WonNovels

After my fiancé ran off with his mistress, his brother came to negotiate on behalf of the family.

I was about to break off the engagement when a stream of live comments suddenly appeared before my eyes:

[Girl, don't break it off! Look at your fiancé's brother—he's had a crush on you for years! He even wore shirt stays today just to see you. They're digging into him like crazy.]

[This is it! The female side character threatens to break off the engagement, forcing the male lead to come back and marry her. He ends up hating her and eventually destroys her entire family.]

[The side character is so clueless! The villain may seem cold as ice, but he's secretly obsessed with you. Every night he gets off to your photos... Total possessive stalker. Just smile at him once and his dress pants will split at the seams.]

I changed tack, looking at the man sitting across from me—gold-rimmed glasses, that restrained, cold desire radiating from him.

I couldn't help but say, "What if we try this instead?"

01

The moment the words left my mouth, the comment section exploded:

[Did I hear that right? The side character is actually initiating an arranged marriage with the villain?]

[Is the ship I've been rooting for finally becoming canon? Spoiled heiress vs. obsessive villain—this toxic pairing is chef's kiss. Let me take the first bite.]

[The side character better be serious. Don't tease and run, or those props in the villain's house are no joke.]

Props? What props?

Before I could figure it out, the man's voice pulled me back to reality.

"What exactly do you mean by that, Miss Grant?"

Ethan Blackwood's thin lips parted slightly, his expression impassive as he looked at me.

It made me wonder if the comments were lying.

After all, from past to present, Ethan had never shown the slightest interest in me.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have chosen Ryan in the first place.

That's right—I didn't choose Ryan Blackwood as my fiancé because I liked him.

It was because he seemed easier to control.

Unlike Ethan, who was cold to everyone, seemingly flawless on the surface but impossible to read underneath.

I'd probably help him count the money after he sold me out.

Meeting my gaze, Ethan looked away without a trace of emotion.

He picked up his coffee and took a sip, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

Comments:

[The villain's putting on such an act. His heart's about to beat out of his chest.]

[A man who usually buttons his shirt to the top unbuttoned it to the third button today, just because the side character once said she likes guys with good bodies.]

[Girl, stop staring at the villain. Keep it up and he's not going to make it.]

That last comment made me look at Ethan more closely.

I realized he was indeed different today.

02

The black shirt he wore was slightly tighter than usual, outlining his solid muscles and narrow waist.

The three undone buttons revealed a glimpse of his full chest.

It rose and fell with each breath.

How had I never noticed Ethan was this built?

Suddenly, Ethan shifted his posture, crossing his legs and placing his hands on his thighs.

I caught sight of a slight bulge at the edge of his dress pants and smirked—so he really was wearing shirt stays.

The man's gaze darkened, his voice slightly hoarse.

"What are you looking at, Miss Grant?"

I couldn't resist teasing him.

"Looking at you. You seem to have a good body, Mr. Blackwood. Do you have an eight-pack?"

"Can I... touch it?"

The next second, Ethan's pupils contracted, his hands instinctively clenching, veins popping on the backs of his hands.

[Girl, stop flirting! The villain's about to explode.]

[Thank god the villain was quick and used his legs to cover it, or he'd be embarrassed right now.]

[They're not even together yet and it's already this sweet? I'm afraid the villain won't be able to hold back and just take her right here.]

"So that's why you want to try this with me, Miss Grant?"

Ethan asked.

I shrugged nonchalantly.

"We're getting married either way, so it doesn't matter who I choose. The most important thing is a strong alliance that benefits both of us, right?"

At those words, the man's expression darkened.

"Marriage isn't a game. You should think it over, Miss Grant."

"I'm in no rush. You can give me your answer in a few days."

With that, Ethan stood and left.

[Sob sob sob, the villain is so pure-hearted. Even though he's crazy about her, he still wants her to marry someone she actually loves.]

[Wait, why is the villain leaving so fast?]

[What do you think? With the state he's in, he's definitely going to deal with it while looking at her photos. Don't forget he stole her stockings before.]

[Nice, nice. A little pure, but not much.]

03

In the car, I learned that this world was from a billionaire mistress novel.

Ryan Blackwood and his mistress Ava Rose were the male and female leads.

And Ethan and I were the villain and evil side character who died early.

In the original book, after I proposed breaking off the engagement, I still ended up marrying Ryan.

Out of jealousy toward Ava, I constantly sabotaged her and spread rumors that she was a homewrecker.

Ava eventually couldn't take it anymore and fled abroad while pregnant.

When Ryan couldn't find her, he took out his hatred on me and imprisoned me until I died.

And Ethan—Ryan's half-brother—became the biggest villain in the book trying to avenge me, locked in a fight to the death with the leads.

Reading this made me laugh—what a clichéd domineering CEO storyline. All these male leads thought they were above the law.

Though I didn't believe I'd become like that.

But to prevent the plot from pushing forward, I had my company's PR department issue a statement.

Officially announcing that Ryan and I had broken off our engagement, making sure there was no going back.

Back in my office, the moment I sat down, I received a message on my phone.

A video from an unknown number.

In the video, Ryan sat on a sofa in a private club, playing with Ava Rose's hair.

Someone asked, "Ryan, your fiancée already issued a statement breaking off the engagement. You sure you don't want to go back and deal with it?"

Ryan scoffed, his tone dripping with mocking certainty.

"You really think she'll actually break it off with me? It's just a ploy to make me come back."

"She was so eager to be my fiancée before—obviously because she likes me. This is just her way of making me go back and grovel."

