Chapter 1

The day I became the villainess, my screen was flooded with comments.

[That's her. She's about to push Emily down the stairs!]

I quietly pulled back my foot and offered Emily Lane a cup of milk.

[What?]

Alex Kingston shot me a cold look. "What are you up to now? If Emily gets hurt, you'll go down with her."

I nodded. "Got it, I'll keep that in mind."

Later, I left. Alex begged in the rain, pleading for me to return.

Through the window, I thought, 'Man, his memory sucks. I said I'd remember the go down with her part, not I love you.'

*****

When I opened my eyes, a staircase appeared before me.

On the stairs stood a woman in a white dress, so skinny she looked like she could be blown away by the wind. She was two steps above me, with her back turned, her shoulders shaking as if she were crying.

My mind went completely blank.

The next second, comments started flooding my vision.

[Here it comes. The legendary moment!]

[Lucy is about to push Emily down the stairs!]

[The villainess is caught red-handed. One push and she's headed straight for prison.]

[Ladies, get ready to roast her.]

I froze.

What the heck was going on? Was my nearsightedness getting worse, or did I stay up all night, and now I was seeing things?

I blinked, but the words were still there, streaming across from left to right.

[Why is she standing there? Push Emily! In the book, she would've done it by now.]

[Wait, why does she look so confused?]

[No way, did she slip...?]

Slipped?

What, like slipping into clothes or something?

Then I looked down at myself.

These weren't my hands. The nails were covered in sparkly nail art, something I'd never touch. I was squeezed into a tight red dress with a neckline so low I nearly blacked out.

And I was teetering on four-inch heels; seriously, I could barely survive in flats without twisting my ankle.

When I looked up again, the woman on the stairs turned around.

She was stunning, the kind of beauty that made one want to shield her from the world. Her eyes shimmered with tears, her lips trembling. "Lucy, are you really going to do this to me?"

I opened my mouth.

Before I could get a word out, a ton of memories crashed into my head all at once.

Oh. Right.

I slipped into a novel.

It was the one I binge-read last night, The CEO's Beloved First Love. The holy grail of dog-blood drama, including a groveling CEO, a stand-in heroine, and a villainess so dumb it hurt. All the greatest hit in one place.

The girl in the white dress was Emily, the heroine, the classic sweet, innocent type. And me? I was the villainess, basically the MVP of plot devices.

In the original story, my whole existence was to make the heroine shine, help the main couple fall in love, and finally get personally tossed into jail by the male lead.

And right now, this was the turning point where I officially turned evil.

In the original story, I, jealous of how Alex treated Emily, pushed her down the stairs. Emily tumbled down, broke her leg, and Alex was so furious that he hated my guts from then on.

[Come on, push her! What are you waiting for?]

[I want to see blood everywhere.]

[The villainess must die.]

I stared at those floating comments, my mind racing.

Pushing Emily equalled I went to prison, which meant I died.

What would happen if I didn't push her?

There didn't seem to be a didn't push option. In the original story, this shove was a locked-in fate for me.

But I was not Lucy.

I was a law-abiding 21st-century citizen, raised to believe that acting on impulse was a recipe for disaster. I wasn't able to resolve the argument, and now one wanted me to push someone?

I quietly lowered the foot I had already lifted.

Whatever, survival came first.

"Careful," I said, reaching out to steady Emily's arm and pulling her toward me so she wouldn't lose her balance. "Why are you standing so close to the edge? What if you fall?"

Emily stood there, stunned.

The comments went wild, and everyone was stunned.

[What happened?]

[Wait, this isn't how the script goes!]

[Wait, is this Lucy? Are you seriously telling me this is the villainess?]

[Wait, was she actually worried about Emily?]

Emily was a pro at acting; she only froze for a second before slipping right back into her fragile act. "Lucy, you..."

Before she could finish, someone came charging up the stairs from below.

It was a guy. He was tall, rocking a custom suit, and sporting that classic "I was rich, I was arrogant, and I didn't give a damn about anyone" CEO face.

It was Alex, the male lead, the crown prince of the capital's elite, and the number one guy who was clueless about everything.

Alex shoved me aside so hard I crashed into the stair railing, my waist aching from the impact.

Then he scooped Emily up in his arms, shooting me a glare sharp enough to slice through steel. "Lucy, if anything happens to her, I'll make you go down with her."

I clutched my waist, staring at him.

Alex was clearly anxious about Emily; his hand was so tight around her that the veins stood out, and he spoke in a low voice, as if afraid of scaring the person in his arms.

Emily whispered softly in his arms, "Alex, I'm fine. Lucy, she..."

"Don't bother defending her," Alex cut her off, giving me a cold stare. "I can see right through her."

I looked down at my hand.

The hand I'd used to steady Emily was still hanging awkwardly in the air.

Fine.

The stream of comments started flooding in again.

[He's definitely clueless, confirmed.]

[Lucy was helping, and he came up and pushed her.]

[Someone get this guy to doctor.]

[Ugh, I'm pissed, but why is this so hilarious?]

I brushed off my dress and stood up straight.

"I'll remember that," I said.

Alex frowned. "What?"

"The part about going down with her," I smiled. "You said I'd go down with her, and I remember that."

He looked caught off guard, like he hadn't expected me to say that.

I ignored him and headed upstairs.

Behind me, Emily's soft voice drifted over. "Alex, don't blame her. She probably didn't mean it."

I rolled my eyes.

That was some top-tier acting of playing innocent.