Chapter 3
James' call felt like someone dumped a bucket of ice water over me, chilling me to the bone.
"Rebecca, I don't care what you're after. If you ever pull this again, I'll make you cough up every cent of that 30 million—with interest. And I'll make sure you're wiped out from this industry for life," he snarled.
He hung up, but his angry threats and Emily's muffled sobs were still ringing in my ears.
I leaned against the wall, feeling weak.
The system's cold countdown ticked in my head, like a clock counting down to my doom.
"Life countdown: 79 days, 12 hours, 03 minutes."
I'd managed to tick off Emily, piss off James, and not only did the mission stall—it actually sped up my death clock. Great, now I was dying even faster.
This path was a total bust. I needed a new strategy.
If I couldn't convince them directly, then I'd just have to create some opportunities for them to get closer.
I spent two days hacking into James' calendar. After scrolling through his jam-packed schedule, I finally found my chance.
Next Friday was their wedding anniversary. But according to his calendar, James had a three-day, two-night business trip planned to a neighboring city.
Skipping their anniversary for work? No wonder he still didn't have a second kid.
Inside, I let out a cold laugh as a plan quickly formed in my mind.
Early Friday morning, I had someone anonymously deliver Emily a massive bouquet of her favorite white roses. The card was written in an elegant, stylish script: [Happy anniversary. See you at Moonlight Restaurant at 7 PM. Love, James.]
I'd practiced James' signature over a hundred times until I nailed it.
Next, I started scheming against James.
His train was at 3 PM, so I called the head of the company he was supposed to visit and pitched an enticing fake project, successfully luring him to another city.
Then, at 2:00 PM, I sent a text from an anonymous number to James' assistant: [Train line under emergency maintenance. All services suspended today.]
With both tricks in play, this plan was bulletproof.
Once everything was set, I threw on a fresh outfit and sauntered over to Moonlight Restaurant, feeling pretty pleased with myself. I grabbed the table right next to theirs, ready to watch the show go down.
At 7 PM sharp, Emily showed up, wearing a stunning champagne-colored dress, her makeup subtle but flawless—one could tell she'd really gone all out.
She sat there quietly, waiting, and her eyes practically sparkled with anticipation.
I sipped my lemon water, glancing at my watch every so often.
7:30 rolled around, and James was still a no-show.
8 PM came and went, and he still hadn't shown up.
The sparkle in Emily's eyes grew dimmer with every passing minute. She pulled out her phone, like she was about to call him, but after hesitating for a long moment, she put it down.
I couldn't help feeling a bit uneasy, maybe even guilty.
Just then, there was a commotion at the restaurant entrance.
James strode in, his suit rumpled and looking like he'd been through a lot. His expression was grim, but the moment he spotted Emily, his face softened for a split second.
Yes, he was here! I felt a rush of excitement.
But instead of going to Emily, he stormed right over to me.
He grabbed my wrist, squeezing so hard it felt like he might crush it.
"Rebecca, did you do this?" James demanded, his voice seething with fury.
Before I knew what was happening, James hauled me out of my chair.
"Mr. Sterling, what the hell? You're hurting me!" I cried out.
Our little scene had everyone staring; even Emily was watching us now.
She stood up, staring in disbelief at our hands locked together.
James ignored my attempts to break free, his eyes blazing as he growled at me, "You think messing with me is fun? You tricked me into going to the train station, canceled my meeting—what's your game?"
It finally dawned on me. He hadn't fallen for the train cancellation story. He'd gone to the station, realized he'd been duped, investigated the meeting, and then come straight here.
"I..." I was speechless, unable to defend myself.
"It's you again!" Emily's voice shook with disappointment. "You sent those anonymous roses, you made the reservation at the restaurant, didn't you?"
She looked at me, her eyes growing teary. "Rebecca, why are you doing this? What do you gain from tearing us apart?"
I opened my mouth, trying to explain, but no words came out.
To them, I was nothing but the evil homewrecker—the villain in their love story, willing to do whatever it took to ruin their relationship.
James dropped my hand and went over to Emily, his voice softer than I'd ever heard. "Just ignore her. Let's go home."
He put his arm around Emily and walked out, without so much as a glance in my direction.
As Emily passed by me, she paused for a moment and whispered so softly I could barely hear her, "I really misjudged you."
I stood there, frozen, the laughingstock of the whole restaurant.
The system chimed in inside my head again:
"Mission failed. They're seriously upset. Life countdown penalized—minus 48 hours. Life countdown: 75 days, 20 hours, 55 minutes."
A wave of dizziness crashed over me, my vision went dark, and I blacked out right there.