The West Wind Won't Carry Maureen Roman

I'm an orphan living with the Roman family, and I've loved Maureen Roman since we were kids.

She mentioned offhand that she wanted some porridge from outside, so I got on my bike at four in the morning and rode across half the city to buy it.

She likes things clean, so I hand-wash her clothes every day and iron each piece flat.

When she brought friends home and got drunk, she called me her male nanny. I played along and laughed, "Miss is right."

On the night of her eighteenth birthday, she pulled me into bed.

The next morning, she took me to the marriage registry office to get our marriage license.

But the day after that, she dragged me back to get a divorce certificate.

She posted on her social account, the marriage and divorce papers laid side by side.

The caption was six words.

"Registry office, express edition."

Her friends left comment after comment.

"Miss Roman is really crazy, but hey, you're the one who made that bet with Liam Pruitt."

"That jinx Zachary Henson, clinging to Miss Roman day and night, and now he's really a divorced man, hahaha."

I stared at those words, and tears spilled from my eyes.

The next second, something suddenly lit up in my mind.

So it turned out I had been sent into this world by a System.

The System said that every time Maureen Roman toyed with me, one percent of the assets in her name would be automatically transferred to me.

This was the ninety-ninth time she'd toyed with me.

Soon, I'd be able to disappear forever with an enormous fortune.

I stood at the entrance of the marriage registry office, the sun burning my face, sweat dripping down.

Liam Pruitt stood beside Maureen Roman, doubled over laughing.

"Haha, Maureen, I think he was crying just now. Did we take it a little too far?"

He turned to me and gave me a mild smile.

"Zachary, I just made a bet with Maureen to see how long she could stay married to you. I never thought she wouldn't even last a day..."

"You won't hold it against me, will you? It was just a joke."

I looked at him without any expression.

Maureen Roman closed the post and gave me a cool, indifferent glance.

"Zachary Henson, you saw the post too. Liam and I just made a bet, that's all. Don't take it seriously."

I already knew about the System, but I still couldn't stop myself from speaking.

"Then that night, on my birthday, the two of us..."

She burst out laughing.

"We just slept together. You're not going to make a life-or-death fuss and demand I take responsibility, are you? We're both adults, and it was mutual."

I clenched my fists, my nails digging hard into my palms.

"Maureen Roman, you've really gone too far!"

Liam Pruitt cut me off.

"Zachary Henson, you're an orphan living off someone else's family, deludedly clinging to Maureen. You're the one who's gone too far!"

Maureen Roman put on her sunglasses, took out her car keys, and got in.

"Let's go, Liam. That watch you wanted came in. The wait was half a year long."

Liam Pruitt got in the car and shot me a pitying look.

"Zachary Henson, get yourself a cab home."

I hailed a taxi, leaned against the window, and my head filled with the past.

I'm an orphan living with the Roman family. Maureen Roman and I were betrothed as children, and I've loved her since I was little.

But she was always cool toward me.

On my birthday night, when she unbuttoned my shirt and kissed me, I thought she'd felt something too.

I never imagined all of it was just a bet she'd made with someone else.

She turned me into a divorced man, all to win a joke.

My chest ached so much I could barely breathe.

Then, something suddenly lit up in my mind.

A voice sounded, cold as ice.

"Stop crying. Every time she toys with you, one percent of the assets in her name quietly transfers to you. Then you'll successfully break free from this world."

At first I thought I was hearing things.

But when I opened my mobile banking app, I saw a string of zeros too long to count.

I was stunned.

The tears circled in my eyes, then drew back.

So it turned out I wasn't cursed with a hard life. I was saving up money.

Every time she toyed with me cruelly, she was stacking another reward into my account.

I rolled down the window, and the wind carried the heaviness out of my chest.

At dinnertime, a servant knocked on my door and said Mr. Roman wanted me in the study.

The moment I reached the doorway, a teacup shattered at my feet.

Mr. Roman's face was full of fury.

"Go get that wretched girl back here! This is absurd!"

Paulette Roman patted his hand.

"All right, all right, why get so worked up? Our daughter was only joking."

Mr. Roman's voice rose.

"Marriage is a serious matterhow can it be treated like child's play? A license yesterday, divorced today. If word gets out, people will talk behind my back about the Roman family, laughing that I raised my daughter badly!"

Paulette Roman turned, saw me, and her brows knit together.

"And youspineless every day, can't even keep one woman in line. If you weren't so soft, would she be acting this outrageous?"

When Mr. Roman saw me, his face went livid, and he grabbed the ashtray and hurled it at me.

