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I tailed Knox Whitmore for two days. One minute I was invisible. The next, I was t!ed to his b.ed, trembling, while he sneered down at me like I was garbage. "Don't stick me with this mouse. Give her to my brother." Seven years ago, I borrowed ten th0us4#&nd from him. Dumped his backpack in a sewer. Faked my death and vanished. He doesn't remember me. The car accident wiped me clean from his head. But I remember everything. The way he yanked my hair. Tossed my glasses. Called me "little mouse" while he watched me beg for his scraps. Now he's handing me over to his brother like a gift. I should run. I should be terrified. But then his cold eyes catch mine. He rips my glasses off again. Forces my chin up until I have no choice but to meet his gaze. And I see it. That flicker. That same strange pause from years ago when he realized I wasn't as ug1#&y as he thought. He doesn't know who I am. But his b0dy remembers. Before I faked my death, I decided to get even with the arrogant elites at school. I borrowed ten th0usand d0!lars from each of them. Seven years passed. The dust settled. They'd all climbed to the top. Power. m0ney. The whole world in their hands. Some even had fiancées now. They'd probably forgotten I ever existed. So I slipped back quietly to finish my final task: [Bitter Gaze of the Doomed Side Character] Day two of tailing my target, I got snatched and tied to one of their beds. I was shaking like a leaf. He stared down at me, cold and unrecognizing. "Don't stick me with this kind of mouse. Give her to my brother. Isn't she his type? He's already got a whole collection of girls like this." ... Knox Whitmore stood by the bed, phone pressed to his ear, his tone dripping with indifference. His gaze swept over me, cold and unfamiliar. I was in a plain long-sleeve shirt and black pants, black-framed glasses sitting on my nose. The most ordinary look possible. Silently trailing him. Watching him from the shadows. The System's voice had barely faded from my head. 【Task one of the Bitter Gaze of the Doomed Side Character. Complete.】 And I got snatched up and dumped onto this soft mattress. Knox tore into whoever was on the other end of the line. "You sent me someone you couldn't pick out of a crowd?" His face darkened. Long fingers moved to untie me. Then whoever was on the phone said something. Knox froze. His deep eyes narrowed, fixing on me. "Following me?" He tapped the speakerphone button. A shaky voice spilled out. "Yes, Mr. Whitmore. I observed this girl tailing you. I brought her here so you could deal with her yourself." Knox stopped untying me halfway. And tied me right back up. Someone handed him my file. He skimmed it, then tossed it aside without a second glance. Clicked his tongue. "Same high school as me." "You—you don't recognize me?" I asked, barely getting the words out. Knox looked at me like I'd just said the dumbest thing he'd ever heard. A scoff ripped out of him. "Are you someone important? Should I know you?" I froze. Seven years. Maybe he'd had too many girls around him. Maybe my face meant nothing anymore. But there was no way he could see my name, know we went to the same private high school, and have zero reaction. Because Knox was the worst of them back then. He made me his personal errand girl. His little shadow. He'd dump my breakfast straight into the tr@sh. Then he'd force me to call him some "master" and beg him to let me eat. Only then would he lazily toss me his leftovers. "Just like a little mouse." That was what he'd always say, right before pinching my cheeks as I chewed. ... Knox hated me the second he saw me. If he was the reckless, arrogant heir, I was the invisible girl locked in her own world, too quiet to string a sentence together. Then one day, I stepped on his watch. It had fallen on the floor. I panicked. Couldn't even look at him. Didn't need to think twice—I knew it was worth a fortune. His smile was razor-thin. He crooked a finger at me. "Rooftop. Little mouse." That evening. He plucked the black glasses off my face and tossed them aside like garbage. Then he grabbed a fistful of my hair. My thick bangs got swept up along with it. He paused. The cold disgust on his face flickered into something else. His brow arched. His gaze dragged over me, slow and deliberate. "Didn't expect that. You're actually not bad-looking. So why act like a mouse? Can't even look me in the eye." I shrank back. Said to myself. I never used to know why I was like this either. But then the System showed up and told me I was the pathetic, dark-minded side character in some glossy romance novel. My whole purpose was to be invisible and miserable—just a shadow to make the male leads look more impressive, and the female lead shine brighter. So I just accepted it. Knox waited for