The Green Tea Gambit

The moment I snapped into existence in this clich angsty novel, a holographic System notification popped up in my vision.

OBJECTIVE: WIN OVER HUSBAND (ETHAN VANCE).

I told it, Sure, got it, and immediately called Ryan, the 6'2 college freshman from my mom's book club.

So, when my husband Ethan finally came home, cradling his injured "white moonlight," he found me and a guy with glorious abs cuddled on the couch watching a horror movie.

"Oh, you're back?" I said, not moving. "Ryan here has a fever, and his dorm's on lockdown, so he's crashing with us."

I pointed with my chin. "His clothes were soaked from the rain, so I let him borrow your silk pajamas. It's not like you ever come home to wear them anyway."

Ethans eyes went bloodshot. He shoved his childhood friend, Chloe, off his arm and pointed a trembling finger at me.

Before I could say anything, Ryan looked up from my shoulder, his big, innocent eyes wide.

"Claire? Is... is Ethan mad?" he asked, his voice a little hoarse from the "fever."

"But... isn't his friend staying here, too?"

The System shrieked in my head: [HOST, WHAT IS THIS TOP-TIER GREEN TEA MANIPULATOR YOU'VE FOUND?!]

I glanced at the "Conquest" progress bar. Ethan's disgust, which was at 90% when I arrived, had just dropped. I hid a small smile.

"He brings his white moonlight home, I host a college kid. Seems fair to me," I muttered. "After all, who doesn't have one that got away?"

1
The movies cheesy sound effects filled the villa, mixed with Ryan's clear, confused voice.

"Claire, does the plumbing always make that clang noise right before the ghost shows up?"

I nodded, distracted. "Yeah. Classic horror trope."

"Oh. Well, next time the pipes in my dorm act up, I'll just think of you, and I won't be scared." He leaned a little heavier against my side, smiling, revealing one small, sharp canine tooth.

I stared at the pajamas he was wearing. Ethan's pajamas. The dark silk was open three buttons down, showing off a truly impressive landscape of muscle. Ryans hair was still damp from his shower, his face flushed from the "fever," and one of his hands was gripping the fabric of my own shirt.

He noticed me looking and had the decency to look embarrassed. "Sorry, Claire. I'm just... not great with scary movies."

Perfect, I thought. This kid is a natural.

Two hours ago, I was in my world, rage-reading this exact novel and texting my group chat about what a spineless idiot the heroine was. Next thing I know, I'm herClaire, the doormat wife.

The System was buzzing. [HOST, WE'RE GOING BIG! COMPLETE THE OBJECTIVE, AND YOU GET TEN MILLION DOLLARS AND A TICKET HOME!]

Id looked at the System panel. ETHAN VANCE: DISGUST LEVEL 90%.

Apparently, karma is a bitch.

The System was babbling about how I needed to use "self-sacrifice" and "emotional anguish" to make Ethan pity me and finally fall in love. I felt my liver ache just listening to it.

So I gave the System a vague "k," and called Ryan. Within an hour, a "drenched," "feverish," and "homeless" Ryan was at my door.

Just as the movie hit its jump-scare climax, the front doort's electronic lock beeped.

CLANG.

The sound from the movie and the door opening were simultaneous. I shrieked and dove straight into Ryan's arms. He, to his credit, wrapped a solid arm around my waist, hissing "What? What?"

Then a furious voice cut through the dark. "What the hell are you two doing?!"

Ethan was silhouetted in the doorway. And he was, as I predicted, half-carrying a woman in a delicate white dress. Her makeup was perfect, but she wore a pained, brave expression. Chloe. His "one of the guys" childhood best friend, the one that got away.

I shoved Ryan off me and crossed my arms. "God, Ethan, you scared the life out of me! Don't you know how to announce yourself? We're trying to watch a movie."

Ethan hit the lights. His eyes landed on Ryan, then on the pajamas. His face froze.

I took a chip from the bowl Ryan was holding. "Ryan has a fever. Dorms are on lockdown. He's crashing here." I repeated my lines. "His clothes were soaked, so I let him borrow your pajamas. You never come home anyway."

I smiled at the woman he was holding. "This must be Chloe, right? You should take her upstairs. Hit the lights on your way out."

2
Ethan looked like he was going to have an aneurysm. He violently let go of Chloe, who stumbled.

"You let another man," he seethed, "wear my clothes? Claire, have you no shame?"

Chloe, having regained her balance, put a worried hand on his arm. "Ethan, don't be angry. I'm sure Claire has a perfectly good reason." Her eyes flicked to Ryan. "This must be a relative, right, Claire? Because... if he's not, this does look a little..."

Right on cue, Ryan spoke up, his voice the definition of wounded innocence.

"Claire? Is Ethan... mad at me? Is it because I'm wearing his pajamas, or... just because I'm here?"

