Chapter 3
I had no clue what a cringy, over-the-top protagonist was, but it sounded like a compliment to me.
I thought he was praising me.
After Victor brought me home, he filled an entire closet with new clothes just for me.
He even had someone scrub me spotless.
I held my head high, feeling pretty proud of myself.
"Admit it. You're totally obsessed with me, aren't you?" I asked.
Victor let out a cold laugh.
He grabbed me and plopped me down in front of the desk.
He said, "I've got a tutor for you. You'd better study hard."
Three days in, and he had already realized I was a handful.
When he wasn't home, I would tear apart every pillow and roll around like a king in the feathers.
I would chew on the table corners and even carve out a doggy door in the front door.
I had to have three hours of outdoor time every day, morning, afternoon, and evening, no exceptions.
I even wanted to build my dog buddies' doghouses in person.
He went through three nannies in just three days.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Payne, but this kid has way too much energy. I'm just too old for this..." they all said.
Every time Victor tried to go see Daisy, the staff at home would blow up his phone.
This time, Victor called in the toughest tutor in town.
No way anything was gonna go wrong this time.
Victor gave the tutor a quick rundown.
He said, "I've swapped out everything she could possibly chew, and she's already had three walks today. Just keep her focused and make sure she actually sits down and studies.
"I'll be back by seven tonight. Thanks a ton."
The tutor had dealt with more spoiled heirs from powerful families than he cared to remember.
He stroked his beard and shot me a stern look.
"Don't worry," he said.
Victor closed the door and left.
From now on, this place was my domain.
But the system suddenly blurted out in a panic.
It said, "Hey, dumb dog. Daisy called him over today and demanded twenty percent of the shares. She's secretly handing them over to her boyfriend, Charles Stone.
"And right after that, she's gonna join forces with the other board members to completely sideline Victor."
I had no idea what it was talking about.
Shares and board members?
All I cared about were bones and my dad.
I waved dismissively.
I replied in my mind, "Relax, Victor's my top lackey. He can handle anything."
The system went quiet for a moment.
It continued saying, "Stop calling your dad by his name!
"If you don't figure out a way to get Victor back home, your mission's toast."
It turned out that the system was worried for nothing.
Just by being my usual troublemaker self, the tutor finally called Victor, practically on the verge of tears.
He said, "Is this payback for making you write those punishment essays back in the day?
"Your daughter dyed my beard green, shoved a leash in my hand, and demanded I walk her like a dog. Has the world gone completely crazy? Where's the dignity?"
Victor had barely been out the door for an hour before he came rushing back home.
When he saw my hands covered in green, he let out a mocking laugh.
His laugh sent shivers down my spine.
I swallowed hard.
"I was just playing with him for a bit. Victor, you wanna join in?" I said, trying to sound all innocent.
He grabbed the wooden spoon like a weapon and snatched me up.
He said, "What did you just call me, huh? Say that again?
"Do you know what you did wrong?"
On the day my owner rescued me from that wolf and brought me home. He was holding the wooden spoon, giving me that cold, creepy stare.
He asked me if I realized my mistake.
Back then, I said, "It's not me who's wrong, it's the whole world."
That day, my butt got spanked so hard it felt like it was on fire.
But now, I had learned my lesson. No way was I making that mistake again.
Even though I had no real excuse, I still acted tough.
"It's not me who was wrong, it's that old guy," I said.
He pulled me into his arms and gave me a good spanking.
It stung just like it did ten years ago!
"Waaah, I was wrong, Dad," I said.