Our New Beginning

Everyone knew I’d do anything for Alexander Pierce, the golden boy of Manhattan. I was his shadow, his doormat. So much so that while he was dropping a fortune on his personal secretary at a high-end auction, I was on my knees giving that same secretary a foot massage. Halfway through the massage, a line of glowing text suddenly materialized in my vision, like a comment on a live stream. [Here we go. It’s time for the heroine’s brother to need his medical bills paid. But she needs the secretary’s approval to get the money, and the secretary will refuse. The heroine will have to go sell drinks at a club to make cash!] [Just wait. When the male lead finds out, he’s going to call her a pathetic, gold-digging tramp again.] [Ugh, I know this is standard for a tragic novel, but the heroine’s life is just brutal. Later on, she even has to give the secretary one of her kidneys, her brother still dies, and the male lead gives her parents’ company to the secretary as a birthday gift.] My hands froze. So, I’m the tragic heroine in some twisted novel? I became your lapdog so you would save my family, and you turn around and annihilate them instead? To hell with this. I’m done. 1 Looking at Scarlett Monroe’s smug, entitled face as she luxuriated in my service, I could no longer suppress the rage simmering in my chest. I stood up, my voice cold. “The request I submitted for my brother’s medical expenses. Can you approve it now?” Scarlett’s brow furrowed in annoyance, her tone dripping with contempt. “What’s the rush? We’ll talk after the auction. Mr. Pierce said he’s buying me anything I want today.” She paused, a cruel smirk twisting her lips. “Besides, your brother is basically a vegetable. What’s the difference between that and being dead? Lying in a hospital bed is a waste of money and resources. Why are you in such a hurry to pay? A few more days won’t change anything.” “What did you say?” All the blood rushed to my head, a roaring sound filling my ears. CRACK! Before Scarlett could react, I swung my hand and delivered a sharp, ringing slap across her face. “Isabella… you dare hit me?” Scarlett stammered, clutching her cheek in disbelief. Just then, the door to the private lounge swung open and Alexander Pierce walked in. Scarlett immediately threw herself into his arms, pointing an accusing finger at me. “Alex! Isabella hit me for no reason! Look at my face, it’s already swelling up!” Alexander’s voice was ice. “Isabella. Who gave you the nerve to touch my people?” I rolled my eyes. “I asked your precious secretary to approve my brother’s medical fees. Not only did she deliberately stall, but she also wished him dead. Is there a problem with me hitting her for that?” Huddled in Alexander’s arms, Scarlett’s voice was fragile and innocent. “Mr. Pierce, her application form wasn’t filled out correctly. I just asked her to redo it, and she attacked me!” Alexander’s face darkened, his tone becoming a harsh command. “Isabella, Scarlett manages my finances. I told you all expenses have to be approved by her. You’re the one who didn’t follow procedure. Apologize to Scarlett. Now.” I straightened my spine. “I did nothing wrong. Why should I apologize?” [WHOA! The heroine is finally fighting back! She’s not taking it anymore!] [YES! It’s about time! Why should she have to endure this crap?] [Sigh, it’s no use. This is a tragic novel. As the heroine, if she resists now, she’ll just suffer more. The male lead will only hate her more.] I scoffed internally, a surge of defiance rushing through me. Bullshit. My fate is my own. This is my body, my life. Am I not allowed to make my own decisions? Tragic novel plot? Predestined misery? I refuse. I’ll rewrite my own damn story and make every single person who hurt my family pay. The moment that silent roar echoed in my mind, a crisp, mechanical sound chimed. [Ding! Congratulations, Host! Awakening successful!] [System Mission: Max out the target Alexander Pierce’s ‘Regret Value.’ Upon completion, the Host will gain absolute freedom and the reward of her brother, Liam, awakening!] Before I could even process the joy, my phone began to ring urgently. It was the hospital. A glint appeared in my eye. This was it. My chance. I immediately put the call on speaker. “Ms. Rossi, this is my final call to inform you that the deadline for your brother’s medical bill payment has passed. The hospital has been more than patient. As per our policy, we will be forced to cease all medication and disconnect all life-sustaining equipment. Please come to the hospital to collect your brother as soon as possible.” The color drained from Alexander’s face. And I, well, I had been waiting for this exact moment. “Doctor, please, I’m begging you, just a few more days…” Then, I closed my eyes and let my body go limp, collapsing to the floor. The second before I lost consciousness, the system’s voice chimed in my head: [Ding! Target’s Regret Value +10%! Current Value: 10%.] 