Chapter 1 · Predictable Moves

Chapter 1

After school, some bullies cornered a struggling student. My childhood friend, Logan Jenkins, instinctively stepped in to protect her.

Confused, I suddenly saw lines of floating messages in front of me.

[Logan must have crossed time, finally making up for not saving Emma in the past life!]

[Hilarious, the girl next to him is about to lose her mind.]

[But knowing her scheming nature, she'll definitely report back and get her elders to pressure Logan.]

[Her moves are so predictable, but the male lead has traveled through time. Even if the Ramirez family is gone, what can she do?]

*****

With the live comments came a flood of information, all rushing into my mind at once.

"Logan..." I murmured under my breath.

But Logan Jenkins's attention was completely on Emma Riggs, who was hiding behind his arm.

Emma, looking like a delicate flower, clung tightly to the corner of his shirt, making anyone who saw her feel sorry for her.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here," Logan said, turning slightly to shield her, his voice low and gentle.

[Oh, dear, the way Logan looks at Emma is so adoring!]

[Ugh, it's all Elisabeth's fault for dragging him to that dessert shop in his last life. He totally missed his chance to save Emma, which indirectly led to her falling into depression and taking her own life years later.]

[The heroine's life is just pure suffering. This time, the male lead seriously needs to shake off that clingy side chick and rescue our poor little Emma!]

The barrage of comments scrambled my thoughts.

"Hey! I'm talking to you, dammit!" The thug snapped, getting pissed at her silence and reaching out to grab her.

My gaze sharpened. My years of fighting kicked in, and I moved on reflex, flipping him to the ground.

Seeing that, the two thugs who'd been circling Logan and Emma charged at me.

The scene instantly turned chaotic.

Logan shielded Emma behind him, but her voice trembled with tears.

"Logan, don't worry about me! Go help her!" Emma cried out, her voice shaking.

Logan glanced at Emma me a detached, unfamiliar look.

"She's trained in combat, you're not. Let me get you out of here first," he said.

With that, Logan wrapped his arm around Emma's shoulders and, practically dragging her, quickly led her away.

By the time the bodyguards came rushing around the corner to take charge of the situation,

their figures were already fading from view.

I stood there, catching my breath.

There was a fresh, red wound on my arm, stinging sharply.

Back in my room, the family doctor had already left, but the faint smell of disinfectant still lingered in the air.

I lifted my arm, staring at the carefully wrapped bandage just above my wrist.

But I couldn't stop replaying that scene from after school in my head: Logan turning on instinct, stepping in front of Emma to protect her.

He moved with absolute resolve, quick as lightning, like it was pure instinct, almost second nature to him.

Then I remembered the way Logan looked at me. His eyes were cold, almost hateful.

That unfamiliar look made my skin crawl.

And in that moment, I realized maybe I really am that supporting character the comments keep talking about, the one who loved him but could never have him.

Logan and I had known each other since we were kids, growing up side by side.

But we were never on equal footing from the very beginning.

The Jenkins family had lots of kids, and the competition was always intense.

Logan was always just the good-looking one, never the talented or remarkable type, pretty much the most forgettable among his peers.

Meanwhile, I was the only daughter of the Ramirez family, the golden girl of the company, and the sole heir to the Ramirez Group.

Because of our childhood bond, the Jenkins family, which had been on the verge of bankruptcy more than once, not only paid off all their debts but also got their reputation back in the circle.

Logan, who used to be the ignored youngest son, slowly worked his way up to the center of power in the Jenkins family.

All these years, I pulled every string I could in my family's business to help him rise, one step at a time.

But he always acted like it was no big deal, never once refusing my help.

I always thought he wanted all this.

It wasn't until I saw those live comments that I realized that all this time, he had hated how I used the Ramirez family's power to keep him under my thumb.

In our last life, he only married me because his family forced him to, just gritting his teeth and going through with it.

Emma never lived to see him finally take charge. Life wore her down until she died unexpectedly, and she became his forever lost love, the one that got away.

So in this life, he was determined to redeem the delicate little heroine Emma, whose fate had always been full of hardship.

Suddenly, my phone started ringing at my side.

The screen lit up, and Logan was calling.

As soon as I picked up, his angry voice came through the line.

"Elisabeth, did you go running to my parents again, playing the victim? Is this really fun for you?" he asked.

The quiet barrage of comments started floating in the air again.

[The vicious side character really did go home and snitch, and now Logan's getting an earful from his dad.]

[Elisabeth's got all that self-defense training, she can totally handle herself. But Emma's so delicate, of course she needs the male lead to protect her. Does Elisabeth really have to make such a scene?]

[Isn't it just because the Ramirez family is loaded compared to the Jenkins family? In their last life, she flexed her family's wealth, roped Logan into an engagement by pretending it was all for the family's good.]

[So after Emma died in their last life, Logan was so done with them that he seized the Ramirez family's fortune and spilled the truth right to their faces. Elisabeth's dad was so pissed he had a stroke and landed in the hospital. Totally deserved!]

My fingers trembled around the phone.

