System's Scorn

After failing to win over my first three targets, I made a final, desperate play: I got engaged to the paralyzed heiress of the Beaumont family.

I spent every last point I had with the System to grant her the ability to walk again.

The very first thing she did with her newfound strength was to publicly annul our engagement and throw a spectacular wedding at sea for a man named Nathan Thorne.

From the deck of a nearby boat, I watched as all four of my targets gazed at Nathan, their faces soft with a tenderness they had never once shown me.

A sudden, overwhelming wave of homesickness washed over me. I wanted to go home. So I turned my back on it all and threw myself into the ocean.

But as my body hit the cold water, four figures dove in after me, their expressions twisted in masks of terror and regret.

...

On the lavish yacht, Isabella Beaumont, radiant in her wedding gown, was sharing a blissful kiss with Nathan.

As the guests cheered, the System's mechanical voice echoed in my mind.

Host has failed the mission. You will be terminated in fifteen days.

A bitter smile touched my lips. I had been reborn into this body, transmigrated from my own world with a single purpose.

The System had given me four targets. If I could get just one of them to a 100% affection score, my original body, riddled with a terminal illness, would be cured.

For years, I had debased myself, humbled myself, and catered to their every whim.

But every single time, just as I was about to reach that final threshold, Nathan Thorne would appear, and my progress would be wiped clean, my affection scores reset to zero.

And now, my very last target was marrying him.

With that thought, I walked to the edge of the deck and let myself fall into the deep, dark water.

The ocean embraced me, a cold, silent shroud. I spread my arms, surrendering to the crushing weight, letting my body sink toward the abyss.

But then, an arm hooked around my chest, dragging me back toward the suffocating light.

Fresh air flooded my lungs, and before I could even register what was happening, a vicious slap sent my head snapping to the side.

You chose Nathan's wedding to pull a stunt like this? You just had to ruin it for all of us, didn't you?

I wiped a trickle of blood from my lip and looked up into the disgusted eyes of the woman who held me.

The pain in my heart was a familiar, throbbing ache.

My sister, Amanda Rhodes. My first target in this world.

After our parents died, we had only each other. When the car crashed, I hadn't hesitated to shield her with my own body, taking the brunt of the impact.

It left me with ruptured organs and a long stay in the ICU. She had wept over my hospital bed, promising that no matter what, she would always protect me.

We were, she'd said, the only family we had left.

But the day I was discharged, she brought Nathan home, announcing he was our new "little brother."

She moved him into my room and did nothing when he tortured my dog of eight years to death.

Every argument between Nathan and me, she took his side, calling me petty and cruel for not being more welcoming.

The ninety-seven points of affection I had painstakingly earned over eight years were erased by Nathan in less than a week.

From that day on, her affection for me plummeted, and she eventually stopped acknowledging me as her brother at all.

Seeing me sitting there, dazed and silent, Amanda fished a bottle of heart medication from her purse and threw it at my chest.

Are you going to fake another heart attack? Take your pills and get the hell out of my sight!

I didn't have a heart condition. The chest pains were a punishment from the System.

In the past, she'd always carried these pills out of fear for my life. Now, her gesture held no warmth.

I picked up the bottle, twisted off the cap, and poured a handful of the small white pills into my mouth.

Amanda's eyes widened in shock. Lucas, are you insane?! she shrieked, slapping the pills from my hand.

The bitter tablets scattered across the deck. She gripped my wrist, her hand trembling.

I wasn't insane. I just wanted to go home. I wanted one last chance to say goodbye to my real sister.

I remained silent. Amanda shot me a venomous glare. As a crowd of wedding guests began to gather, she impatiently ordered her bodyguards to drag me off the boat.

Just as I set foot back on the main yacht's deck, I heard the click of high heels behind me. A sweet, melodic voice followed.

Lucas, what are you doing here? A soft gasp. Oh my god, you're soaked!

I turned to see Isabella Beaumont, the woman who was almost my wife. A sliver of warmth pierced through the icy despair in my chest.

So, she did still care, didn't she?

As I opened my mouth to speak, her hand flew out and struck me across the face, the force of it sending me stumbling.

Did you really think I'd give you a second look just because you pull a stunt like this? Don't make me laugh!

she sneered. You've disrupted my wedding, and I promise you, you will pay for it.

Before I could react, she grabbed me by the throat, her grip like iron, and forced the upper half of my body over the railing, dangling me above the churning waves.

The world began to blur as the air was crushed from my lungs, but I didn't struggle.

Maybe it's better this way, I thought. To just die.

I closed my eyes, ready to accept the end. But my passivity seemed to unnerve her.

She yanked me back onto the deck, her eyes wide with a strange mix of shock and fury.