2 Perfect. Step one, a success. I was held securely in someone’s arms. I could hear Alexander’s voice, sharp with an urgency and a thread of panic I’d never heard before. “Isabella! Isabella!” [WHOA?! What’s happening? The ice-cold male lead sounds like he’s about to cry!] [Wait, you guys! I think she faked it! I swear I saw the corner of her mouth twitch into a smile for a second!] [Damn! A strategic retreat? Beating the damsel in distress at her own game? She stole Scarlett’s signature move!] The comments in my mind exploded with shock and awe. Alexander quickly carried me out of there. Back at his penthouse, I waited a while before slowly fluttering my eyes open. The first thing I did was struggle to get out of bed, my voice a frantic, panicked mess. “My brother… I have to get to the hospital… I have to save Liam…” Alexander pressed me back down, his voice surprisingly gentle. “Don’t move. Just rest. I’ve already had someone pay all of his outstanding bills. Your brother will be fine.” Just then, Scarlett ran in, her eyes red and puffy. She dropped to her knees by the bed, apologizing profusely. “Ms. Rossi, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hold up your approval. I didn’t know today was the final deadline. I’m so, so sorry.” Alexander looked at the kneeling Scarlett, a flicker of pity in his eyes. “Get up, Scarlett. It’s not your fault.” Then he turned to me, his tone placating. “She didn’t do it on purpose. Your brother is fine now, so let’s just drop it.” I sneered internally but kept my face placid, nodding meekly. “I know. I don’t blame the secretary.” My compliance seemed to catch Alexander off guard. Then, his eyes fell on the dark bruises on my knees, a souvenir from the long hours I’d spent kneeling to massage Scarlett. [Ding! Target’s Regret Value +5%! Current Value: 15%.] A barely perceptible smile touched my lips. Over the next few days, I was more docile than ever before. Whatever Alexander asked, I did, without complaint or resistance. He showered me with expensive clothes, jewelry, and designer bags, and I accepted them all with a quiet grace, neither overly excited nor unimpressed. When he took me to social events, I was the perfect companion: poised, gentle, and never speaking out of turn. The desperate, fawning girl was gone, replaced by a woman with a calm and composed demeanor. The jealousy and hatred in Scarlett’s eyes became almost impossible for her to conceal. I watched her from the sidelines, knowing the time was almost right. The fish was about to take the bait. Sure enough, one evening, Scarlett approached me, her smile carefully manufactured. “Isabella, Mr. Pierce is at a bar downtown. He’s in a bad mood and has been drinking. He wants you to go pick him up.” I put on a look of flattered surprise and nodded eagerly. “Okay, I’ll go right away.” The bar was dimly lit and deafeningly loud, thick with the smell of smoke and stale liquor. I found the private room Scarlett had mentioned and pushed the door open. The moment I stepped inside, the door slammed shut behind me, the sound of a lock clicking into place echoing from the other side. [Oh no! She walked right into it! This is Scarlett’s trap!] [It’s over, Scarlett totally set her up to frame her!] [The male lead is on his way. When he sees her in a place like this, he’s going to assume she’s cheating or being promiscuous!] [Is this where the tragedy kicks in? She’s going to be wrongly accused again!] The comments in my head went into a frenzy of anxiety and worry. But I stood there, perfectly calm, even managing a cold smile. Scarlett thought she could frame me with a trick this pathetic? How naive. I calmly took out my phone and dialed a number I had saved long ago. I spoke a few quiet words, then hung up and waited. An hour later. BANG! The door was kicked open with brutal force. Alexander stormed in, his face a thundercloud. His eyes swept the room, and when he saw I was alone, a flicker of relief crossed his face. But when he noticed I was clearly tipsy, his expression hardened again. He strode over, scooped me into his arms, and carried me out, unceremoniously dumping me in the back of his car. Before I could react, he leaned over me, one hand closing around my throat. The pressure wasn’t enough to choke, but the