Ethan glared. "It's my house. What do you think?"

Ryan looked down, then back up, his expression a perfect blend of confusion and hurt. It was a "soul-punch" of a look. "Oh. But... didn't you bring a friend home, too? How come your friend is okay, but Claire's isn't?"

Chloe immediately jumped in. "That is completely different. Ethan and I grew up together. We're practically family." She laughed, a breezy, "cool girl" sound. "I'm not like other girls. I'm just one of the guys."

Ryan's eyes lit up. "Oh, 'one of the guys'! That's so cool. Claire thinks of me as a little brother, right, Claire?"

I had been enjoying the show, but it was my turn. "Exactly. Ryan's my mom's best friend's son. He's basically my annoying little brother." I smiled sweetly at Chloe.

[HOST! HIS GREEN TEA LEVELS ARE OFF THE CHARTS! HE'S THREE TIMES MORE TOXIC THAN THE PLOT ALLOWS! YOU'RE RUINING THE MISSION!]

The System was having a meltdown. But a second later, a different alert dinged.

[HUSBAND DISGUST LEVEL: -2. PROCEEDING.]

The System went silent.

I smirked. Silly AI. It doesn't get male psychology. This isn't about love. It's about possession. And Ethan just found out someone else was playing with his toys.

3
Chloe's face was thunderous. "Ethan," she huffed, "is this really the woman you married? I told you, you should have let us vet her first. What kind of upbringing..."

I tuned her out.

"Get him the hell out of here, Claire," Ethan bit out, his voice low and dangerous. "Don't make me say it again."

Ryan actually flinched, shrinking closer to me.

I slammed my water glass on the table. "Stop yelling! Can't you see you're scaring him? He's sick!"

Ethan's hands clenched into fists. "Claire. We are married."

"Oh, I'm aware," I snapped, suddenly fed up. "Why are you acting like some possessive psycho? I told you, he's just crashing for one night. Now, go take care of your 'brother' Chloe. She looks like she's about to collapse."

"My...'brother' Chloe?" she sputtered.

I nodded, all concern. "Yeah. You're injured, right? You're still standing, though. You're not... faking it, are you?"

Chloe immediately went pale and swayed. "Ethan... I'm... I'm suddenly so dizzy..."

Ethan looked from my face to Ryan's, then back to Chloe, who was doing a convincing impression of a wilting flower. Trapped, he let out an animalistic sigh and scooped her into his arms.

"Go to your own room tonight, Claire," he ordered, marching up the stairs. "And don't stay up late."

I just waved.

Ryan unpaused the movie. In the next thirty minutes, he "jumped" six times, "accidentally" grabbed my hand three times, and "panted" from fear twice... which just so happened to press his rock-solid abs against my arm.

"Claire... I'm really scared."

I gave his arm a reassuring pat. Right on the bicep. "Don't worry, Ryan. I'll protect you."

I was so focused on the abs, I didn't even notice the small, knowing smile on his face.

4
The villa was huge. When I got tired, I just picked a guest room. I was woken up by a crash and a yell.

[HOST, WAKE UP! THE HUSBAND AND THE GREEN TEA RINGER ARE THROWING DOWN!]

Ugh. Can't a girl get some sleep?

I ripped the door open. Ryan was standing right outside my room, in his pajamas. Ethan was at the end of the hall, looking... relieved? My annoyance vanished when I saw Ryan's pajama buttons were still undone.

"What are you two doing?"

Ryan was the first to speak, his voice full of hurt. "Ethan thought you were in my room. He just... burst in and started yelling. I told him you were in here, but he wouldn't believe me. He wanted to see for himself."

I zoomed in on the important part. "He just burst in? Ethan, why are you acting like a lunatic?" I went to Ryan, "checking him" for injuries. He looked fine, just a little bruising on his ego.

Ethan exploded. "Are you blind, Claire? I'm the one who's hurt!"

I finally noticed his hand. It was bleeding.

Ryan looked down, the picture of guilt. "I'm so sorry, Claire. He just... he came in so fast... I thought he was a burglar..."

"Ethan, you have issues!" I snapped. "You break into his room in the middle of the night? You're lucky that's all that happened. You scared him!"

"I'M THE ONE WHO'S BLEEDING!" he roared.

"This is about trust, Ethan! Clearly, you don't trust me! If there's no trust, what's the point? Just go to bed."

I pulled Ryan back into his room, shut the door, and went back to my room, slamming the door.

[HUSBAND DISGUST LEVEL: -2. HUSBAND ANGER-AT-RYAN LEVEL: 300%.]

"Whatever," I mumbled into my pillow. "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Green tea vs. 'cool girl' tea. Let them fight."

First, search for and download the MotoNovel app from Google. Then, open the app and use the code "289837" to read the entire book.