Why aren't you fighting back? Why aren't you saying anything? Do you actually want to die?!

Would she believe me if I tried to explain? I had tried so many times before, but she'd always dismissed my words as pathetic excuses, pushing her further and further into Nathan's arms.

A cold, hollow laugh escaped my lips. I've already lost everything. Death doesn't seem so bad.

Isabella's face went pale. She seized the front of my shirt, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

Your life is mine to take! You don't have my permission to die!

When we were first engaged, her family had despised me, doing everything in their power to break us apart.

To defy them, she had endured her family's brutal 'discipline' time and time again, beaten black and blue but never yielding.

When I found out, I went to the Beaumont estate and took the punishments in her stead.

As I lay bleeding and broken, she had held me, making me promise that I would never, ever die without her permission.

I looked up at her, about to speak, when a small, delicate girl pushed her way through the crowd.

Sophie. My second target. My best friend in this world.

She didn't say a word. She just ground her heel into my cheek and threw a stack of photographs at my chest.

Since you had the nerve to ruin Nathan's day, I have no reason to spare your dignity, Lucas!

The photos scattered around me. Me, tied up and beaten like a dog.

Me, forced down and ridden like an animal. Me, stripped naked with the word TRASH' carved into my skin.

Sophie had taken every single one.

She had an artist's eye, carefully framing each shot to capture the humiliation on my face in perfect, sharp detail.

She did it all because I had exposed Nathan for cheating in a photography competition, shaming him in front of everyone.

As the crowd gasped and jeered, Sophie raised her camera and snapped a picture of me, kneeling and broken on the deck.

In the corner of the camera, a small, elegant engraving glinted in the light.

Sophie & Lucas

It was a gift from me. Her mother had died when she was young, and her father was a monster who brought home a string of cruel women. They took pleasure in tormenting her.

We became friends by chance, and one night, I fought off one of her father's lecherous friends to protect her.

The beating I took left me temporarily blind. To comfort her, I gave her the camera and asked her to capture all the beauty in the world that I could no longer see.

My vision returned, but her passion for photography remained.

Until, one day, her camera started filling with pictures of Nathan.

Get on your knees and apologize to Nathan right now, she said, her voice like ice. Or I will post every single one of these online and see how you ever show your face in public again.

When I didn't move, her voice dropped even lower.

She grabbed me by the collar and hauled me to my feet, but my body was too weak. I crumpled, my knees hitting the hard deck with a sickening crack.

Isabella frowned, taking a step forward to help me, but Sophie blocked her path.

Don't be fooled by his pathetic act, Miss Beaumont. I trusted him once, and because of me, Nathan can never take another photograph.

She glared down at me. Lucas, you were so desperate to beat Nathan in that competition that you not only hired thugs to assault him and take those disgusting photos, but you also framed him for cheating. If I hadn't gotten there in time, Nathan would have killed himself!

Hearing this, Isabella's expression hardened into pure loathing.

Get out of here, she hissed. If you disrupt this wedding any further, I will personally ensure that everything Nathan suffered happens to you, ten times over. I'll make you

I didn't wait to hear the rest. I scrambled to my feet and ran, not toward the exit, but straight for the busy road just beyond the pier.

A massive truck was thundering toward me. I closed my eyes, ready for the impact. But just before the end, a body slammed into mine, shoving me out of the way.

Isabella dragged herself toward me, her leg bleeding and bent at an unnatural angle, and seized my collar.

Who are you trying to impress with this death wish, Lucas? Do you think this makes me feel sorry for you?!

At the same time, the System's voice chimed in.

Host, detecting a rise in Isabella Beaumont's affection score. Do you wish to resume the mission?

I stared at her in shock. She was already on her phone, telling her assistant to cancel the rest of the wedding ceremony.

She felt my gaze and looked up, her expression unreadable. I calmly looked away.

No.

All I want now is to go home.

A driver took me back to my small apartment. It was only then that I noticed the scrapes and bruises covering my body, caked with a mixture of grime and dried blood. I found a first-aid kit and was about to clean the wounds when the door was kicked open.

Sophie stormed in, her face contorted with rage, and kicked me squarely in the stomach.

Where did you take Nathan? If anything happens to him, I'll make you wish you were never born!

Isabella and Amanda followed her in, their expressions just as menacing.

So that's what this was all about, Amanda sneered.

All those pathetic suicide attempts were just a distraction to cover your tracks. I'm telling you, Lucas, if Nathan is harmed in any way, I will kill you myself.

I had no idea where he was. But their words sparked a dark, desperate thought.

If they cared about him that much maybe his disappearance would finally push them over the edge.

Maybe they would finally kill me.

