Chapter 2 · I Stole The Story's Second Male Lead

Chapter 2

I didn't actually see anything myself, but come on, an obsessive admirer in a romantic novel always had both looks and money, right?

So I sent him some money.

[Wait, did I see that right? She just sent him 30 grand!]

[Just how rich is this girl!?]

[Girl, look at me. I'm broke too!]

Evan was stunned when he saw the amount. "I don't want your money."

I grabbed his hand before he could send it back.

I wanted him to take my money.

I said, "Come on, drop the pride already. Your clothes look like they've been through a lot. They're faded and a bit tight on you.

"And your shoes? The heels are so worn down they're uneven. If I'm right, you're not exactly rolling in cash, and you could really use the money."

Evan hung his head low, clutching his phone in silence.

The comments started rolling in again.

[She's being way too harsh.]

[But she's not wrong. His foster mom can't even afford treatment, and he's still putting on airs.]

[Just shut up, we get it, you hate our second male lead.]

"Of course, this money isn't just a freebie. You have to come home with me and follow my lead," I said.

I was not up to anything weird. I just want to spend some time with him and maybe bond a little.

"Okay," he said after a moment of silence.

Seemed like what I said hit a nerve.

I bought Evan a few new outfits and brought him back to my place.

[Holy crap, she lives in a villa? And she's got a maid and a butler too!]

[This place must be huge, like 4300 square feet or something. She's loaded!]

I was loving all the praise rolling in from the comments.

I gotta stay humble.

Just saying, I had even bigger places than this.

Evan looked super uncomfortable standing at my front door, so I pulled him inside and let the maid take over.

"Get him cleaned up," I said.

When Evan came out, he was dressed in fresh, casual clothes, standing quietly in front of me, looking all shy and obedient.

Not bad. No wonder he was the second lead. He was seriously handsome.

But he was still nowhere near that obsessive boyfriend vibe.

Now, how should I get him to go full obsessive?

"My name is Melody. Starting today, you're my personal bodyguard. I'll pay you a fixed amount each month. Your job is to look after me, keep me company, lift my spirits, and be by my side whenever I need you," I explained.

As I spoke, I held out my hand toward him.

He looked puzzled, clearly not understanding what I meant.

"Just remember, whenever I reach out my hand, no matter what you're doing, you have to take it. That's how things work with me," I told him.

Honestly, there was no such rule. I just wanted to create more chances to get close to him and get him used to being near me.

Evan hesitated briefly, then reached out and took my hand, his ears flushing pink once again.

"Your hands are so cold," I remarked.

I stood up and gently blew warm air onto his palm.

He snatched his hand back as if he'd touched something hot, turning his face away, too embarrassed to meet my eyes.

Now his ears were burning red.

He was just too adorable!

[OMG, what is she doing to my Evan?!]

[Hey, she has a name, you know!]

[Guys... why is this kinda shippable? The aloof heiress x obsessive bodyguard vibes??]

Not bad.

I was loving this dynamic. We were basically the ultimate power couple.

Except... he was not really giving off that dark, possessive energy yet.

"Listen, I'll forgive you this time. But if you pull your hand away first again, you'll have to get down on your knees and apologize to me," I said.

I added, "That's one of our family rules. We've got a bunch of them, so you'd better get used to it."

Honestly, there weren't that many rules. I was just trying to scare him a little.

He pressed his lips together, eyes glistening slightly, and mumbled a quiet "I'm sorry."

I reached my hand to him again.

He took it.

Slowly, I began tracing light circles in his palm, just to tease him a little.

I could feel his whole body go stiff.

But this time, he didn't let go.

So obedient. I was more than pleased.

*****

I transferred to Evan's school.

At first, I considered having him transfer to mine instead. But then it hit me that we were not the main characters of this story.

If we just blended into the background, we would end up right back where we started.

No way. Now that I'd leveled up, I was not about to fade into obscurity again. It was time to make some noise.

On my first day at the new school, another girl transferred in at the same time.

I recognized her instantly. It was that pretty girl from the other day.

Sure enough, the comments went wild.

[Aww, our heroine finally transferred! Too bad your second lead's already taken.]