threat was unmistakable. “Isabella, are you that pathetic? So desperate for money, so starved for attention? Isn’t latching onto me enough for you? You have to come to a place like this and whore yourself out? You disgust me!” From the passenger seat, a triumphant smile flashed across Scarlett’s face before she quickly replaced it with a look of guilt and remorse. “Alex, please don’t be angry. It’s all my fault. Isabella begged me, she said she just wanted a night out with friends, and I felt bad for her, so I said yes.” “I had no idea she would come to a place like this… It’s my fault. I should have kept a better eye on her.” Trying to pin the blame on me? Nice try, Scarlett. But this time, you seriously miscalculated. 3 I pulled a gold-leafed business card from my pocket and held it up to Alexander, my voice choked with sobs. “I’m sorry, Alex, I was wrong. I wasn’t… I wasn’t doing anything bad…” “I know you’ve been stressed about finding a celebrity spokesperson for the company’s new product line. You wanted that big star, but his team is impossible to get a meeting with.” “I heard his agent was here tonight, so I came to buy him a drink, to try and talk to him about a partnership.” “This is his card. He said he’s willing to learn more about our products.” “I messed up. I shouldn’t have hidden it from you, I shouldn’t have come here. I’m so sorry, please don’t be angry…” Alexander froze. The hand on my neck slowly loosened. The rage on his face hardened, cracking into an expression of utter disbelief. He looked down at the business card in my hand. Embossed on it was the name of the top agent in the country, the very man he had been trying and failing to get in touch with for weeks. He was stunned, his eyes a complex mix of emotions as he stared at me. His voice, when he finally spoke, was soft with disbelief. “You came here… to help me with a business deal?” I nodded furiously, tears finally spilling over and splashing onto the back of his hand, warm and full of unspoken pain. “Yes… I know I’m not smart, I can’t help you with big things, but I just wanted to do something, anything, to share your burden.” “I told Scarlett I was meeting friends because I was afraid I’d fail and disappoint you. That’s why I didn’t tell you beforehand. I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.” [Ding! Target’s Regret Value +25%! Current Value: 40%.] In the front seat, the color drained from Scarlett’s face. She was trembling with fury but couldn’t utter a single word in her defense. Her carefully laid trap had not only failed to ensnare me, but it had also backfired spectacularly, making Alexander feel even more guilty and protective of me. [HOLY! What a plot twist! That was absolutely masterful!] [The damsel-in-distress heroine just evolved into a black-hearted mastermind! She’s a hundred levels above Scarlett!] [LMAO! Scarlett’s face is literally green! She tried to set a trap and ended up helping her enemy!] [This heroine is a genius! Her brain, her strategy… who could possibly outplay her?] The comments were a chorus of cheers. I hid a cold smirk, my face still a mask of fragile vulnerability. Alexander looked at my tear-reddened eyes, his heart clenching with regret. His voice softened, his attempt at comfort clumsy. “I misunderstood you. I’m sorry.” In the following weeks, Alexander treated me better than ever before. Perhaps it was guilt, or perhaps it was because I had actually managed to secure the celebrity endorsement, solving a massive problem for his company. He showered me with gifts—jewelry, luxury cars, limited-edition handbags. If I so much as glanced at something, it would be delivered to me within the hour. I accepted everything without protest and without fawning over him. I maintained a careful distance—gentle, understanding, and never demanding—which only made him more captivated. Meanwhile, Scarlett watched his growing affection for me, her jealousy festering into a madness that deepened the scheming in her eyes. She couldn’t stand it. She couldn’t accept that the prize she had held so securely in her grasp was being stolen away by his former doormat. A few days later, Alexander had to fly out of state for an urgent business matter. The moment he was gone, Scarlett showed up at the villa where I was staying. She cornered me at the top of the grand staircase. There were no servants around. Just the two of us. I saw the malice in her eyes and knew what was coming. Sure enough, the next second, Scarlett lunged forward and grabbed my wrist. Then, she threw herself backward, tumbling dramatically down the entire flight of stairs. “AHHH!”