"Look at youhow can you not even hold on to one woman?"

I had no time to dodge. The ashtray struck hard against my forehead, and blood gushed out at once, streaming down my face.

I sucked in a sharp breath at the pain.

Mr. Roman didn't so much as glance at the wound, only asking coldly,

"Where's Maureen?"

I pressed a hand to my forehead.

"I don't know."

Mr. Roman gave a cold laugh.

"Zachary, you've been with our family all these years. You have no one left, and the Roman family is powerful and wealthy nowwe could easily have refused to honor this match. It's only because our family values loyalty and keeps its word. Why can't you learn to be a little smarter?"

I listened, my lips moved, but I said nothing.

Mr. Roman waved me off.

"Enough. Get out first."

I went back to my room and quickly patched up the wound on my forehead.

Suddenly, the door was kicked open.

Maureen Roman rushed in and slapped me twice across the face.

She shoved her phone at my face; on the screen was a screenshot of a chat.

"Zachary Henson! The one I've loved from beginning to end has always been Liam! No matter what you do, I'll never have feelings for you, and I'll never fall for you."

"You wanted so badly to get marriedwell, now you've got both papers. Don't go deluding yourself over me anymore."

"You'd better know your place and stop sending Liam threatening text messages."

I covered my face.

"I never sent any texts..."

She grabbed my wrist and flung it aside hard.

"Stop pretending. I forced you into the divorce, you couldn't take it, so you turned around and threatened him. I'm warning youdon't let there be a next time!"

She didn't wait for me to say anything. She turned and left.

My face stung, hot and raw.

But that voice kept repeating in my head.

"The ninety-ninth time."

Almost there.

Once this last time passed, I'd be able to take all the money and vanish from this world for good.

I lifted my head and looked in the mirror.

The person in the mirror wore a resolute expression.

The next morning, the mansion was in an uproar.

Several servants were carrying things out, and pots of flowers were piled up by the door.

"From now on, nothing having to do with flowers is allowed in the house. Mr. Pruitt is allergic to pollen and can't stand the smell of it."

I stood at the top of the stairs and watched as every flower I had grown for two whole years was thrown into the garbage truck.

A maid walked past me, muttering under her breath.

"I heard Miss Roman and Mr. Henson have even gotten their divorce papers."

"It must be pretty awkward for Mr. Henson to still be living here..."

I didn't say anything and went downstairs.

Liam Pruitt stood in the living room, leaning on a cane.

The moment he saw me, his face turned wounded.

"Zachary, I know you don't like me. But you can't go sending me a text to curse me, can you? That's so unlucky."

I looked up at him.

"I didn't send anything."

Maureen stood off to the side, her gaze as cold as ice.

"If you didn't send it, who would? If you hadn't sent that kind of message and scared Liam so badly that he fell down the stairs, he wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Liam lowered his head, his voice very soft.

"Never mind, Maureen, it's probably just a misunderstanding."

Maureen's expression instantly darkened.

Footsteps came from the stairsMr. and Mrs. Roman were coming down.

Maureen introduced him with a smile.

"Dad, Mom, let me introduce you. This is Liam Pruitt, our company's new art investment consultant, and also my boyfriend."

Mr. Roman's expression shifted slightly. He glanced at me but said nothing.

Maureen lowered her voice.

"Thanks to Liam pulling strings and making introductions lately, some people over in Metropolis City have lined up several projects with us. The prospects are greatguaranteed profit, no risk. Our family will only get richer and richer from here."

Hearing this, Paulette hesitated.

"There's no problem with it, is there?"

Maureen cut her off.

"Liam graduated from a top overseas art university, and his connections are all in the top collector circles. I reviewed those projects myself. There's really no problem."

Mr. and Mrs. Roman exchanged a glance, and the hesitation on their faces finally melted away.

Maureen struck while the iron was hot.

"Dad, Mom, I've only ever seen Zachary as an older brother my whole life. I really can't go through with this engagement."

Mr. Roman sighed.

"Oh, you young people can work it out among yourselves. We won't decide for you; we're getting old."

"We've got golf today, so we'll be off now."

The door closed, and the living room fell quiet.

Liam sat down on the sofa and leaned his cane against the side.

"Maureen, I want some fruit."

Maureen turned and glanced at me, her eyes full of entitlement.

"You heard him? Liam wants fruit. Go cut some for him."

"You're the one who put him in this state, so you're in charge of taking care of him for a while. Besides, you're eating my family's food and living off us nowcan't you even manage a piece of fruit?"

I gave him a flat look, then turned and walked into the kitchen.

