He Caught the Light
Right now, he was pinned against a wall in the dressing room by his childhood sweetheart.
“Larry, run away with me, please?” she begged.
His eyes darkened. He gripped her waist, his own eyes red-rimmed as he rasped, “Ask me properly.”
Outside that door, the System’s voice echoed in my mind, a frantic, desperate wail. “Host, we got it wrong! Your target is his best friend, Jason! You only have one hour left!”
And so, just before Larry could jilt me at the altar, I bolted first.
I spun on my heel, stormed into the room next door, and crushed my lips against his best friend’s.
“Jason,” I whispered, my voice trembling, “what if I told you that I love you? That with your friend… it was never real? Would you believe me?”
Jason slowly wiped the blood from his lip where I’d bitten him, a cold smirk playing on his face. “Little siren,” he drawled, “you really get off on this, don’t you?”
1
I had the wrong guy.
And I only found this out on the day I was supposed to marry Larry.
Inside the dressing room, a girl was wearing my wedding dress, her voice a saccharine purr.
“Larry, do I look beautiful in her dress?”
His voice was a low, rough growl. “Hideous.”
“Hideous? Then why are you still so—ah!”
Her words shattered into a sharp gasp.
Today was my wedding day. Larry’s childhood sweetheart, Phoebe, had heard the news and flown back from overseas overnight, dead set on crashing the ceremony and stealing the groom.
An icy dread washed over me. If this wedding was called off, the System would erase me for mission failure.
From inside the room, Phoebe’s breathless, triumphant voice floated out. “See? You do still love me.”
Larry’s face was a stony mask, but his actions didn't stop. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
Phoebe’s voice broke into a sob. “Larry, don’t marry that pathetic doormat. Run away with me, please?”
“Beg me.”
“I’m begging you.”
And then, I heard the sound of him kissing her.
A pain so sharp it stole my breath lanced through my chest. I was about to shove the door open when the System, which had been dead silent for ages, suddenly shrieked in my head.
【AHHHHHHHHHHH!】
I jumped, my heart hammering against my ribs.
The System’s voice was pure terror. 【HOST, STOP THE WATERWORKS! YOU’VE BEEN SIMPING FOR THE WRONG GUY!!!! THE DEADLINE IS ALMOST UP! AHHHHH…】
The world tilted on its axis. “The… the wrong guy?!”
【That’s right,】 the System sobbed. 【Your target is Larry’s best friend, Jason… and you have one hour left.】
My legs turned to jelly, and darkness swam at the edge of my vision. I nearly fainted right there.
For the past six months, I had meticulously played the part of the devoted, adoring girlfriend. I was at his beck and call, enduring every whim, all for the single goal of getting Larry to marry me.
And now you’re telling me I was chasing the wrong man?
One hour. Where in the hell was I supposed to find Jason and get him to marry me in one hour? I might as well just lie down and wait to die.
“What do I do?” I whispered, my heart a dead weight in my chest.
The System’s voice was a faint thread. 【A kiss can extend the mission timer! The more intimate the contact, the more time you get. I suggest a forced kiss. Immediately.】
Life surged back into me. I hiked up my dress, my eyes blazing with murderous intent. “Where do I kiss him!?”
【The ceremony hall!】
A few minutes later, a mismatched pair of fiancés stood at the altar.
Tears welled in my eyes, threatening to spill over. After all, if I couldn't get to Jason, I was a dead woman walking.
Larry was as cold and distant as ever. “Ava,” he murmured, a cruel glint in his eyes, “excited to finally be my wife?” He was clearly looking forward to the drama when he rejected me, picturing my heartbroken sobs.
But I had no time for him. The System’s frantic countdown was screaming in my head.
【HOST! JASON IS APPROACHING THE MAIN ENTRANCE! COUNTDOWN: TEN, NINE, EIGHT…】
I subtly gathered the hem of my gown, bending my knees slightly, preparing for a sprint.
The officiant’s voice boomed through the hall. “Do you, the bride and groom, promise to have and to hold, for as long as you both shall live?”
Down in the pews, Phoebe was flushed with excitement, her face glowing.
Larry lifted the microphone, a smug smile tugging at his lips. “I do n—”
【HOST, GOOOOOOOOOO!!!!】
Before the horrified eyes of every guest, my face twisted into a mask of grim determination. I launched myself forward.
Like a human cannonball, I shot down the aisle with impossible speed, a blur of white satin and desperation.
Jaws dropped.
