After the mission failed, I was abandoned in this world.
Without the identity the system had given me, I could only scrub dishes at a rundown hole-in-the-wall restaurant.
Jack Stephens stared at the frostbite sores covering my hands, his expression unreadable. "How did you end up like this?"
I laughed bitterly. "The punishment for failing the mission."
His friends burst into wild laughter.
"No way—she actually believed it?"
"How stupid can you be? There's no such thing as a system."
"If you hadn't pushed Chloe and broken her leg, you think Jack would've tossed you out?"
"We made the whole thing up to mess with you. God, this is hilarious."
I froze.
Jack silenced them with a look. "Apologize to Chloe, and you'll still be Mrs. Stephens."
The next second, the system that had been dead for months roared back to life.
[Ding. Love value detected. Mission restarted. Complete within seven days, or face immediate termination.]
——
I trembled instinctively at those words. Then came a surge of desperate hope. "If I succeed—can I go back?"
The mechanical voice replied: [Yes. Current love value: 50%. Good luck, host.]
"Well?" Jack's frown deepened. "You don't agree?"
His voice yanked me back. I nodded immediately.
His expression softened. "That's more like it."
[Ding. Love value: 55%.]
So that's it. He likes obedience.
When I returned to the Stephens mansion, a figure came rushing out. Chloe Quinn latched onto Jack's arm, pressing her body against his. "Jack, where did you go? I baked a cake and nobody touched it."
My heart clenched, bracing for the system's punishment. Before, whenever Chloe appeared, Jack's love value would plummet—and the pain would follow.
But this time, nothing happened.
Chloe finally noticed me. Her smile froze, disgust flickering in her eyes before she masked it with a timid look. "Rebecca, you're back."
Her gaze told a different story. Pure provocation.
When I didn't react, Jack gently but firmly detached Chloe from his arm. "Now that Becca's back, we should keep our distance."
Chloe let go, her expression stiff. "Rebecca, I'm sorry—I was just so excited to see him. You won't hold it against me, right?"
Jack patted her shoulder. "Of course not. She came back to apologize to you."
He turned to me, waiting.
I understood. "I'm sorry."
What I didn't expect was Chloe's eyes welling up with tears. "Rebecca, if you don't want to apologize, you really don't have to. No one's forcing you."
Jack's face darkened. "Rebecca. Kneel and apologize."
I stared at him in disbelief, but his expression was granite.
For the mission. I swallowed my humiliation and sank to my knees.
When I looked up, I caught the corner of Chloe's mouth curling into a smirk.
After the apology, Jack's love value climbed to 70%. Obedience works. I exhaled.
He helped me to my feet, his voice low and earnest. "Becca, from now on, you're the only Mrs. Stephens."
I looked at his serious face and sighed inwardly.
Too late. My love is already spent.
That evening at the dining table, the warm air made the frostbite sores on my hands itch unbearably.