Once I'd set it on the table, Liam took a piece, put it in his mouth, then frowned and put it back.

"These strawberries are so sour. I want an apple instead."

I turned around and cut an apple.

He ate two pieces and set it down, saying he wanted grapes.

I washed each one clean and brought them to him.

No matter what he wanted to eat, I never once said "no."

In the middle of the night, my phone chimed.

I jolted awake. Maureen had sent me a text.

Liam wants milk. Go heat it up.

I clenched my fist, thought of that ninety-nine percent progress bar, and took a deep breath.

Endure it.

I went downstairs, heated some milk, and brought it to Liam's door.

Liam took the cup, smiling brightly.

"Thank you, Zachary. That was a lot of trouble."

The progress bar didn't move.

Petty stuff like this apparently didn't count for anything.

Over the next few days, several of the projects Liam headed up gradually started bringing in money.

The way Mr. and Mrs. Roman looked at him grew gentler by the day.

At the dinner table, Mr. Roman smiled and took the jade off his neck, pressing it into Liam's hand.

"Liam, this jade has been with me for many years. It's yours."

Liam demurred, shooting me a quick glance.

"Sir, this is too valuable, it wouldn't be right..."

Maureen said with a smile,

"If my dad's giving it to you, just take it."

Liam put on the jade, turned his head, and glanced in my direction.

I finished the last bite of rice in my bowl, put down my chopsticks, got up, and walked out the door.

The balance on my card had built up quite a bit.

I headed straight to the mall, planning to treat myself.

In a bag shop, I spotted a light brown wallet I liked.

The saleswoman took it out and set it in front of me.

Suddenly, a hand reached in from the side and snatched the wallet first.

Liam stood beside me, tilted his head, and smiled.

"Oh, I think this wallet is really nice. It suits me perfectly."

Liam held up the wallet, turning it over under the light, his eyes crinkling with a smile.

Maureen stood beside him, her gaze full of doting affection.

"I'll buy it for you. The projects you've steered our way lately have all done well, and my parents are so grateful to you. Several of our relatives want in on the investments too."

Liam shot me a provocative look.

I frowned.

"I was the one who saw that wallet first."

Liam gave a scornful little laugh.

"You didn't pay for it. Whoever buys it first gets it."

Maureen simply pulled out her card and handed it to the clerk.

"Wrap it up."

I gritted my teeth and turned to look at something else.

But every time I picked something up, Liam would reach over and snatch it away.

I moved to another shelf, and he followed me there.

I just left the store altogether and turned into the clothing shop next door.

I had barely picked up a wool coat when Liam squeezed in and yanked it out of my hands.

"This color really suits me."

I withdrew my hand and stood in front of the counter in silence for a few seconds.

"Forget it."

I walked out of the mall empty-handed.

Liam walked behind me, holding Maureen's hand, and Maureen carried two hands full of shopping bags.

Just then, a shrill grating sound came from overhead.

Several workers leaned out and shouted down at the street.

"Get out of the way! The billboard's come loose!"

I looked up and saw the huge billboard swaying.

The next second, the whole thing snapped free and came crashing down.

Liam screamed in fright and froze on the spot.

Maureen rushed over, shoved me aside, and threw herself around Liam to shield him.

Bang

A corner of the billboard slammed into my right shoulder, and a sharp pain shot through my whole body at once.

The blow knocked me to the ground; my vision went black and my ears rang.

When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed, the air thick with the smell of disinfectant.

My right shoulder was wrapped in thick gauze, and the slightest movement sent a stabbing pain through it.

Maureen stood by the bed, her expression complicated.

"You just stood there and didn't even try to get out of the way?"

I looked at her.

"If you hadn't shoved me to protect him, I wouldn't have gotten hurt at all."

Her eyes flickered, and she looked away.

"I'll cover the medical bills."

Before she could finish, her phone rang.

She answered, and Liam's voice came through on the other end, thick with tears.

"Maureen, I'm so scared. I dreamed about being crushed again. The house is so dark, I don't dare sleep alone"

Maureen's tone changed at once.

"I'll be right there. Turn on all the lights first."

She didn't look at me again. She turned and strode out.

I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

My shoulder throbbed in waves.

The progress bar was stuck at 99%. I stared blankly for a few seconds, then drifted off into a hazy sleep.

A basin of cold water was suddenly dumped over my head.

I snapped my eyes open, choking on a mouthful of water.

Liam stood by the bed, tears on his face.

"Zachary, I know you hate me. You think I stole Maureen from you. But no matter what, you can't hire people to smash up my family's art gallery!"

Maureen stood to the side, her gaze icy.