Seeing my silence, a flicker of pure hatred crossed Isabella's face.

It seems you won't talk unless we give you a reason to.

She grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol from the first-aid kit and poured it directly onto my open wounds.

The sharp, searing pain made my body seize. A cold sweat broke out across my forehead. But they weren't finished. Bodyguards pinned my arms and legs to the floor. Sophie returned with a pair of fire tongs, glowing red-hot from the stove, while Isabella continued to douse my cuts with alcohol.

I was terrified.

I wanted to die, but not like this, not tortured to death!

I thrashed wildly, but a heavy blow to the back of my head silenced my struggles. Blood streamed down my face, and the strength drained from my limbs. I could barely whisper.

Just kill me

My defiance only seemed to fuel Isabella's rage. She grabbed a fruit knife from the kitchen counter and knelt over me.

The tip of the blade, gleaming with cold light, hovered less than an inch from my left eye.

Do you really think this will make us feel pity? I'll ask you one last time. Where is Nathan?!

My face was ashen, but I forced my lips into a triumphant, mocking smile.

Nathan? Oh, I killed him, I rasped. I threw his body into the sea for the sharks!

I looked at each of them, my voice rising with a delirious, final burst of energy.

You all loved him so much, didn't you? You all wanted to marry him! Too bad that will never happen now.

So go on! Kill me! Avenge your precious Nathan!

Isabella's eyes blazed. With a guttural scream of pure fury, she plunged the knife deep into my chest.

My body went limp. As the world faded to black, a cheerful, familiar voice drifted in from the courtyard.

Hey, what's everyone doing here? I brought snacks! Ah! Why is there so much blood?

The sudden voice made Isabella's hand flinch. The blade missed my heart by an inch. I didn't die.

When I woke up in the hospital, the last spark of hope within me had been extinguished.

Was I really just fated to be erased by the System? In my real world, I had a family, friends I wanted to see them one last time.

I slipped out of my room and made my way to the hospital roof.

But as I looked down at the bustling street below, at the tiny, oblivious people, I hesitated. I couldn't do it.

As I turned to leave, I saw a figure standing in the shadows of the doorway.

"Go on, jump. Why don't you? Are you scared? Or was this never part of the plan?"

Jessica Vance's eyes were filled with a familiar, biting sarcasm.

She was my third target. And once, she had been the one pursuing me.

Her family was wealthy, but her parents were cruel and misogynistic, seeing her only as a bargaining chip to further her brother's career.

When they tried to force her into an arranged marriage with a depraved old man, she had planned to end her life. I was the one who talked her down from the ledge.

From that day on, she became my shadow. Her relentless pursuit slowly broke down my defenses.

To free her from her parents' control, I traded a piece of my own revolutionary researchworth hundreds of millionsfor her freedom to choose her own partner.

The very same night, on her way to meet me, she got into a car accident with Nathan Thorne.

During the weeks she spent nursing him back to health, her heart shifted.

She never spoke of a future with me again. My mission with her had failed.

I thought that would be the end of it, but when she walked in on Nathan in bed with another woman, he spun a tale of deceit, claiming I had set him up to ruin their relationship.

He vanished, leaving me to face the full, unbridled force of Jessica's wrath.

For years, she made my life a living hell, targeting my work, my reputation, even trying to send diseased men and women to my bed.

I tried to walk past her, but she grabbed my arm and dragged me back to the edge.

She forced me down until half my body was hanging over the precipice, her eyes blazing with a crazed hatred.

"People like you should have died long ago! If it wasn't for you, Nathan's reputation wouldn't be in tatters! We would still be together!"

Just then, Amanda and the others burst onto the roof. Seeing my precarious position, a flicker of concern crossed Amanda's and Sophie's faces.

But before they could speak, Nathan stepped forward, his expression one of saintly sorrow.

"Jessica, let it go. What happened is in the past, and I don't blame Lucas. All of this he's just acting out for your attention. I understand." He then turned to me.

"Lucas, I don't know what I ever did to make you hate me so much, to feel you have to compete with me for everything. But I apologize. Please, stop this. I can't bear to see them so exhausted because of you."

As he spoke, he bowed deeply. It was a picture of perfect humility.

But as he straightened up, he subtly grabbed my hand, and with a sudden, violent lurch, threw himself backward, pulling me with him toward the edge.

"Nathan!"

Four voices screamed in unison.

In a panic, Jessica shoved me hard, sending me over the edge to free Nathan.

As I fell, I closed my eyes in acceptance. Finally, I thought. I just hope I don't land on anyone.

Four pairs of hands caught Nathan, pulling him back from the brink. But I was already gone, plummeting toward the concrete below.