, resonant male voice, Benedict instinctively took a few steps forward.

Then, he saw Mikaela's usually aloof face showing an expression that was full of tenderness and bittersweet understanding.

She said, "Benjamin, if you're tired, come home. All it took back then was you saying you wanted to enter the entertainment industry, and I opened a company for you. Come back now and chase your dream."

Benjamin replied sadly, "Forget it. You said you opened the company for me, but you've already signed on an artist."

Mikaela hurried to explain, "You know that Benedict kind of resembles you. I only signed him because I wanted a substitute for you. He could never compare to you."

"But you two are married," Benjamin stated.

"Don't you know how I feel about you by now? I can always replace my husband, but there's only one of you in the entire world," Mikaela said.

Benedict stood motionless in the foyer while silently watching Mikaela pull Benjamin into her arms. He watched them gaze into each other's eyes, speaking of how much they'd missed each other during their years apart and reveling in the joy of two lovers reunited after a painful separation.

Suddenly, he understood.

On those long, passionate nights, she hadn't been calling him "Benny". She'd been calling him "Benji", which was Benjamin's nickname.

When she kissed him and held him as though she wanted to merge their bodies, the one she loved had never been him. She was loving another man through him.

Even their first encounter, the moment he'd believed he'd been saved, had been nothing more than a calculated scheme.

No wonder he'd never been able to earn that final point.

Benedict felt like an utter joke. He was nothing but a substitute, but he'd foolishly dreamed of receiving 100% of Mikaela's love.