After Rejecting the Villain Role

After forcing Felicity into the French maid outfit one more time, a line of text scrolled into view before my eyes:

That damn villain is so shameless, always finding new ways to humiliate our heroine!

It's okay, just wait until she reunites with her tycoon father and becomes a business magnate. She'll destroy the villain and his entire family!

Can we get a tutorial on how to skip all the villains scenes and just watch the sweet moments between the hero and heroine?

The text faded, and my hand, which had been unbuttoning Felicitys dress, froze.

She blushed, but her eyes were a pool of icy calm. "Not going to finish what you started?"

I took a deep breath and began re-fastening the buttons I had just undone.

"You can go."

Felicity stared at me, baffled.

"What did you say?"

My gaze dropped, tracing the soft curve of her chest, the pale skin of her waist, all the way down to her wrists hanging by her sides. The delicate lace trim on her cuffs looked like snowflakes that had gently landed on her skin.

I had spent a long time picking out this outfit for her. The top was perfectly tailored, accentuating every line of her body without being overtly revealing. In fact, with Felicitys cool demeanor, it exuded an air of refined elegance.

But according to those comments, she was supposed to be feeling utterly humiliated right now. She was supposed to believe I was degrading her.

The thought suddenly made the whole thing feel pointless. I set down my camera.

"I said, you can go. I don't feel like shooting anymore."

Im currently running a startup with my friend, Sophie. She designs the lingerie and boutique outfits, and I handle the photography. Felicity herself had personally agreed to my request to model this new piece for a photoshoot.

She yanked the bunny ears from her head, her thin lips pressed into a line of simmering annoyance.

"What's your problem now, Jasper? I already agreed to let you take the pictures. What more do you want?"

Just then, the floating text, which had vanished, began scrolling furiously again:

What is wrong with this guy? The heroine already swallowed her pride for him, what's he trying to pull now?!

He's just racking up her hatred for him. The man has a death wish.

Don't worry, everyone. This villain eventually jumps off the 18th floor. Its a really gruesome death. :)

The 18th floor!

Because of Felicity?

A shiver ran down my spine. I subtly put some distance between us.

My voice was softer now. "I'm not throwing a tantrum. It just seems like you're not really into this photoshoot. I don't want to force you to do something you don't want to do."

Felicity looked stunned. A flicker of disbelief crossed her face. I suppose Id always been so relentlessly persistent with her that my sudden concession felt strange.

"Really? That's it? You're not planning some other twisted game?"

I shook my head quickly. "No, I'm not."

She studied me, her expression unreadable. After a long moment, just as I thought she wouldn't say anything else, she pushed the bunny-ear headband into my hand. Her voice was a little hoarse.

"I'm going to go study, then."

After Felicity left, the tension finally drained from my body. More comments drifted past my eyes:

You really think the villain would let the heroine go that easily?

This is just a strategic retreat. He's probably thinking up a new way to torture her.

Remember last time? She refused to go to the amusement park with him, so in revenge, he fired her mom. Her mom was crying secretly as she left with her bags.

Reading that, my fingers tightened into a fist.

That's not what happened at all.

The reason I fired her mother, our housekeeper, so forcefully in front of Felicity was because I had found her cancer diagnosis papers right before.

Her mom didn't want Felicity burdened with massive medical debt, and she especially didn't want to disrupt her during her master's defense. She was determined to keep it a secret.

So when I found out, I immediately contacted the best oncology team and urged her to get admitted for treatment. The whole firing scene was just an act to help her keep the secret from Felicity.

Just yesterday, her doctor told me her surgery went well and she's recovering nicely. She should be discharged any day now.

In the dead of night, I woke up, parched. I headed downstairs to the kitchen for a glass of water. As I passed Felicity's room, I saw her light was still on.

An image of her involuntarily surfaced in my mind: sitting at her desk, back ramrod straight, her long fingers turning the pages of a book, her lips slightly pursed in concentration.