The massive doors of the chapel burst open with a resounding bang. I grabbed the first man I saw and vanished with him into the blinding sunlight.
Leaving a stunned Larry and a speechless officiant standing alone at the altar.
A long, silent moment passed.
“Holy…” The officiant’s voice cracked. He turned to Larry, utterly bewildered. “Did the bride… just… run for it? She did, right?”
2
In a dusty, forgotten storeroom, Jason leaned casually against the wall, his clothes in disarray. He was a portrait of ravaged beauty.
“Had your fill?” he asked, his tone lazy, utterly unbothered. It was as if being ambushed and kissed senseless was nothing more than a mild inconvenience.
The System panted in my mind. 【Phew, the forced kiss worked. Congratulations, Host, you’ve earned thirty minutes of survival time.】
【It would be even better if you could sleep with him. One time could extend the clock by days.】
Only thirty minutes for a kiss like that. That was Jason for you—notoriously difficult.
As the youngest heir to the formidable Calloway family, Jason was known for his volatile and darkly unpredictable nature. People went out of their way to avoid him. Who in their right mind would dare to try and seduce him?
The System, its virtual face contorted in a snarl, presented me with a digital novel: The Psycho CEO Wants to [Redacted] Me (Steamy).
【Trust me, Host! Just follow the plot. You’ll have him eating out of your hand!】
A few minutes later, I found myself perched on Jason’s lap, wearing a slinky red dress with a thigh-high slit, my face burning. The stark contrast between my pale legs and the black fabric of his suit trousers was electrifying.
The System whispered, 【This book is pretty twisted. You’re going through a lot for this, Host.】
It’s not hard work, it’s a hard life.
I dug my nails into my thigh, forcing tears to my eyes. “Jason,” I whimpered, “what if I told you that I love you? That with your friend… it was never real? Would you believe me?”
Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the fine hairs on my skin. Jason’s eyes narrowed, a dark fire kindling in their depths.
“Little siren, you really get off on this, don’t you?” His cool, smooth voice was enough to make my legs weak.
Suddenly, Larry’s furious voice echoed from outside. “Search every room. When you find Ava Stone, break her legs.”
Jason glanced down at my wedding dress, now a torn heap of fabric on the floor, and a mocking smile touched his lips. “Come closer, little siren.”
The System shrieked again. 【HOST! LARRY CAN’T SEE YOU WITH HIM! IT’LL DEDUCT SURVIVAL TIME!!!!】
I jolted, scrambling to get up and lock the door. But Jason’s hand shot out, his fingers wrapping around my waist and pulling me flush against him. A clean, sharp scent of mint flooded my senses, overwhelming me. He was so impossibly clean, so pristine.
His hand traced the curve of my waist before giving a light, sharp squeeze. A startled gasp escaped my lips.
Then, he pushed open the window.
Bright spring light poured in. A rack of clothes perfectly obscured Jason’s upper body. From outside, all Larry could see was me—cheeks flushed, straddling a pair of long legs clad in black suit pants, my expression one of pure panic.
The System wailed. 【SURVIVAL TIME NEARING ZERO! COUNTDOWN: TEN, NINE…】
【AHHH, HOST, FORGET KISSING, SLEEP WITH HIM! IT'S FASTER!】
My hands fumbled frantically at Jason’s belt buckle.
The next second, Larry’s enraged roar ripped through the entire courtyard.
“AVA STONE, YOU STOP RIGHT THERE!”
“I SWEAR, IF YOU AND THAT BASTARD WALK OUT OF HERE IN ONE PIECE TODAY, I’LL CHANGE MY LAST NAME!”
Jason remained utterly composed, stroking my hair. “Put your hands behind your back.”
“Huh?”
Outside the window, a crowd of wedding guests was starting to gather.
Jason calmly unwound his own tie and, in one smooth motion, bound my wrists together. He offered me a gentle, chilling smile.
“Didn’t you want to sleep with me?”
“Didn’t have the strength? Then how are you going to fuck me in front of everyone?”
Not…
Were all these people here because he’d called them?
The precious survival time I had just earned was plummeting. With my hands tied, I was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack, my voice cracking as I sobbed. “Untie me! Or I can’t do it!”
The look of detached amusement on Jason’s face vanished instantly. He raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a cold line. “You really want to?”
“Does it look like I’m faking it?!”
Under the crushing threat of imminent death, my body went limp. I collapsed into his arms, shaking with uncontrollable, desperate sobs.
It was probably the first time Jason had ever seen someone cry because they couldn't sleep with him.
Outside, the crowd of onlookers grew larger.