me to say something. I couldn't spit out a single word. Impatient, he grabbed my face and squeezed hard. But he didn't punish me. Didn't make me pay for the watch. He made me his lackey. His personal errand girl. His toy. Until I borrowed ten th0usand d0!lars from him. Sneakily dumped his backpack into a sewer. And vanished. "I got into a car accident two years ago," Knox said, perfectly matter-of-fact. "Forgot a lot of things. But—" He let out a dry laugh. "Don't tell me. You're some ex-girlfriend from before I lost my memory?" "No, no, no." I shook my head fast. The second I realized he'd actually forgotten, a quiet rush of relief hit me. I forced a smile. "Sorry. I won't follow you anymore." He stared down at me. I couldn't tell if he bought it. Then, just like he used to. He lazily pulled off my black glasses. Fingers gripped my chin and forced my head up. I still didn't meet his eyes. My lashes trembled. "I hate mice," Knox said, a smirk in his voice. "But my brother loves them." "No!" The word ripped out of me as my eyes snapped up. Knox had lost his memory from the crash. But his brother? No way. I knew exactly what his brother was capable of. "You don't get a choice." Knox's voice was ice. Knox dragged me straight back to his place. I fought him the whole way there. Didn't matter. He never untied me. My struggling got me nowhere. Knox's mouth curled. He clamped a hand down on my thrashing legs. "Stop pretending. Weren't you the one following me? Too bad. You're not my type. But my brother got a thing for girls like you. Land him, and at least your effort won't be wasted." I stayed silent. Refused to engage. Silently, I asked the System, 【What are my chances of slipping away?】 The System sounded exasperated. 【You've got a gift-wrapped opportunity, and you want to run? Then how exactly do you plan to finish the 'Bitter Gaze' task?】 【The whole reason you were tailing Knox is that he's always at racetracks and bars. Think his elder brother Silas is the same?】 It clicked. Good point. But I was still scared. I still owed them m0ney. The System tried again. 【That amount is pocket change. Silas is way too busy, and you're way too ordinary. There's no chance he'd even remember you.】 I agreed. The System's reassurances calmed me down a little. It encouraged me. 【Good luck.】 During the years I'd been gone, the System told me the plot had gone off the rails. The male leads never met the female lead. She'd gone abroad to study and built her own career. But my task stayed the same. Thank God. I just wanted my payout. ... For the next few days, Knox was nowhere to be seen. He kept me locked up in that massive mansion. Sure, it was basically imprisonment. But there was a housekeeper, a cook, a full staff. I ate, I slept, I ate again. Then, a week later. A swarm of people flooded the estate. Decorations everywhere. I leaned over my bedroom balcony, staring down. 【It's Silas' birthday.】 The System piped up. 【If I recall correctly, before you faked your death, he made you prepare an elaborate gift for him every single birthday.】 Translation: You seriously forgot his birthday? I muttered, 【He wasn't the only one demanding gifts. There were two others. And I had no m0ney.】 【Didn't they give you m0ney?】 I said, very seriously, 【If they gave it to me, it's mine. What does that have to do with their birthday presents?】 【You got a point.】 The mansion was decked out, dripping with opulence. Champagne towers everywhere. The whole place hummed with that over-the-top, extravagant birthday energy. That night. Designer suits and gowns poured through the doors. I could hear the noise from all the way up on the third floor. Knox came back. He threw a dress at me. Moonlight white. Short. Not flashy—more understated and fresh. Except for the massive bow right at the cutout on the waist. I shook my head. "Not wearing it." Even with amnesia, Knox hadn't changed one bit. Back in school, he'd pulled every trick to get me into a short skirt. Same thing now. Knox's eyelids lifted. "Don't tell me you plan on going downstairs in that." What was wrong with that? A simple white tee. Relaxed black pants. I mumbled, "I could just not go down." Knox let out a humorless laugh. "Then what did I keep you here for?" He dragged me onto the balcony. J3rked his chin toward the buzzing garden below. "Everyone else is in evening gowns. You think you're special? Not that putting one on would make you look better than any of them." I cu/t him off. "I didn't ask to be here." Just then, a wave of noise rose from below. Enthusiastic greetings. Cheers. The guest of honor had arrived. I spotted the man stepping out of the car instantly. Sharp, tailored suit. Arm linked with a girl who looked soft and demure. She wore this timid little expression, like she'd never seen anything like this before. Seven years