Chapter 1The Villain's Captive: A Glitch in the System

I gave up on my mission. Right before faking my death to escape, I played a nasty trick on the psycho second male lead.

I forged a pregnancy certificate and staged a car crash—two birds, one stone—wanting him to suffer for the rest of his life.

Who would have thought that three years later, a glitch in the system would drop me right back in front of him?

In a dimly lit VIP club room, he leaned back lazily on the leather sofa, an aura of "do not approach" radiating from him.

The moment he saw me, he pushed away the drink someone was offering him.

His dark, stormy eyes locked onto me, and he enunciated every word clearly: "I'm done drinking. I'm prepping for a baby starting today."

* * *

The person offering the drink froze, their hand suspended in mid-air.

Catching on, they put the glass down and chuckled teasingly.

"I wonder who's lucky enough to catch Mr. Sterling's eye."

The beautiful women standing obediently nearby instantly perked up.

Each one stood taller, subtly showing off her assets.

Hoping to hook Ezra Sterling and secure a one-way ticket to the top.

But Ezra's gaze, laced with a potent mix of hatred and something darker, never left me.

His thin lips parted slightly. "Long time no see, Chloe."

His tone was far from friendly.

I didn't reply.

Instead, I screamed at the System in my head.

[You better give me a damn good explanation for why you pulled me back into this world without my consent.]

Faced with my interrogation, the System stammered at first.

Then, it just gave up and went full defeatist.

[Ezra is too smart. He sensed my presence while you were doing your mission. After you left, he threatened me with the lives of half the characters in this book, demanding I bring you back. What was I supposed to do?]

[You could have just died,] I retorted.

The System's silence was deafening.

After a long while, it finally spoke up. [I may not be human, but you are a real bitch.]

Even its robotic voice managed to convey a distinct sense of annoyance.

But I was even more annoyed.

[I already gave up on the mission, and you approved it. Whatever crazy shit Ezra pulls has nothing to do with me anymore. You had no right to drag me back.]

The moment those words left my mind.

The System suddenly snapped.

It started blasting me with electronic screeches.

[Well I brought you back! So what?! So what?! SO WHAT?!]

[That little stunt you pulled before leaving made him go completely psycho! I sent so many people to take your place and 'save' him, and they all failed! You clean up your own mess! If this fails, I'm getting kicked out of the System Association, and then we'll both just die together!]

I frowned in displeasure.

I wanted to keep arguing with the System.

But Ezra pulled me back to reality.

"Everyone, get out!"

His voice was heavy with oppressive authority.

Although the beautiful women looked disappointed and unhappy...

They knew better than to linger, filing out the door one by one without hesitation.

I trailed at the back of the line, trying to slip out too.

Unsurprisingly, I was blocked.

I looked up. The person blocking my path was an old acquaintance: Leo, Ezra's best friend.