Chapter 1

The system forced me to hand over my internal recommendation spot to the fake heiress, Emily Lane, all because she's the so-called heroine of this world.

I refused, so it hijacked my body and forced me to bow in front of her.

Emily looked down at me with a sweet, innocent smile. "Sophia, why would you do that?" she cooed.

The system's smug voice echoed in my mind. "See? You can't fight destiny."

I never believed in destiny. The second I got my body back, I lunged forward and shoved Emily toward the busy street behind us.

Tires screeched. I grabbed her by the hair and slammed her face down, inches from the wheel of a speeding truck.

Emily wet herself in panic, and the system screamed inside my head.

I snatched a rock from the ground and pressed it hard against her temple.

I told the system, "Give my recommendation back, or I'll crack her skull open. Let's see which breaks first: your precious story, or her head."

"You're out of your mind. Let her go," the system screamed. "Emily is the main character. If she dies, everything will fall apart."

I shoved the rock even closer to Emily's temple.

The rough edge scraped her skin, and blood started to seep out.

"I'll say it again. Give the internal recommendation spot back. Now," I said calmly.

Emily's cries and screams blended together, so frantic she couldn't even get a word out.

A wet stain spread beneath her, reeking sharply of piss.

The face that always looked so innocent was now a mess of snot and tears.

The truck driver stuck his head out and shouted at me, "What are you doing? Let that girl go!"

The crowd around us kept growing, and some people had already started filming with their phones.

"Did you hear that? The cops are on their way. You're going to get arrested," the system kept shrieking in my head. "You can't beat me. The power of the storyline will make you pay for this."

"Make me pay?" I scoffed. "Funny how you never mentioned them when you forced me to bow.

"When you hijacked my body and took everything from me, why didn't you think of the consequences then? If I'm screwed, I might as well drag someone down with me."

I forced the rock down harder, and Emily let out a guttural scream.

The system panicked. "Okay, I'll do it. I'm giving the spot back to you right now."

That invisible grip on my body disappeared in a flash.

I felt a rush of relief, like a weight had finally been lifted.

That internal recommendation spot was back in my hands.

I let go and dragged Emily's head away from the truck's wheels.

She slumped to the ground, like a heap of sludge.

I stood up, tossed the rock aside, and brushed the dust off my hands.

"That's more like it," I said. "Remember: don't let this happen again."

I turned to leave, but a black Bentley screeched to a halt right in front of me.

The doors flew open, and my so-called parents rushed out.

My mom, Grace Lane, shoved me aside and tackled Emily. "Emily, my precious girl. Are you okay?"

My dad, Richard Lane, stormed over and slapped me across the face.

I took the slap without flinching. My cheek burned like hell.

He jabbed his finger right in my face, eyes blazing with rage. "What did you do to Emily this time, you witch?"

The system's cold voice echoed in my mind. "Family plot activated. Now, confess your mistakes to your parents and plead for their forgiveness. This is your only way to survive."

I looked at the furious man in front of me and then at the woman crying her eyes out while clutching Emily.

My only way to survive? No. This was where hell truly began.

I raised my hand to my swollen cheek. Right in front of them, I called the police.

"Hello? Is this the police? I was attacked in the street. I need help," I said.

There was a moment of silence on the other end.

I glanced at Richard's stunned face and added, "Yeah, I'm underage."

Richard's face went red with rage.

Grace stopped crying over Emily and looked at me in disbelief. "Sophia, have you gone crazy?"

I wasn't crazy. I just wasn't going to take it anymore.

Sirens were getting closer and closer, and the system's warnings blared in my head like a broken alarm.

"Warning. Plot deviation exceeds 10%," it said.