"What's wrong? Did I hit a nerve? Cat got your tongue?" Logan let out a cold laugh, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "After all these years, you're still using the same old tricks."

"Logan," I cut him off, taking a deep breath.

"I'm not so petty that I need to cry to your parents to fix things," I said, my voice surprisingly calm. "Besides, there are plenty of people in the Jenkins family watching you, keeping tabs on everything we do.

"After all these years, how many projects did the Jenkins family score just because of the Ramirez family, and how much did you cash in on that? Need me to jog your memory?"

Chapter 1

After school, some bullies cornered a struggling student. My childhood friend, Logan Jenkins, instinctively stepped in to protect her.

Confused, I suddenly saw lines of floating messages in front of me.

[Logan must have crossed time, finally making up for not saving Emma in the past life!]

[Hilarious, the girl next to him is about to lose her mind.]

[But knowing her scheming nature, she'll definitely report back and get her elders to pressure Logan.]

[Her moves are so predictable, but the male lead has traveled through time. Even if the Ramirez family is gone, what can she do?]

*****

With the live comments came a flood of information, all rushing into my mind at once.

"Logan..." I murmured under my breath.

But Logan Jenkins's attention was completely on Emma Riggs, who was hiding behind his arm.

Emma, looking like a delicate flower, clung tightly to the corner of his shirt, making anyone who saw her feel sorry for her.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here," Logan said, turning slightly to shield her, his voice low and gentle.

[Oh, dear, the way Logan looks at Emma is so adoring!]

[The heroine's life is just pure suffering. This time, the male lead seriously needs to shake off that clingy side chick and rescue our poor little Emma!]

The barrage of comments scrambled my thoughts.

"Hey! I'm talking to you, dammit!" The thug snapped, getting pissed at her silence and reaching out to grab her.

My gaze sharpened. My years of fighting kicked in, and I moved on reflex, flipping him to the ground.

Seeing that, the two thugs who'd been circling Logan and Emma charged at me.

The scene instantly turned chaotic.

Logan shielded Emma behind him, but her voice trembled with tears.

"Logan, don't worry about me! Go help her!" Emma cried out, her voice shaking.

Logan glanced at Emma me a detached, unfamiliar look.

"She's trained in combat, you're not. Let me get you out of here first," he said.

With that, Logan wrapped his arm around Emma's shoulders and, practically dragging her, quickly led her away.

By the time the bodyguards came rushing around the corner to take charge of the situation,

their figures were already fading from view.

I stood there, catching my breath.

There was a fresh, red wound on my arm, stinging sharply.

Back in my room, the family doctor had already left, but the faint smell of disinfectant still lingered in the air.

I lifted my arm, staring at the carefully wrapped bandage just above my wrist.

But I couldn't stop replaying that scene from after school in my head: Logan turning on instinct, stepping in front of Emma to protect her.

He moved with absolute resolve, quick as lightning, like it was pure instinct, almost second nature to him.

Then I remembered the way Logan looked at me. His eyes were cold, almost hateful.

That unfamiliar look made my skin crawl.

And in that moment, I realized maybe I really am that supporting character the comments keep talking about, the one who loved him but could never have him.

Logan and I had known each other since we were kids, growing up side by side.

But we were never on equal footing from the very beginning.

The Jenkins family had lots of kids, and the competition was always intense.

Logan was always just the good-looking one, never the talented or remarkable type, pretty much the most forgettable among his peers.

Meanwhile, I was the only daughter of the Ramirez family, the golden girl of the company, and the sole heir to the Ramirez Group.

Because of our childhood bond, the Jenkins family, which had been on the verge of bankruptcy more than once, not only paid off all their debts but also got their reputation back in the circle.

Logan, who used to be the ignored youngest son, slowly worked his way up to the center of power in the Jenkins family.

All these years, I pulled every string I could in my family's business to help him rise, one step at a time.

But he always acted like it was no big deal, never once refusing my help.

I always thought he wanted all this.

It wasn't until I saw those live comments that I realized that all this time, he had hated how I used the Ramirez family's power to keep him under my thumb.

In our last life, he only married me because his family forced him to, just gritting his teeth and going through with it.

Emma never lived to see him finally take charge. Life wore her down until she died unexpectedly, and she became his forever lost love, the one that got away.

So in this life, he was determined to redeem the delicate little heroine Emma, whose fate had always been full of hardship.

Suddenly, my phone started ringing at my side.

The screen lit up, and Logan was calling.

As soon as I picked up, his angry voice came through the line.

"Elisabeth, did you go running to my parents again, playing the victim? Is this really fun for you?" he asked.

The quiet barrage of comments started floating in the air again.

[The vicious side character really did go home and snitch, and now Logan's getting an earful from his dad.]

My fingers trembled around the phone.

"What's wrong? Did I hit a nerve? Cat got your tongue?" Logan let out a cold laugh, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "After all these years, you're still using the same old tricks."

"Logan," I cut him off, taking a deep breath.

"After all these years, how many projects did the Jenkins family score just because of the Ramirez family, and how much did you cash in on that? Need me to jog your memory?"