Then, the memory of this morning's comments hit me like a splash of cold water. I snapped out of it, shaking my head hard.

Just then, I heard soft footsteps in the hallway. I ducked into the stairwell at the corner, peeking out. I saw my brother, Finn, wearing pink pajamas and carrying a glass of milk, knock on Felicity's door.

And then, new lines of text appeared:

Ahhh, the hero is finally here! Hes so adorable, like a little ray of sunshine.

Sob... he's the only one in this whole house who actually cares about our heroine.

My maternal instincts are kicking in, I want to have his babies!

Felicity opened the door quickly, seemingly unsurprised to see Finn. She pushed her black, half-rimmed glasses up her nose and took the milk from him with practiced ease, murmuring a thank you with a blush creeping up her ears.

When their fingertips brushed, the scrolling comments went into a frenzy about how they were "shipping them so hard."

Finns voice was bright. "Flick, will you come to the amusement park with me this weekend?"

Felicity paused, not answering right away. She just tilted her head back and drank the entire glass of milk.

What's wrong with the heroine?! Why hasn't she said yes to our sunshine boy yet!

Calm down, calm down. Our girl is the cool, reserved type.

Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!

Seeing her silence, Finn's lip jutted out in a small pout. "If you don't want to, it's okay. I can just go by myself."

Felicity leaned against the doorframe, bending slightly closer to him. "Who said I didn't want to? I was just thinking... you get motion sickness. I'm wondering if Dramamine would help with the 3D rides."

Watching their intimate exchange, my heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand. A sour, heavy feeling settled in my chest.

When I had asked Felicity to go to the amusement park with me, all she said was that she didn't want to waste time on such childish things.

Now, not only did she agree to go with Finn in a heartbeat, she was also thoughtfully considering how the 3D attractions might make him feel sick.

So it was never about wasting time.

It was about not wanting to waste her time on me.

Back in my room, staring at the 99+ notifications of comments going wild, the burning sensation returned to my eyes.

So, in this sweet romance novel, I was nothing more than the universally despised villain. And my non-blood-related younger brother, Finn, was the hero of this world. Felicity was his destined partner.

Then... what did all my years of affection even mean?

Felicity had been sickly since she was a child. To help her get stronger, I often forced her to eat vegetables and proteins she hated. Later, in high school, she started working the graveyard shift at a gaming cafe after her evening classes to earn tuition money. She'd be dozing off in class the next day. When I found out, I went behind her back, quit the job for her, and had my father set up a fund to cover her education all the way through university.

Only after reading those comments did I realize.

In all those moments I thought I was doing what was best for her, in her eyes, I was just being coercive and insulting. So much so that one day, she would want revenge enough to ruin my family.

If that's how it was, then I was done. I would stop loving her.

I spent the next few hours gathering all the gifts Felicity had given me over the years and packed them into a cardboard box. Then I tossed it into the storage room.

They weren't really gifts, mostly just little things she'd handed me offhandedly.

But I had treasured them for years.

Felicity and I were in the same graduate program. We even had the same advisor. I was just a year behind her.

The next day, after we finished our work in the lab, Felicity was still organizing data, showing no signs of leaving. This time, I didn't wait around for her like I usually did. I packed up my things and walked straight to the door.

"Jasper."

Her voice stopped me. I turned, my expression distant.

"What is it?"

She walked over to me. "Are you leaving now?"

"Yeah."

I made a move to leave, but she grabbed my wrist, her grip firm and unyielding.

"It's dark out. I'll walk you home."

"No, that's okay."

Felicity looked down at me, her eyes dark and inscrutable. "What kind of tantrum are you throwing now? Is it because I went to the amusement park with Finn? Are you jealous?"

More text floated into my vision:

Is this villain ever not annoying? He makes the heroine coddle him over every little thing.

She's only offering to walk him home because she needs to buy Finn a cake from that bakery on the way.

Ah, so that's what it was.

My heart twisted, a sharp, acidic pang. I should have known. Growing up, Felicity always called Finn by his nickname, Finny. But she always, always called me by my full name.

