Chapter 5
Lucas pulled me back to the couch, and then turned and finally gave Stella a direct look. His gaze was icy, distant, without a trace of feeling.
"Leave the files there. You can go," he said, sounding like he was shooing away a random salesperson.
Stella wavered, tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she managed to hold them back.
She bit her lip hard, set the files down on the nearest table, and almost bolted out of the lab.
The door slid shut behind her, and suddenly, the whole world felt like it was Lucas and me.
I was still in shock from what happened. I stammered, "System, I-I think I screwed up again."
The System said, [Mission failed. Lucas's favorability towards you has increased by 10%.]
I felt like I was about to have a heart attack.
Lucas walked over, crouched down so we were eye to eye.
"Are you over it now?" he asked, reaching out to brush a messy strand of hair from my forehead.
Over it? As if. I was about to lose my mind. I slapped his hand away and glared at him. "Lucas, what the hell is wrong with you? You knew exactly how she—"
"What do I know?" he cut me off, his gaze deep and intense. "That she likes me?"
I choked up for a second.
"So what?" he smirked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "There are tons of people who like me. Have you ever seen me pay attention to any of them?"
"Chloe." He held my face, forcing me to meet his gaze. "You're the only one I want. So don't waste your energy on people and things that don't matter, alright?"
His voice was gentle, but all I felt was a chill crawling down my spine. He wasn't aloof; he was an absolute maniac, a full-blown control freak.
He managed to twist every reckless thing I did into some wild fantasy, like I was insanely jealous because I supposedly loved him too much.
He thought that I spilled coffee on him, sabotaged his experiment, and insulted Stella out of jealousy.
In his mind, I was so hopelessly in love with him that I'd do anything, no matter how crazy, for his sake.
God helped me. Lucas had a terminal case of love-brain. I closed my eyes in despair. The road home was going to be long and hard.
The Wynn family threw a huge business party to celebrate Lucas winning gold at the International Physics Olympiad.
As Lucas's "official" girlfriend, I had to show up, too.
The System dropped another mission on me.
"Mission Name: Cheat on Lucas Wynn.
"Mission Content: At the party, openly flirt with another guy right in front of Lucas and all the guests. Try to hook up with him and make a scene, completely ruin Lucas's reputation and embarrass him in front of everyone.
"Mission Reward: 30% progress towards going home. Failure Penalty: Suffer a random pain at MAX intensity.]
"Pain at MAX intensity? System, you're so heartless," I shouted, shivering at the penalty. This time, I had to succeed; failure was not an option.
On the night of the party, I slipped into a show-stopping red spaghetti strap dress and put on my most dazzling makeup. Arm in arm with Lucas, I walked into the hall.
Lucas was dressed to the nines in a perfectly tailored black suit, looking every bit the elegant, distinguished heir. The moment we walked in, all eyes were on us.
"Isn't that the genius heir of the Wynn family? Who's the girl with him? She's gorgeous."
"She is Chloe. I heard she's got Lucas totally wrapped around her finger."
"Please, she's a pretty face. What else does she have? She's not good enough for Lucas."
I tuned out all the catty comments and started scanning the crowd for my target. It didn't take long before I spotted one.
It was Jake Lewis, the second son of the Lewis family from the east side. He was infamous for being a playboy, swaggering, charming, and looking like trouble. Right now, he was holding a glass of wine, scanning the room for his next conquest.
He was perfect for this. I made up an excuse to slip away from Lucas, grabbed a glass of champagne, and sashayed over to Jake, my heart pounding with anticipation.
"Hey, mister, drinking alone is so boring," I said, pressing in close and letting my body almost touch his. I leaned in, whispering right in his ear.
Jake was obviously a seasoned player. His eyes sparkled, and he instantly wrapped his arm around my waist. "Pretty thing, you look new here. Whose girl are you?" His hand started roaming over my waist, way too bold.
I forced down my disgust and flashed him a flirtatious smile. "I'm Chloe. What should I call you?"
"Call me Jack," Jake replied with a cocky grin, lifting his glass for a toast.
Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced over at Lucas across the room.
He was standing in the middle of a crowd, surrounded by a bunch of business big shots, but he wasn't paying them any attention. His eyes were like frozen daggers, slicing through the crowd and pinning me in place.
His face was totally blank, but the vibe around him was so intense that it could make anyone's skin crawl.