Chapter 3

Nancy shook her head and smiled. "It's the least I can do, Mrs. Cooper. Your health always comes first."

She turned to me. "You look terrible, Samuel. Did you get caught in the rain yesterday?"

I froze. How did she know?

Nancy took a box of medicine out of her bag. "These are fever reducers. Take them if you develop a fever. And get some rest. Don't push yourself too hard."

Her voice was soft, full of concern, a stark contrast to Aurora's indifference.

My heart warmed a little. "Thanks."

She smiled. "You're welcome."

Nancy stayed a little longer to chat with Mom before getting up to leave. I walked her to the door.

"Nance."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. Genuinely."

She looked at me, her eyes gentle. "We all want the best for your mom. Just don't wear yourself out. If you ever need help with anything, call me."

I nodded. As I watched her walk away, a thought crossed my mind. It felt so good to be free of the mission.

The system announced, "Conquest progress: 27%. Countdown: 27 days."

I closed the door, feeling lighter than I had in years.

Three days later, Aurora's company held its annual gala.

She texted me, "7:00 pm tonight, ballroom at the Harriott. You're my fiancé, so you must be there. Wear a suit. Don't embarrass me."

After reading it, I told the system, "I'll say yes."

"But you're not planning to show up again, right?" the system asked, having already figured out my usual tricks.

I pondered briefly. "No. I'm going this time."

"What?"

"For the show, of course."

That night, I wore the first suit Aurora had ever bought me three years ago and stood outside the Harriott Hotel.

The ballroom was ablaze with lights. When I walked in, a staff member checked my invitation and politely led me to a seat in the corner—the one farthest away from the head table.

Everyone seated around me was a rank-and-file employee from one department or another.

I glanced toward the head table. Aurora sat right in the middle, surrounded by her business partners and senior executives. Joe sat to her right, his arm linked through hers.

That was my seat last year.

At the previous annual gala, Aurora held my hand as we walked down the red carpet, introducing me to everyone. "This is my fiancé, Samuel Cooper."

This year, I was relegated to a corner. In my old seat sat a "best friend" who hadn't even been back in the country for three months.

I poured myself a glass of wine and took slow sips. The system notification sounded in my head.

"1% drop in Aurora's Affection Level. Conquest progress: 26%. Countdown: 26 days."

Onstage, Aurora delivered her speech, looking every bit the glamorous businesswoman. Down below, Joe applauded her enthusiastically.

Halfway through the gala, Joe got up to fetch a drink. When he passed my table, he stopped. He looked at me, smirking. "This is where you're seated all alone, Samuel? Must be pretty pathetic."

I ignored him and continued drinking. He wasn't ready to let it go. He leaned a little closer and lowered his voice.

"You know what, Samuel? Aurora's been sharing a room with me lately. She says you've been in a terrible mood lately, and she doesn't want to live with you anymore.

"Look, I tried to convince her to give you another chance, but she said there was no need."

I finally met his eyes. "Are you done?"

Joe flinched at my cold stare and froze. Then he picked up the glass of red wine from the table and walked away. I lowered my head and continued drinking.

A few minutes later, a scream rang out from the other side of the ballroom. It came from Joe.

I looked up. A large patch of red wine stain covered the front of his white suit. He looked horrified, still holding the empty wine glass in midair.

Then he looked at me—or rather, in my direction. "Samuel, why would you push me?"

I was sitting in the corner, at least 60 feet away from him. Everyone present had seen that I hadn't moved an inch.

Joe didn't care. His eyes reddened, and he looked absolutely aggrieved.

"You've been glaring at me this whole time! Did you do this on purpose? You spilled wine all over me! This suit cost me 20 thousand dollars!"

The people around us exchanged bewildered looks. Someone whispered, "Wasn't he sitting in the corner? How could he have pushed him?"

That said, most people chose to stay silent because Aurora had arrived. She strode over, saw the wine stain on Joe's suit, and immediately sulked. "What happened?"

Joe threw himself into her arms, crying as if his heart had been broken. "Aurora, Samuel… He's been picking on me this whole time… I was just walking past his table, and he…"

Aurora's gaze shot toward me. I sat in my chair, staring right back at her. She marched up to me and slapped me across the face. The sharp sound echoed through the ballroom.

My head snapped to the side. My cheek burned with pain. The ballroom fell silent. Hundreds of pairs of eyes were fixed on us.

I slowly turned back to face Aurora. "Are you done?"

Aurora gritted her teeth. "Apologize to Joe."

"For what?"

"You spilled wine all over him! What do you think it's for?"

I laughed. "I was sitting 60 feet away from him. How exactly did I spill wine on him? Are you saying I have superpowers?"

She was stumped but quickly recovered by raising her voice. "Stop making excuses! Joe would never lie to me! You've had it out for him from the start, so just admit it!"

I leaned against my chair and looked at her indifferently. "I did nothing wrong. I'm not apologizing."