Chapter 4He Caught the Light

“Jason Calloway is a total psycho.”

I lay sprawled on Jason’s massive bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. After locking me in his villa, that psychopath had simply left, replaced by a secretary who delivered mountains of living supplies. The walk-in closet was now overflowing with silk nightgowns and designer bags.

The System, ever the pot-stirrer, commented, 【Host, he certainly has a flair for keeping someone. Very ceremonial.】

But did I need money? No. I needed him.

Yet for some reason, Jason was content to just dangle me on a string—close enough to see, but never to touch. As my survival time dwindled, I paced like a caged animal.

【Host, why don’t you jump out the window? Jason is at a gala not too far from here. If you leave now, you can still make it.】

So I did. I actually ran for it.

The villa’s security system erupted in a deafening shriek. A second later, my phone rang. It was Jason.

I answered, and his voice, cool and amused, slithered through the line. “Darling, is this your idea of sincerity? You’d better pray I don’t catch you.”

I hung up, annoyed, and glanced at the timer floating in my vision: ten minutes left. I pushed myself to run faster.

The ballroom was a cacophony of voices and music. I scanned the crowd, turning this way and that, when suddenly, a hand tangled in my hair and slammed me against the wall. Pain shot from the back of my head down to my tailbone, making me hiss.

“Ava. Where have you been the last few days?”

Larry materialized behind me, his face a thunderous mask.

I held my breath, my entire body tensing. The last time he and Jason were in the same room, I’d nearly died. “Larry,” I said softly, “let me go.”

“Let you go? So you can run back to your lover and live happily ever after?” He tightened his grip, yanking my hair viciously. “Tell me, who is he? I’d like to teach him that not all trash is worth picking up.”

I’d almost forgotten what a hateful monster Larry was. Back when Phoebe ignored him, he’d used me as her stand-in, forcing me to lose weight until I was as fragile and willow-thin as she was. The moment Phoebe spoke to him again, he’d find me, his stand-in, an eyesore, and demand I gain weight so I wouldn’t resemble her. This vicious cycle had gone on for six months, leaving me with a chronic stomach condition and frail health.

“System, can I call him a fucking asshole?”

【Your persona is a manipulative siren, Host,】 the System said regretfully. 【You can’t break character.】

I was being choked, struggling for air, when Phoebe appeared out of nowhere. She gasped, covering her mouth as her eyes instantly filled with tears. “Larry… why are you letting her filthy hands touch you?”

Larry whipped his head around, a flash of panic in his eyes at the sight of her. “Phoebe, it’s not what you think—”

“You liar!” Phoebe’s voice was thick with tears. “Don’t touch me! You’ve been touched by her. You’re so, so dirty…”

Seizing the opportunity, I broke free from Larry’s grasp and scrambled toward the hallway. But Phoebe stuck out her foot, tripping me. I lost my balance, crashing into a table of beer bottles and falling heavily to the floor. Shards of glass bit into my palm.

Phoebe was sobbing hysterically.

Larry wrapped his arms around her, then kicked me. “Hey. You upset my girl. Apologize to her.”

I bit my lip, my eyes fixed on the ten-minute countdown. The primal urge to survive drove me to crawl forward. Phoebe’s eyes glinted with malice as she lifted her foot, the sharp point of her stiletto heel aimed straight for my hand.

In a flash of desperation, I grabbed a large piece of broken glass and plunged it into her ankle.

A bloodcurdling scream tore through the ballroom.

An ice-cold notification sounded in my head: 【Attacking an NPC. Survival time deducted by five minutes.】

It was the voice of the 【Arbiter】, the ultimate authority over all Systems, whose judgments were absolute.

The timer above my head turned a threatening red.

The System shrieked. 【Host! You have to find Jason, now!】

I gritted my teeth, staggered to my feet, and burst through the main doors. My eyes scanned the area, and there he was—Jason, surrounded by a crowd, walking slowly in my direction.

【Host, lure him somewhere Larry can’t see! And then get on him!】

That was exactly my plan.

Jason murmured something to the person beside him and then started walking toward me. My face was pale, my heart pounding as I darted down the corridor, searching for the perfect place to strike.

His lazy voice drifted from behind me. “Ava. Don’t tell me you escaped just to get yourself all battered and bruised.”

His legs were long; one of his strides was worth three of mine. He followed me at a leisurely pace, like a predator letting its prey have a head start.

The countdown in my ear was like a death knell, hammering on my frayed nerves. As I picked up speed, Jason’s voice turned cold. “You’d better run faster. Because if I catch you, you know what will happen.”

Finally, around a corner, I spotted an empty reception room with its door ajar. The countdown was almost at zero.

I spun around so fast that Jason didn’t have time to react. I grabbed him, dragged him inside, and slammed him down onto a sofa, kissing him with a wild, desperate frenzy.

The timer, which had been about to hit zero, began to slowly tick back up.

Jason’s entire body went rigid, the icy fury in his eyes slowly melting into confusion. My lips were on his, silencing any words he might have spoken. His large hand slid down my back, gripped the collar of my dress, and with a gentle tug, pulled me away from him.

His handsome face was dark with anger. “Ava, stop—”

“Don’t talk! Just let me kiss you!”

Like a starving ghost, I lunged at him again, devouring him, ravaging his lips. The cool scent of him mixed with the rich aroma of wine was intoxicating, pulling me under.

But it wasn’t enough. I wasn’t getting enough time.

Panting and dizzy, I grabbed his tie. “Jason, let’s sleep together! Right now!”

It turns out, in the face of death, a person loses all sense of reason. So much so that I failed to notice we weren’t alone.

In fact, there were quite a few people in the room.

“You—you let go of our Chairman!” a trembling voice stammered from behind me.

I whipped my head around. A dozen pairs of eyes were staring fixedly at my hand, which was currently trying to unbuckle Jason’s belt. Their expressions were grim.

Could someone please tell me where this group of middle-aged men came from?

And then Jason, that bastard, started to laugh.

“Congratulations,” he said, a wicked gleam in his eyes. “You just announced your intention to screw me in front of my entire board of directors.”