Chapter 2

After being discharged from the hospital, I returned to the villa.

Kendrick was in the living room on a video call with Audrey, a doting smile plastered across his face.

When he saw me come in, he didn't even bother hanging up. He merely jerked his chin at me and barked an order.

"Since you've got so much free time, make yourself useful. Starting tomorrow, you're making lunch for Audrey every day and delivering it to her office yourself."

On the other end of the screen, Audrey let out a sweet, delicate laugh. "Oh, Ken, don't be like that. It's far too much trouble for Ms. Bennet."

The smile remained on Kendrick's face, his tone dismissive. "She's just loafing around anyway. Being able to serve you is her privilege."

My hands quietly clenched into fists at my sides.

Meanwhile, the System was throwing an absolute party in my head.

"Layla, this is huge news! He's asking you to deliver food to Audrey—he's practically handing you the perfect opportunity on a silver platter!

"Think about it. Showing up in front of Audrey every single day is the ultimate way to assert your place beside Kendrick.

"You're telling everyone that Kendrick's real partner—the only one with the right to play the role of his wife—is you, Layla Bennet!"

What else could I say?

I had no choice but to accept it.

The next day, I received Audrey's menu request. There was only one item on it—mango mousse.

My heart instantly sank.

The System asked in confusion, "Layla, what's wrong? This is super easy to make."

"I… I'm allergic to mangoes," I rasped.

It wasn't just a matter of eating them. Even catching a whiff of their scent or handling the fruit would trigger a severe allergic reaction.

"An allergy?"

The System fell silent for a few seconds before shrieking with excitement.

"That's even better! Layla, this is a total godsend!

"Just think about it. You're risking a severe allergic reaction just to make a mousse for his woman. What kind of devotion does that show?

"It shows ultimate, selfless devotion! Once he finds out, his heart will break for you. This will work even better than a hundred regular lunch deliveries."

And so, I put on two layers of gloves and a face mask before walking into the kitchen.

Yet the sweet, heavy scent of the mangoes still forced its way through.

My skin began to itch furiously, and my throat felt as if it were closing, sending me into a violent, chest-racking cough.

Still, I forced myself to endure it, meticulously dicing the fruit, whipping the cream, and carefully assembling each layer.

Once it was finished, I delivered the mango mousse to Audrey's office as instructed.

It was a high-end fashion company with a lavishly decorated office. Dressed in my plain, ordinary clothes, I stuck out like a sore thumb.

Along the way, I endured the receptionist's look of pure disdain and ignored the employees' hushed, mocking whispers.

When I finally stepped into Audrey's office, I found Kendrick there too.

It didn't surprise me, though. He always seemed to be there.

I placed the mousse on the desk, but Audrey didn't even spare me a glance.

She merely opened the lunchbox and let out an exaggerated gasp. "Wow, it's gorgeous! Ms. Bennet, you're such a talented baker."

Despite her dramatic performance, she merely scooped up a large piece with her fork without actually taking a bite.

Seeing this, Kendrick assumed she didn't like it, and his expression darkened instantly.

He whipped around to glare at me, his eyes filled with disgust and impatience.

"Layla, what kind of garbage is this? You can't even make a simple mousse properly!" he snapped.

"And look at the pathetic state you're in. You're coughing all over the place, and your face is covered in blotchy red patches. You look disgusting! Get out of here, and stop being such an eyesore to Audrey!"

His harsh words felt like a jagged blade stabbing straight into my heart.

Only then did Audrey smile, thoroughly satisfied by my misery.

"Ken, don't be so mean to Ms. Bennet. I've just suddenly lost my appetite," she said, feigning thoughtfulness.

Then she added sweetly, "But since Ms. Bennet went through all this trouble to make it for me, I shouldn't let it go to waste."

She leaned down and brought the fork to the snout of the Pomeranian sitting at her feet.

"Here, sweetie, have a bite. Ms. Bennet made this special treat just for you."

My heart went cold in an instant.

The Pomeranian happily licked at the mousse I had practically coughed my lungs out to make.

"Aw! Good boy, you love it, don't you?"

Audrey stroked the Pomeranian's head without sparing me so much as a glance.

I stiffened and turned to Kendrick, a trace of pleading in my eyes.

I thought that, at the very least, he would say something in my defense.

But he didn't.

He merely leaned back lazily against the couch, watching the scene with indulgent eyes, and said, "Whatever makes you happy."

Muffled snickers broke out among the staff watching nearby.

Meanwhile, the System began frantically spamming my mind.

"Layla, do you see that? He insulted you. He lashed out at you right in front of Audrey. This is a classic case of reverse favoritism!

"He's intentionally putting you down to lower Audrey's guard. In reality, his heart is absolutely bleeding for you.

"When he called you disgusting, that was actually his twisted way of expressing how much it hurts him to see your allergic reaction. Men just act all tough, but underneath they're such softies."

My voice trembled uncontrollably as I voiced my grievance. "But they… they fed the mousse I made to a dog…"

"The dog isn't the point here. The point is that Audrey is happy. Didn't you hear what Kendrick just said? He said whatever makes her happy.

"This proves that as long as you can keep Audrey pleased, Kendrick will be happy too. And once he's happy, raising his affection level will be a walk in the park.

"Layla, this is a total shortcut to winning the game. You aren't just sucking up to Audrey—you're using her as a stepping stone to break through Kendrick's defenses and win his affection!"

I was utterly speechless.

When Kendrick noticed my dazed expression, impatience flashed across his eyes.

"Why are you still standing there? Are you waiting to make even more of a fool of yourself?"

Numbly, I stood up and walked out of the office.

I had no idea how I managed to leave that building. All I remembered from the journey back was clawing at my arms until they bled, yet the deep, agonizing itch refused to fade.

When I caught my reflection in a mirror, I saw massive patches of red hives covering my face and neck. I looked absolutely miserable.

Kendrick's cruel words—"You look disgusting"—echoed endlessly in my mind, intertwined with the image of his tender kisses, Audrey's triumphant smile, and that Pomeranian devouring my hard work.

On my way back, it started raining again.

The heavy downpour finally drowned out my uncontrollable sobs.

Meanwhile, on the system interface, the affection level remained pinned at a flat 5%—stagnant and completely unmoved.