A black jacket was suddenly thrown over my head, covering me completely just as the first of them arrived.
The countdown stopped.
Jason’s voice was laced with a dark, mocking humor. “What’s with the drama? You’d think you have a terminal illness. Pathetic, Ava.”
3
Just as Larry was about to break down the door, Jason scooped me up. He carried me out the back, weaving through a maze of clothing racks, and settled me into his car.
Inside, my heart was still pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs. I couldn't stop the hiccuping sobs.
Jason’s expression was grim. “What are you crying for? Because you couldn’t sleep with me?”
I nodded furiously, clinging to him like a limpet, silently counting the seconds as my survival time slowly crawled back up. Jason stared out the window, his expression cold and distant, lost in his own thoughts.
The car glided into a gated community of sprawling villas.
“Get out.” Jason’s voice was sharp.
“Aren’t you coming?”
“I have work to do.”
That was absolutely not an option.
The System screamed in my head. 【HOST, KISS HIM UNTIL YOU CAN’T KISS ANYMORE!!! I DON’T WANT TO DIE!】
I cautiously leaned closer. “Can I… can I kiss you?”
Jason stared at my tear-dampened lashes for a long moment before his fingers closed around my chin, tilting my face up. He allowed my desperate kiss, his lips cool against mine. The rough pads of his fingers traced the line of my neck, sending an indescribable shiver through me.
It felt so good.
Suddenly, a sharp rap on the car window shattered the moment. My eyes flew open to see Larry’s face pressed against the glass. I let out a shriek, my heart nearly stopping in my chest.
“You absolute moro—”
【Host, maintain your green tea persona.】
I slapped a hand over my mouth and scrambled down, hiding myself beneath his legs and looking up at him with pleading eyes.
Thankfully, Larry couldn’t see clearly into the car. He kept knocking, his voice tight. “Buddy, do me a favor.”
Jason glanced down at me, then pressed my head lower. “Good girl. A little lower, and he won’t see you.”
From this… compromising position, the minty scent of him was even more intense.
The window lowered a crack.
“What is it?” Jason’s voice was coolly indifferent.
“Ava ran off.”
Jason’s eyebrow twitched, his expression unreadable. “Oh. Well, she’s certainly… playing with fire.”
Larry lit a cigarette, his frustration palpable. “Help me out. Some guy carried her out the back door. I remember you had men stationed back there; they must have seen something. Find out who he is. I’m going to make sure he can never have children again.”
A jolt of panic went through me, and I accidentally knocked my head against… a certain part of him.
Jason let out a soft hiss, his eyes narrowing as he looked down at me. “Well now, do you want to make sure I can’t have children either?”
I clamped my mouth shut, not daring to make a sound.
Larry, however, squinted through the crack, trying to get a better look. He froze. “Who’s the girl? She looks… flexible.”
“Someone new. She’s a biter.”
Larry pressed closer, practically trying to shove his head through the gap. “So young. Not going to introduce her to your friend?” He reached for the door handle.
The driver instantly hit the locks.
Jason smiled. “She’s shy. Easily scared. Next time, maybe.”
With that, under Larry’s suspicious gaze, Jason raised the window. He lifted my face and noticed my lipstick was smeared all over his trousers. He patiently wiped the smudges from my lips. “Now what are we going to do? Looks like your ex-fiancé is interested in you again.”
“Which means,” he added softly, “I’ll just have to hide you away.”
4
“Jason Calloway is a total psycho.”
I lay sprawled on Jason’s massive bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. After locking me in his villa, that psychopath had simply left, replaced by a secretary who delivered mountains of living supplies. The walk-in closet was now overflowing with silk nightgowns and designer bags.
The System, ever the pot-stirrer, commented, 【Host, he certainly has a flair for keeping someone. Very ceremonial.】
But did I need money? No. I needed him.
Yet for some reason, Jason was content to just dangle me on a string—close enough to see, but never to touch. As my survival time dwindled, I paced like a caged animal.
【Host, why don’t you jump out the window? Jason is at a gala not too far from here. If you leave now, you can still make it.】
So I did. I actually ran for it.
The villa’s security system erupted in a deafening shriek. A second later, my phone rang. It was Jason.
I answered, and his voice, cool and amused, slithered through the line. “Darling, is this your idea of sincerity? You’d better pray I don’t catch you.”
I hung up, annoyed, and glanced at the timer floating in my vision: ten minutes left. I pushed myself to run faster.