"I'm not going back. She'll come crawling back begging me to marry her soon enough."

As soon as he finished, Ryan's buddies all praised him.

"That's our Ryan for you—even the Grant family heiress is your lapdog now."

Ava's eyes reddened. "It's all my fault. I ran away, and now Ivy's copying me."

"Ryan, you should go back. Don't come looking for me anymore. We can never be together."

With that, Ava tried to push Ryan away, but he only held her tighter.

"With me here, what are you afraid of?"

"She's just a poor imitation. We'll play a few more days before going back and teach her a lesson. Then she won't dare bully you anymore."

Ryan leaned down and kissed Ava's lips.

Around them, his buddies whistled.

The video cut off abruptly.

04

I laughed outright.

Talk about living up to being the leads.

While I was here trying to minimize the fallout from breaking the engagement, they were off in their own little world.

Hormones really had gone to their heads—nothing in their eyes but their love story.

At that moment, the comments were scrolling:

[Am I the only one who finds the leads disgusting? The female lead knows the male lead has a fiancée but keeps seeing him anyway. If that's not being a homewrecker, what is?]

[I think so too. The female lead seems so fake. I hate mistress female leads.]

[Please. The one who isn't loved is the real third wheel. The male lead truly loves the female lead. The side character should be the one leaving. Can you people have some morals?]

[Plus, it's not like the female lead wants this. The male lead forces himself on her every time. She has no choice but to give in.]

[If it's really force, why don't I see the female lead actually resisting? Every time she just pushes him away symbolically and then sleeps with him. Might as well call it foreplay.]

[Finding the female lead disgusting +1. For those defending her—I hope when your husband cheats, you'll graciously step aside too. After all, you'll be the one who isn't loved then.]

I ignored the comments.

I just thought I really should get married soon to avoid being pulled along by the plot.

Thinking this, Ethan's face floated into my mind.

This man eventually died at my gravestone.

I picked up the phone and called my secretary. "I want all of Ethan Blackwood's information within half an hour."

Half an hour later, I held a thick stack of files.

Inside was everything from Ethan's birth and education to his current work schedule.

This man's private life was incredibly clean.

He had almost no women around him—even his assistant and butler were men.

If I hadn't seen the comments, I'd have wondered if Ethan even liked women.

[The villain really is devoted and faithful. Every day it's just work and thinking about the side character. When he gets turned on, he just takes care of it himself. I feel bad for him.]

[Unfortunately, the villain's going to be drugged by a business partner tonight. To stay rational, he'll lock himself in a room and cut his own body with a knife.]

[Just thinking about when his assistant rushes to save him and finds him barely alive makes me not want to watch.]

05

My hand paused mid-flip through the files.

I thought of Ethan's face that stayed composed even when disaster struck.

What would a drugged Ethan look like? I was a little curious.

Just then, my phone rang.

It was my best friend Sophia Chen.

"Ivy, I heard you announced the broken engagement."

"Well done! I've been saying you should've dumped that two-timing scumbag ages ago. Give me a few days and I'll introduce you to some better guys."

Sophia's end was noisy—clearly she was at a bar.

I hummed noncommittally.

The comments had already revealed which hotel Ethan was at.

I suddenly asked Sophia, "Do you know how to seduce a man?"

"What?"

Sophia couldn't believe her ears.

A veteran of the dating scene, she went through men like they had expiration dates. Hearing this piqued her interest.

"What kind of man requires our Ivy Grant to make the first move?"

I glanced at the files in front of me and slowly said four words.

"The repressed type."

Sophia burst out laughing.

"For that type, you don't need words. Just get him into bed, strip his clothes off, and you're done."

"Trust me, the calmer a man looks on the surface, the wilder he is in bed."

06

Armed with Sophia's advice, I arrived at the hotel entrance.

Before I even reached the private room, I saw a drunk Ethan being supported by a female secretary from his business partner's company.

The woman wore a deep V-neck blouse and a tight pencil skirt—clearly prepared for this.

Ethan frowned and pushed her away, but the woman tried to latch on again.

I quickly stepped in first and supported Ethan.

His face was flushed. Seeing me, his brow relaxed. "Ivy, is that you?"

[Oh? This morning it was all 'Miss Grant,' but now that he's drunk it's straight to 'Ivy.' The villain really is the repressed type.]

[Did I see that wrong? How is the side character here? This scene wasn't in the original plot.]

[Who cares if it was or wasn't? The side character's here, so our villain is saved.]

[Side character, don't let this drunk villain go. Listen to your bestie—strip his clothes and have your way with him. We love to see it.]

I gave the secretary a friendly smile. "I'm Ethan's girlfriend. I'll take it from here."

The secretary didn't want to give up, but seeing the bodyguards beside me, she could only grit her teeth and leave reluctantly.

I didn't know where Ethan lived, so I could only get him a room at the front desk.

Since they needed ID, I asked Ethan several times with no response.

I had to reach into the man's pockets myself.

It took a while to find it, and I felt his body getting even hotter.

His warm breath practically hit my face.

I finally managed to get him onto the hotel bed.

As I was about to loosen his tie, my wrist was suddenly grabbed.

"Don't... don't touch."

Ethan's voice was hoarse, his eyes showing restraint, as if he'd regained some rationality. He sat up.

"Thank you for helping me just now, Miss Grant. I'm fine now. You can go."

Watching Ethan breathe heavily, as if his thread of reason could snap at any moment, I couldn't help but smirk.

From the moment I saw those files, I'd decided to make Ethan my fiancé.

If I wanted to get out unscathed, I would have sent him to the hospital just now, not brought him to a hotel room.