Chapter 1

When Chris cornered me in the airport's VIP lounge, my blood ran cold.

He casually waved his passport in his hand, his smile dangerously charming—like a devil out for my soul.

He purred, "Baby, didn't we agree to go on vacation to the Coral Isles together?

"Why are you sneaking off here all by yourself?

"Were you trying to surprise me?"

*****

I was rooted to the spot, and my mind went completely blank. Guess I still couldn't slip out of Chris's crazy grasp after all.

I thought, 'Surprise? More like a nightmare. Dude, stop grinning. You're seriously creeping me out!'

Chris's smile deepened as he walked toward me, his custom-made leather shoes clicking on the polished marble floor, each step sounding like a countdown to my doom.

"You look pretty excited, baby." He reached out, his fingers, knuckles sharp and defined, rushed my cheek, cold as ice. "So excited, your heart's racing."

I thought, 'How could my heart not be racing? If you'd been just one minute late, I'd already be on that plane. I was this close to finally shaking you off, you maniac!'

I wanted to cry, but had to force out a smile uglier than crying itself. "Chris, w-why are you here?" I stammered.

"I came to take you home," he said softly, his voice so gentle, like he was sweet-talking a naive girl, but the possessiveness in his eyes was overwhelming. "It's not safe out there. I worry about you wandering around alone, baby."

My name was Olivia Lane. Three days ago, I was just another office drone, sprawled on my couch in my tiny apartment, binge-reading web novels.

But after I woke up, I found myself trapped inside a yandere novel, stuck as the side character with the same name as me, who ended up with a tragic fate.

The original Olivia was a clueless gold-digger who thought she could use her old connection with the male lead, Chris, to go wild, trying to mess things up when his relationship with the female lead was heating up.

In the end, she pissed Chris off so much that he tossed her into the open sea.

And the moment I got sucked into this mess was right when the original Olivia was starting to act out, but hadn't completely pushed Chris over the edge yet.

If I wanted to stay alive, I had only one choice—break up with Chris before he completely lost his patience, and put as much distance between us as possible.

So I spent the whole night scrambling to put together "Escape Plan A," packed my bags, and booked the earliest flight overseas.

Turned out, I still totally underestimated how tight a grip this psycho boss had on me. Chris dragged me from the airport straight back to his fortress-like villa, guarded like a prison.

The whole ride, I was stuck in the back of his Rolls-Royce, feeling anxious.

I thought, 'Hey, System, this psycho isn't about to off me right now, is he? I'm not ready to die yet. Seriously, how did he track me down? That's not possible. I bought a ticket from a reseller.'

Chris suddenly turned toward me, giving me a long, intense look with those deep eyes. "Looks like you've got a lot on your mind, baby," he teased.

I jolted, shaking my head like a bobblehead. "No, no. Absolutely not."

He gave a low, amused laugh. Pulling me into his arms, he rested his chin gently on top of my head. "Even if you do, it doesn't matter. We'll be together every day from now on. You'll have plenty of time to figure me out."

There was a playful note in his voice, as if my attempt to run away just now was nothing more than harmless fun to him.

Back at the villa, two maids practically waited on me hand and foot, helping me wash up and change into fresh clothes before leading me straight to the dining room.

The long dining table was covered with exquisite dishes, and Chris sat at the head, elegantly slicing his steak, watching me with an air of effortless composure. He said, "You must be starving after running around all day. Eat up."

I thought, 'I can't eat at a time like this. Is this my death row meal?' I picked up my fork and knife, my hands shaking so badly I almost knocked the plate off the table.

Chris watched me, not the least bit angry. If anything, there was a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "Baby, is this your way of showing how mad you are about sneaking off without telling me?"

I was like, "Huh?"

Dude, what part of me looks upset to you? I'm literally scared out of my mind.

But before I could even get a word out, Chris kept talking, his tone all doting and a little helpless, like he was spoiling me but couldn't help himself. "Okay, it's all on me. I never should've let you wander around alone.

"From now on, wherever you go, I'll be right there with you." As he spoke, Chris grabbed my passport and, right in front of me, flicked his lighter and set one corner ablaze.

The flame danced up, quickly swallowing the little booklet that was supposed to be my escape plan.

My jaw dropped. My heart nearly stopped. I thought, 'What the hell? Chris, you psycho!'

Chris brushed the ashes into the ashtray and then looked up at me with a gentle smile. "So, you won't be planning any more 'surprises' for me, will you?"

I looked at his gorgeous but ice-cold face, and honestly, I felt less like someone invited back home and more like a death row inmate being marched to execution. Escape Plan A was a total failure.