The ballroom was a cacophony of voices and music. I scanned the crowd, turning this way and that, when suddenly, a hand tangled in my hair and slammed me against the wall. Pain shot from the back of my head down to my tailbone, making me hiss.
“Ava. Where have you been the last few days?”
Larry materialized behind me, his face a thunderous mask.
I held my breath, my entire body tensing. The last time he and Jason were in the same room, I’d nearly died. “Larry,” I said softly, “let me go.”
“Let you go? So you can run back to your lover and live happily ever after?” He tightened his grip, yanking my hair viciously. “Tell me, who is he? I’d like to teach him that not all trash is worth picking up.”
I’d almost forgotten what a hateful monster Larry was. Back when Phoebe ignored him, he’d used me as her stand-in, forcing me to lose weight until I was as fragile and willow-thin as she was. The moment Phoebe spoke to him again, he’d find me, his stand-in, an eyesore, and demand I gain weight so I wouldn’t resemble her. This vicious cycle had gone on for six months, leaving me with a chronic stomach condition and frail health.
“System, can I call him a fucking asshole?”
【Your persona is a manipulative siren, Host,】 the System said regretfully. 【You can’t break character.】
I was being choked, struggling for air, when Phoebe appeared out of nowhere. She gasped, covering her mouth as her eyes instantly filled with tears. “Larry… why are you letting her filthy hands touch you?”
Larry whipped his head around, a flash of panic in his eyes at the sight of her. “Phoebe, it’s not what you think—”
“You liar!” Phoebe’s voice was thick with tears. “Don’t touch me! You’ve been touched by her. You’re so, so dirty…”
Seizing the opportunity, I broke free from Larry’s grasp and scrambled toward the hallway. But Phoebe stuck out her foot, tripping me. I lost my balance, crashing into a table of beer bottles and falling heavily to the floor. Shards of glass bit into my palm.
Phoebe was sobbing hysterically.
Larry wrapped his arms around her, then kicked me. “Hey. You upset my girl. Apologize to her.”
I bit my lip, my eyes fixed on the ten-minute countdown. The primal urge to survive drove me to crawl forward. Phoebe’s eyes glinted with malice as she lifted her foot, the sharp point of her stiletto heel aimed straight for my hand.
In a flash of desperation, I grabbed a large piece of broken glass and plunged it into her ankle.
A bloodcurdling scream tore through the ballroom.
An ice-cold notification sounded in my head: 【Attacking an NPC. Survival time deducted by five minutes.】
It was the voice of the 【Arbiter】, the ultimate authority over all Systems, whose judgments were absolute.
The timer above my head turned a threatening red.
The System shrieked. 【Host! You have to find Jason, now!】
I gritted my teeth, staggered to my feet, and burst through the main doors. My eyes scanned the area, and there he was—Jason, surrounded by a crowd, walking slowly in my direction.
【Host, lure him somewhere Larry can’t see! And then get on him!】
That was exactly my plan.
Jason murmured something to the person beside him and then started walking toward me. My face was pale, my heart pounding as I darted down the corridor, searching for the perfect place to strike.
His lazy voice drifted from behind me. “Ava. Don’t tell me you escaped just to get yourself all battered and bruised.”
His legs were long; one of his strides was worth three of mine. He followed me at a leisurely pace, like a predator letting its prey have a head start.
The countdown in my ear was like a death knell, hammering on my frayed nerves. As I picked up speed, Jason’s voice turned cold. “You’d better run faster. Because if I catch you, you know what will happen.”
Finally, around a corner, I spotted an empty reception room with its door ajar. The countdown was almost at zero.
I spun around so fast that Jason didn’t have time to react. I grabbed him, dragged him inside, and slammed him down onto a sofa, kissing him with a wild, desperate frenzy.
The timer, which had been about to hit zero, began to slowly tick back up.
Jason’s entire body went rigid, the icy fury in his eyes slowly melting into confusion. My lips were on his, silencing any words he might have spoken. His large hand slid down my back, gripped the collar of my dress, and with a gentle tug, pulled me away from him.
His handsome face was dark with anger. “Ava, stop—”
“Don’t talk! Just let me kiss you!”
Like a starving ghost, I lunged at him again, devouring him, ravaging his lips. The cool scent of him mixed with the rich aroma of wine was intoxicating, pulling me under.
But it wasn’t enough. I wasn’t getting enough time.
Panting and dizzy, I grabbed his tie. “Jason, let’s sleep together! Right now!”
It turns out, in the face of death, a person loses all sense of reason. So much so that I failed to notice we weren’t alone.
