Chapter 2

Andrew's POV

Fixing a seductive look on his face, Samuel crooned, "How could you slander me like that, Natasha?"

Natasha had no interest in entertaining him and left the premises, leaving him alone to bask in his own happiness.

Samuel truly believed he had successfully caught Natasha's attention.

In our past lives, he had come up with the same terrible idea because he couldn't find any other way to approach her. To clean up his mess back then, Mom and Dad had to sell their kidneys for cash, though they still failed to raise the full 800,000 dollars.

In the end, Natasha told them they didn't need to pay the rest of the debt simply because she felt sorry for them.

However, Samuel completely misconstrued her mercy, falsely assuming she stopped demanding compensation because she had developed feelings for him.

I scoffed as I thought about the past and locked my phone.

Meanwhile, Mom's and Dad's faces had turned a ruddy red from pure anger.

"That ungrateful brat! We're leaving him completely on his own in this life. Besides, with the system in place, the deeper a grave he digs for himself, the greater our rewards will be!"

"We'll be living the high life once he finally signs his own death sentence!"

While my parents' chests heaved with fury, I secretly found a profound sense of relief. After being reborn, Mom, Dad, and I had activated a fate-bound system. As long as we respected Samuel's original trajectory and let him keep digging his own grave, we would be rewarded handsomely.

That was why we were letting Samuel fend for himself this time around.

…

As expected, a formal lawyer's letter was delivered to our home shortly after Samuel broke the emerald pendant. But none of us were willing to lift a finger to clean up after him anymore.

When Samuel returned from the police station, he seemed completely unbothered by the letter. In fact, he was in high spirits as he browsed an online shopping app for new clothes.

"Mom, Dad, my current clothes are way too old," he complained. "Why are we even in a low-income household? Why are you guys so useless? But whatever, it's fine. I've successfully caught Ms. Sturridge's attention. It won't be long now before I become 'Mr. Sturridge' and start living in luxury."

Samuel was just as hopelessly stuck in his delusions as before.

However, instead of trying to knock some sense into him, Mom and Dad smiled encouragingly. "You're right, sweetheart. You're so handsome and you have such a great personality. You'll definitely succeed in becoming the Sturridges' son-in-law."

Samuel's eyes lit up. Their words only fueled his overconfidence.

Right on cue, the system wired 20 million dollars straight into our account. Mom and Dad grinned from ear to ear as they checked the balance on their phones.

Assuming they were just happy for his grand prospects, Samuel excitedly exclaimed, "I've already completed the first step of getting acquainted with Natasha. Now, I just need to keep catching her eye!"

…

Over the next few days, Samuel went to the Sturridge residence to work as their driver. He wept crocodile tears, telling Natasha he was broke and desperate to work off his debt.

Surprisingly, Natasha actually agreed to his request—a move that only made him even more certain she was playing hard to get.

Emboldened, Samuel started acting like the master of the house around the Sturridge residence. Although he was technically just a driver, he ordered the household staff around, demanding that they wait on him hand and foot.

"I'm the future son-in-law of the Sturridge family," he boasted. "You should seize this opportunity to suck up to me while you still can!"

That wasn't all. In the dead of night, he would sneak into the master bedroom and lie down right next to Natasha while she was fast asleep. His creepy antics pushed her patience to the absolute limit, prompting her to fire him on the spot with a stern warning to stay away.

Naturally, Samuel only became more motivated by her rejection.

"What a dishonest woman. I know you've got feelings for me deep down!"

Unable to take another second of his harassment, Natasha finally ordered her security team to beat him to a pulp.

…

Samuel called me countless times while lying bedridden in the hospital.

To avoid dealing with him, Mom and Dad used the system's reward money to take a lavish vacation abroad.

I finally answered one of Samuel's calls, pitching my voice to sound apologetic. "I've been completely swamped with work lately, Sam. I honestly can't get away."