ago, Silas had still carried traces of boyish detachment, cold and restrained. Now, he was fully grown. All controlled power. Effortless authority. A face that gave nothing away. Knox watched the scene below and clicked his tongue. "My brother's here. I've got to go see to him." He gave a lazy shrug. "Suit yourself." He pinched my cheek, a smirk playing on his lips. "Maybe he likes them this frumpy." I blinked. Still processing his words as he pushed the door open to leave. He clearly assumed I wouldn't dare go downstairs—or try to run. "Wait here like a good girl," Knox said, easy and unhurried. "And lose the sour face. If my brother takes an interest, you could make serious cash. If not? You're free. I'll throw in some m0ney myself. How's that?" I frowned. "He already has a date tonight." "Oh." Knox didn't care. "He swaps them out constantly." The door clicked shut. His footsteps faded down the hallway. I stood there, the night breeze brushing past me. Still dazed, I caught movement in the corner of my eye. Silas, down below, tilted his head slightly. His gaze was about to sweep this way. I dropped down instantly. Crouched low. Slowly crawled back into the room. I'd done a lot of thinking these past few days. Sure, the odds of Silas remembering me were slim. But seven years ago, the guy was a genius with a photographic memory. And a grudge. These elite types weren't good people. If there was even a one percent chance of being recognized, I couldn't take it. And Knox? He could recover his memories any day. That was even worse. Anyway, what I needed to do was just that "bitter gaze" thing. I'd apply for a janitor job at Silas's company. Show up every day in full disguise, cleaning floors. Plenty of chances to stare at him from the shadows. The party downstairs kicked off. Glasses clinked. Everyone mingled. I slipped out the door as quietly as possible. And immediately ran into a group headed up the hallway, all polished outfits and designer accessories. They were chatting. "Isn't the lounge on the third floor?" I nearly jumped out of my skin. They noticed me too. At the front stood the girl who'd been clinging to Silas's arm earlier. She blinked at me. "You are...?" I pressed my lips together. "I'm—uh. The housekeeper's daughter. Yeah. That." Someone else immediately challenged it. "Why would the housekeeper's daughter be up here?" The girl's expression shifted. So did everyone else's. Disgust crept into their eyes. "You're some staff member's kid, sneaking around to steal, aren't you? I'm going to tell Mr. Whitmore right now." Someone else nodded, voice dripping with contempt. "Yeah. She's clearly guilty of something." My eyes went wide. "Wait!" The girl was already turning toward the stairs, firm. "It's Mr. Whitmore's birthday. I won't let any theft happen tonight." "I came here with Knox!" I blurted it out in sheer desperation. She stopped. Turned back slowly. Looked me up and down, disbelief written all over her face. "You? With him? How is that possible?" The way she scanned me now was nothing like the timid little act she'd been putting on beside Silas. "What's all this?" A lazy voice cu/t through the tension. Everyone turned. Knox raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely surprised by the scene in front of him. The girl jumped in immediately. "We were looking for the lounge. Then we ran into her, sneaking around the hallway. I assumed she was a thief. I was about to go inform Silas... but she claims she's here with you." Seeing Knox, I exhaled in relief. He could vouch for me. I wasn't a thief. But the air went weirdly silent. After a beat, Knox's mouth curled coldly. "You're saying you found her in the hallway." The girl nodded frantically. "Acting very suspicious. Like she'd just stolen something and was about to bolt." I was at a loss for words. "Bolt?" Knox repeated the word, smile razor-sharp. A bad feeling hit me hard. Sure enough, his tone went flat. "She's a thief." The girl lit up at his confirmation. Then sh0t me a venomous glare. "Not just a thief. A liar, too. I'm telling Silas right now. He'll handle you." Her little leather shoes clicked down the stairs. By the time she reached the bottom, her voice had turned soft and sweet again. "Mr. Silas Whitmore!" I stood there, frozen. Ice in my veins. I looked at Knox, completely thrown. He leaned against the hallway wall, arms crossed. His deep eyes pinned me down. Cold. Distant. Then came steady footsteps. Getting closer. The girl was already tattling, voice gentle. "Silas, it's a good thing I noticed her snooping around upstairs. She even lied and said Knox brought her here." I dropped my gaze, despair swallowing me whole. My he@rt s1@mmed against my ribs, frantic. Then my vision went black. The world spun. Just before I fully slipped away, I felt a pair of warm arms catch me.