Chapter 2

I flopped onto the soft bed in the guest room.

My system said, "Survival confirmed for today. You successfully dodged the humiliation scene.

"Let's keep pushing; maybe we'll actually make it to retirement age."

I buried my face in the pillow and mumbled, "So what's the retirement age in this world?"

It replied, "Retirement age here is eighty, based on the average lifespan. You're twenty-two now, so you still need to make it through 21,170 more days."

I was left speechless.

I lifted my head. "So the rewards for future missions will be more generous, right?"

"Yes, but the difficulty will increase as well. The system generates missions in real time based on your actions, but the mission stays the same. That is keeping your distance from Lucas and living to a ripe old age."

"Stay away from Lucas... but I'm his legal wife now," I said.

It replied, "Exactly. You need to keep your boundaries. It's fine to be close physically, but emotionally, stay distant. No attachments, no expectations, no heartbreak. Stick to these three rules, and you'll make it through the storm of the story."

In the master bedroom, Lucas's system was still reviewing everything that had happened.

It said, "Emily Sutton's actions have deviated from her expected behavior by 87%.

"Recommend you stay alert. This unexpected NPC might interfere with the main quest's progress."

Lucas held a document in his hand; it was the prenuptial agreement.

The Sutton family had drafted it, and the terms were pretty strict.

He signed it anyway.

Lucas needed the Sutton family as a stepping stone to set up some moves.

Originally, my humiliation was supposed to be a convenient excuse for Lucas to move out of the villa and cut down our interactions.

But now...

Lucas told the system, "Keep an eye on Emily's behavior. If anything unusual pops up, let me know right away."

The system replied, "Got it."

Night deepened.

My system said, "Self-Preservation System Log: Emily did well on her first day. Survival odds up by 0.5%. Keep watching."

Lucas's system said, "Male Lead System Log: Still investigating why Emily's acting so out of character. Flagged for close observation. Main quest unaffected for now. Keep watching."

I slept like a log last night, not even dreaming.

When I opened my eyes, I stared at the unfamiliar ceiling for a few seconds before it all came back to me.

Oh, right. I got married. Now I was stuck in the guest room, and my husband was the male lead who was destined to throw me into the sea one day.

I tiptoed to the door and eased it open.

Lucas should already be gone.

In the storyline, the Reed family was locked in a fierce power struggle, and Lucas was pushed out. All he had left was a hollow shell of a company, and he barely had time to breathe, scrambling to patch up the mess.

And my job in this story was to kick him when he was down, making his life even harder.

Like today, according to the script, I was supposed to transfer him one thousand bucks for living expenses, along with a little reminder: [Don't blow it all at once.]

As I brushed my teeth, thinking back on the script, I nearly swallowed a mouthful of toothpaste.

Man, these humiliating moves were seriously digging my own grave.

My system said, "Lucas's current hate meter: 5 out of 100."

"Wait, this thing actually has points?" I muttered.

Just 5?

A bit surprised, I asked, "When did it go up?"

The system replied, "Before the wedding. The original host publicly called Lucas out for mooching off her, which bumped his hate meter up by 5 points."

Alright then.

I pulled out my phone, pondering my next move.

"System," I asked, "Is there any extra reward if I help Lucas through his rough patch?"

It replied, "No extra rewards in theory, but it could lower the difficulty of future missions."

I entered the amount.

Six hundred thousand.

Transfer went through.

The system announced, "Tweaking future mission difficulty."

I set my phone down and dug into my breakfast, feeling pretty cheerful.

Halfway through, Lucas texted back.

[What's this about?]

I replied seriously: [You're having a rough time, right? Figured this might help tide you over.]

Lucas: [I'll pay you back.]

I raised an eyebrow.

Me: [Alright. No rush.]

I drained the last sip of her milk, humming a tune as I headed upstairs to change.

The system said, "Host, Lucas just had a strong reaction."

"Huh?" I replied.

The system copied Lucas's tone, "Warning! The target might be trying to bribe you. Stay alert; don't let yourself get swayed by cash or sweet talk."

That evening, Lucas came home.

I was sprawled out on the couch, watching some comedy show and cracking up.

When I heard the door open, I hit pause and peeked out.

Lucas was carrying a briefcase, exhaustion written all over his face.

"You're back? Have you eaten yet? There's some soup in the kitchen. Laura made it," I called out.

Lucas slipped off his shoes and walked over.

I was lounging in my cartoon pajamas, hair tossed into a messy bun, bare-faced, with a half-eaten bag of chips at my feet.

Compared to the perfectly styled Ms. Sutton everyone saw outside, I was a totally different person.

"What are you staring at? Is there something on my face?" I asked.

Lucas looked away and replied, "No."

I hit play again, and the guests on the show were playing some silly game. I couldn't help cracking up.

I laughed a few times, then glanced back over my shoulder.

Lucas was still watching me.

"Was I too loud?" I turned the volume down as I said, "Sorry."

"No, you're good. Go ahead and watch," he replied.

After watching for a bit longer, I decided it was time to hit the sack.

As I passed the study, the door was slightly ajar, and Lucas was still working inside.

"I'm off to bed," I said. "Don't stay up too late."

He looked up at me and nodded.

"I'll pay you back by the end of the month," he said.

"Seriously, no rush," I replied.

I shrugged and headed back to the guest room.