[What do you mean by her second lead? The male lead is hers anyway!]

[Exactly! Evan belongs to Melody now.]

Wow... Evan and I actually had shippers now?

Chapter 2

I didn't actually see anything myself, but come on, an obsessive admirer in a romantic novel always had both looks and money, right?

So I sent him some money.

[Wait, did I see that right? She just sent him 30 grand!]

[Just how rich is this girl!?]

[Girl, look at me. I'm broke too!]

Evan was stunned when he saw the amount. "I don't want your money."

I grabbed his hand before he could send it back.

I wanted him to take my money.

I said, "Come on, drop the pride already. Your clothes look like they've been through a lot. They're faded and a bit tight on you.

"And your shoes? The heels are so worn down they're uneven. If I'm right, you're not exactly rolling in cash, and you could really use the money."

Evan hung his head low, clutching his phone in silence.

The comments started rolling in again.

[She's being way too harsh.]

[But she's not wrong. His foster mom can't even afford treatment, and he's still putting on airs.]

[Just shut up, we get it, you hate our second male lead.]

"Of course, this money isn't just a freebie. You have to come home with me and follow my lead," I said.

I was not up to anything weird. I just want to spend some time with him and maybe bond a little.

"Okay," he said after a moment of silence.

Seemed like what I said hit a nerve.

I bought Evan a few new outfits and brought him back to my place.

[Holy crap, she lives in a villa? And she's got a maid and a butler too!]

[This place must be huge, like 4300 square feet or something. She's loaded!]

I was loving all the praise rolling in from the comments.

I gotta stay humble.

Just saying, I had even bigger places than this.

Evan looked super uncomfortable standing at my front door, so I pulled him inside and let the maid take over.

"Get him cleaned up," I said.

When Evan came out, he was dressed in fresh, casual clothes, standing quietly in front of me, looking all shy and obedient.

Not bad. No wonder he was the second lead. He was seriously handsome.

But he was still nowhere near that obsessive boyfriend vibe.

Now, how should I get him to go full obsessive?

As I spoke, I held out my hand toward him.

He looked puzzled, clearly not understanding what I meant.

"Just remember, whenever I reach out my hand, no matter what you're doing, you have to take it. That's how things work with me," I told him.

Honestly, there was no such rule. I just wanted to create more chances to get close to him and get him used to being near me.

Evan hesitated briefly, then reached out and took my hand, his ears flushing pink once again.

"Your hands are so cold," I remarked.

I stood up and gently blew warm air onto his palm.

He snatched his hand back as if he'd touched something hot, turning his face away, too embarrassed to meet my eyes.

Now his ears were burning red.

He was just too adorable!

[OMG, what is she doing to my Evan?!]

[Hey, she has a name, you know!]

[Guys... why is this kinda shippable? The aloof heiress x obsessive bodyguard vibes??]

Not bad.

I was loving this dynamic. We were basically the ultimate power couple.

Except... he was not really giving off that dark, possessive energy yet.

"Listen, I'll forgive you this time. But if you pull your hand away first again, you'll have to get down on your knees and apologize to me," I said.

I added, "That's one of our family rules. We've got a bunch of them, so you'd better get used to it."

Honestly, there weren't that many rules. I was just trying to scare him a little.

He pressed his lips together, eyes glistening slightly, and mumbled a quiet "I'm sorry."

I reached my hand to him again.

He took it.

Slowly, I began tracing light circles in his palm, just to tease him a little.

I could feel his whole body go stiff.

But this time, he didn't let go.

So obedient. I was more than pleased.

*****

I transferred to Evan's school.

At first, I considered having him transfer to mine instead. But then it hit me that we were not the main characters of this story.

If we just blended into the background, we would end up right back where we started.

No way. Now that I'd leveled up, I was not about to fade into obscurity again. It was time to make some noise.

On my first day at the new school, another girl transferred in at the same time.

I recognized her instantly. It was that pretty girl from the other day.

Sure enough, the comments went wild.

[Aww, our heroine finally transferred! Too bad your second lead's already taken.]

[What do you mean by her second lead? The male lead is hers anyway!]

[Exactly! Evan belongs to Melody now.]

Wow... Evan and I actually had shippers now?