That was the difference.

I pulled my wrist free. "I'm not throwing a tantrum. And it's your business who you go to the amusement park with."

Felicity let out a soft laugh, as if she could see right through my facade. "Still say you're not jealous?"

I was speechless. There was no point in arguing. I just turned and walked away.

I didn't expect Felicity to get home before me. When I walked in, Finn was standing beside her, waving a slice of strawberry cake at me with a triumphant smirk.

"I mentioned yesterday I wanted strawberry cake, and look! Flick got it for me today."

I shot him a flat, indifferent glance and tried to walk past. But as I passed, Finn suddenly grabbed my arm, his nails digging into my skin. I instinctively tried to shake him off, but he used the momentum to throw himself to the ground.

The delicate cake splattered across the floor.

Finn's eyes turned red as he started to wail. "Brother, I was just asking if you wanted some cake. Why did you have to push me? I know I'm not Mom and Dad's real son, and I know you've always hated me for taking your place as the young master of this house for so many years, but I really didn't mean to!"

Felicity rushed to help him up, then turned to me with a thunderous expression.

"That's enough, Jasper! Apologize to Finn!"

I looked at her in disbelief. "Are you blind, Felicity? He grabbed me first!"

I pushed up my sleeve, revealing the angry red marks on my arm, some spots already broken and bleeding.

Felicity faltered for a second, but Finn just whimpered again. "I... I guess I didn't realize how hard I was grabbing. I'm sorry I hurt you, brother. It's all my fault, all my fault..."

Tears welled up in his eyes.

Felicitys voice softened as she comforted him. "It was an accident. It's not your fault."

My own eyes burned with unshed tears, my voice raspy with indignation. "Felicity, I've had a dog for less time than I've known you, and even it knows to wag its tail at me! But you?"

Her face instantly turned to ice. Her expression was utterly cold. "Jasper! I am not your dog. I am a living, breathing person!"

Her voice was sharp enough to draw blood. The heat that had just subsided in my eyes surged back.

Felicity stared at the tears pooling in my eyes. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she remained silent.

At that moment, the comments scrolled frantically across my vision again:

Yes! Our heroine is finally fighting back! Don't be afraid of that villain! Once you inherit your tycoon dad's fortune, the Clark family won't even be worthy of polishing your shoes!

The hero is so kind, omg. He just wanted to share cake with his brother, what did he do wrong?!

Someone give me the villain's social media handle. I want to cyberbully him.

After reading the comments, I turned and walked upstairs without another word.

They were right. Once Felicity found her real family, the Clarks would be nothing to her. We couldn't afford to cross her.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on my door. Assuming it was the housekeeper, I called out, "Come in."

When I looked up, I was met with a pair of deep, captivating eyes.

It was my childhood friend, Roxanne.

Even though it was the middle of a sweltering summer, she was wrapped in a camel-colored trench coat. I walked over in confusion and touched her forehead. "Roxy, are you sick?"

Her ears flushed red, and her gaze on me seemed to shimmer. Then, she squeezed her eyes shut as if gathering all her courage and threw open the coat.

My jaw dropped.

I saw the bell collar around her neck. The micro-mini skirt that barely covered anything. The long, pale expanse of her legs.

A size XXS maid outfit?!

Roxanne looked down at me, her voice low, cool, and impossibly sexy. "I can wear this stuff too. Stop looking for someone else, okay?"

My phone buzzed. It was a text from Sophie:

EMERGENCY! Roxanne heard you were going to use Felicity as a model and took off with my latest design!

My face went hot. I couldn't bring myself to look at Roxanne.

At that exact moment, my bedroom door was thrown open again without warning.

Felicity stood there, tall and straight.

And she was wearing the exact same outfit I had originally prepared for her.

My mind went completely blank.

The comments exploded, the notification hitting 99+.

What the hell is happening right now!?

wiping drool from my keyboard

Holy talk about a hellish showdown!