"You took that hit for Liam, and I actually felt a little guilty toward you. I never imagined you held such a deep grudge against him."

Liam cried even harder.

"That gallery was for my sister. You had it smashed up, and my sister was so frightened she had a heart attack and nearly died"

Maureen turned to look at him.

"How do you want him to apologize?"

Liam wiped his tears.

"I don't want anything else. I just want him to help fix the shop back up."

Maureen nodded.

"That's what we'll do. The moment you're discharged, you go straight to Liam's art gallery and repair the shop for him."

In the days that followed, I was alone in the hospital, and no one ever came to visit me again.

On the day I was discharged, Maureen didn't show up. She only sent a car to drop me off outside an art gallery.

The gallery door stood half open, no lights on inside, the space dim.

The air was full of a strange smell.

I pushed the door open and stepped in. It was silent all around.

My arms and legs suddenly went weak, all my strength draining away, and a bad feeling rose in my chest.

A tall, heavy woman came out of the shadows in the corner.

She was in her thirties, thickset, wearing a wrinkled dress.

Her features were somewhat like Liam's, but her eyes were vacant and there was a foolish smile on her lips.

She walked toward me, tilted her head, and looked me up and down for a long moment.

"Are you the husband my brother found for me?"

I jerked back a few steps.

"Don't come any closer! I'm not!"

As if she hadn't heard me, she took a step forward and reached out toward my face.

"It's you! My brother showed me your picture, and he said you're going to be my husband and have a son with me!"

She clamped down on my wrist so hard that I sucked in a sharp breath of pain.

A chill of terror ran through me.

"Get away from me!"

Just then her phone rang.

She let go of me and answered it.

"Hey, brother, I saw him. The husband you got for me is so handsome."

She giggled.

"Thank you, brother. You're so good to me."

I yelled into the phone.

"Liam Pruitt! What are you trying to pull? Do you have any idea this is illegal?"

Liam's voice drifted lazily from the other end.

"Illegal how? My sister has mental problems, so the law can't touch her. As for you, just enjoy yourself."

Maureen's voice came through the phone.

"I think I heard Zachary's voice."

She took the phone.

"Zachary, what are you doing?"

I grabbed at it like a lifeline.

"Maureen! Help me! Liam tricked me into coming to the gallery so his sister could assault me!"

The line went silent for a second, then her cold voice came through.

"Zachary, what game are you playing now?"

"You're a man, and someone's assaulting you? You think I'd believe that?"

It was like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over me.

"It's true! Help me! Or call the police for me"

She let out a sneer.

"You had Liam's gallery smashed, and now you want to trick me into saving you? Don't even think about it."

The call ended.

Liam's sister already had her hands around my throat, and I could barely breathe.

My hand fumbled around behind me and closed on a vase.

Without thinking, I swung the vase up and smashed it over her head.

She stumbled a couple of steps and dropped to the floor.

I yanked the door open, and fresh air rushed in.

I don't know how long I ran, but somehow I ended up back at that mansion.

I rushed into the room, locked the door, and collapsed onto the bed.

I curled up under the blankets, trembling all over.

Suddenly the door was kicked open.

Liam stood in the doorway, with Mr. and Mrs. Roman behind him.

Paulette glared at me impatiently.

"Get out! I heard you wrecked Liam's gallery!"

"Liam made us a lot of money, and you dare treat him like this!"

Peter cursed at me too.

"You jinx! You got your own parents killed, and now you want to ruin other people!"

Paulette grabbed a broom and swung it at me.

"Get out! Get out! We won't keep a jinx like you in this house!"

I stood there in the room, a sour ache in my chest.

Ten years living here, and in the end all it got me was the word "jinx."

The servants dragged the clothes out of the wardrobe, rolled up the quilts, and threw everything out into the yard.

I took nothing and left the Roman family.

Standing at the edge of the road, looking at the house I'd lived in for ten years, it felt like looking at a place I'd never seen before.

A voice suddenly sounded in my head.

"Current progress 100%. Host, do you wish to leave this world?"

I nodded eagerly.

"I do."

A flash of white light stung my eyes, and I shut them for a moment.

When I opened them again, I was already standing on a street in another city.

Half a month later, Mr. and Mrs. Roman came back from their trip abroad.

The moment Peter stepped off the plane and turned on his phone, hundreds of missed calls popped up.

On the other end of the line, his assistant's voice was cracking with panic.

"Mr. Roman! Something's happened! The company's been shut down! Liam's projects were all scams, and every cent of the company's money is gone! The banks and the creditors are all camped at our door!"

"We're finished!!!"