Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

In a daze, Charles Jennings was transported back many years, to the sight of a proud, dazzling girl beneath the climbing roses. She was like the midday sun in high summer—impossible to avoid.

Even after being cursed at, Charles Jennings didn’t get angry. A smile quickly returned to his face, his tone gentle. "Are you trying to provoke me on purpose?"

"You’re overthinking things," Joanna Kennedy said unhurriedly.

The fingers gripping her chin suddenly tightened. Joanna Kennedy’s expression barely changed; instead, she smiled, tilted her head, and asked, "Did you kidnap me for money, or for Serena Sutton?"

’Logically, since Charles Jennings was a task-doer whose mission already failed, and since he escaped punishment, shouldn’t he just be living his life? Why go through all the trouble of kidnapping me?’

’This completely defied the logic of a normal person’s behavior.’

Her expression was one of genuine confusion and bewilderment. Charles Jennings suddenly felt the urge to laugh, but in the end, he didn’t. Instead, he retorted, "Why don’t you take a guess?"

Joanna Kennedy raised an eyebrow. "It can’t possibly be for me, can it?"

It was a casual question, posed as if she already knew the answer and couldn’t care less. The gentle smile vanished from Charles Jennings’s face. He leaned in closer, his tone unreadable. "What do you think...?"

The air was silent for a moment, a wordless standoff. A coldness entered Joanna Kennedy’s eyes. "Stop being a psycho."

’Charles Jennings likes me? That was truly the most ridiculous joke I’ve heard in years, no less absurd than Jack Warren being in love with Simon Lockwood.’

’No one’s affection looks like this—like reckless harm, verbal abuse, and a g-h-o-s-t that refuses to leave you alone.’

’At best, he was just attracted to my somewhat pretty face. Or perhaps it was a way to pretend he was still a normal person, capable of normal emotions.’

’A selfish person like Charles Jennings could never truly love anyone.’

Charles Jennings’s expression flickered for an instant before he quickly composed himself. His tone was unreadable. "Are you being so reckless because you think Simon Lockwood will rescue you soon?"

Joanna Kennedy didn’t speak. She merely lifted her gaze and shot him a faint glance, her meaning obvious.

Charles Jennings was silent for a moment, then slowly stood up. "Do you want to see Serena Sutton?" he asked abruptly.

Joanna Kennedy: "?"

"You’ll be seeing her very soon," Charles Jennings said, narrowing his eyes before leaving her with that ambiguous remark.

The door was closed and locked again. Only then did Joanna Kennedy slump against the wall as if all her strength had drained away, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

On a small table not far away sat a very appetizing-looking sandwich. She had to tilt her head up slightly to reach it. Eating with both hands tied was a completely humiliating method.

Joanna Kennedy struggled for a while but couldn’t break free from the bindings on her wrists. The effort only made her hungrier. She had no choice but to slowly shuffle a few steps and lift her head to eat the sandwich on the table.

’Filling my stomach is more important than so-called dignity. I need strength to figure out how to escape.’

’I don’t know when Simon Lockwood will find this place. Until then, I have to conserve my strength and look for a chance to save myself.’

Just as she managed to finish the sandwich, Joanna Kennedy suddenly heard a faint sound, seemingly from the window. Before she could react, there were two distinct taps—one light, one heavy.

*

「Seven hours have passed since Joanna Kennedy’s disappearance.」

The Valentine family’s old manor was ablaze with lights.

"Mr. Lockwood, there’s no need to worry. Wyatt Young has already found some leads. Miss Kennedy will be fine."

Liam Valentine said this, but the expression of the man opposite him did not improve.

In just a few short hours, Simon Lockwood had become a complete wreck. His bloodshot eyes and cold, grim face did nothing to hide how much he cared.

Liam Valentine could still remember how the man had barged into the Valentine residence, aggressive and unreasonable, demanding to know Joanna Kennedy’s whereabouts. He’d been so ferocious, it was as if he wanted to tear Liam apart alive at any second.

Even after it was determined that Liam had nothing to do with Joanna Kennedy’s disappearance, the man’s attitude hadn’t softened.

’Asking for a favor while acting so arrogantly... He’s truly one of a kind.’

Liam Valentine sighed. Just as he was about to say something to ease the tension, several men in black rushed in. The one in the lead, Jack Warren, leaned down and whispered something.

An undisguised, dark hostility flashed across Simon Lockwood’s face. Without even bothering to put on his overcoat, he strode toward the door.

Jack Warren hastily grabbed the overcoat and hurried after him, with the other men in black following suit.

They had entered brazenly and left without the slightest hesitation, never once glancing at the actual master of the house.

Hearing the sound of a car starting outside, Valentine, who was sitting on the sofa, leaned back abruptly and let out a huge sigh of relief. Her little face scrunched up in displeasure. "So rude. They’re like bandits robbing a house."

She grumbled on for a bit, but when she got no response, she looked up to see a certain someone calmly sipping his tea. Seemingly deciding it wasn’t to his liking, he set the cup down lightly.

Valentine: "........."

Perhaps it was because Valentine’s stare was so full of resentment, Liam Valentine finally deigned to acknowledge her. He smiled with cool elegance. "Quite brave of you. Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell him?"

Valentine: "!"

’How could he threaten me like that! Doesn’t he know I’m most afraid of Simon Lockwood?!’

Valentine huffed and said, "You lied to him, too! I’ll tell him!"

"You knew where Joanna Kennedy was all along, and you knew who kidnapped her, but you deliberately pretended not to know in front of Simon Lockwood. You’re not being honest at all!" Valentine didn’t understand. "Why not play the hero and rescue the damsel in distress? Maybe then Joanna Kennedy would fall in love with you."

The hero saves the beauty, and the beauty pledges herself to him in return. Isn’t that what Liam Valentine wanted?

At such a naive and simple-minded comment, Liam Valentine’s movements paused for a second. Then he let out a heavy sigh, full of unspeakable weariness.

Outside the window, the sky began to pale. The sun rose from the horizon, and the first rays of dawn shone into his eyes. Liam Valentine narrowed them, a faint, cold glint flickering within their depths.

You have to try some things for yourself to realize just how impossible they are. He, too, was very curious to see what, exactly, Charles Jennings was planning.

*

In a stark white basement, there was only a single white bed in the center. On it, Serena Sutton lay with her eyes closed, as if fast asleep.

If she were to open her eyes, she would surely see a faint, floating, light-blue figure by the bedside.

It was an almost eerie scene. The light-blue figure flickered, one moment clear, the next on the verge of disappearing.

When Charles Jennings walked in, the light-blue figure immediately floated over and demanded, "Host, what exactly are you doing? This isn’t what you told me!"

There was clear anger in its mechanical voice, a sign that its self-awareness was growing stronger.

Charles Jennings’s expression was placid. "How is it different? You want to upgrade into a Level 1 System, and aren’t I helping you do that? Aren’t you getting stronger?"

"But you clearly said you would only extract a little of the female lead’s protagonist energy!" 014 wasn’t falling for his verbal gymnastics. "Why did you bring another task-doer here? What are you really planning?!"

When the mission failed, it, as a high-level system, was demoted three full levels. It was mocked, both openly and behind its back, by other systems from the same batch. The sensation of its consciousness slowly degrading was like watching its own life force drain away.