In fact, there were quite a few people in the room.
“You—you let go of our Chairman!” a trembling voice stammered from behind me.
I whipped my head around. A dozen pairs of eyes were staring fixedly at my hand, which was currently trying to unbuckle Jason’s belt. Their expressions were grim.
Could someone please tell me where this group of middle-aged men came from?
And then Jason, that bastard, started to laugh.
“Congratulations,” he said, a wicked gleam in his eyes. “You just announced your intention to screw me in front of my entire board of directors.”
5
Once again, Jason looked thoroughly ravaged. My lipstick stained his thin lips, and his tie and shirt were hopelessly wrinkled. He looked listless, like an innocent man who had been utterly taken advantage of.
Seeing this, the board members grew even more protective, slamming their hands on the table and rising to their feet. One of them, with tears in his eyes, sputtered, “How could you… sleep with him! He has a weak heart! What if something happened to him?!”
Jason let out a short, sharp laugh. “She’s right. She charged at me like a little bull. Nearly took my last breath.”
That damn psycho… he was enjoying the show again.
Suddenly, the emotional dam I’d been holding back for so long finally burst. Faced with their accusatory glares, I buried my face in Jason’s chest. When I looked up, my eyes were red and brimming with tears.
“Jason,” I choked out, “is it a crime to love you this much? Why are you letting them humiliate me like this?”
Jason’s expression froze, the handsome lines of his face hardening into a dark scowl. “Out.”
My mind was a whirlwind of curses. I started to get up, but Jason’s arm snaked around my waist, holding me in place.
“I was talking to them,” he growled. “Get. Out!”
The board members looked horrified. “We can’t! Sir, you have a heart condition! You can’t engage in such… strenuous activity—”
“Get out.”
For the first time, a raw, dangerous fury flickered in Jason’s eyes.
The men scurried out, casting worried glances back at us every few steps. One of them even thoughtfully closed the door on his way out.
So Jason had a heart condition. No wonder he always looked so pale and fragile, like a strong breeze could knock him over.
Jason reached up and gently wiped the tears from my cheeks. “Don’t like an audience?”
…Was I that kind of person? When had I possibly given him that impression?
Perhaps my resentful glare was too obvious, because Jason pressed his lips together. “Fine. And here I thought you were so bold.”
With that, his long, elegant fingers began to unbutton his shirt, one by one. His smooth collarbones were gradually revealed, a sight that made my blood run hot.
Seeing me just staring at him, Jason’s lips curved into a smirk. “Weren’t you the one who wanted to sleep with me? This offer is for a limited time only.”
The skin beneath my fingertips suddenly felt scorching hot. Jason was like a seductive fox spirit, his lazy gaze fixed on me. In the bright light, even the joints of his fingers seemed to glow with a faint pink hue.
I felt a sudden shyness, unsure of where to even begin.
His fingers traced a line from my neck, sliding slowly into my soft hair, and then his hand tightened its grip. A dark, dangerous desire swam in the depths of his eyes.
“Come here, darling.”
My body felt weak and pliant, and my voice trembled when I spoke. “Can we… turn off the lights?”
“No.”
“I want to watch you cry.”
“It’s more exciting that way.”
…
An hour later, I stumbled out of the meeting room, my legs unsteady and my vision blurry. My knees buckled, and I nearly collapsed.
The System smacked its lips contentedly. 【Host, that was good for a whole half a month of survival time. Jason is amazing.】
Yeah, amazing. I almost died.
Jason, that wolf in sheep’s clothing, followed me out. He sauntered over, hands in his pockets, and leaned down to whisper in my ear with a smirk. “You got the back of your skirt dirty. Remember to throw it out when you get home.”
My face flushed crimson.
The next moment, a pair of hands settled on my hips. Jason untied his own jacket and wrapped it around my waist, giving my butt a light pat. “Go on, go play.”
“…”
I stood frozen.
Jason chuckled again. “What? Can’t bear to leave me?”
I took a deep breath and suddenly turned back to him. “Jason, can you stay with me tonight? All night?”
His dark eyes studied me for a long moment before a slow smile spread across his face. “Alright.”
I grabbed his tie, pulling him down for a fleeting, butterfly-light kiss. “Wait for me right here, okay?”
Then, I turned and walked back toward the ballroom, a calm and determined expression on my face.
The System was confused. 【Host, where are you going?】
A savage grin stretched across my lips. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m going to go carve up those two idiots.”
I had half a month of life. It would be a waste not to spend at least some of it on revenge.
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